What is Justice for Himachal campaign against NHAI?

On July 6, 2025, Himachal Pradesh’s Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh launched the #JusticeForHimachal campaign on social media. The campaign aims to bring attention to growing public anger over construction-related damages caused by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

The campaign focuses on complaints from residents across the state. Many of them blame the NHAI for land encroachment, poor construction practices, and a lack of accountability during and after highway projects.

One of the highlighted complaints came from Shillai, a remote hilly town in Sirmaur district, near the Himachal-Uttarakhand border. The town is located along National Highway 707, a key route connecting several interior villages to the plains. Road-widening and slope-cutting work here has triggered landslides, water runoff issues, and loss of private land.

Under the #JusticeForHimachal campaign, we have been receiving a large number of complaints. Among them is this message sent by a resident of District Sirmaur, who has been suffering due to encroachment and negligence by the NHAI:

*"Sir, I too have been struggling with the… pic.twitter.com/oxEpBYc4fc

— Anirudh Singh (@anirudhsinghMLA) July 6, 2025

Singh shared this message on X:

“Sir, I too have been struggling with the encroachment by NHAI for the past two to three years. In my area, Shillai, the work on NH-707 is underway. Due to careless work methods, people are suffering immense losses. I am also affected. A large portion of my land has been damaged. Because of the walls they have constructed and the unplanned cutting, my house and shop are under constant threat.”

“I have complained at every level — local officials, higher authorities, even the Human Rights Commission — but no action has been taken. They dismissed my case, saying the damage was caused by the 2023 disaster. But I have proof that my losses began in 2022."

He ended his message with a plea to the minister, “I am mentally exhausted. I look to you with hope and request you to help us get relief.”

Singh’s campaign followed a series of serious events across Himachal that raised questions about NHAI’s role in ongoing disasters and infrastructure failure.

Minister's Assault Sparks NHAI Accountability Debate

Earlier on July 2, Singh physically assaulted NHAI officer Achal Jindal at a site inspection in Shimla where a five-storey building had collapsed. When another NHAI engineer tried to intervene, he was also beaten. Jindal was later admitted to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital for treatment.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari condemned the incident. “The heinous assault on Achal Jindal… allegedly by the minister of panchayati raj, Himachal Pradesh, and his associates, is deeply reprehensible and an affront to the rule of law,” Gadkari posted on X. “Such a brutal attack on a public servant performing his official duties endangers individual safety and erodes institutional integrity.”

The Congress government in Himachal has come under fire from opposition parties since the assault. They accused the state leadership of encouraging lawlessness and ignoring proper channels of accountability.

But Singh’s supporters argue the campaign is rooted in public anger over repeated environmental damage and official neglect. On June 30, a massive landslide struck the Kaithlighat-Dhalli road in Shimla, destroying 8,550 square metres of protected forest and collapsing a five-storey building.

The Himachal Forest Department later filed a police complaint against NHAI, blaming faulty road-cutting work for the landslide. “The calamity could have been avoided if proper safety measures had been taken,” the department’s report stated. This marked the fourth complaint against NHAI in Shimla in just one week.

Disasters Deepen Himachal’s Ongoing Crisis

As the campaign unfolded, Himachal faced a fresh wave of natural disasters. Since June 20, the state has seen 78 deaths due to flash floods, cloudbursts, and landslides. Mandi, one of the worst-hit districts, reported that the first floor of its cooperative bank had been destroyed in the floods, with valuable items lost and looted.

Currently, 243 roads remain closed, including two national highways. Over 270 electricity transformers are down. Around 260 water supply projects are not working.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for three districts, Sirmaur, Mandi, and Kangra, and an orange alert for seven more. Heavy rain is expected to continue through July 9.

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