British era heritage hotel in Shimla,Oberoi Clarkes,was shut down on Monday as a landslide nearby resulting from the construction of lawyers chambers posed a threat to the century-old building overlooking the old Shimla town and the Ridge. The company took the decision late Sunday evening after its consultants reported there was a threat to the entire hotel complex following a sudden landslide that took place two months ago. There have been three major landslides at the site after the public works department and a private constructor deployed heavy machinery to restore the road leading to the Himachal Pradesh High Court located behind the hotel. Use of heavy machinery to rebuild the road and the hotel retaining wall,coupled with heavy rain,were posing a threat to the hotel. We have decided not to put our staff and guests at risk. Sunday evening,we shut the hotel and evacuated the staff and guests, said an Oberoi official. All guests staying in the hotel were shifted to Cecil,another luxury hotel of the Oberois. Clarkes has decided not to make any fresh booking. The problem started in May when the construction of the lawyers chambers in the Himachal Pradesh High Court building began in the hotels vicinity. At that time,huge cracks appeared on the boundary walls of the hotel and on the road. The road leading to the High Court had been shut since May and is unlikely to be restored in the next three to four months. Work on the lawyers chambers has also been suspended. Shimla Municipal Commissioner M P Sood said the government has already commissioned a study by IIT-Roorkee and sufficient precautions were being taken to avoid further damage to the hotel.
