Landslide Swallows Riverside Hotel in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu, School Building Now at Risk
Illegal sand mining along Beas River blamed as erosion threatens lives, government property, and hundreds of students
A massive landslide in Bandrol village of Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, brought down a large section of the “View Inn by Riverside” hotel early this morning, with portions of the structure left dangling mid-air over the Beas riverbank. The remaining sections of the building have since been evacuated as a precautionary measure.
The collapse has set off alarm bells beyond the hotel itself. The adjacent Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) — a government residential school — now faces a direct threat as the soil beneath the hotel continues to slowly slide toward the Beas River. Parents of students enrolled at the school have expressed serious concern over their children’s safety, demanding immediate intervention.
A Disaster Years in the Making
This is not the first time Bandrol has witnessed such destruction. A landslide struck the same location back in 2023, and soil erosion has been ongoing ever since. Until now, the threat was largely considered confined to the hotel. However, the creeping erosion has now reached government infrastructure, raising the stakes considerably. Residential homes in the area have also begun developing cracks, putting local families at risk.
Illegal Mining in the Dock
Villagers are unequivocal about who they hold responsible. Local residents Ishant Mahant, Madan Katoch, and Satpal Thakur have squarely blamed illegal sand and stone mining along the Beas riverbed, alleging that the mining mafia’s reckless excavation has systematically weakened the mountain’s foundation over time, ultimately triggering this collapse.
Residents say they have repeatedly flagged the issue to district authorities, only to be met with inaction. The failure to crack down on illegal mining operations, they allege, has allowed the situation to spiral to this point.
Administration Under Fire
The local community has issued a stern warning to the administration: if an immediate and complete ban on illegal mining is not enforced, and if protective retaining walls are not constructed on a war footing in the affected zone, residents will take to the streets in protest. The demand for urgent structural intervention has grown louder as more families watch their homes crack and crumble.
With a school full of students, a collapsed hotel, and an entire hillside in motion, authorities face mounting pressure to act swiftly before the next rain or tremor turns a crisis into a catastrophe.
