Months after the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway was inaugurated, the Centre has admitted in Parliament that two potholes were found on the newly constructed highway and repaired by the contractor at its own cost.
This comes weeks after disturbing visuals from near Shamli that showed deep depressions and a portion of the expressway's surface sunken and damaged. The videos, which were widely shared on social media, raised questions over the quality and safety of the recently opened highway.
Responding to a question by Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Singh, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said the Delhi-Dehradun access-controlled highway is covered by a 10-year defect liability period.
Two potholes were detected during this period and repaired by the contractor as part of its contractual responsibility, without any expenditure by the government, the minister said.
The government's reply did not disclose what caused the potholes. It also did not clarify whether they were linked to the damage seen in the viral videos from near Shamli.
What Happened Near Shamli
A section of the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway near Gogwan Jalalpur in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district suffered a road-surface cave-in on July 1 following overnight rainfall.
Visuals from the site showed depressions on the carriageway and a section of the road surface damaged, triggering concerns over the durability of the newly inaugurated expressway.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), had attributed the cave-in to localised water stagnation and constraints in commissioning the permanent cross-drainage system at the location.
NHAI had said a balancing culvert had been built to carry rainwater across the median and away from the carriageway. However, it could not be connected and commissioned because local residents were using the culvert opening as a vehicular crossing.
The intended drainage arrangement consequently remained non-operational, resulting in rainwater accumulating along the carriageway during heavy rainfall, the highway authority earlier said.
The damaged section was repaired on priority. NHAI also began constructing an interim parallel drain of approximately 1.5 km and said the drainage gradient was being redesigned to safely channel rainwater.
Why Permanent Work Was Incomplete
NHAI said permanent slope-protection and chute-drain work at the site was pending because of a land-related arbitration dispute.
According to the authority, the concerned landowners had not permitted the work to be carried out, preventing the completion of permanent protection measures proposed under the project design.
What Is Defect Liability Period?
A defect liability period is the contractual period during which the company responsible for constructing a road must rectify technical faults, construction defects or other deficiencies at its own cost.
The government does not bear the repair expenditure during this period.
The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is covered by a defect liability period of 10 years, according to the government's Parliament response.
All About Delhi-Dehradun Expressway
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway on April 14, 2026.
The more than 200-km access-controlled corridor was built at an estimated cost of around Rs 12,000 crore. It is designed to cut travel time between Delhi and Dehradun from about six-and-a-half hours to approximately two-and-a-half hours.
The expressway was inaugurated less than three months before the July 1 cave-in near Shamli. NDTV had earlier reported that videos of the damaged section showed depressions on the route and prompted questions about road safety.
Action Against 103 Agencies In 3 Years
The Centre also informed Parliament that action had been taken against 103 agencies, contractors and companies over poor construction quality or violations of contractual conditions in national highway projects during the past three financial years.
The action included blacklisting, financial penalties and other punitive measures.
According to the government, action was taken against 29 agencies in 2023-24, 29 in 2024-25 and 45 in 2025-26.
The figures cover national highway projects across the country and are not limited to the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway.
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