NHIDCL Terminates M/S Simplex Infrastructures Limited from Lower Assam Highway Project
Dhubri, July 01, 2024: M/S Simplex Infrastructures Limited, a Kolkata-based construction firm, has been terminated from a four-lane National Highway project in Lower Assam. This decision came after significant delays in completing the work.
The National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) had awarded M/S Simplex Infrastructures Limited the contract to widen and improve a 27.650 km stretch from Srirampur to Kachukhana Harichara Paglagaunj. This project, part of NH-127B, was financed under a JICA-ODA loan. The contract, valued at Rs 297.28 crore, was awarded on September 12, 2022. After discussions, the project’s start date was set for February 15, 2023.
The firm was expected to complete the work within 730 days, by February 14, 2025. However, progress was slow. NHIDCL issued several notices to Simplex, urging them to expedite the work. Despite these reminders, the project missed key milestones.
NHIDCL examined all aspects and decided to terminate the contract on June 24, 2024. The termination notice highlighted Simplex’s failure to undertake the work at the required pace. This was attributed to inadequate deployment of machinery, materials, and manpower. The notice stated that the progress of the project had been dismal since its inception.
By January 23, 2024, the firm had achieved 0.00% financial progress, far short of the 35% target set in the Baseline Work Program. Milestone-I, requiring 10% financial progress by October 29, 2023, was also missed. The notice further criticized the firm’s poor planning and failure to procure materials and deploy necessary resources, resulting in lost working time.
This termination marks a significant setback for the project, which aimed to improve infrastructure in Lower Assam.
