Photo used for indicative purpose only. Source: Internet
NHAI could not wash its hands off responsibility for four-lane damage, says HP High Court
Shimla, Aug 10,
Himachal Pradesh High Court has pulled up the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for attempting to distance itself from responsibility for the collapse of a four-storey building allegedly linked to hill cutting carried out for the Shimla four-lane project at Chamyana.
Hearing a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (CWPIL No. 61 of 2025), a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin C. Negi observed that NHAI could not “wash off its hands” of responsibility for the incident, particularly when the four-lane highway was being constructed downhill from the affected building.
The court noted that the construction was being undertaken by M/s Gawar Shimla Highway Private Ltd. for the four-lane project on the Shimla Bypass, being executed through NHAI. An inquiry found that hill-slope cutting during construction had rendered the slope vulnerable to failure.
The financial liability involved in the incident is substantial. According to the assessment placed before the court, the collapsed structure of Ranjana Devi was valued at Rs 1,65,17,336, while belongings inside the building were assessed at Rs 58,38,588 and the land at Rs 57,14,100. After adding 100 per cent solatium, the total assessment worked out to Rs 5,61,92,048, or about Rs 5.62 crore.
The court, however, considered the immediate compensation payable towards the structure and belongings, totalling Rs 2,23,55,924, and directed that the amount be paid without further delay.
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The Bench expressed strong concern that despite the assessment having been completed nearly a year earlier, Ranjana Devi had not received a penny from either NHAI or the contractor. It directed both respondents to pay 50 per cent each, amounting to roughly Rs 1.12 crore each, within four weeks, pending further orders.
The court also directed the State to assess the loss suffered by Chanda Devi, whose adjoining three-and-a-half-storey house has been rendered unsafe. It further observed that NHAI and the contractor have a Corporate Social Responsibility towards residents of Himachal Pradesh in view of the infrastructure work being executed and the profits generated from it.
The case has been listed for further hearing on September 23, 2026.
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