Nearly 20 homes have been damaged across three villages in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, leaving residents anxious and forcing a halt to work on a key railway tunnel. The damage has prompted the authorities to call in experts from premier technical institutes IIT Mandi and NIT Hamirpur for an urgent geological study to find out if the cracks appeared due to natural subsidence or the ongoing tunnelling work for the Bhanupali–Bilaspur–Beri railway line.
The villages —Nog, Badhyat, and Tikkar—are located right above the under-construction tunnel on the 63.1-km rail project. Local residents, most of whom belong to Dalit and below poverty line (BPL) households, have been holding demonstrations for over 20 days now. They blamed the construction firm, Max Infra, for causing damage to their homes.
The Bilaspur sub-divisional magistrate, Rajdeep Singh, stated that he has written to the Geological Survey of India and sought an independent review of the site. "We don't yet know whether the cracks are due to the tunnel work or natural causes. A thorough, scientific survey is essential before we take any further steps," he said. He said though the local administration had offered to carry out repairs, the villagers refused, insisting that accountability must come before any help.
A five-member panel set up by the local administration visited the site and stated that no blasting was carried out during the tunnel excavation — a claim supported by both Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and Max Infra. It is pertinent to mention that both Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) and Max Infra have their representatives in the five-member panel. The panel stated that the cracks might be the result of poor-quality construction or problems with the building foundations.
The findings have not gone down well with locals and have sparked strong criticism. Advocate and activist Rajnish Sharma alleged that the administration is shielding the railway contractors. "Including Max Infra and RVNL engineers in the investigation team raises clear conflict of interest. Instead of addressing villagers' concerns, officials appear to be absolving the companies," Sharma alleged.
Meanwhile, the same administrative report has raised serious concerns about the structural integrity of the tunnel itself. It warns that Tunnel Number 17 could collapse if immediate support work isn’t carried out. The report highlighted water seepage and fragile geological strata inside the partially completed tunnel, calling for urgent RCC (reinforced cement concrete) reinforcement and stricter safety measures.
Villagers, however, term the tunnel collapse warning as a ploy to weaken their protest. “They want to remove us from the dharna site under the pretext of tunnel safety. We won't move until our demands are met,” said Ajay Kumar, a protest leader from Badhyat.
The Bhanupali–Bilaspur–Beri rail project, which includes five tunnels and 12 bridges, is considered a crucial link between Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Work on tunnel 17, which spans 1 km, has completed 520 m, so far.
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