National Highway retaining wall on verge of collapse near Bhalli in Kangra district

Rajiv Mahajan

Nurpur, July 7

The initial monsoon showers that lashed the Kangra valley have washed away the loose soil underneath a concrete wall built by a road construction company near Bhalli in Kangra district.

The 30 metre long and 4 metre high wall was built four months ago by the company engaged by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for the construction of second phase of the Pathankot-Mandi four-lane project from Seuni to Rajol in Kangra district.

The construction company had allegedly not laid a solid foundation for the wall and erected the same on loose strata. A visit to the spot by The Tribune team on Sunday revealed that the wall built along a seasonal nullah can collapse due to heavy rain, posing a threat to the under-construction highway.

On March 3, Aman Rana, a social activist and a resident of Bhalli, had submitted a complaint to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways against the construction company for allegedly ignoring the technical norms while building the wall. The Project Director, NHAI, Palampur, who received the complaint on April 4 had intimated the complainant on May 11 that necessary action as per the site condition and requirements had been undertaken.

Rana told The Tribune that despite raising the issue with the NHAI and construction company, no steps had been to protect this particular stretch of the highway.

He has sought a high-level inquiry into the construction of the highway protection wall.

There was need to fix the responsibility for the alleged negligence, he said.

Enquiries reveal that the NHAI had awarded the work for the construction of phase 3 of the Pathankot-Mandi highway widening project to Gurugram-based Gawar Construction Ltd, which had further handed over the work to a local company, Bharat Construction. Resentment is brewing among commuters over the alleged poor quality of the highway construction work. The Pathankot-Mandi highway widening project is being constructed under Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM).

Rajiv Kashyap, HR, Bharat Construction, declined to comment on the issue.

Vikas Surjewala, Project Director, NHAI, Palampur, when contacted, said after examining the site the technical team of the NHAI had issued a notice to the construction company and directed it to re-construct the wall after dismantling the old one.

He said the payment to the company had also been stopped. “The highway construction companies are also responsible for the repair and maintenance of the Pathankot-Mandi four-lane highway for 15 years after the completion,” he added.