New Delhi: The Highways Ministry has invoked the newly introduced provision of the catastrophic failure clause against two highway developers for major structural failures on National Highways projects.
The catastrophic event provisions allow highway-owning agencies to bar developers from bidding for new projects for two years. Such highway builders also face negative ratings that could adversely affect their chances of securing future projects.
According to documents accessed by PTI, the Road Transport and Highways Ministry has notified a catastrophic event in a project covering the four-lane Poondiankuppam-Sattanatharupam section of NH-45 (new NH-32), from km 67 to km 123 in Tamil Nadu, under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).
"The bid project cost was Rs 2,120 crore, and it was awarded to M/S Poonadiankuppam Sattanathapuram Section Private Limited (Promoters-M/s Oriental) under a concession agreement. The appointed date of the project was January 20, 2022, with a scheduled completion date of January 19, 2024.
"M/s Theme Engineering Services Private Limited has been appointed as the independent engineer," the ministry's order said.
The order document further said that at approximately 12.30 a.m. on 6 April 2026, substantial settlement of approximately 2 metres was observed in the pavement quality concrete on the main carriageway near the light vehicle underpass at km 105+220 on the Kollidam Bypass. The incident was accompanied by bulging, cracking and horizontal displacement of the reinforced earth.
In the second case, the project involves widening and strengthening approximately 45 km of NH-727B, from km 61.500 near Nawalpur to km 106.495 near Sikanderpur in Uttar Pradesh. The road is being upgraded to a two-lane road with paved shoulders or a four-lane road with paved shoulders under the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode.
The project was sanctioned for Rs 2,061 crore, and the EPC work was awarded to the joint venture of VRC Constructions (India) Pvt Ltd and R & C Infra Engineers Pvt Ltd at a contract price of Rs 613 crore.
Technocrats Advisory Services Pvt Ltd had been appointed as the authority engineer for the project.
"An incident occurred on March 25, 2026, at about 1015 hours during the execution of reinforcement works for the viaduct portion of the major bridge over River Ghaghra at Chainage km 77+220.
"During the lifting and erection of the reinforcement cage for the viaduct pier, a portion of the cage collapsed and fell on workers present at the site, resulting in two fatalities and grievous injury to one person," the order document said.
