New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has terminated the user fee collection contract of Skylark Infra Engineering Pvt. Ltd. at the Bara Fee Plaza on the Lucknow–Sultanpur stretch of NH-731 in Uttar Pradesh following an incident of alleged misconduct with a National Highway user.
The action comes after a reported incident on January 14, in which personnel deployed by the agency allegedly assaulted a highway user. Considering the seriousness of the matter, NHAI has also issued a show cause notice to the agency, proposing its debarment from participating in any NHAI bids or contracts for a period of one year.
In addition, NHAI has initiated the process for forfeiture and encashment of the Bank Guarantee/Performance Security amounting to Rs 5.3 crore submitted by the agency for the Bara Fee Plaza contract.
According to NHAI, the incident constitutes a grave violation of the contractual agreement, which clearly mandates that contractor personnel must maintain discipline, decency, and proper conduct while interacting with members of the public. The authority noted that the episode reflects a serious lapse in supervision and failure to ensure adherence to contractual obligations by the agency.
Reiterating its commitment to providing a safe and secure commuting experience, NHAI stated that it follows a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of misconduct or indiscipline at toll plazas across the national highway network.
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