SRINAGAR, Oct 18 (Agencies): The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) has terminated the Rs 436.37-crore contract for the Kishtwar Bypass project under Package-IV of National Highway-244, citing prolonged delays, failure to achieve contractual milestones and unsatisfactory execution by the contractor.
According to the termination notice issued by NHIDCL, the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract awarded to M/s APS Hydro Pvt. Ltd. and M/s Unique Construction Joint Venture has been terminated under Clause 23.1 of the Contract Agreement. The authority has also imposed a two-year debarment on the joint venture and the parties covered by the relevant contractual provisions, barring them from participating in future NHIDCL tenders, either individually or as part of a joint venture.
The decision follows the project’s failure to meet its revised completion deadline despite an extension of 861 days. Cumulative physical progress remained at approximately 50.64 per cent, according to the details cited in the termination notice.
Project remained incomplete despite extended deadline
The contract, signed on August 11, 2021, envisaged the construction and upgradation of a two-lane highway with paved shoulders along the Khellani–Kishtwar–Chattroo section of NH-244, covering the stretch from Design Km 80.675 at Dulhasti to Km 95.550 at Bandarkoot.
The project covers approximately 14.88 kilometres of highway, besides a 1.871-kilometre link road connecting the alignment to Kishtwar town.
The work was originally scheduled for completion within 24 months, with August 23, 2023, fixed as the deadline. However, delays, including prolonged gaps in the submission of designs for major structural components, affected the pace of execution.
NHIDCL subsequently granted an Extension of Time (EoT) of 861 days, extending the deadline to December 31, 2025. Despite the additional time, the contractor failed to achieve the prescribed Milestone-III and complete the project within the revised contractual schedule.
Monitoring and review assessments conducted through 2026 reportedly showed that overall physical progress had reached only around 50.64 per cent, highlighting the gap between the stipulated targets and actual execution.