Shimla four-lane construction halted after road caves in near Bhattakufar; administration seeks detailed report, residents demand accountability
Shimla, Nov 22
Construction work on the Kaithlighat–Shimla four-lane project has been ordered to stop with immediate effect after a portion of the road caved in at Bhattakufar Chowk on Saturday morning, narrowly averting a major tragedy.
Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap and Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi conducted an on-site inspection shortly after receiving information about the collapse. The incident occurred when an HRTC bus carrying schoolchildren suddenly sank from the front side as the road gave way beneath it.
The Deputy Commissioner said that such an incident had never been witnessed in the area before. He confirmed that tunneling activity is underway near the location as part of the four-lane project, and the administration has taken the matter seriously from a safety standpoint. The Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order) and the Additional Superintendent of Police have been jointly directed to prepare a comprehensive report on the tunneling operations and their possible link to the land subsidence.
The district administration has written to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) warning of a potential disaster. Local residents told the Deputy Commissioner that cracks had begun appearing in several houses, which he personally inspected. The administration will also notify the Survey of India and provide full technical details of the incident.
Kashyap noted that the administration has been receiving multiple complaints from residents regarding the ongoing four-lane construction. All such grievances will be placed before the SDMA for further action.
Meanwhile, tension prevailed at Bhattakufar as residents and shopkeepers refused to allow the accident-hit HRTC bus to be removed from the spot. They insisted that the bus would remain until officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) visited the location and accepted responsibility for the damage in the area. Around 50–60 people are present at the site, with local shopkeepers shutting their establishments in protest. Residents warned that if NHAI officials failed to meet them, they may be compelled to block the road.
Earlier, ADM Pankaj Sharma reached the site and assured residents that their concerns would be taken up. He scheduled a meeting with NHAI officials for next Tuesday to address the damage caused to houses in the vicinity. Following this assurance, the residents temporarily postponed their protest but maintained that the bus would not be moved until NHAI authorities arrived.
The administration has stated that public safety cannot be compromised under any circumstances, and construction on the four-lane will remain suspended until further orders
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