The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is considering axing the contract awarded to a Pune-based company, Roadways Solutions India Infra Ltd (RSIL), for construction on a portion of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, due to significant delays. An "intention to termination notice" has been issued to RSIL, marking the final step before the contract is officially terminated.
The contract involves a 35-kilometer stretch in Gujarat, where physical and financial progress has been minimal, reportedly at only 4.9% and 4.6% respectively. Overall, RSIL is responsible for the construction of three stretches in Gujarat, totaling 87 km. The other two stretches, measuring 27 km and 25 km, have seen progress of only 23% and 36% respectively. The slow pace of construction has raised concerns that the project's revised deadline of March 2028 may not be met.
RSIL, an engineering and construction company specializing in roads and highways, initially secured the expressway packages in Gujarat back in 2021. Ironically, NHAI had previously terminated RSIL's contract for two of these stretches in March 2023, only to re-award them to the same company in November 2023 after RSIL submitted the lowest bid in a fresh tender.
In a letter addressed to RSIL, NHAI cited "absolute and continued non-performance" as the primary reason for issuing the termination notice. The letter stated that despite repeated opportunities and three settlement agreements, RSIL achieved a meager 4.59% financial progress in the 16 months since the appointed date of August 31, 2024. According to the original timeline, the company should have achieved approximately 70% financial progress within this period.
The delays in these three stretches have had a cascading effect, potentially derailing the entire 1,386-km Delhi-Mumbai Expressway project, which is being built at an estimated cost of over ₹1 lakh crore. The expressway passes through Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, and is divided into 53 packages. The проблемatic packages—numbers 8 (Jujuwa-Gandeva), 9 (Karvad-Jujuwa) and 10 (Talsari-Karvad)—are located on the Vadodara-Virar section in Gujarat. While the majority of the expressway in Gujarat is nearing completion, these three stretches have experienced minimal progress.
When contacted, RSIIL Director Navjeet Gadhoke attributed the delays to "non-provision of land by NHAI". However, NHAI officials refuted this claim, citing RSIIL's poor performance, contractual disputes, and ongoing court cases as the main factors hindering progress. Questions have also been raised regarding the decision to re-award the contracts to RSIL after the initial termination. A Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) official questioned why RSIIL was allowed to participate in the tender again. A senior NHAI official explained that the authority could not legally prevent the company from bidding, as procurement rules mandate awarding the contract to the lowest bidder. Meanwhile, RSIIL has claimed that the earlier termination of the two packages was "illegal".
