Facing FIR, minister Anirudh Singh launches ‘JusticeForHimachal; campaign against NHAI

As part of the initiative, Singh invited citizens to send photos, videos, and detailed accounts of the hardships they face due to NHAI’s road-widening works, especially in areas where sharp vertical cuttings and improper drainage have caused landslides, flooding, and structural damage to homes. Singh also shared two WhatsApp numbers and an email address for citizens to report their concerns.

“This is not a movement against development; this is a movement against destruction. We are receiving an overwhelming response from people across Himachal who are sharing media clips, photographs, and even news coverage documenting the hazards they are facing, particularly in Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, and Mandi districts,” said a member of the minister’s personal staff.

According to the minister’s office, over 200 submissions had been received within the first few days of the campaign.

Sudershan Thakur of district Solan, who shared one of his complaints against the NHAI over the issue of compensation, says, “We are hopeful that our grievances are heard.” The campaign also received support from Himachal Kisan Sabha, CITU, and other organisations, which held a convention of affected people in Shimla on Monday.

The controversy surrounding the July 1 incident, in which Singh was accused of threatening and manhandling NHAI staff, continues to simmer.

Meanwhile, in a twist to the narrative, four separate FIRs have now been filed against NHAI officials at the same Dhalli Police Station, based on complaints from local residents. The charges include negligence, endangering public life, and environmental violations. The FIRs were lodged by local residents of Gram Panchayat Chamyana including a widow Ranjana Verma, whose multistory house at Bhattakuffar was collapsed on June 30 during heavy spell of rain. Locals including Ranjana Verma alleged their residential houses were damaged due to the negligence of NHAI officials while construction four-land highway between Kaithlighat and Dhalli.

While Singh’s campaign has drawn support from affected citizens and environmental advocates, NHAI officials have defended their construction practices. They argue that 90-degree hill cuttings were never followed. The cutting below the minimal to 90 degree to be followed —typically when there is no feasible space for slope cutting and geographical constraints demand a vertical approach.

Regional Officer, NHAI (Kalka-Shimla Section), Col Ajay Bargoti (Rtd) said, “There is nothing like 90 degree slope cutting of a hill. If a hill is being cut like that, it will definitely fall. We always follow an angle less than 90 degree.”

Anand Dhayia, Project Director of Kalka-Shimla National Highway, added that a hill can never by cut at 90 degree. “It is not feasible. At many places, it may look as if the hill was cut on 90 degree but actually it was cut on a much lower degree,” he said.

While Singh’s campaign has gained traction, turning a legal controversy into a state-level public discourse on accountability and sustainable development, sources in the district police said that only the injured site engineer Yogesh Verma has so far come forward to record his statement. Even as Verma supported the contents of the FIR, which was lodged on the complaint of NHAI manager Achal Jindal that they were assaulted on June 30, Jindal is yet to record his statement.