Landslides prove slippery for administration

CHANDIGARH: Landslides during monsoons are quite prevalent in areas of Morni, Tikkertal and Madana villages, which have been giving headache to the local administration for long. Haryana's only hill station, Morni is the closest hill area for residents of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali. Though heavy rains are yet not there, but landslides have already started.
Sunday's landslide near Badisher village was a sad reminder of the administration's inability in coping with the problem. It took two hours of rigorous efforts to clear the area. Last year too, during heavy rains, around 150 tourists were stuck for around 10 hours on the Panchkula-Morni road due to a landslide near Madana village, 20 km from Panchkula.
Like every year, PWD authorities are claiming that they are well prepared to deal with any situation.
PWD executive engineer B S Khokhar said a road inspector has been deputed to keep a check on the landslide-prone areas. Four JCB machines will now be available at headquarter in Morni. A mechanical engineer will also be available to repair faulty machines, he said.