Major landslide blocks highway near Shillai, several gram panchayats affected

Nahan, June 25

A landslide, triggered allegedly by deep cutting during road widening by a private company, has blocked the National Highway (NH) 707 near Lohrahan Bend at Uttari, close to Shillai town. The landslide, which occurred on Monday evening, brought traffic in the Shillai region to a standstill, affecting several gram panchayats of Sirmaur, Shimla district and Uttarakhand’s Jaunsari Bawar area.

24 routes hit

• The blockage has severely disrupted the routes of nearly 24 passenger buses and numerous other vehicles on the NH 707
• The private construction company’s alleged negligence has sparked outrage among locals, who are also worried about the damage to private land caused by the landslide
• Emergency 108 vehicles are being re-routed via Meenas and Vikasnagar of Uttarakhand, which adds an extra 100 km to their journey

The blockade has severely disrupted the routes of nearly 24 passenger buses and numerous other vehicles on the NH 707. Several tomato-laden vehicles have been left stranded since Monday evening. Prolonged exposure to heat has caused significant spoilage of the produce, resulting in substantial financial losses for the farmers.

Criticism has been directed towards the private construction company responsible for the road work, as it delayed deploying machinery to clear the debris by 13 hours, only starting the cleanup efforts on Tuesday morning.

Sources say that the company’s deep cutting to extract stones for a stone crusher plant led to the destabilisation of the hillside, causing the landslide.

The stranded buses include those traveling to and from Nerwa, Chopal, Ronhat, Haripurdhar, Rohru and other areas. The private construction company’s alleged negligence has sparked outrage among locals, who are also worried about the damage to private land caused by the landslide. Emergency 108 vehicles are being rerouted via Meenas and Vikasnagar of Uttarakhand, which adds an extra 100 km to their journey.

As the monsoon season begins, the dangers posed by the construction practices on the NH 707 have become evident. Heavy machinery has been deployed to clear the debris, but the road is expected to remain closed for an extended period. The disruption has severed the connectivity between Shillai, Nahan, and Paonta Sahib, with long queues of vehicles forming on both sides of the landslide.