Shimla, July 30 (PTI) Shimla Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap on Wednesday directed the company executing the Parwanoo-Dhali four-lane project to pay a compensation of Rs 5.61 crore to three members of a family whose multi-storey building collapsed at Bhattakuffar on the outskirts of the town due to a landslide on June 30.
An enquiry committee constituted to ascertain the cause of the collapse held the company responsible for the landslide. The direction to pay compensation was issued on the basis of its report, officials said.
The panel, headed by Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order) Pankaj Sharma, was constituted on July 4 and submitted its report on July 18. It found that hill-cutting for road expansion by the company had caused damage to the building.
According to the report, the value of the collapsed building and the cost of land were assessed at Rs 2,80,96,024 and Rs 57,40,100, respectively. The value of the structure was pegged at Rs 1,65,17,336, and the cost of other goods at Rs 58,38,588.
Kashyap asked the company to pay the compensation immediately, saying that it would not only provide relief to the affected families but also strengthen the commitment of agencies involved in disaster-related relief and compensation.
The five-storey building had collapsed at Mathu Colony on the road leading to the Chamiyana super-speciality hospital, but there was no casualty as the district administration had evacuated the residents earlier due to the risk. Two adjoining buildings are also under threat.
The building’s owner, Ranjana Verma, had alleged that the hill-cutting for four-laning had made the structure unsafe, but no action was taken to ensure its safety.
She had lodged a complaint of endangering life and causing damage to property against the National Highways Authority of India and the company executing the road project. PTI BPL OZ OZ
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