New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has reportedly opened technical bids for Package 8 of the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway’s Vadodara–Virar section after cancelling the earlier contract awarded to Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd (RSIIL) over delays in execution.

The 35.4-km Package 8 stretch runs from the Gandeva interchange to the Valsad interchange in Gujarat. The project is part of the under-construction Vadodara–Mumbai Expressway corridor.

Nine infrastructure firms have submitted bids for the package. These include RSIIL, Agrawal Infrabuild, Ashoka Buildcon, Bansal Construction, Ceigall Infra, GR Infraprojects, GHV Infra, Kalthia Engineering, and PNC Infratech.

Notably, RSIIL has again participated in the bidding process despite its contract for the package being terminated earlier due to slow progress and execution-related issues. The package is now proposed to be completed within a two-year timeline.

NHAI had floated fresh tenders for the pending work in January this year after the Delhi High Court allowed the authority to appoint a new contractor for the project. The dispute arose after RSIIL challenged NHAI’s action, claiming delays were caused by incomplete land acquisition.

However, during the hearing on January 13, the High Court observed that most of the required land had already been made available and noted that the contractor failed to achieve the prescribed milestones. The court also remarked that delays in major infrastructure projects result in national loss and inconvenience to the public.

The revised tender for the remaining work between Jujuwa and Gandeva (km 154.6 to km 190.0) was issued at an estimated cost of ₹1,475.68 crore, excluding GST, under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode.

Package 8 is among three delayed packages on the over 1,380-km Delhi–Mumbai Expressway project connecting the national capital with Mumbai. Packages 8, 9, and 10, all earlier awarded to Pune-based RSIIL, have seen negligible progress for several years despite other stretches of the expressway becoming operational. DeshGujarat