Congress alleged corruption after potholes were found on Delhi-Dehradun Expressway two months after its inauguration. NHAI cited drainage and local obstruction as the reason and claimed repairs.
New Delhi: A shocking incident has come to light on the Rs 12,000 crore Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, which boasts of the country’s most modern and hi-tech infrastructure, which has created a stir from the country’s politics to social media. The very first monsoon rains on this 6-lane access-controlled expressway, which was grandly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14, 2026, have dashed the claims of development. Two such scary and big potholes have emerged on this shining road near Shamli, which everyone is stunned to see. Within just two months of its inauguration, the deteriorating condition of this expressway, which was touted as world-class, has now taken the form of a major political and administrative war.
‘This is no coincidence, it is a huge scam’ – Layers of development uprooted in just 2 months!
As soon as this incident came to light, the main opposition party Congress has directly attacked Prime Minister Modi and the Central Government. Congress has shared several posts one after the other on the social media platform X, calling it a living proof of large-scale corruption and embezzlement of government funds. Attacking the government, the Congress said, “Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway with much fanfare on April 14, 2026. But just two months later, in the very first rain, deep and deadly potholes started appearing on this expressway built at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore. This clearly shows that there has been massive misuse and embezzlement of the public’s hard-earned money.”
Scroll to load tweet…
From bridges to airport rooftops: Scary trend of crumbling infrastructure in the country?
Congress has clearly refused to accept this incident as an isolated or minor negligence. The party has claimed that a dangerous pattern of government negligence is being seen across the country. The opposition also mentioned other projects in the country in its charge sheet.
Opposition’s chargesheet: Congress alleged that across the country, be it bridges or roads, highways or water tanks, railway stations or the recently collapsed airport roofs – everywhere modern infrastructure is collapsing like a deck of cards. Interestingly, Congress reminded that earlier, big and scary cracks had appeared on the Ganga Expressway, built at a cost of Rs 36,000 crore, within just a month of its inauguration. On this basis, Congress targeted the Center and said that this government is proving dangerous for the country and the people.
Vehicles crawling on the highway and drivers’ anger expressed on social media
This monsoon is proving to be a nightmare for the drivers traveling on this expressway. Due to these big potholes near Shamli, vehicles are getting heavily damaged. Videos made by drivers are becoming increasingly viral on social media, in which people are tagging Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and asking sharp questions. One user wrote, “It is fortunate that no one died due to these potholes. The company and contractors responsible for this shoddy construction should be blacklisted immediately.” However, no official response or statement has yet come from Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on this entire controversy.
Scroll to load tweet…
NHAI’s counterattack: ‘It is not corruption, local people are responsible for this damage!’
As pressure mounted on the government and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), several hours after the incident, NHAI issued a detailed clarification on social media. But, the reason given in this statement surprised everyone. The authority held the local people themselves responsible for this.
NHAI’s claim and immediate steps Ground report and truth
- The real reason for the formation of potholes is the filling of water after the rains and the inability to start a permanent cross-drainage system there.
- Accusation on local people NHAI claims that the local people did not allow the construction of a balancing culvert at that place, because they were using that road for the movement of vehicles.
- At present, the relief work was done on the morning of 1st July itself after identifying the affected area and repairing it. At present, a 1.5 km long parallel drain is being built as a temporary solution.
‘It was not just a road…’What happened to that grand dream of PM Modi?
This entire controversy is even more surprising because with this expressway a new chapter in the development of the three big states of North India – Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand – was to be written. This 213 km long six-lane economic corridor was said to be a project that would change the fortunes of cities like Ghaziabad, Baghpat, Baraut, Shamli and Saharanpur. During the inauguration, PM Modi had proudly said, “This is not just a road. It is a megaproject opening new opportunities for trade, industry, warehousing and logistics in the entire region, which will save fuel and also prevent human-wildlife conflicts.” But, this major technical flaw in the very first rain has proved that behind these big claims of speed and technology, there are still many big and deep ‘pits’ left in the ground reality.
Scroll to load tweet…
Some of the major social media comments that speak highly of Gadkari’s work and the quality of the project are as follows:
- One user wrote, @gadkari.nitin leave ethanol, pay attention here. The road on the highway is so dirty that 4-5 vehicles in front of me met with an accident, the alloy wheels of my own car got bent. Is this world-class infrastructure?
- 2. Another user wrote, @gadkari.nitin Sir, instead of focusing on E20 and green fuel, focus on this issue. This is a matter directly related to people’s lives and their hard-earned money.
- 3.Another user wrote, the road built by spending ₹12,000 crore could not last even for 3 months! Are there no good engineers in NHAI who cannot build decent roads?
- 4. The fourth user wrote, will the government now compensate for the loss of damaged vehicles? Or are you just sitting there to collect toll tax?
- 5. Another user wrote, it seems that the contractors and officials were building the road while being ‘high’! Roads are sinking in the very first rain. Open looting of taxpayers’ money!