The Himachal Pradesh High Court has ordered the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and private contractor M/s Gawar Shimla Highway Private Ltd. to jointly pay interim compensation of Rs 2.23 crore. The amount is for a woman whose multi-storey house collapsed during work on the four-lane Shimla Bypass project.
A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice G S Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin C Negi directed both NHAI and the contractor to pay half of the assessed compensation each. The total amount of Rs 2,23,55,924 has to be paid to Ranjana Devi within four weeks.
The court took up the matter on its own after receiving a letter from neighbouring resident Chanda Devi. Her three-and-a-half-storey house in Chamyana was left unsafe following a major landslide and the collapse of Ranjana Devi's adjoining house.
The affected location is part of Package-II of the four-lane Shimla Bypass project on National Highway-5. The compensation fixed for Ranjana Devi includes Rs 1,65,17,336 for the damaged house and Rs 58,38,588 for belongings that were destroyed in the incident.
The court expressed concern over the delay in paying the compensation. It noted that the assessment had been completed last year, but the affected woman had not received any payment. The court said NHAI and the contractor could not avoid their responsibility and stressed the need for proper safety and supervision during deep hill cutting.
Inquiry reports and police records submitted before the court linked the landslide and house collapse to vertical cutting of the downhill slope. The reports pointed to inadequate geotechnical and hydrological planning. Uncontrolled flow of surface water was also cited as one of the factors behind the incident.
Police have registered an FIR at Dhalli police station in connection with the case.
The High Court has also asked state authorities to assess the damage to Chanda Devi's property. It directed officials to monitor six other nearby houses that have been identified as being at risk from landslides.
The bench said NHAI could not escape its responsibility for ensuring proper supervision and safety measures during deep excavation work in the hills.
The case will come up for further hearing on September 23.
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