The tunnel, which connects Shimla to the state’s apple belt and popular tourist spots such as Kufri, Naldehra, Fagu and Narkanda, has been suffering from civic neglect and is falling apart. Nothing has been done to rectify the situation for many years, despite commuters’ concerns.

The area above the tunnel has been the site of dangerous construction and unwise expansion over the past two decades, with the increased load putting its safety into question. In addition to frequent water leakage, wide cracks have appeared at many places and many commuters have reported incidents of stones falling from the tunnel onto their vehicles. .

Running through Sanjauli and Dhalli, two of the most heavily populated areas in the region, the tunnel is ill-equipped to deal with the heavy traffic that passes through it everyday.

A resident of Dhalli, Vinod Kumar, said, “The more its condition worsens, the more the risk to commuters increases. It is high time that the authorities wake up.”

Architect Planner at the Shimla Municipal Corporation Rajeev Sharma, however, takes the plea that there is no rule against the construction. “The only precaution we can take is to restrict the number of floors and we have taken legal action against violators,” he said. Shimla Deputy Mayor

Harish Janartha, however, claims no permission is sanctioned for construction on the land vertically above the tunnel, adding that a proposal for a parallel tunnel is under consideration.