Who’s Really to Blame for the Chandigarh-Manali Highway Mess? NHAI’s ₹200 Crore Nightmare
Let’s be honest—this year’s monsoon didn’t just hit Himachal Pradesh; it sucker-punched Mandi district. Landslides? Check. Floods? Absolutely. But here’s the kicker: over 1,000 homes gone, roads vanishing like magic tricks, and the Chandigarh-Kiratpur-Manali Highway looking like it lost a fight with a bulldozer. ₹200 crore in damages? That’s not just bad luck. Someone dropped the ball. Big time.
1. The Damage: It’s Worse Than You Think
1.1. Roads? What Roads?
Picture this: you’re driving to Manali for that long-awaited vacation. Suddenly, the road just… ends. Not with a sign, not with a detour—just a pile of rocks and mud where tarmac used to be. That’s reality now on the Chandigarh-Manali NH. The Kiratpur stretch? Forget “highway.” It’s more like an obstacle course for disaster tourists.
1.2. People Are Paying the Price
Ramesh Kumar—a dhaba owner near Pandoh—told me, “One minute I’m serving chai, the next minute my shop’s in the river.” And he’s not alone. Thousands are stuck without homes, jobs, or answers. Manali’s hotels are empty, taxis are parked, and locals are wondering: “Why didn’t anyone listen when we warned them?”
2. Why This Happened: Nature vs. Negligence
2.1. Yeah, It Rained. But Come On.
Sure, Himachal got 40% extra rain this year. But here’s the thing: everyone knew Mandi’s hills are basically loose soil waiting to slide. Climate change isn’t some surprise guest—it’s been knocking for years. Calling this “unprecedented” is like being shocked when your rickety chair breaks after ignoring its wobbles for months.
2.2. The Human Hand in This Mess
Let me put it this way: if you build a house of cards during an earthquake, don’t blame the ground when it collapses. NHAI’s “repairs” were Band-Aids on bullet wounds—clogged drains, crumbling walls, and road widening done so haphazardly, it’s a miracle this didn’t happen sooner. Priya Mehta, an activist, nailed it: “They treated warnings like spam emails.”
3. The Blame Game: Who’s Holding the Bag?
3.1. NHAI’s Budget Magic Trick
Get this: ₹15 crore set aside for landslide prevention in Himachal this year. Sounds decent? Now compare it to ₹200 crore in damages. That’s like bringing a water pistol to a forest fire. And the contractors? Let’s just say their “slope stabilization” wouldn’t stabilize a sandcastle.
3.2. Government’s Slow-Motion Response
Three days to set up relief camps. Three. Days. Meanwhile, politicians were busy tweeting condolences while ignoring how illegal constructions got green lights in landslide zones. MLA Vikram Thakur’s tweet says it all: “Builders win, citizens lose.”
3.3. The Elephant in the Room
Dr. Nandita Rao, a geologist, put it bluntly: “We’re using 1950s playbooks for 2025 disasters.” A study last year flagged 15 danger spots on this highway. Guess where the mitigation money went? Hint: not where it was needed.
4. The Aftermath: Money and Misery
4.1. Businesses Are Bleeding
Apples rotting in trucks. Hotels emptier than a politician’s promises. ₹50 crore lost just in agriculture shipments. And insurance? Good luck seeing that money before your kids graduate college.
4.2. Human Stories They’ll Forget Tomorrow
Sunita Devi’s house is now part of the Beas River. Tourists were stranded without food for a day. But here’s what gets me—everyone acts shocked, like we didn’t see this coming. The real disaster isn’t the landslides; it’s how predictable they were.
5. What Now? (Because Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough)
5.1. Quick Fixes Won’t Cut It
Army engineers are heroes, but slapping some temporary barriers won’t solve anything. We need proper drainage, real monitoring systems, and—here’s a wild idea—actually compensating victims without making them beg.
5.2. Long-Term? Think Smarter
Tunnels like Japan’s. Strict rules on where builders can construct. Local warning systems. Disaster expert Rajiv Bhatia said it best: “We can pay now to prevent, or keep paying forever to rebuild.”
Bottom Line
This wasn’t just nature’s fury—it was failure with a capital F. The ₹200 crore loss? That’s just the receipt for decades of cutting corners. Until someone’s held accountable, this cycle won’t break. And next monsoon? We’ll be right back here, writing bigger checks and pretending we’re surprised.
Source: News18 Hindi – Nation
