NHAI Bans PNC Infratech, Awadh Expressway for 3 Years Over Lucknow-Kanpur Cave-In
NHAI has barred PNC Infratech and Awadh Expressway Pvt Ltd from bidding on new MoRTH and NHAI tenders for three years after the Lucknow-Kanpur expressway caved in.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has barred PNC Infratech and its subsidiary, Awadh Expressway Private Limited, from bidding on new tenders for three years, months after a large stretch of the Lucknow-Kanpur elevated expressway collapsed days after it opened.
The ban, conveyed through a letter dated September 11, cites construction flaws and instances of road subsidence. It blocks the two firms from bidding for fresh tenders issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), NHAI, or their agencies. Existing and ongoing projects are unaffected.
The Rs 4,200-crore Lucknow-Kanpur Greenfield National Elevated Expressway was inaugurated on July 13 by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. Within 12 days, a large section of the road had caved in, raising questions about construction quality and project monitoring.
Allegations of potholes and road damage at 74 locations surfaced within 26 days of the opening, along with complaints of premature deterioration and subsidence in several stretches. The matter reached the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, which sought responses from the central and state governments.
Described as the strictest action available under the contract, the ban has prompted PNC Infratech to say it is weighing legal options to challenge the decision. Toll collection remains suspended along the entire expressway, and the company has been made responsible for compensating the losses arising from the suspension.