Road caves in near NHAI tunnel construction site in Shimla

A portion of the main road was caved in near the tunnelling site on the Dhalli-Chalunthi-IGMC road near Sanjauli in Shimla on Tuesday. A heavy machine of the construction company fell into the caved-in portion of the road.

The incident raised serious concerns, with locals blaming the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for the sub-standard tunnelling work.

Following the incident, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Rural) reached the spot.

After assessing the situation, the administration completely shut down traffic on the bypass road as a precautionary measure.

When contacted, a NHAI spokesman said, “A pit has been observed along the Dhalli-Chalunthi-IGMC road above Tunnel 5. Cracks appeared in a nearby building on January 9, prompting planned remedial measures, including grouting and shotcreting, but these were delayed due to local objections. The acquisition process for the affected building has been initiated in the public interest.”