Congress accuses Modi govt of plunder as $3.8B road project fails

ISLAMABAD: Fresh controversy has erupted over the quality of India's highway infrastructure after opposition leaders alleged that newly inaugurated mega road projects worth billions of dollars are already undergoing repairs or showing signs of structural damage.

Indian National Congress spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of "looting taxpayers' money" after sharing videos purportedly showing repair work on sections of the Ganga Expressway and the Mumbai-Pune Missing Link, both of which were inaugurated this year.

"A section of the Ganga Expressway near Unnao has collapsed, and repair work is now underway. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated it in April 2026. Only 594 kilometers were built at a cost of ₹36,230 crore (about 3.8 billion)," she wrote on X.

"This is how taxpayers' money is being looted. Roads, expressways, and highways are not even lasting for a year," she added, while criticizing India's road transport minister Nitin Gadkari.

In another post, Mohamed shared videos of ongoing work on the Mumbai-Pune Missing Link, claiming the project appeared to be undergoing major reconstruction despite being inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on May 1, 2026.

"The latest visuals of the Mumbai-Pune Missing Link show the level of corruption under the BJP government. Look at the ongoing repair work -- it feels like the entire construction is being done all over again," she alleged.

The latest criticism follows a similar controversy surrounding the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, where videos circulated on social media showed large potholes after recent monsoon rains.

The approximately $1.4 billion expressway, inaugurated by Modi in April, drew criticism after opposition leaders questioned how the road had deteriorated within months of opening.

Social media users also shared videos and photographs purportedly showing damaged stretches of the expressway, with some alleging that the defects caused accidents and damaged vehicles. Those claims, however, could not be independently verified.

The controversy comes as heavy monsoon rains continue to batter several parts of India, damaging roads and disrupting transport infrastructure across multiple states.