CPI(M) leader seeks action against NHAI officials for 'criminal neglect' on Shimla-Chandigarh road

Shimla: Shooting stones and falling debris, which led to traffic jams on the Shimla-Chandigarh road on Monday in Himachal Pradesh's Solan district, prompted CPI(M) leader Tikender Singh Panwar to urge the police to take officials of the NHAI to task for criminal neglect.

In a letter written to the Superintendent of Police, Solan, and shared with the media, the former deputy mayor of Shimla Municipal Corporation referred to an earlier complaint filed in July 2023 and said that it had been two years since the issue was raised.

He stated that the complaint (FIR) should have at least prompted some proactive and scientifically based construction work by the concerned authority.

Panwar pointed out that the first monsoon rains had once again caused devastation and said the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is competent enough to construct highways in the Himalayas.

"I reiterate that officials of the NHAI must be taken to task and the same complaint be treated as an FIR. A fresh investigation may be conducted against them and their culpability be fixed on two counts – economic losses to the people due to their criminal negligence, and physical losses to commuters travelling on the highway," he stated in the letter.

In July 2023, Panwar filed a complaint of criminal neglect against the NHAI and the company executing the Parwanoo-Solan four-laning project. He said that an assessment must be made to determine whether the negligence was circumstantial or due to connivance.

Speaking to PTI, Panwar said that over 60 incidents of landslides and shooting stones, leading to loss of life and property and disruption of traffic, have been reported on the stretch since the work began.

He added that such incidents occur every year as the hills have been cut vertically, causing hardships to residents. Farmers, he said, are unable to transport apples and other produce to markets and are incurring losses. PTI BPL HIG HIG