Shimla Sinkhole Scare: Schoolgirl Rescued, Locals Blame Faulty Road Work
A routine school morning in Shimla turned into a nightmare at Bhattakufar Chowk when the road suddenly caved in, swallowing a young schoolgirl into a 10-foot-deep sinkhole. The child, who was boarding an HRTC bus carrying Auckland House School students, slipped straight into the gaping hole as the ground gave way beneath one of the bus’s tyres.
What followed was a tense rescue operation. Ropes were used to pull the girl out safely, and though shaken, she miraculously escaped unharmed.
But the incident has left residents furious and fearful. With four-lane road and tunnel construction underway in the area, locals say this is yet another example of negligence by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Cabinet Minister and MLA Anirudh Singh slammed the agency, warning that “the situation has now become life-threatening” and urging Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to step in immediately.
Local councillor Narendra Thakur echoed the outrage, alleging collusion between NHAI and contractors. He pointed out that nearby houses have already developed cracks, and land subsidence is worsening. “How can compensation ever make up for homes whose foundations are collapsing?” he asked.
For residents, the sinkhole is more than a pothole—it’s a symbol of crumbling trust in the very infrastructure meant to connect and protect them.
