The Delhi High Court has ruled that citizens cannot be denied a properly constructed highway, allowing NHAI to proceed with terminating the contract of Pune based Roadways Solutions India Infra Ltd due to delays on a 35 km stretch of the Delhi Mumbai Expressway. The court stated that public interest outweighs the contractor’s claims and permitted NHAI to appoint another agency to complete the pending work while rejecting arguments that fresh tendering would cause excessive delays.
The court has however restrained NHAI from encashing bank guarantees and insurance surety bonds until the contractor’s application is decided by a single judge. NHAI has also been allowed to issue fresh tenders for the delayed package, while officials indicated that cure period notices may soon be issued for other stretches handled by the same firm where progress has remained slow, affecting traffic flow and forcing long detours for commuters.