HC stays collection of toll at Sanwara barrier till October 30

The High Court of Himachal Pradesh has expressed serious concern over the poor condition of road and the lack of basic amenities and stayed the collection of toll at the Sanwara barrier on the Chandigarh–Shimla National Highway-5 from September 20 to October 30.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma directed the Deputy Commissioner, Solan, to provide necessary assistance to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for the repair of roads and assess the law and order situation.

The court directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to improve the road condition from Kaithlighat to Shimla, with special focus on the industrial area near Shoghi where the situation was particularly alarming. The matter has been posted for further hearing on October 30.

Earlier, the court had expanded the scope of a petition highlighting hardships faced by residents due to multiple toll plazas near the Nangal Municipal Council limits and directed the NHAI to file replies regarding other toll barriers in the state within three weeks. The Bench observed that several barriers were obstructing free movement of traffic.

The court also noted inconvenience caused at the Timber Trail barrier, where only two or three lanes were available at weekends and no free lane existed for vehicles registered in Himachal though they were exempted from entry tax.