Houses in Lindur village in Himachal Pradsh's Lahaul and Spiti district have developed cracks, causing panic in the villagers and demand of a geological survey.
The district administration has also urged the state government for the canalisation of a nullah in the village to stop seepage of water that could have caused the sinking of the village, leading to cracks.
Since the development of cracks, dozens of villagers are sleeping in the open. While the officials have said they can be shifted to safer areas, no one has so far moved.
The situation in the Himachal village has developed months after a similar crisis in neighbouring Uttarakhand's Joshimath. The crisis in Joshimath was, however, on a much bigger level and affected hundreds of people. The episode captured national and international headlines and many people were forced to move out.
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In Himachal's Lindur village, nine houses have developed cracks and 70 villagers are affected who have been forced to sleep out in the open, reported PTI.
The villagers also told PTI that that their agricultural land has also been damaged due to fissures.
Sarita, Pradhan of Goharama Gram Panchayat, told PTI, "Cracks were noticed in the periphery of the village in June/July and have widened and spread, endangering houses. Nine out of 16 houses in the village have developed cracks and four of them have been declared unsafe. The seepage of water from the nearby Jahmala nullah which gets flooded every year could be responsible for the cracks but it can only be ascertained by a survey of the Geological Department. We have requested the authorities to get a geological survey of the area done."
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Villagers whose houses have developed cracks have been given the option to shift to safe places but so far, no one has moved out, said Deputy Commissioner of Lahaul and Spiti Rahul Kumar to PTI.
Kumar added that the situation is under control but the villagers are nervous. He further said that the Tehsildar has been directed to provide immediate relief to the affected families.
Kumar added that the district administration has urged the government to ensure canalisation of the Jahmala nullah to resolve the seepage problem affecting two to three panchayats, reported PTI. He further said that the district administration has also written to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi to conduct a study and suggest a solution to the situation.
