Home gone because of NH-003, claims Sen family in Talyahar
Munish Sood
MANDI: The ambitious National Highway-3 four-lane project has come under fire in Mandi district again as the family of Gopal Singh Sen lost their ancestral home to the ongoing road-widening work.
Speaking to The Newz Radar, the family recounted how allegedly faulty road-cutting and excavation near Talyahar destabilised their house, forcing them to leave behind generations of memories.
Sitting with his wife Purnima, Prakash Sen recalled: “The first cracks appeared on the walls months ago. We informed the workers and even tried reaching out to officials, but no one listened. They kept digging and blasting. Slowly, our home started sinking. We watched it crumble in front of our eyes.”
His brother Dileep Singh, with his wife Dimple by his side, added with visible frustration: “We are now forced to live in uncertainty. Our old home is no longer safe and we don’t know where to go. This is not just about one house — this is about our dignity, our livelihood, our family’s future. Yet NHAI and the administration are silent.”
Their aged mother, who had lived her entire life in that house, reportedly broke down while narrating how her memories of the past decades had been “buried under the debris of development”.
The Sens’ story has struck a chord with many in Talyahar, where locals claim more houses are showing signs of weakening foundations due to uncontrolled excavation and poor drainage planning. The family believes their case is only the beginning of a larger safety crisis.
“If this is development, then people are paying for it with their homes and peace of mind. Roads should connect lives, not destroy them,” said a family member bitterly.
NHAI in the dock
The family’s plight raises questions for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI):
• Why was no geotechnical survey or impact assessment shared with the public before the project began?
• Why did the contract not include safeguards for nearby houses?
• How many families have been displaced, and what compensation or relief has been given so far?
• Why was no immediate protective action, like shoring, relocation or drainage correction, taken despite visible damage?
• Who is accountable for this negligence?
Activist warns of legal action
Social activist Prof Anupama Singh, who visited the affected family, said the situation could not be ignored. “When roads are built, both land and people must remain safe. Otherwise, development becomes destruction. The Sen family’s tragedy is a wake-up call. The NHAI and the administration must answer within 72 hours or we will take this fight to the higher authorities and even the courts.”
With the monsoon still active and more houses at risk, residents of Talyahar warn that the Sen family’s story could soon repeat itself for others. For now, they are demanding accountability from the NHAI before more homes are lost to a project that was supposed to bring progress.
