Gadkari: Investigation underway into Delhi-Mumbai expressway, action to follow

He said in response to MP Hanuman Beniwal’s question in Lok Sabha regarding the “technical flaws” in the Delhi-Mumbai expressway

NEW DELHI: Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday that experts are looking into “deficiencies” in the construction of the Delhi-Vadodara (DVE) section of the Delhi-Mumbai expressway and that strict action would be taken against contractors and supervision consultants if any issues are found.

Gadkari said that experts from IIT Kharagpur are investigating the issue (ANI)

Gadkari said they had not found anything to indicate that the material used was substandard but the some stretches of the road were uneven. “As a result, there are some bumps on the road... If the contractor is not working properly, (I) will put them under bulldozers...will straighten them out by hitting them, I will not compromise with anyone,” the minister told the Lok Sabha.

Gadkari was responding to a question by Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal on “technical flaws” in the Delhi-Mumbai expressway.

The minister said there were “some deficiencies” in the construction of certain stretches of the Delhi - Vadodara (DVE) section and experts from IIT Kharagpur are investigating the issue.

He explained that the section was being built using a new technology — perpetual pavement with a wearing course of Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) and that heavy rains during the monsoon had caused damage at certain locations on the Sohna-Dausa section of the expressway, which is already open to traffic.

For this, showcase notices have been issued to the officers responsible, he said.

He further said based on the final outcome of the investigation, “strict action” would be taken against contractors and supervision consultants.

The stretches are being relaid by the contractor at their own cost, he added.

In response to a different question from MP Chandra Shekhar of Uttar Pradesh’s Nagina, the minister stated that out of the 1,46,195 km length of the National Highways (NH) network in the country, damages have been reported in about 816 km.

Gadkari also mentioned that ₹6,523 crore has been spent in financial year (FY) 2023-24, compared to ₹3,011 crore in FY 2019-20, while emphasising that the development and maintenance of NHs is a continuous process. “The conditions of NHs are assessed periodically by the Ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) and its various executing agencies. Maintenance works on NHs are undertaken as needed to keep them in traffic-worthy condition,” he added.