Rs 4,200 Crore Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway Caved In. Firm That Built It Banned For 3 Years

Months after a large section of the Lucknow-Kanpur elevated expressway caved in within days of its inauguration, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has banned PNC Infratech and its subsidiary, Awadh Expressway Private Limited, for three years.During this ban, PNC Infratech will be unable to bid for new tenders issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), NHAI, or their agencies for the next three years.Built at a cost of Rs 4,200 crore, the Lucknow-Kanpur Greenfield National Elevated Expressway was inaugurated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on July 13.However, a large section of the road caved in within 12 days of the inauguration, raising questions over the construction quality and monitoring mechanisms of the project. Allegations surfaced regarding potholes and road damage at 74 locations within just 26 days of the expressway's opening.Complaints regarding premature damage and road subsidence in several sections also came to light.The matter then reached the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, where the court sought responses from the central and state governments.NHAI imposed the ban on PNC Infratech via a letter issued on September 11. Construction flaws and incidents of road subsidence have been cited as the reasons for NHAI's action.This is reportedly the strictest action taken against the company under the terms of the contract.While the ban will not affect the company's existing or ongoing projects, PNC Infratech has indicated that it is exploring legal options to challenge this action.Toll collection has currently been suspended across the entire stretch of the expressway.The responsibility for compensating the losses incurred due to the suspension of toll collection has been placed on the company.