3 min readUpdated: Aug 5, 2026 10:17 PM IST
Following multiple failures and major deficiencies reported on the 63-km Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway within 13 days of its opening, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has suspended toll collection until the issues are fully rectified. The authority has also initiated action against the contractor, consultant and concerned officials.
NHAI has issued a notice to declare the concessionaire or contractor, PNC Infratech Ltd, a non-performer, which would make the company ineligible to participate in bidding for future NHAI projects. Along with this, a show-cause notice has been issued to levy a penalty of 2% of the performance security and initiate debarment proceedings for up to three years against the head of highways and other responsible staff.
A senior NHAI official said the rectification would cost around Rs 3 crore and that the contractor would have to bear the cost without any financial implication for NHAI. The official added that the loss of toll revenue would be recovered from the contractor.
On July 26, a slippage spanning about 300 metres was observed near the 64-km mark in Unnao’s Korari area on the expressway, after its inauguration on July 13. The issue went viral on social media, with several highway users questioning NHAI and the contractor over the quality of the Rs 4,200-crore expressway. Traffic has currently been diverted at the affected stretch.
Apart from taking action against the contractor, NHAI has removed the project manager of the construction agency, the team leader of the independent engineer and the resident engineer from the project. They have also been debarred from participating in any highway projects for the next two years. Theme Engineering Services Pvt Ltd, the independent engineer for the project, has also been issued a debarment notice.
The official said that a chargesheet is being issued against former NHAI project director Saurabh Chaurasia, during whose tenure a substantial portion of the construction took place, and the present project director Nakul Prakash Verma for alleged negligence in the project. Verma has been repatriated to his parent department.
Further, the authority is deploying laser profilometer technology to undertake a detailed assessment of pavement conditions across the project stretch. A team of pavement experts led by Professor K.S. Reddy of IIT Kharagpur has been engaged to conduct an in-depth technical investigation.
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The ambitious six-lane expressway is expected to reduce travel time between Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow and its industrial hub Kanpur from around 90 minutes to about 40 minutes. It has been positioned as a game changer for residents of the region.
Videos of the damaged section of the expressway also triggered criticism from opposition parties, which alleged that the BJP government was compromising construction quality in one of its flagship highway projects.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, sharing a video on social media, posted: “Running less, sinking more: Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway! Cost: Rs 4,700 crore!” The SP, in a post on X, alleged that the expressway required repairs for the second time in 17 days. The Uttar Pradesh Congress also criticised the government in a post on X, alleging that the condition of the expressway was “direct and clear proof of the BJP government’s corruption”.
