55 Instances of Road, Bridge, and Tunnel Damage Reported on NHAI Projects Over 5 Years: Gadkari

SRINAGAR: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that a total of 55 instances of collapse or structural damage were reported over the past five years in road, bridge, and tunnel projects executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Responding to a question raised by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh regarding accountability for damaged roads, Gadkari said that 40 of these incidents occurred during the construction phase, while the remaining involved completed projects. He added that action had been taken against private contractors in nearly all cases. However, disciplinary measures against government officials were taken in only two instances.

Gadkari stated that the Project Director of the Palanpur Project Implementation Unit (PIU) was suspended due to substandard construction on the six-lane Sanchore–Santalpur section of the 130-km Amritsar–Jamnagar Economic Corridor (NH-754K). Similarly, the Project Director at PIU Nagpur was transferred to the regional office following faulty construction of a flyover on NH-6.

The minister clarified that these figures do not include the Silkyara Tunnel accident in Uttarakhand in November 2023, which resulted in 41 deaths. That project is being executed by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), a separate entity under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

“The details did not include damages in projects undertaken by other state or central agencies apart from NHAI,” Gadkari added.

The Silkyara-Barkot tunnel, where the tragedy occurred, is part of the Char Dham Yatra All Weather Road project, a 900-kilometre network aimed at improving access to Uttarakhand’s four key pilgrimage sites.