Stretch on Mussoorie’s Kipling Trail sinks, cracks after rain

Mussoorie: A long stretch of road in Mussoorie's Jharipani area, part of the historic Kipling Trail to Mussoorie, has developed wide cracks and visible signs of sinking after recurring rainfall since last week. Residents said they feared more landslides, with no official help or expert survey reaching the site so far. The cracked road connects Rajpur in Dehradun to Mussoorie and was the main route to the hill station before a motorable road was built.The trail was named after author and poet Rudyard Kipling, who came up to Mussoorie in 1888 via this route, and described the experience of this journey in his book ‘Kim'. Renowned author Ruskin Bond also wrote a poem about the trail.Pratima Devi, a resident of Jharipani, said, "We are living under constant fear of landslides and damage to our house. If it rains at night, we cannot sleep due to fear." Ratan Singh, another resident, added, "This entire area is sinking and our roads are developing cracks which are widening day by day. A lot of people, including the MLA, have come here for inspection but no one from disaster management has come to help us."Meera Saklani, chairperson of Mussoorie municipal council, said she visited the site along with cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi to assess the damage. "He has informed senior govt officials, and they have assured us that a team of experts will visit soon to identify solutions for the prevention and treatment of land subsidence in this area," she said.The Kipling Trail was once used by Raj-era travellers on horseback or in palanquins and is now a recognised heritage route. Residents said the stretch has not only sunk but also tilted at multiple points, putting homes directly above it at risk. On Sept 15, a construction worker was killed nearby after a boulder fell on his shelter, a local said.The portion of the road where subsidence has been reported forms part of the old bridle path that was used by the British to travel from Rajpur (Dehradun) to Mussoorie. Horses were hired at Rajpur for the seven-mile trek to the hill town, while those unaccustomed to riding chose a dandi (similar to a palanquin) and were carried by a team of four to eight porters.On Sept 18, cracks appeared after fresh rain and residents feared even sending children to school. Power outages were reported, and families left their homes during rainfall but returned once the skies cleared.Land subsidence is not limited to Jharipani. In Jan 2023, a 50-metre stretch of road in Mussoorie's Landour market — the oldest market in the town — began sinking. Cracks appeared in shops and buildings, putting nearly 500 residents and traders at risk. "Deep cracks have also appeared on the road and on the walls of my shop," a shopkeeper had told TOI. The Landour market was built nearly 200 years ago to serve British troops recovering at a convalescent centre nearby. Despite repeated requests, locals said there had been no clarity on whether a geological survey was conducted or what its findings were.