Years After Oil Hunters Came And Left, Himachal's Syathi Sinks; 61 Villagers Move Into Temple

The rains in Himachal Pradesh on June 30 and July 1 wreaked havoc, leaving hundreds of people homeless. In addition to the Seraj valley of Mandi district, Syathi of Gram Panchayat Laungni in the Dharmpur subdivision also faced a disaster, making 61 people homeless.

Five houses in the village were completely destroyed, while the remaining houses are uninhabitable. Consequently, the entire village is now forced to spend nights with their children and elders in the courtyard of Naina Mata Temple.

Affected resident Abhishek Kumar recounted that a few years ago, when his family was in Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP), they built a house with the received funds and their savings. Later, they expanded that house by saving every penny. Everything was destroyed in one stroke, leaving nothing behind, he said.

Residents Sunita and Meena Devi expressed the difficulty of living in the temple courtyard with elders and children. They shared that although they are receiving food, they lack a roof over their heads. They have requested the government to provide land as soon as possible so that they can build a house and restart their lives.

Village Panchayat Laungni's Pradhan Meena Devi recalled that in 2014, Syathi village had also experienced land slippage due to heavy rains, forcing villagers to spend 15 days in the temple courtyard. When conditions improved, everyone returned to their homes.

According to Meena Devi, a few years ago, some people came near the village searching for oil and dug small pits for investigation. The villagers do not have much information about this. Meena Devi stated that when she inquired, they said they were searching for oil. However, these individuals were never seen again. Notably, similar investigations have been conducted in various parts of Mandi district in search of oil, but no conclusions were reached.

After the heavy landslide in Syathi village, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu visited the site. BJP MP Anurag Thakur also met the affected villagers.

The incident occurred during heavy rainfall. How this rocky land of the village collapsed may require scientific investigation. But first, the villagers need to be resettled to ensure these homeless people can have permanent shelter.