NHAI terminates contract of Arakkonam-Kancheepuram builder of Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has terminated its contract with D.P. Jain for the Arakkonam-Kancheepuram stretch of the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway due to significant delays. The NHAI has issued fresh tenders to complete the remaining work, which includes several bridges and underpasses, within 18 months.
Why it matters
This termination highlights ongoing infrastructure execution challenges in major Indian greenfield projects, impacting connectivity between two major economic hubs.
After 15 months of waiting, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has terminated its contract with D.P. Jain, the contractor for the Arakkonam-Kancheepuram stretch of the 263-km Bengaluru-Chennai Greenfield Expressway.
The NHAI has floated fresh tenders for completing the remaining works at a cost of ₹633.12 crore within 18 months under the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode. The new contractor will also have to maintain the stretch for a period of five years.
This follows the disposal of two writ appeals filed by the company in the Madras High Court. The company has, so far, completed only 11.33 km, or 53.56% of the 24.5-km-long section of the road. The company had stopped all construction work by May 2025. The works that remain to be completed include nine major bridges, one railway overbridge, two grade separators, two minor bridges, 18 underpasses, and 44 box culverts.
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