Himachal Pradesh: Lack of facilities at Chamiyana hospital, High Court summons Health and PWD secretaries.

January 8, 2026

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has taken serious note of the failure to widen the road leading to the Super Specialty Hospital in Chamiyana and the lack of other basic facilities, including a shortage of buses. A division bench of Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Jia Lal Bhardwaj, hearing a public interest litigation, expressed displeasure over the neglect and reprimanded the government.

The court stated that if substantial progress is not made by the next hearing date, the secretaries of the Health and Public Works Departments will have to appear in court personally to explain the reasons for the delay.

The next hearing is scheduled for March 16. It was brought to the court’s attention that hoardings and signboards indicating the direction to the Chamiyana hospital are missing at all three main entry points to Shimla: Taradevi, Kufri, and Naldehra.

Signboards are also absent on the routes from ISBT to Bhattakufar and Sanjauli, causing inconvenience to patients and their attendants. A 900-meter stretch of the 2.4 km road from Bhattakufar to Chamiyana is still single-lane. The court expressed surprise that despite repeated instructions, the road widening work has not yet begun.

The Public Works Department and the Forest Department have been directed to ensure that administrative approval and the release of funds for the road widening are completed by the next hearing. The hospital requires parking for 1,000 vehicles, but currently, there is only parking available for 60 vehicles.

The court directed the PWD secretary to file an affidavit explaining how they will address this problem. Otherwise, they will have to appear in court personally.