Agartala: The Tripura High Court has directed the Union government to conduct an inquiry to ascertain whether there were any irregularities or corruption in the selection of contractors for two national highway projects in the state and whether National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) officials colluded with EPC contractors in the alleged use of substandard materials.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice Biswajit Palit directed the Union government to submit a report on the inquiry by December 1, 2026. The court said that if the inquiry finds evidence of impropriety or corruption, appropriate civil or criminal action should be initiated against the officials and contractors found responsible.
The directions were issued in a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) registered on July 7 following newspaper reports on the poor condition of stretches of NH-108B and NH-208 and allegations that substandard materials had been used in their construction.
The court sought an inquiry into whether there was any corruption in the selection of contractors by the NHIDCL and whether there was collusion between NHIDCL officials and EPC contractors, resulting in the alleged use of substandard materials and recurring deterioration of the roads.
The bench also directed NHIDCL to submit bi-weekly progress reports on repair and maintenance work on four stretches of the two highways.
It further ordered that after completion of the repairs, the four stretches be audited by engineering staff of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), with the audit report submitted to the court in a sealed cover by January 30, 2027.
The four stretches are Mohanpur-Hezamara-Subalsingh and Subalsingh-Khowai near Mahadevtila on NH-108B; Khowai near Mahadevtila-Srirampur on NH-208 under Kailashahar-Khowai Package-V; and Srirampur-Manikbhandar-Bamanchara on NH-208 under Package-IV.
The court observed that NHIDCL owed a duty of care to highway users and that the responsibility continued even when the work was contracted out to EPC contractors.
The state government, in its affidavit, said NH-208 and NH-108B were exclusively under NHIDCL’s management and that extensive rainfall during the 2025 monsoon had caused longitudinal cracking, structural fractures and severe pavement settlement at several locations. It said the pace of rectification had been unsatisfactory.
A District Legal Services Authority report following inspections in July documented potholes, pavement distress, blocked drainage, road damage and inadequate safety measures on several stretches.
The court also noted that one NH-108B project, originally scheduled for completion by August 31, 2025, had achieved only 51.14 per cent physical progress despite an extension until September 4, 2026. It said the delay raised questions about the care taken in selecting EPC contractors, particularly given the project cost of more than Rs 5 crore per km.
The Union government had not filed a pleading in the matter, though its Deputy Solicitor General had accepted notice. The court listed the case for September 22.