HP forest dept files complaint against NHAI for negligence causing massive landslide near Shimla

Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh forest department on Saturday filed a police complaint against the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), blaming it for the massive landslide on Kaithlighat-Dhalli road stretch in the suburbs of Shimla city on June 30.

This is the fourth complaint filed against the road authority in Shimla in the last one week.

A five-storey building had collapsed in the landslide on Monday. Nearly 8,550 square metres of protected land was damaged and trees were uprooted, causing an estimated Rs 2.14 crore loss along the under-construction four-lane Dhalli road.

The complaint, filed by forest officer Ajeet Kumar, followed an inquiry conducted by the forest department, which pinned the negligent and faulty execution of road cutting work by the NHAI as the main cause of the landslide.

The complaint said the calamity could have been avoided if the four-lane road construction was executed after taking due precautions and safety measures.

A case has been registered under Sections 32 and 33 of the Indian Forest Act for offences related to protected areas and Section 324 (5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for mischief causing damage to property, police said.

Earlier, owner of the collapsed building, Ranjana Verma, had registered a case against the NHAI and the company involved in the four-lane road project for endangering life and causing damage to property.

Two more cases were filed by local residents against NHAI officials for wrongful restraint, endangering life or personal safety of others, intentional hurt and criminal liability.

Notably, all the four cases have been registered after Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, who is also the local MLA from Kasumpti where the collapse took place, was booked based on a complaint from NHAI employees.

In the complaint, NHAI employee Jindal had alleged that Singh, who had been on a visit to inspect the building collapse site, summoned him and his site engineer Yogesh.

Jindal alleged that when he apprised the minister that the collapsed building was 30 metres away from the National Highway Right of Way (NH-ROW) and damages outside the NH-ROW would be dealt with as per the notification of the Himachal Pradesh government, the minister started using intemperate language, called him and Yogesh to a room and assaulted them. Singh even hit him with a vessel containing water, Jindal said.

Anirudh Singh had denied the allegations, saying that "the FIR does not mean that I am guilty." He also claimed widespread irregularities in road construction works done by the NHAI and called its officials the "most corrupt in the country".

"Nothing happened, there was no assault. An attempt has been made to divert people's attention from the negligence of NHAI which resulted in the collapse of a five-storey building in Bhatta Kuffar here on Monday," the minister had said.

Meanwhile, the forest officer's complaint on Saturday said that "it is beyond doubt that NHAI is fully responsible for the occurrence of the landslide. Severe damage was caused to the adjoining forest land due to the technical failure at NHAI's end." The complaint said that following the landslide, the forest department conducted an inquiry. The forest department and revenue officials visited the area to ascertain the extent of damage caused to the adjoining forest land due to the landslide.

"It is observed that the negligent and faulty execution of cutting work by the NHAI is the main cause of landslide, which could have been avoided in case the work was executed with precautions and by taking safety measures," the complaint added.