Himachal HC issues notice on PIL against Bhanupali-Bilaspur-Beri railway line construction; companies given 4 weeks to respond

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 3 (ANI): The Himachal Pradesh High Court, in the case of Rajnish Sharma vs. Union of India and Others (CWPIL No. 48 of 2025), has issued notices to respondents, including MAX Infra (India) Private Limited and Dilip Buildcon Limited, directing them to file their responses within four weeks.
The matter was heard by a division bench comprising Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma, which has fixed the next hearing for August 13, 2025.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed on June 30, 2025, by Rajnish Sharma, a social worker from Bilaspur. The petition highlights the plight of villagers whose homes have developed severe cracks due to tunnelling work for the Bhanupali-Bilaspur-Beri railway line. The petitioner alleges that the construction work is being carried out in an "unscientific manner," resulting in tremors that are endangering lives and damaging property.
According to the petition, some houses are located just 10 meters from the tunnel alignment and have suffered significant structural damage due to continuous blasting and excavation.
A Joint Inspection Report dated June 10, 2025 (Annexure P-3 of the petition), led by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Bilaspur (Respondent No. 7), found that the tunnelling work is being done in a geologically weak area consisting of silty, sandy, and stratified rocky material.
The report further stated that about 40 meters of the tunnel on each side remained unsupported at the bottom, making it vulnerable to damage or collapse, especially with the onset of the monsoon.
The petitioner also referred to an earlier report dated April 8, 2025 (Annexure P-4), which attributed the cracks in houses to "inferior building materials or poor construction practices" rather than the tunnel activity. Sharma argues that this earlier report is inconclusive and appears to be an attempt to avoid accountability.
The PIL seeks a writ of mandamus directing the authorities to immediately halt the construction, acquire the affected land and homes, and rehabilitate displaced families under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) norms. It also calls for blacklisting the companies allegedly involved in the "illegal construction."
Despite repeated representations made by the petitioner to the Deputy Commissioner of Bilaspur (Respondent No. 6) and the SDM (Respondent No. 7), highlighting the dangers posed by continuous blasting and tunneling, no satisfactory action has been taken. The petition notes that many affected villagers belong to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families who built their homes with hard-earned savings and are now facing the threat of loss of life and property.
The court has also directed the petitioner to submit translated copies of Annexures P-2 and P-4 along with the application for interim relief.
Advocate Madhurika Sekhon appeared on behalf of the petitioner, while Vandana Misra, Central Government Counsel, and Rakesh Dhaulta, Additional Advocate General, represented the respondents. (ANI)