Raigad landslide: Rescuers had a tough task getting to site

The landslide at Irsalwadi buried most of the 45 houses on the hillock and villagers are feared trapped 15 feet to 20 feet deep in the debris officials saidon ThursdayAccording to officials before the landslide wreaked havoc 45 families of about 234 people lived in the hamlet settled around the Irsal Gadh fort Of the 45 houses only five or six have remained intact they added The rescue personnel including the NDRF police and Thane Disaster Response Force have to trek for a couple of hours to carry out the rescue operationsOver 2hour trekldquoItrsquos a 5km trek with a lot of difficulties as we also have to carry rescue equipment The trekking route is zigzag and has slippery rocks Itrsquos especially difficult to climb while itrsquos raining We canrsquot use heavy machinery as vehicles cannot go up We have sought the help of the five neighbouring villagesrdquo an NDRF officer told midsayRescue personnel at the site of the landslideMinister Aditi Tatkare who visited the site also emphasised on the challenging geography of the village ldquoThe rescue operation has become incredibly difficult especially with the current heavy rains The rescue teams faced considerable obstacles in reaching the affected area It becomes even more arduous to transport the injured individuals while navigating the mountains for twothree hoursrdquo she told media personsA police officer told midday that the authorities decided to bury the bodies here as it was difficult to carry them downSchool survivesThe villagers are rice farmers who also cut and transport wood As the fort is a famous trekking destination during the monsoon they also set up food stalls for the hikersA villager told midday ldquoThese villagers have been living at this place since the time of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj decades During Shivaji Maharajrsquos time villagers here used to provide security to Irshal gadh fort and built a village around the boundary of the fortrdquoA primary school built here was not affected by the landslideAnother villager pointed out that for those living on the hillock the trek is not that difficult and it takes them only 2030 minutes However for others it is a difficult hike and takes around threefour hours he added The rescuers also found bullocks goats and hens in the debris and rescued a dog45No of houses in the villageActivists ask CM for immediate ban on quarryingStating that the Irsalwadi landslide tragedy is a wakeup call environmentalists have called for an immediate ban on all quarries across hills and a thorough study of ecosensitive areas such as the Raigad and Thane districtsThe continuous and highintensity blasts have farreaching impact in terms of loosening of the soil on the hillslopes which could cause landslides NatConnect Foundation and Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan SEAP said in their email to Chief Minister Eknath ShindeA number of quarries are functional at various places in Raigad district and it is high time that a dedicated hill development regulatory authority is formed to check indiscriminate mining NatConnect Director B N Kumar said