An apple orchardist in Mashobra block of Shimla district has suffered losses amounting to nearly Rs 40 lakh after repeated collapse of crate walls during the ongoing four-lane project on the Kaithlighat-Dhalli section of National Highway-5 allegedly damaged his orchard land and around 550 fruit-bearing apple plants, the Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Department informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday. The disclosure was made during the hearing of a petition filed by orchardist Narender Singh Rathore, who alleged that highway widening work in the ecologically fragile stretch beyond Dhalli town had caused severe environmental degradation, landslides and damage to his orchard land. Two inspections conducted Secretary (Horticulture) C Paulrasu informed the Tribunal that inspections were conducted following complaints regarding damage caused by collapsing crate walls near the construction site. “The first inspection was carried out by the Horticulture Development Officer, Mashobra, on June 10, 2025. The value of the damaged fruit plants was calculated in accordance with the government-approved Harbans Singh Formula,” the report submitted before the Tribunal stated. The first assessment found that 110 …