Mandi: NHAI Suffers ₹200 Crore Loss Due to Damage on Chandigarh-Manali Highway

Mandi, August 2:
The 2025 monsoon season has wreaked havoc across Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh, drawing comparisons to the devastating floods of 2023. So far, nearly 1,000 houses have been damaged or destroyed, and dozens of roads have suffered extensive damage.

One of the worst-hit infrastructures is the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway (NH-3), where continuous heavy rainfall, landslides, and collapsing retaining walls have caused damages amounting to nearly ₹200 crore, according to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Providing details, NHAI Project Director Varun Chari said the stretch between Mandi and Aut has borne the brunt of the destruction. A Pune-based company has been tasked with assessing the total loss and identifying the root causes of repeated landslides along this patch. The goal is to enable NHAI to develop permanent, technology-based solutions to mitigate future landslides.

Notably, the area between 4 Mile and Aut in Mandi continues to face frequent landslides. Several retaining walls (dangas) have already collapsed, and many others have developed large cracks, posing a continued threat to the highway’s stability. Additionally, a section of the highway near Kainchimod in Pandoh has sunk once again, forcing authorities to restrict traffic to a single lane in that stretch.

Authorities are closely monitoring the situation, but the ongoing geological instability and heavy rain continue to challenge both restoration efforts and public safety.