Shimla, July 3 -- The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has implemented extensive preventive measures on the Kalka-Shimla National Highway (NH 5) as the monsoon arrives. This crucial route is highly vulnerable to landslides. The new protocols aim to secure the corridor and keep traffic moving without interruption. From identifying vulnerable locations prone to landslides, slope failures, debris accumulation, flooding and other monsoon-related hazards, the NHAI has implemented preventive measures on priority on the highly vulnerable stretches, including Parwanoo-Chakki Mod, Solan-Datyar and Kandaghat-Kaithlighat. Excessive rainfall in 2025 had triggered landslides at 22 different locations on the Chandigarh-Shimla highway. According to NHAI estimates, natural disasters caused losses of nearly Rs 26.86 crore on the Parwanoo-Solan section of the NH-5 between January 2021 and July 2025. The NHAI had even received rap from the Himachal Pradesh high court for failing to "maintain the premium highway" connecting Shimla to the plains and the high court had even ordered closure of the Sanwara toll plaza for nearly a month. The NHAI as part of the slope protection has introduced a slope drainage pipe system at 83 vulnerable points to minimise the landslides this monsoon along the 85 km-long Kalka-Shimla NH-5, which connects Shimla to the rest of the country. NHAI project director (Kalka-Shimla) Anand Dahiya said, "We have completed the work on most of the sites barring 3-4 points on the Kalka to Shimla stretch on which work is going on. We have sought help from the district administration where slope protection is to be done on the land of private owners and am sure the same will be completed soon. The slope drainage pipe system has already shown encouraging results during recent pre-monsoon and monsoon showers." The NHAI had installed the slope drainage pipe system at 83 critical locations on NH 5 as part of the ongoing slope stabilisation project being carried out between Parwanoo and Kathlighat after slope protection measures undertaken earlier failed to fully address the problem of rainwater runoff during intense monsoon spells....