Days after landslide closed NH-5, Solan DM stops toll collection at Sanwara plaza

The Solan administration had earlier written to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to stop taking toll tax at Sanwara as the highway was closed. The letter also mentioned the inconvenience the residents were facing who had to cross the toll daily to reach their workplaces.

NHAI officials however maintained that the highway won’t be opened before Monday, that too one way only for light vehicles, as debris are still falling. An NHAI official said, “The continuous falling of debris while cutting the mountain at the affected site and and the process of removing loose rocks is causing the delay. Despite having four earth movers, four loaders and labour etc, we cannot use them as it will be a burden on the ecology presently. We have also contacted the Himachal Pradesh government to put up barricades on both ends of the affected highway so that people don’t cross it.”

Sharma told The Indian Express that the administration had requested NHAI to not charge toll at the Sanwara plaza as the highway was closed but they didn’t respond. “There were instances of heated exchange and protests by the locals at the toll plaza on Saturday and it was becoming a cause of concern. They came to meet me in the evening and said that they will protest further from tomorrow if nothing is done. To avoid law and order from getting affected, we gave special orders to close down the Sanwara toll plaza under Section 34 of Disaster Management Act, 2005,” he said, adding that the decision has been taken in public interest and NHAI has also been intimated through email.

The orders, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, reads, “NH-05 has been damaged at multiple locations between Solan and Parwanoo due to recent heavy rainfall and completely blocked at Koti in Tehsil Kasauli since August 2. Considering the above, I, District magistrate- cum-Chairman, DDMA, Solan, in exercise of power vested in me under Section 34 of Disaster Management Act, 2005 do hereby order that the toll plaza Sanwara should be closed with immediate effect till the NH is restored in public interest.”

Earlier in the day, clashes had erupted between the locals and toll plaza staff. The locals had said that they were suffering at the hands of NHAI officials. “Its been so many days now ever since the condition of the highway has been so bad. There are risky patches, cave-ins, landslides etc. Then why are we made to pay toll tax for a highway like this when a two-way toll for a four-wheeler is Rs 105. The staff at the toll plaza claim that there is no notification from NHAI, so they will continue charging toll tax,” said Raman Mittal, a resident who crosses the toll daily to reach his workplace.

Solan superintendent of police Gaurav Singh said added that the process of restoration of the traffic on the highway is still on, and if the weather allows, the movement of one way traffic that too light vehicle will be started in another two to three days. “To help pedestrians, we have put up lights in the Kalka Shimla train tunnel so that they can avoid the caved in patches of the highway. Police camps have also been put up on both sides and staff is deployed for help.”