Now Reading: PIL filed over Lucknow-Kanpur E-way failures, IIT report due
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PIL filed over Lucknow-Kanpur E-way failures, IIT report due
A public interest litigation has been filed in the Allahabad High Court over repeated damage and poor construction of the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, which saw a section cave in just 12 days after…
The Story in Brief
A public interest litigation has been filed in the Allahabad High Court over repeated damage and poor construction of the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, which saw a section cave in just 12 days after its July 13 inauguration. The court has sought responses from the Centre, Uttar Pradesh government, NHAI and concessionaire PNC Infratech. The petition also questions the toll rate of Rs 4.37 per km, among the highest on Indian expressways.
Meanwhile, an IIT Kharagpur team probing the failures has preliminary pointed to possible design and drainage deficiencies rather than just poor construction, HT reports. Water seepage up to 18 feet deep has been found. The final report, expected in a week, will determine whether the Rs 4,200-crore project suffered from systemic design flaws or isolated construction defects. NHAI has already suspended toll collection and directed reconstruction at the concessionaire's cost.
The Indian Opinion
Commuters and taxpayers have been let down by both the builder and the regulator. A 63-km expressway that cannot withstand monsoon rains is a scandal, and charging a premium toll for a broken road adds insult. The IIT report must pin responsibility exactly: if the design is flawed, the consultant must answer; if execution is poor, PNC Infratech should be blacklisted. The real test will be whether NHAI enforces penalties and recovers revenue lost during repairs.
Sources (2): hindustantimes.com, indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
