# NHAI penalises contractor after Lucknow-Kanpur expressway sinks five times in 20 days 2026-08-07T12:07:58+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The National Highways Authority of India has issued a notice to declare PNC Infratech Ltd. a non-performer over the Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway, which suffered five road cave-ins within 20 days of its inauguration. NHAI has proposed a penalty against the contractor. The Rs 4,200-crore expressway's first cave-in occurred 22 days after opening, raising serious concerns about construction quality. Business Today reports that the controversy deepened after it emerged PNC Infratech was awarded two additional NHAI highway projects worth Rs 3,483 crore in July. ## Coverage - ndtv.com - businesstoday.in Tags: construction quality, infrastructure, Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, NHAI, road cave-in, Uttar Pradesh Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/lucknow-kanpur-expressway-cave-in-22-days-after-opening-fans-used/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/lucknow-kanpur-expressway-cave-in-22-days-after-opening-fans-used/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.