Three short stretches in Gujarat, totalling just 87 km, have stalled the 1,386-km Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, a flagship infrastructure project costing over ₹1.04 lakh crore, The Indian Express has learnt.
Authorities awarded the stretches in 2021 to Pune-based Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd (RSIIL). Nearly four years on, the contractor has completed less than 20 per cent of the work, triggering concern within the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The slow progress has pushed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to consider issuing notices to RSIIL, a step that could eventually lead to termination of the contracts.
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87-km Bottleneck Causes Four-Year Setback
NHAI cancelled two of the three packages in March 2023 because of delays but re-awarded them to the same firm in November 2023 after Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd (RSIIL) emerged as the lowest bidder in the fresh tender. NHAI officials said that despite concerns over past performance, procurement rules required the authority to award the contract to the L1 bidder.
RSIIL blamed the delays on NHAI’s alleged failure to provide land on time. NHAI officials rejected the claim and attributed the slow progress to the contractor’s weak execution, contractual disputes, and ongoing litigation.
The stalled packages — Jujuwa–Gandeva, Karvad–Jujuwa, and Talsari–Karvad — lie on the Vadodara–Virar section of the expressway in Gujarat. While construction on most other sections in the state has reached the final stages, work on these three stretches has made little headway.
Officials said NHAI may issue a “cure period” notice, giving the contractor a limited window to rectify delays or breaches before the authority takes stricter action, including termination, debarment, or blacklisting.
Once completed, the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway will shorten the distance to Mumbai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port by 180 km and cut travel time by up to 50 per cent. Of the total project cost of ₹1,03,636 crore, NHAI has already spent about ₹71,718 crore. Several sections, including Delhi–Lalsot and parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, are currently operational.
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