CHANDIGARH: The colonial-era building housing the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) in Shimla is at risk of 'sinking'.
The authorities have written to the Union Ministry of Education and the Himachal government to conduct a risk assessment of the complex against the backdrop of a landslide at a temple in Summer Hill in which 21 people died.
The temple site and the IIAS building are located on the same hill, with the temple lying at a lower height. Sources said that in the letter written by the IIAS, the authorities referred to the temple tragedy, where the landslide took place near the edge of the outer lawns of the institute. The severity of the landslip caused the erosion of the fenced pathway, said the IIAS letter.
A road within the IIAS compound near the main building is sinking for some time. The authorities are altering the course of the water coming onto the road to ensure it doesn’t flow towards the sinking side. The outer lawns of the institute have been covered with plastic sheets to ensure there was no water seepage, said sources.
"The IIAS has written to the ministry to take preventive measures for the safety of the institute. Officials of the State Disaster Management Authority and the Meteorological Department have visited the spot,’’ said an officer.
Meanwhile, CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the government has decided to declare Himachal Pradesh as a 'Natural Calamity Affected Area'.