NHAI Cracks Down on Shoddy Work: Contractor, Engineer Suspended on Amritsar-Jamnagar Corridor
NHAI fines shoddy work: Contractor, Engineer Suspended
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken stringent action against a contractor, an authority engineer, and an NHAI official due to the poor condition of pavement on the Sanchore-Santalpur section (Package-4, NH-754K) of the Amritsar-Jamnagar Economic Corridor in Gujarat, according to a statement released on Thursday.
NHAI has debarred M/s CDS Infra Projects Limited, the contractor responsible for the six-lane section from Kilana to Santalpur, from participating in ongoing and future bids due to pavement crust failure caused by defects in the Aggregate Inter Layer (AIL), Cement Treated Base (CTB), and inadequate drainage. A show-cause notice for debarment and a ₹2.8 crore penalty has also been issued to the contractor.
The authority engineer, SA Infra in association with Upham, has similarly been debarred from current and future bids, with a show-cause notice issued. The NHAI project director in Palanpur has been suspended pending further inquiry.
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To investigate the failure, NHAI has formed expert committees comprising retired and current professors from IIT-BHU, IIT-Delhi, and IIT-Gandhinagar. These teams are collecting samples, conducting tests, and will recommend remedial measures to address the pavement issues.
This action follows earlier penalties in 2024, when NHAI imposed ₹50 lakh fines and terminated engineers for similar defects on the corridor’s Sangaria-Rasisar section, highlighting ongoing quality concerns in the ₹80,000-crore project aimed at connecting Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
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