In an unusual sight on a national highway, industrial fans and exhaust blowers were deployed on a damaged stretch of the newly opened ₹4200-crore Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway to dry freshly laid bitumen amid persistent monsoon showers. The scene circulated widely on social media platforms, with local observers questioning the practicality of using fans for rainwater removal on a newly maintained expressway segment.
Emergency repair work gathered pace across the corridor after the NHAI proposed to declare the concessionaire, PNC Infratech, a non-performer, removed key project officials and suspended toll collection until the damaged stretches were restored. The action followed the report of a “slippage” near Km 64 of the expressway on July 26.
The high-powered fans were removed from the expressway after over 24 hours of operation.
Barely weeks after its grand inauguration on July 13, the expressway had been plagued by complaints about damaged portions and patchwork at various locations.
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According to project insiders, the road collapsed or developed fresh distress nine times in just 22 days, requiring repairs at more than 80 locations. NHAI records show that 84 distress points had already been identified, with 39 on the Lucknow-bound carriageway and 45 on the Kanpur-bound side. While some locations required patchwork, others had to be reconstructed after the pavement caved in.
{{/usCountry}}According to project insiders, the road collapsed or developed fresh distress nine times in just 22 days, requiring repairs at more than 80 locations. NHAI records show that 84 distress points had already been identified, with 39 on the Lucknow-bound carriageway and 45 on the Kanpur-bound side. While some locations required patchwork, others had to be reconstructed after the pavement caved in.
{{/usCountry}}The most serious incident occurred on July 30, when a gravel-laden truck sank into the damaged carriageway. NHAI excavated nearly 1,000 square feet of pavement to a depth of about two feet and rebuilt the affected section. However, fresh cracks reportedly appeared soon after the repair, raising concerns about the structural condition beneath the surface.
The damaged stretch, compromised by monsoon downpours, severely disrupted traffic between the two major cities. With repair work currently underway, vehicles travelling in both directions were being routed through a single operational carriageway.
The unusual repair technique drew political attention after Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav shared a video of the fans and exhausts operating on the expressway, from his X account, questioning the quality of construction and the manner in which repairs were being carried out during the rainy season.
PNC general manager Anguluri Satyanarayan said the deployment of fans and exhaust blowers was aimed at removing surface moisture and accelerating the setting of bituminous layers during intermittent rainfall. While such equipment may assist in drying the surface during emergency maintenance, highway experts note that long-term pavement performance depends on the quality of material, proper compaction, adequate drainage and adherence to engineering specifications rather than temporary drying measures alone.
NHAI chief general manager and regional officer of UP Gautam Vishal said: “PNC Infratech has been told to repair the expressway with best of quality materials and at their own cost. NHAI is not going to pay anything to them.”
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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had on Wednesday initiated disciplinary action against the concessionaire, the engineer and several officials over alleged lapses in project execution and supervision.
It removed the construction agency’s project manager Vivek Kumar Gupta, independent engineer team leader Surendra Kumar and resident engineer Yatendra Kumar from the project and debarred them from projects of the ministry of road transport and highways, NHAI and NHIDCL for two years.
The authority also acted against project director Nakul Prakash Verma who was repatriated to his parent department. NHAI decided to issue charge sheets against Verma and former project director Saurabh Chaurasia for alleged negligence during construction of the expressway.
NHAI issued a notice proposing to declare PNC Infratech Ltd a non-performer, which would make it ineligible to participate in bidding for future NHAI projects. A show-cause notice was also issued proposing a penalty equivalent to 2% of the performance security, debarment proceedings for up to three years against the firm’s head of pavement/highways and other responsible staff, and a downgrade of the concessionaire’s performance rating.
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PNC Infratech was barred in Oct 2024
- NHAI officials were now accepting the fact that in October 2024, the authority had barred PNC Infratech and two of its SPVs — PNC Khajuraho Highways Pvt Ltd and PNC Bundelkhand Highways Pvt Ltd — from participating in fresh bids after a CBI case related to an NHAI project.
- The company challenged the action before the Allahabad high court. Subsequently, the restriction was lifted, allowing it to resume bidding.
- In June 2024, the CBI registered a corruption case alleging that company officials conspired to pay bribes to NHAI officials and consultants in connection with the Jhansi-Khajuraho highway project to obtain approvals and clear pending bills. The company disclosed that managing director Yogesh Kumar Jain and whole-time director TR Rao were summoned, while several employees were detained and later remanded. The company denied wrongdoing and stated it was cooperating with the investigation.
- The company belongs to an influential family, one of its members is a member of Rajya Sabha.