Mumbai: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has recently debarred Nirmal BuildInfra Private Limited, the contractor that had secured the white-topping project on NH-48. However, news reports stated that even after paying Rs 460 crore to this contractor, several safety hazards along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, including the site where former Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry was killed in September 2022, remain unaddressed.

Mumbai Mirror, quoting the project director of NH-48, said that it was the contractor’s responsibility to address accident-prone spots during the white-topping work. But near the Surya River, where the 2022 crash occurred, only a few blinkers, signage, and an attenuator have been installed.

It is noteworthy that Nirmal BuildInfra was debarred for substandard white-topping work, while local activists have questioned the oversight, asking why the blind spots were not fixed at the time of the white-topping work, and alleging that the debarment of the contractor was kept hidden from the public.

The news report further states that an audit by Geo Designs and Research (P) Ltd in May this year identified nine blind spots along NH-48. The Surya River Bridge, the site of Mistry’s accident, features three parallel major bridges. The report notes: “The left-hand side (LHS) bridge is particularly hazardous due to a sudden transition from a three-lane to a two-lane configuration, compounded by a vertical curve that reduces visibility and makes it difficult for drivers to anticipate the split between the main carriageway and the service road.”

It has come to light that Nirmal BuildInfra was debarred on April 22, a week before its project deadline, with the debarment set to end in November. Meanwhile, even after being barred, the firm has been asked to rectify errors at its own cost. Furthermore, the report states that 99% of the Rs 533 crore project has been completed, for which Rs 460 crore has already been paid. DeshGujarat