Rs 600 Crore Down the Drain? HP High Court Slams NHAI Over Unsafe Sanjauli Tunnel; Demands Answers on Abandoned Highway Plan. No construction till next hearing on November 17.
SHIMLA, October 29: Why did the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) suddenly abandon a surface highway plan after spending Rs 600 crore of taxpayers' money and demolishing the homes of 88 families, only to bore a hazardous twin tunnel directly beneath a densely populated hillside?
This critical question formed the crux of Thursday’s hearing at the Himachal Pradesh High Court, as Justice Sandeep Sharma took the highway authority to task over the crisis unfolding in Sanjauli.
Hearing a petition filed by affected Sanjauli resident Vineet Sharma and others, the Court demanded to know who will reimburse the public exchequer for the massive Rs 600 crore loss incurred on land acquired for the now-scrapped surface highway through Chhakrail, Bhatta Kufar, and Dhalli.
Instead of building that surface road on NH-05 as originally planned, the NHAI pivoted without any plausible justification to boring the Chalauthi–Sanjauli–Bhatta Kufar twin-tube tunnel under Package No. 2.
Today, that very shift has placed hundreds of hilltop homes in grave danger, leaving many cracked and forcing authorities to declare the petitioners' residences officially unsafe.
Red Flags Ignored at Just 14 Meters Below Ground
Arguing for an immediate halt to the project, Senior Advocate Suneet Goel and Advocate Vivek Negi revealed that the NHAI threw caution to the wind while digging beneath the densely populated Sanjauli hill. Evidence presented to the bench exposed a trail of overlooked warnings.
Bypassed GSI Warning: The Geological Survey of India (GSI) had explicitly advised against tunneling through the hill due to the hundreds of houses standing above—an advisory that appears to have been completely ignored.
Dangerously Shallow Boring: The GSI report revealed that the vertical gap between the tunnel roof and the surface houses is a mere 14 meters at critical spots, including near the local cemetery and Vishal Mega Mart.
Gushing Water: Validating the GSI's earlier fears, water is now visibly gushing out from both sides of the tunnel.
IIT Roorkee Steps In; Construction Remains Frozen
The ground crisis had already prompted the Deputy Commissioner of Shimla to inspect the site alongside NHAI officials and halt blasting operations. On October 1, 2026, a technical team from IIT Roorkee also visited the spot, raised safety concerns, and summoned the tunnel's construction records.
Representing the NHAI, Advocate Shreya Chauhan conceded that the IIT Roorkee team had stepped in and informed the bench that construction work was officially suspended on September 18, 2026.
She assured the Court that tunneling will remain frozen until IIT Roorkee submits its safety report and adequate protective measures are executed to safeguard local homes.
Taking note of the NHAI’s undertaking, Justice Sandeep Sharma held back from issuing a formal injunction order, expressing hope and trust that not a single construction activity will take place until the next hearing.
However, the NHAI now faces a tough legal reckoning. Within the next two weeks, the authority, alongside the Union and State governments, must file its reply explaining the sudden abandonment of the Rs 600 crore surface road and fixing accountability for the financial blow to the hard-earned money of public.
The case will return to the courtroom on November 17, 2026.
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