Landslide on Mussoorie-Dehradun Road
By Sunil Sonker
Mussoorie, 28 Jul: Torrential rain in Mussoorie once again disrupted normal life on Tuesday. A massive landslide occurred near the Hanuman Temple, beyond Kolukhet on the Mussoorie-Dehradun road, depositing large quantities of debris and boulders on the highway and halting traffic completely for about an hour. Long queues of vehicles formed on both sides of the road, causing significant inconvenience to travellers. Upon receiving the information, a Public Works Department (PWD) team arrived at the site with two JCB machines. After strenuous effort, the accumulated debris was cleared, and traffic flow was restored. However, cracks remain visible on the hillside, and several large boulders are still perched precariously on the slope; consequently, the risk of further landslides persists amidst the continuous rain.
The most severe impact of the rain was witnessed near ‘Pani Wala Bend’ on the Mussoorie-Dehradun road, where a restaurant was completely wrecked by a massive landslide. Goods worth lakhs of rupees kept inside the restaurant were destroyed as the structure was buried under the debris. Fortunately, the people present inside at the time managed to escape in time and save their lives.
Restaurant owner Rishabh Pawar stated that this same restaurant had previously been completely destroyed during the disaster on 16 September 2025. At that time, too, he had received no government assistance or compensation. He had rebuilt the restaurant with the help of relatives and his own resources, but once again, the wrath of nature has undone years of his hard work.
Rishabh Pawar alleged that he had repeatedly requested the Public Works Department (PWD), the district administration, and public representatives to construct a retaining wall behind the restaurant and undertake plantation work on the hillside to mitigate the risk of landslides. However, his requests were not taken seriously. He stated that had safety measures been implemented in time, the current damage might have been averted. He has sought financial assistance and appropriate compensation from the government, as well as from the local MLA and Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi.
Tourists visiting Mussoorie remarked that landslides in the mountains are natural during continuous rainfall; however, the speed with which the administration deployed JCBs to clear debris from the road and restore traffic was commendable. They also praised the promptness of disaster management and relief operations under the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Incidents of landslides have begun to rise in Mussoorie and surrounding areas due to incessant rain. Experts believe that the risk to vulnerable locations will persist as long as the rainy spell continues. The administration has also appealed to the public to avoid unnecessary travel and exercise extra caution in landslide-prone areas.
