3 weeks ago
Woman to Challenge Rs 2.23 Crore Compensation for House Collapse
A woman in a city called Shimla lost her big, four-storey house when it collapsed during heavy rain in June 2025.
The house fell down while workers were cutting away part of a hill to build a new four-lane highway.
A court said the road-building companies must pay her money for the damage.
The companies were ordered to pay her about 2.23 crore rupees.
The woman says this is not enough money.
She feels sad because she lost her home and had a very stressful year.
She says she warned the builders many times that the hill-cutting could cause a disaster.
The court also asked the state government to check how much her neighbour's damaged house is worth.
The woman's house is still in ruins, and she now lives in a rented home with her two daughters.
She plans to go back to court to try to get more money.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court ordered NHAI and M/s Gawar Shimla Highway Pvt Ltd to pay Ranjana Verma Rs 2.23 crore after her four-storey house collapsed during hill-cutting work for a four-lane highway project.
Verma's house, named Raj Niwas, collapsed on June 30, 2025, during heavy rain while the road project work was underway below it.
Verma said she will challenge the compensation as inadequate because it does not reflect the cost of the four-storey structure or the mental trauma she faced.
The court valued the house at Rs 1.65 crore and belongings at Rs 58.38 lakh, and ruled NHAI could not wash off its hands of responsibility for the project.
The court also directed the Himachal Pradesh government to assess the value of neighbour Chanda Devi's damaged and unsafe house; the next hearing is scheduled for September 23.
- Who
- Ranjana Verma, whose four-storey house collapsed; the Himachal Pradesh High Court ordered NHAI and M/s Gawar Shimla Highway Pvt Ltd to compensate her.
- What
- A court ordered compensation of Rs 2.23 crore for her collapsed house, which Verma says is inadequate and plans to challenge.
- Where
- Sanjay Van Colony near Chamiyana in Bhattakuffar, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
- When
- The house collapsed on June 30, 2025; the High Court order was issued on Monday and the next hearing is on September 23.
- Why
- The house collapsed during hill-cutting work for a four-lane highway project, for which the court held NHAI responsible.
Verma's Challenge
Court Assessment
Adequacy of compensation
Verma's Challenge
Verma argues Rs 2.23 crore is not enough because it does not reflect the cost of the four-storey structure, which fell like a pack of cards, and ignores her year-long mental agony.
Court Assessment
The court ordered payment of Rs 2,23,55,924 based on a district-level assessment, valuing the house at Rs 1.65 crore and belongings at Rs 58.38 lakh.
Responsibility for the hill-cutting
Verma's Challenge
Verma and other residents say they repeatedly warned NHAI and the contractor that unscientific hill-cutting would result in a disaster.
Court Assessment
The court said NHAI could not escape responsibility for the project whether the cutting was being done in the right manner or not, under proper supervision.
Key facts
- Compensation awarded
- Rs 2,23,55,924 (Rs 2.23 crore)
- Ordered to pay
- NHAI and M/s Gawar Shimla Highway Pvt Ltd
- House collapse date
- June 30, 2025
- Assessed house value
- Rs 1.65 crore
- Assessed belongings value
- Rs 58.38 lakh
- House name
- Raj Niwas
- Location
- Sanjay Van Colony, Chamiyana, Bhattakuffar, Shimla
- Next hearing
- September 23
Quotes
Col Ajay Singh Bargoti
Regional officer, National Highways Authority of India
“I am thankful to the High Court which took suo motu cognisance of the tragedy, but I will challenge the compensation as it does not reflect the cost of the four‑storey structure which fell like a pack of cards”
indianexpress.com
“We received the order directing us, along with the private construction company, to compensate the woman owner. We have forwarded it to our legal cell for scrutiny.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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