Bandra-Worli Sea Link contractor terminated for toll, maintenance defaults

MSRDC has terminated the toll collection contract for Mumbai's BWSL and Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway due to irregularities and poor maintenance

Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has served a termination notice to the company collecting the toll at two high-profile infrastructure projects in Maharashtra – Mumbai’s iconic Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link (Bandra-Worli Sea Link or BWSL) and the Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg (Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway).

This is not the first time the company, Roadway Solutions India Infra Limited, has run into trouble with city authorities. (Unsplash)

The notice has been served for irregularities in toll collection and failure to adequately maintain the BWSL. Among other things, the contractor had been inflating the number of vehicles exempted from the toll beyond the 5% cap, and had not adequately maintained the sea bridge, a part of the ambitious Mumbai Coastal Road project currently underway.

This is not the first time the company, Roadway Solutions India Infra Limited, has run into trouble with city authorities. Earlier this year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had not only terminated a ₹1,600-crore contract it had awarded the contractor to concretise 212 roads in South Mumbai, but also blacklisted the company. A fine of ₹64 crore was also recovered for “lacking the capacity and interest to execute the contract”.

Confirming the defaults and non-compliance by the toll collection company, Anilkumar Gaikwad, vice-chairman and managing director, MSRDC, said, “We are looking for a new toll operator for both the infrastructure projects. During the interim period, a new company will be appointed for three months and another one for a longer duration.”

MSRDC had found that the toll operator had failed to comply with its mandate on several counts, including toll collection and maintenance of the BWSL, as well as other terms of the contract. A showcause notice failed to produce satisfactory results.

Every month, joint inspections are carried out to ensure that infrastructure assets are well maintained. These include the entire road, its approaches, electrical systems, administrative building, mechanical, civil components, crash barriers, surveillance systems, toll plaza, etc.

In the case of the BWSL, it was found that the contractor had not only neglected to undertake important maintenance work on the sea bridge. A periodical toll audit too discovered several irregularities in toll collection.

Apart from losing the toll collection contract, the company is also set to lose the bank guarantee with the MSRDC. Although HT has seen a copy of the termination notice dated September 16, 2024, Ameet Gadhoke, managing director, Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd’s said, “There is no termination order. If it was terminated, I would not be still collecting toll.”