A massive boulder rolled down from a hillside near Sipahidhara in Nainital's Tallital area on Monday evening, crushing a parked car, sending a scooter and a motorcycle into a deep gorge, and forcing authorities to evacuate around 25 families from nearby homes as a precaution. No casualties or injuries were reported, but residents said the boulder narrowly missed several houses further downhill.
Incident Details
The incident took place near the sensitive Baliyanaala zone, along the link road connecting Sipahidhara to Veerbhatti in Krishnapur area. A huge rock broke loose from the hillside above, triggering panic among residents. Many left their homes overnight and took shelter at Gufa Mahadev, a dharamshala, a government inter college (GIC), and relatives' houses. Officials said tehsildar Akshay Bhatt was supervising temporary shelter arrangements, where food and stay facilities were provided for displaced families.
Residents' Anger and Protest
Anger escalated on Tuesday morning when residents gathered at the spot and accused the administration of negligence, claiming senior officials had not inspected the affected area promptly despite the threat to lives and property. Despite the presence of police and district administration officials, locals raised slogans against the administration around 11am and later blocked the Nainital-Haldwani national highway near the GIC, halting traffic for around 30 minutes.
Anil Singh Rawat, a local resident, said construction work in the area may have loosened the boulder. “Nearly 4,000 families live in this area, and schoolchildren frequently use this path. We need proper safety measures so that no one is harmed in future,” he said. Another resident, Pankaj Chaudhary, added, “Workers had earlier drilled into the boulder but left the task unfinished, leaving the rock unstable.”
Official Response
Sub-divisional magistrate Nawazish Khalik reached the scene and assured residents that immediate safety measures would be taken, following which the protesters lifted the blockade and traffic movement resumed. Khalik later visited the affected area, spoke to residents, and directed officials from irrigation, municipal and revenue departments to address the crisis on priority. “Families will return only after all hazardous rocks are safely dismantled and the area is declared safe,” he said.
Preventive Measures
Authorities said protective measures, including iron mesh and grills, would be installed within the next 10 days to secure the unstable hillside, while work on alternative routes was also planned to ensure safer connectivity for residents. “Relief material, including rice, flour, pulses, mustard oil, vegetables and basic spices, has been distributed to nine impacted families,” an official said, adding that administrative assistance and essential aid were being provided to affected families.
