Guwahati, June 11: The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) has terminated two contracts held by M/s Sadguru Engineers & Allied Services Pvt Ltd for the remaining four‑lane works on the Jorhat–Jhanji corridor and has ordered the contractor to vacate the site within 15 days. NHIDCL said this is the fifth contractor it has sacked in Assam this year for inordinate delay in execution. The firm has been charged with “deliberate misrepresentation”, “willful concealment of material facts”, and “persistent breach of its contractual obligation.”
In its termination letter, NHIDCL accused Sadguru of surreptitiously sub‑contracting the package to a common entity and then falsely characterising that arrangement as mere supply when questioned. “It has sought to shift responsibility for its own sustained non‑performance onto the authority through manufactured allegations,” the letter stated.
The contract covered a limited residual scope including structural works, a toll plaza, rehabilitation of two major bridges left by a previously terminated contractor, and completion of a remaining 10 km stretch. The project was originally envisaged for completion within six months but remains incomplete even after more than 800 days, according to NHIDCL.
NHIDCL said it had extended extraordinary support beyond contractual obligations — including easing cash flow — yet the contractor allowed completed sections of a live four‑lane corridor to deteriorate for want of maintenance, exposing road users to daily hazards. The default has forced NHIDCL to re‑tender the balance works at a materially higher cost and to bear fresh tendering and administrative expenses.
The agency stated the project site has been abandoned since October. It alleged Sadguru illegally sub‑contracted about 85% of the work to two firms, MP Agarwala (P) Ltd and M/s Kiraats Constructions (P) Ltd. The termination letter said all costs incurred by NHIDCL to complete the works will be recovered from the contractor.
The Sadguru dismissal follows a string of recent contract terminations by NHIDCL in Assam. In March, the authority terminated M/s Binni Construction’s contract for a 14 km four‑lane stretch between Jorhat and Jhanji after the firm failed to meet performance standards — including maintenance of materials and manpower, mobilisation of plant and machinery, and upkeep of the existing highway. Binni had blamed rainfall for delays, a claim NHIDCL said was contradicted by data.
In February, NHIDCL terminated M/s RK Infracorp Limited’s Rs 114.9 crore contract for strengthening and improving the two‑lane road from Bogapani to Golai Gaon, including a proposed Digboi bypass. That contract, signed in August 2023 with a December 2025 completion target, showed only 22.73% physical progress through January this year. NHIDCL also terminated M/s Shankar Agarwal’s contract for four‑lane work between Dillai and Lahorijan in the same month for inordinate delay.
The series of actions underscores NHIDCL’s enforcement of contractual terms and highlights rising costs and safety concerns for motorists as stalled and re‑tendered highway projects in Assam are restarted.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/assam/jorhat-jhanji-four-lane-work-hit-as-nhidcl-cancels-two-contracts-over-delays-1612584
Category: Assam,Featured
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-06-11 08:21:00
