20 days on, Bhattakufar families still await government assistance after house collapse

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 19 (ANI): More than 20 days after a building collapsed due to heavy rainfall in Bhattakufar, on the outskirts of Shimla, affected families continue to live in uncertainty without rehabilitation, without compensation, and without clarity.
Six buildings were vacated following the June 30 incident, but residents claim that despite visits by top state officials, including the Chief Minister, they have received no financial or logistical support to date.

Speaking to ANI, Jayant, a resident whose house has been declared unsafe, said that the residents are still waiting for justice.
"It happened around 8:30 AM on June 30th. My family was at home when the adjacent building collapsed. Cracks developed in our house. Since then, we've been forced to live in a rented room with six people. The SDM marked five houses in the area as part of a danger zone, yet we have received no relief," he said.
"The Chief Minister had assured us that rent assistance of around ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 would be provided by the state government. We were also promised that the matter would be taken up with NHAI, and compensation would be secured from the agency or the contractor. But nothing has happened yet. Even NHAI has not clarified anything," he added.
Jayant's house stands on a dangerously unstable slope. A massive 500-foot vertical ditch has formed behind the property; which residents say is a result of ongoing highway widening work by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) as part of the Shimla-Paratoo four-lane expansion project. Locals allege that the excavation weakened the hillside, leading to the collapse.
"Our house is cracked. Concrete has been poured to stabilise it temporarily, but it's not safe to live in. I go every day just to check if it's still standing. The foundation is shaken. I don't think it can be lived in again," Jayant said.
Despite an FIR filed with the police and local administrative acknowledgement of danger, families remain in limbo. Residents have requested that either their entire locality be acquired by NHAI or that permanent rehabilitation be provided.
119 people have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal since June 20. 70 deaths were directly due to landslides, cloudbursts, or house collapses. 49 fatalities occurred in road accidents, 146 roads remain blocked across the state,28 power transformers are non-functional, and 58 water supply schemes are disrupted. So far, 293 homes have been destroyed and 91 homes partially damaged.
The cumulative financial loss due to the monsoon havoc now stands at ₹1,234.98 crore, with widespread damage reported to roads, public utilities, agriculture, houses, and livestock. (ANI)