NHAI Cracks Down After ₹4,200-Crore Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway Develops Slippage

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken strict action after a 300-metre stretch of the newly opened Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway developed slippage, raising questions over construction quality and project supervision.

The 63-km greenfield expressway was opened to traffic in July and is designed to improve connectivity between Kanpur and Lucknow. However, a section near kilometre 64 on the right-hand side developed slippage on 26 July, only weeks after the project became operational. NHAI said traffic has been diverted around the affected section and is moving smoothly.

The authority has now initiated action against several parties involved in the project. NHAI has issued a notice proposing that the concessionaire, PNC Infratech Ltd, be declared a non-performer. If the proposal is confirmed after due process, the company could become ineligible to bid for future NHAI projects.

The authority has also issued a show-cause notice proposing a penalty equivalent to 2% of the performance security. It has proposed debarment proceedings of up to three years against the company’s Head of Pavement/Highways and other staff considered responsible for the issue. NHAI has also said the concessionaire’s pavement condition rating could be downgraded, potentially affecting its eligibility for future projects.

The repair bill will not be passed on to the government. NHAI has directed the concessionaire to completely rectify the affected section at its own expense. The current estimated cost of the work is around ₹3 crore. Toll collection on the expressway has also been suspended until the repair work is completed, with NHAI saying the resulting toll revenue loss will be recovered from the concessionaire.

NHAI has also acted against officials responsible for construction monitoring and supervision. The project manager of the construction agency and two officials associated with the independent engineering team have been removed from the project and debarred from participating in projects under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, NHAI and NHIDCL for two years. Action has also been initiated against project directors over alleged negligence.

The independent engineering consultant, Theme Engineering Services Pvt Ltd, has also received a debarment notice. This indicates that NHAI is examining not only the physical failure but also the supervision and quality-control process behind the project.

To assess the wider condition of the expressway, NHAI plans to use laser profilometer technology to examine pavement quality across the route. An expert team led by Professor K. S. Reddy of IIT Kharagpur has also been brought in to investigate the cause of the slippage and recommend corrective measures.

For India’s expanding expressway network, the episode highlights an important issue beyond construction speed: long-term quality. As more public money goes into highways, bridges and urban infrastructure, monitoring, testing and maintenance will be just as important as completing projects on schedule.

The Kanpur-Lucknow case could therefore become a significant test of how infrastructure agencies handle construction defects, assign responsibility and protect public investment. The technical investigation will now be closely watched for answers on whether the problem was limited to one stretch or points to wider pavement concerns.