Former Deputy Mayor of Shimla Tikender Singh Panwar has demanded action in his complaint against National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and GR Infra Construction Company for allegedly committing serious lapses in construction of Parwanoo – Solan National Highway, leading to massive landslides during the recent monsoon rains.
Panwar, a prominent CPM leader, had filed an online complaint against the above named agencies involved in construction of this patch of the National Highway.
In a letter written to SP Solan Gaurva Singh, Panwar said, “The aforesaid complaint was filed online with the Parwanoo police station on July 27, 2023 but to my knowledge no action has been initiated by the police in this matter, despite new revelations appearing in media, wherein the NHAI has admitted to its negligence in constructing the road”.
Quoting a news item published in a leading English daily; “The 39-km Parwanoo-Solan stretch of the Chandigarh-Shimla National Highway-5 had suffered extensive damage due to continuous heavy rain and landslides recently, caused mainly because the hills were cut vertically due to limited availability of land”.
“Even Officer of the NHAI, Abdul Basit agreed the Parwanoo-Solan stretch of the national highway-5 was the first project of the NHAI in the Himalayas where no paved shoulders were constructed,” he added.
Panwar said, “This has substantiated my contention of gross criminal negligence on the part of the NHAI and the company demanding legal action.”