Himachal: 80-year-old man stranded amid landslide on national highway dies

Tears mingled with rain on under-construction Paonta Sahib–Shillai–Gumma–Fedizpul stretch of National Highway No. 707, as another massive landslide — triggered by relentless monsoon downpour — brought the traffic on the fragile road to a standstill near Hewna in the early hours of Sunday. But this was no ordinary disruption. Among many vehicles stranded in the chaos was one carrying not just a lifeless body — but a story that pierced the heart of the region.

The deceased, Ram Bhaj Tomar, around 80 years old and believed to be the first RSS Swayamsevak from this region, had long been battling with poor health. He was cousin of former Shillai MLA Baldev Singh Tomar. According to emotional accounts now circulating on social media, his final wish had been simple, yet deeply personal — to return to his ancestral village in Shillai from Paonta Sahib and spend his last moments surrounded by familiar hills and kin. That wish was tragically cut short.

Around 5 am, as the vehicle ferrying him was halted by the sudden landslide, the frail elderly man reportedly drew his final breath while stranded in very mountains he yearned to return to. Though official confirmation is still awaited, the silence that followed this heart-wrenching incident spoke volumes.

For hours, hundreds of vehicles lined up helplessly, caught between the might of the mountains and the apathy of those responsible. Locals allege that private construction companies entrusted with the highway widening project did not dispatch any machinery for hours, leaving commuters — including grieving families, elderly passengers, and infants — stranded without support or information.

“There was a time when this road, built almost 70 to 80 years ago, was trusted even in the worst downpours,” shared Kalyan Singh in his voice trembling. Guman Singh, Mehandi Devi, Jati Ram, and Jagat Singh Tomar recalled that ever since road-widening work began in recent years, landslides became a haunting norm. “The monsoon used to bring life to these hills. Now it brings fear,” they said.

The highway has no alternative route. When the road is blocked, the only option for travellers is to wait — sometimes for hours and sometimes with tragedy.

Efforts to reach the project director of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and other officials remained unsuccessful. Official source have hinted that if weather permits, traffic may be restored by late this afternoon or till evening — but for the family of Ram Bhaj Tomar, and for countless others, who suffered in silence on that rain-soaked morning, the damage is already done.

This wasn’t just a roadblock. It was a human heartbreak — one that raises painful questions about development, preparedness and the real cost of neglect in the name of progress.