55 National Highway projects faced major failures since 2014; Kerala tops
Of the 55 NH projects involving caving in, major failures or structural damage since 2014, Kerala accounted for the highest number
 "55 National Highway projects faced major failures since 2014; Kerala tops")
The Union government on Thursday said 55 National Highway (NH) projects involving caving in, major failures or structural damage since 2014. Kerala had the highest number of such projects, followed by Maharashtra and Bihar, according to a Ministry of Road Transport and Highways reply in the Lok Sabha.
The list covers roads, bridges and flyovers, along with penalties and other action taken against contractors, concessionaires and engineers.
The 55 projects include nine in Kerala, eight in Maharashtra and six in Bihar. Uttar Pradesh accounted for five projects, while Haryana had four. Tamil Nadu and West Bengal reported three projects each. Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha had two each, while Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya, Telangana and Uttarakhand reported one project each.
Highest penalty disclosed
Among the penalties listed, the highest was ₹134.78 crore imposed on a contractor in Telangana in 2022.
Other major penalties included ₹119 crore on a contractor in Madhya Pradesh, ₹41.32 crore in Maharashtra, ₹31.245 crore on contractors in Kerala and ₹25 crore on a contractor in Bihar.
The ministry also listed instances of contractor debarment, blacklisting, suspension of contractor personnel and Authority's Engineers, and termination of project managers in different states.
Three flooding cases linked to faulty construction
The ministry also listed three major incidents of flooding of low-lying areas or agricultural fields linked to faulty NH construction since 2014. These include one case on NH-161 in Telangana and two stretches in Maharashtra on NH-48 and NH-166.
The ministry said NH drainage systems are designed after considering factors such as traffic, hydrology, road geometry and existing drainage.
However, the ministry said that "localised issues in drainage systems are caused due to non-clearance of existing drainage system, blockage of the drainage outfall by unauthorised construction, poor maintenance of drainage system in some cases and unprecedented rainfall leading to flooding of drainage systems and low-lying areas/agricultural fields near the NHs."