“Move Parwanoo entry barrier to Sanwara, says Himachal HC: slams weekend traffic chaos near Timber trail”
Shimla, Aug 5,
In a crucial directive that could bring relief to thousands of weekend travellers to Himachal Pradesh, the Himachal Pradesh High Court on Monday asked the state government to seriously consider shifting the Parwanoo entry tax barrier to Sanwara — a location with better traffic handling capacity.
Hearing CWPIL of 2025 (Uttansh Monga vs. State of Himachal Pradesh & others), a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma observed that the current tax collection setup near Timber Trail is “causing a lot of inconvenience to the general public.”
“The H.P. State Entry Tax which is collected on the Chandigarh-Shimla Highway near Timber Trail is causing a lot of inconvenience,” said the Bench, underlining the consistent traffic chaos on weekends. “There are only two to three lanes for incoming traffic and no free lane for H.P. registered vehicles, which are exempted from entry tax. All vehicles have to line up.”
The court has expanded the scope of the Public Interest Litigation to directly address the issue of toll barrier installation and asked the state to file a detailed reply.
Advocate Ganesh Barowalia appeared for the petitioner. Additional Advocate General Gobind Korla represented the state respondents, while Central Government Counsel Vandana Misra appeared for respondent no. 2.
The judges pointed out that a far better alternative already exists. “There is another Barrier/Collection Centre at Sanwara set up by NHAI, which has multiple lanes on both sides of the highway and is just 15 km away. It would be appropriate if the respondents could consider having a common facility at the Barrier/Collection Centre at Sanwara,” the Bench suggested.
Noting the geographical constraints of the hilly highway and the absence of multiple entry points, the court further directed that “an alternative site with more space” could also be identified, if needed.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on August 29, 2025.
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