One home was destroyed and about half a dozen were partially damaged due to a landslide in the Charlton Lodge area of Nainital on Saturday morning. The locals allege that the authorities had deployed three mechanical excavators for demolishing encroachments on the Health department’s land and that the vibrations being caused by the heavy machinery in the past few days resulted in the landslide. The local further said that water and sewer were leaking for quite some time from the mountain, causing it to become weak. The locals said they informed the Jal Sansthan about this on many occasions, but the department remained apathetic, which also contributed to the landslide. According to the local authorities, one house was fully damaged and more than half a dozen homes were partially damaged due to the landslide. Sub divisional magistrate Pramod Kumar informed that alternative arrangements have been made for accommodation of the affected families. The area has been sealed for safety to prevent people from visiting it, he added.
