The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued a show-cause notice to Megha Krishna Reddy, MD of Megha Engineering Company, citing significant quality defects in the construction of a six-lane road from Chengala to Nileswaram on NH-17 in Kerala. The NHAI’s inspection revealed that the project did not adhere to Indian Road Congress (IRC) regulations, resulting in several deficiencies.
On October 29, 2022, a deck slab of the Vehicular Underpass (VUP) at Km.72+297 (LHS) collapsed, leading to the formation of a committee to investigate the matter. The investigation attributed the accident to severe lapses in design and construction, resulting in the suspension of the project in-charge and the bridge/structural engineer. Both individuals have been placed under surveillance. Subsequently, the contractor was fined Rs 30 lakh, and an independent engineer was fined Rs 5 lakh.
The NHAI instructed the contractor to resume work at their own expense and to strictly follow IRC and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) guidelines to prevent future incidents. Despite these directives, another accident occurred on May 8, 2024, when girders slipped along with the deck slab on a 20-metre bridge at Km.78+971. This incident, which garnered significant media attention, has raised public concerns and adversely affected the NHAI’s image.
The contractor’s headquarters and design teams have not taken adequate measures to rectify these issues. Both accidents have been attributed to negligence in the project’s design and execution. The NHAI has now demanded that Megha Krishna Reddy explain why action should not be taken under Rule 1.3(ii) of the NHAI policy and why a penalty ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore should not be imposed. Megha Krishna Reddy has 15 days to respond to the notice, failing which the NHAI has warned of potential legal action.
