Repeated instances of road subsidence and fresh damage on the newly inaugurated Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway have forced the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to take unprecedented action against one of its flagship projects.
Less than a month after the expressway was opened to traffic, NHAI has suspended toll collection indefinitely, removed the project director, declared the executing contractor PNC Infratech a "non-performer", and ordered a technical probe by experts from IIT Kharagpur.
The 63-km, six-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor, built at a cost of around ₹4,200 crore, was inaugurated on July 13 by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The expressway was designed to reduce travel time between Lucknow and Kanpur from around 90 minutes to nearly 40 minutes while decongesting NH-27 and improving connectivity between Uttar Pradesh's political and industrial hubs.
First signs of trouble
The first setback came on July 26, when a portion of the embankment near Kilometre 64 developed cracks and the surface slipped following heavy rainfall. NHAI had then maintained that the damage was limited to the embankment and that the carriageway and bridge structure were safe. The affected stretch was repaired and reopened, with officials describing it as a localised problem caused by water seepage.
Fresh damage triggers action
However, the situation escalated after another stretch near the approach embankment of a bridge in Unnao district developed fresh subsidence despite the earlier repairs. Videos of the damaged section went viral on social media, raising fresh questions over the quality of construction and forcing traffic diversions.
The recurrence of defects prompted NHAI to suspend toll collection until the expressway is fully repaired and certified safe for commuters.
The authority also removed Project Director Nakul Prakash Verma, declared PNC Infratech a "non-performer", making it ineligible for future NHAI projects until further orders, and initiated disciplinary action against officials associated with the project.
NHAI Regional Manager Gautam Vishal said the contractor would bear the entire cost of repairs, estimated at around ₹3 crore. He said the first instance of slippage was reported on July 26 and was repaired immediately, while rectification work has continued at all locations where similar complaints have been received.
To determine the exact cause of the repeated failures, NHAI has constituted a technical committee that includes experts from IIT Kharagpur. The panel will examine whether the defects resulted from construction deficiencies, design flaws, poor drainage or other engineering issues.
Commuters seek safety over toll waiver
For thousands of people travelling daily between Lucknow and Kanpur, the suspension of toll collection has come as a temporary relief. However, commuters say the bigger concern is safety rather than saving money.
Several motorists speaking to local media said they would rather pay toll for a well-built expressway than travel on a highway that develops cracks and cave-ins within weeks of its inauguration. Many also questioned how a newly commissioned expressway could require repeated repairs during its very first monsoon.
Political slugfest
The controversy has also triggered a political war of words in Uttar Pradesh.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the BJP government over the repeated damage, alleging that the expressway had become a symbol of poor-quality construction and accusing the government of prioritising publicity over durability. SP leaders also shared videos of the damaged stretches on social media, demanding accountability for the lapses.
The Congress questioned the quality of execution, saying the recurring cave-ins exposed serious deficiencies in the implementation of flagship infrastructure projects and sought action against those responsible.
The BJP, however, defended the government's response, arguing that NHAI's decision to suspend toll collection, remove the project director, penalise the contractor and order an independent IIT Kharagpur-led inquiry demonstrated that accountability was being enforced swiftly.
For a project that was showcased as a milestone in Uttar Pradesh's infrastructure push, the repeated damage within weeks of its inauguration has shifted the narrative from faster connectivity to construction quality and accountability.
While repairs continue and toll collection remains suspended, the findings of the IIT Kharagpur probe are expected to determine whether the failures were the result of engineering lapses, inadequate drainage or shortcomings in execution—and whether further action follows.
