Overview

• A 200-metre section of the under-construction NH-66 near Kooriyad collapsed on May 19, with NHAI attributing the incident to heavy rains and soil saturation.
• The Union government has blacklisted the contractor and consultancy firm responsible, withdrawing their bank guarantees and barring them from future projects.
• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has formed a high-level IIT expert committee to investigate structural flaws and oversee a safety audit of the entire NH-66 project.
• Local leaders and environmentalists had previously raised concerns about building embankments over waterlogged paddy fields, advocating for bridge designs instead.
• Additional cracks and damage have been reported in other sections of NH-66, intensifying public protests and scrutiny of construction practices ahead of the monsoon season.