Munish Sood
Mandi: The construction work on Himachal Pradesh’s longest twin tunnels being built on the strategic Pathankot-Mandi four-lane highway has come to a halt following a serious dispute between contractors.
Gawar Construction Ltd, the principal contractor, and its associate company Bharat Construction India Pvt Ltd (BCIPL) have lodged a formal police complaint against a local subcontractor, alleging illegal obstruction and political pressure tactics.
The twin tunnels, each 3.5 km in length, are under construction near Bijni, Mandi, and are part of a high-priority bypass segment of the national highway. However, the entire construction has been stalled after a politically connected local subcontractor allegedly placed heavy machinery at the tunnel portals, physically preventing work from proceeding.
Gawar Construction had subcontracted portions of the work to multiple local firms, including the complainant, some reportedly linked to both ruling and opposition parties. According to officials, the dispute arose when one contractor began demanding exclusive rights to the entire tunnel project, despite already having several of his machines deployed on site.
Stopping work means playing with national security, says GM
Speaking to TNR, Ramesh Singh Rawat, General Manager of BCIPL, strongly criticised the situation: “These tunnels are the longest concrete tunnels ever undertaken by NHAI in Himachal Pradesh and they hold immense strategic importance as they will eventually link the Pathankot-Mandi route with the critical Leh-Manali road. Stopping such work is not just an operational issue but playing with national security.”
Rawat further stated that in just three days, the company has suffered a financial loss of over Rs 2 crore due to the obstruction.
“We have already hired his equipment and cooperated beyond contractual expectations. Now he’s acting like a political strongman, demanding full control of the project. This is unacceptable,” he said.
NHAI seeks immediate report from Gawar
Rohit Sharma, HR Head at BCIPL, confirmed that a written complaint had been submitted to the Superintendent of Police, Mandi. “The contractor is behaving like a dictator, obstructing the project unlawfully. If timely action is not taken, we are prepared to escalate the matter to the High Court. This is a question of both legality and national accountability,” said Sharma.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken serious note of the matter. Project Director (Mandi) Varun Chari told TNR: “We have asked Gawar Construction for a detailed report on the Bijni tunnel disruption and instructed them to resolve the dispute at the earliest. This bypass is essential for decongesting Mandi town and ensuring smooth traffic flow.”
The tunnels, once complete, will bypass the congested Mandi town, linking Bijni directly to Sauli Khud through a new bridge, ultimately integrating with the Manali-Leh corridor. This route is vital not only for civilian traffic but also for defense logistics and national security operations in the Himalayan region.
Chander Shekhar Thakur, the contractor in question, denied any knowledge of a police complaint against him. When asked whether he had illegally halted the construction work by placing his machine outside the tunnel, he stated that he had given five bighas of land to the BCIPL.
During the agreement, the company officials had verbally assured his father, Kaul Singh Thakur, former minister and top Congress leader, that he would be awarded some work during the tunnel construction. He also denied that any of his machinery had been occupied or engaged by the company so far.
