New Delhi — In a move that sends a clear message louder than falling rocks, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has debarred M/s Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd. after a section of slope protection works on the Chengala–Neeleshwaram stretch of NH-66 in Kerala came crashing down — quite literally.
The incident, which occurred on June 16 at Cherkkala in Kasaragod district, was no minor hiccup. It was the highway equivalent of slipping on a banana peel — except the peel was poor design, inadequate slope protection, and a tragically ineffective drainage system.
NHAI didn’t take the tumble lightly. The concessionaire — tasked under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) to not only build but also maintain the road for 15 years — has now been barred from bidding on future highway projects. A Show Cause Notice has also been slapped on the firm, along with the potential penalty of ₹9 crore, which, experts say, might just be enough to build a proper drain — or at least a decent excuse.
The real kicker? The slope protection works will now need to be rebuilt — at the concessionaire’s own cost. Talk about digging your own pit and then being asked to fill it back in.
In the interest of preventing future road dramas (and hopefully saving the lives of innocent commuters and their suspension systems), NHAI has formed an expert committee. Featuring a senior scientist from CRRI, a retired IIT-Palakkad professor, and representatives from the Geological Survey of India, the team is tasked with reviewing the project and recommending some much-needed damage control — literally and figuratively.
NHAI has assured that all essential measures are being taken to ensure such engineering comedy of errors doesn’t repeat. Meanwhile, the slope stands as a cautionary tale — gravity, like governance, demands respect.
