The Shimla district administration has formed a committee to inspect the four-lane tunnel construction between Sanjauli and Dhalli. This follows reports of cracks in homes, allegedly from blasting, leading to the suspension of work.
Work Suspended, Investigation Launched
Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap held a meeting with representatives of the Four-Lane Affected Committee on Saturday to discuss alleged non-compliance by the construction companies with the directions issued by the district administration in view of damage to buildings in the affected residential areas.During the meeting, officials informed the participants that construction work on the tunnel had been suspended following reports of cracks in residential buildings attributed to blasting activities. A team from IIT Roorkee has been engaged to inspect the affected areas and damaged buildings and submit a detailed assessment report. The team has already visited the tunnel site and surrounding areas and is expected to submit its report to the district administration within a week. Further decisions regarding the tunnel construction will be taken based on its findings, officials said.
New Committee to Monitor Compliance
Representatives of the affected committee also raised concerns over alleged unauthorised continuation of tunnel construction work by the company despite the suspension. Taking note of the issue, the Deputy Commissioner constituted a committee under the chairmanship of the two Additional District Magistrates to assess the latest status of the construction work.The committee includes the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Shimla Rural; Executive Engineer, Public Works Department, Kasumpti Division; and Tehsildar, Shimla Rural. The committee has been directed to inspect the site on October 22 and prepare a report on the current status of the four-lane tunnel construction.Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order) Pankaj Sharma, Additional District Magistrate (Protocol) Gyan Sagar Negi, District Revenue Officer Shivani Bhardwaj, representatives of the Four-Lane Affected Committee and other officials attended the meeting.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)