Himachal Rains: High Court Seeks Status Report On Repair Of Damaged Highways

A bench comprising Chief Justice M S Ramachandra Rao and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua passed these directions while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) addressing the adverse impact of unplanned excavation and construction in the State.

During the course of the hearing, the court took note of the National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI) status report and acknowledged the work done by the Expert Committee in advising Executing Agencies on necessary remedial actions.

Expressing optimism for the speedy repair of affected National Highways the court recorded, “We hope and trust that the process continues and as speedily as possible the repair work is done to ensure safety of the persons travelling on the National Highways in question”.

However, in the same breath the Court extended its concern on broader scope and directed the Advocate General to submit a status report on repairs to State Highways and portions of National Highways managed by the Public Works Department (PWD).

Earlier on October 13, 2023 Mr. K.D. Shreedhar, representing NHAI, had assured the court that the Expert Committee was actively formulating recommendations based on their site visits. The court, in response had directed NHAI to submit a detailed status report on the interim actions taken to rectify damages caused by landslides.

The bench has now listed the matter again on December 28th for further review.

Case Title: Court on its own motion Vs. State of H.P. & others along with connected matters.

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