Taking a serious note on the issue of poor maintenance of Parwonoo-Shimla Highway, the HP High Court has directed the Regional Officer of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) of the state of Himachal Pradesh to remain present in the court on September 18 and file a comprehensive plan as to how this highway is to be maintained.
While passing this direction, a division bench comprising Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma observed that “keeping in view the fact that monsoon was on and there was certain urgency to be shown regarding the maintenance of the premium highway to Shimla, apparently, the authorities have failed to maintain the condition of the road and not kept these factors in mind.”
The bench further observed that “the authorities of the NHAI are turning a blind eye even to maintain the premium highway. It is not disputed that the said highway is under construction and renovation is being carried out for a long time and the petition is pending since 2017.”
The court has also taken a serious note on the collection of the toll on this road and observed that “the NHAI is also put to notice that in case the highway is not maintained, similar orders are likely to be passed regarding the closure of the toll tax at Sanwara, as has been done by the apex court while upholding the order of the Kerala High Court.”
The court also directed the NHAI to give details of the toll tax collected at Sanwara by the NHAI from the date of institution. The court also sought details of the contractors executing the work from Parwanoo to Solan and from Solan to Kaithlighat to find out whether there is any nexus to award work to particular contractors, who apparently are deficient in providing adequate service.
The court further observed that “It is a matter of fact that at “Chakki Mod”, the road has been closed for more than three occasions in the month of July/August, 2025 and that two-way passage has been reduced to one way leading to long traffic jams running to as much as five kilometers on either side, causing inconvenience not only to the general public but also affecting the economy of the state, especially keeping in view the fact that apple season is on and the trucks have to go down to the plains.
It is also a matter of fact that all the farmers as such have to send their goods to the plains on daily basis and any stoppage of the traffic as such makes the goods liable to be destroyed on account of their perishable nature.”