Sanjauli Residents Raise Fresh Concerns Over Tunnel Project, Seek Route Review

Concerns over the proposed tunnelling work in Sanjauli have resurfaced, with local residents urging the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to reconsider the current alignment and examine an alternative route that had been surveyed earlier.

Addressing a press conference, CPM state secretary and former Shimla Mayor Sanjay Chauhan said the project should not proceed along the proposed alignment until safety concerns are thoroughly addressed. He pointed out that Sanjauli is a densely populated area and residents fear that further tunnelling could aggravate structural damage to homes, commercial establishments and other buildings, putting lives and property at risk.

According to Chauhan, a Central Empowered Committee (CEC), constituted under the directions of the Supreme Court to review issues related to NHAI projects, recently visited Shimla. During the visit, affected residents shared their experiences and concerns regarding the impact of tunnelling activities in the area. The committee chairman also inspected the affected sites after requests from locals.

Residents highlighted apprehensions about the feasibility and safety of tunnelling beneath a heavily inhabited locality, prompting the committee to take up the matter with the executing agency. Chauhan stressed that the situation warrants an independent technical assessment and a fresh review of the alignment before any further excavation work is carried out.

Meanwhile, Bhattakufar ward councillor Narinder Thakur called for a fair and time-bound compensation policy for people whose properties have allegedly been damaged by tunnelling activities. He said compensation should go beyond visible structural damage and include the cost of repairs, retrofitting, strengthening vulnerable buildings, and losses suffered by businesses and property owners.

Thakur also urged authorities to consider the broader impact on residents, including livelihood losses, disruption to daily life, and the stress of living in damaged or potentially unsafe structures. He noted that several affected properties are located in commercially important areas, meaning that the consequences extend beyond physical damage to significant financial setbacks for property owners and local businesses.