A major landslide near Shillai in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district on Wednesday brought traffic to a complete standstill on National Highway 707 (Hatkoti to Paonta) after a large part of the hillside came crashing down, blocking the entire stretch.
Restoration teams rushed to the spot, but falling debris is hampering the restoration work, officials said. Long queues of vehicles have piled up on both sides of the highway, leaving commuters stranded for hours.
NH 707 is just one of nearly 260 roads currently shut across the state due to rain-triggered landslides and damage in the hill state. Mandi remains the worst-hit district, with 140 roads closed, followed by 55 in Sirmaur and 35 in Kullu. The rain havoc has also impacted 171 water supply schemes and 151 power transformers, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
The local weather department has sounded an 'orange' warning for July 21 and 22, forecasting heavy to very heavy rain in some parts of the state. A ‘yellow’ alert for heavy rainfall continues till July 20 across several districts.
In the last 24 hours, light to moderate showers were reported in various areas — Kothi, Jatton Barraga, and Sarahan each recorded 40 mm of rain, while Dadahu saw 30 mm, Nahan 21.3 mm, Manali 17 mm, Dhaulakuan 16 mm, and Narkanda 15 mm.
Meanwhile, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Anirudh Singhk on his social media handle X shared, “Neeraj Chauhan, a resident of Shilla village in Kamarau tehsil of Sirmaur district, has accused the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) of negligence in the ongoing construction of NH-707 in the Shillai area.”
“In his complaint, he stated that due to this unplanned and careless work, his private land, house, and business have suffered significant damage. According to Neeraj Chauhan, he has been affected by NHAI’s encroaching and unsafe construction practices for the past two to three years. He claims that haphazard cutting and weak retaining walls have put his house and shop at constant risk. The safety of vehicles and commuters passing through the area is also being compromised daily,” the minister added.
“He further stated that he has repeatedly filed complaints, from lower-level officials to senior administrative authorities, but no concrete action has been taken so far. He even approached the National Human Rights Commission, but his appeal was dismissed on the grounds that the damage was due to a natural disaster. However, Neeraj maintains that his losses occurred in 2022, while the major disaster in the state took place in 2023. He says he has all the necessary documents, including a Patwari’s report, to prove his claim,” the minister shared on his X account.
“Frustrated with the apathy of NHAI and the administration, Neeraj Chauhan has appealed to the government to provide him with immediate relief and to ensure stricter oversight of NHAI’s construction practices so that other citizens do not have to face similar hardships in the future,” he added.
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