Delay in slope stability work on Parwanoo-Solan section of NH-5 pushes up project cost by 25%

Ambika Sharma

Solan, August 11

Delay in undertaking slope stablisation measures on the Parwanoo-Solan section of the National Highway (NH)-5 has not only caused colossal damage to the highway, but also enhanced the project cost by nearly 25 per cent.

Bids invited for 32 vulnerable sites

• The NHAI has invited fresh tenders worth Rs 200 crore for undertaking slope stablisation measures on 32 vulnerable sites on NH-5
• Earlier, the private company had sought increase of the project scope to raise higher walls when the four-laning work was underway, but the NHAI did not pay heed
• Reoccurring landslides have made travelling risky on these sites as the falling debris and boulders are a big threat to commuters

GR Infraprojects was awarded the work to four-lane 39-km stretch of the Parwanoo-Solan for Rs 748 crore in September 2015. The work was completed in April 2021 and additional sum of about Rs 50 crore was added to the project cost owing to various additional works.

As against the estimated time of 30 months, the project was completed after more than 60 months in April 2021. Work on some additional structures like viaduct bridges is still going on.

The stablisation work had been undertaken on merely 1.5 m to 3 m on the slopes, which were vertically excavated from 20 m to 30 m. This led to colossal damage on the Parwanoo-Solan highway owing to seepage of water on the exposed slopes.

The NHAI has now invited fresh tenders worth Rs 200 crore for undertaking slope stablisation measures on 32 vulnerable sites. Reoccurring landslides have made travelling risky on these sites as the falling debris and boulders are a big threat to commuters.

Though the private company had sought increase of the project scope to raise higher walls while the four-laning work was underway, the NHAI did not pay heed.

Abdul Basit, Regional Officer, NHAI, Shimla, said there was a limit for enhancing the scope of an existing project. The cost of undertaking protection work of the slopes was very high as compared to the original work. So new bids worth Rs 200 crore have been invited instead of giving work to the existing contractor.

He added that the project cost had climbed to about Rs 800 crore and another Rs 200 crore would be added due to the slope stablisation work. “The Parwanoo-Solan section was four-laned without pave shoulders, which too added to the damage.”

He attributed the large-scale damage caused to the highways in the state to the unprecedented devastating flashfloods and cloudbursts, which resulted in overflow of water on the highway.

“Being the first project in the Himalayas, many lessons have been learnt on the aspects of drainage as culverts and drainage had choked. Tunnels have, however, proved to be a better option as connectivity was maintained with Kullu and Manali.