NHAI faces heat for demolition of near-complete fly-over ramp at Kalmeshwar

 

 

 

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has come under fire for its poor work on the under construction fly-over near Kalmeshwar. It has emerged that the newly-built ramp is now being taken apart for reconstruction. The fly-over is part of the four-lane undertaking on the Nagpur-Kalmeshwar-Katol road (NH-353J) and work was about 90 per cent complete, before the error crept in due to alleged overlooking of crucial engineering aspect. Just when the commuters were expecting the much delayed work to wrap up, the contractor all of sudden started demolition of the newly built ramp of the fly-over. According to local accounts, demolition activity at the said fly-over began sometimes back without any public notification, drawing the attention of commuters and nearby residents. Confused by the renewed construction activity at the fly-over, the locals got upset.

 

They later opposed the move and demanded that those responsible for the loss of public money be identified. Brijlal Raghuwanshi, President, Kalmeshwar Tehsil Unit, Shiv Sena (Shinde), who has flagged this issue on social media, demanded action on the contractor responsible for this mess. He said as per sources, the trouble arose due to alleged use of black cotton soil instead of murrum or fly ash for back filling for construction of the ramp of the said fly-over. To make matter worse, the contractor allegedly also seemed to have deviated from norms while affixing the side panels in the construction of ramp, said Raghuvanshi.

 

So in aftermath of heavy rains, the black soil got disturbed as panels could not withhold the extra pressure and got damaged. As is well known, black cotton soil has unique properties, it contracts when it absorbs the water and expands during summer, when it dries. Even before laying of the tar, the unexpected heavy rain disturbed the ramp formation. Now the fly-over’s ramp is being relaid and entire rework is going to cost additional Rs 90 lakh, just for removing the black cotton soil. Raghuwanshi further claimed, few crores would be further required to backfill the ramp again, plus affixing of the side panels. The question is who is going to bear the extra cost. At present, half of the ramp is demolished, as protests by local residents have forced the contractor to stall the ongoing work. The structure had been under construction for roughly 18 months and was expected to open in a few months. Raghuvanshi said that rebuilding the ramp would involve fresh expenditure and prolong inconvenience for commuters till its completion. The controversy adds to the burden already carried by NHAI over the larger highway project.

 

The Nagpur–Katol expansion has missed its 2023 completion deadline and is running behind schedule by miles. The project received approximately Rs 1,841 crore in sanctioned funding for four-laning a stretch of roughly 48 kilometres, including five fly-overs and 13 underpasses. The work on four laning had began in late 2021 but remains unfinished in early 2026. In multiple hearings, Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has strongly criticised NHAI for prolonged delays, unsafe construction zones, and the hazardous condition of partially built structures on the route. The Court appointed Amicus Curiae for on-site inspections and their reports flagged missing crash barriers, poor lighting on ramps, lack of signage, and incomplete safety measures at bridges and fly-overs. The court questioned how a major national highway project could be left in what it called a “dangerous and unacceptable” state while commuters were forced to navigate unfinished infrastructure.

 

When The Hitavada contacted NHAI officials for clarification on the matter, the officials refused to comment. “We can not comment on the matter as the agency has barred us from giving any information to the media,” said a senior official. This raises a crucial question of transparency and accountability towards public by Government agencies handling projects worth crores of rupees.