Meerut, July 4 -- The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) initiated disciplinary action after a section of the newly built Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun Expressway caved in following heavy rainfall in Shamli district. Acting on the findings of a preliminary investigation, NHAI has suspended Kuldeep Kumar Rajdan, team leader of the Authority Engineering Consultancy, with immediate effect. The authority has also issued show-cause notices to the construction company and the engineering consultancy, directing them to explain the lapses within three days. The incident occurred on July 1, when rainfall caused the road embankment to collapse at Kilometre 55+480 of the Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun Expressway, near Karonda Mahajan village and Doongar in Shamli district. The collapse created large craters on the roadway, disrupting traffic and triggering concerns over the structural integrity of the newly inaugurated expressway. Videos showing the damaged stretch circulated widely on social media, drawing public attention and prompting NHAI to dispatch a technical team to inspect the site. The damaged portion was subsequently repaired, and vehicular movement was restored. According to Narendra Kumar, project director of the Baghpat unit of NHAI, the preliminary investigation identified several shortcomings in the execution of the project. These included deficiencies in construction quality, inadequate protection of the road embankment, and flaws in the drainage system, which are believed to have contributed to the collapse following the rainfall. Based on these findings, NHAI issued show-cause notices to the project's construction contractor, M/s Krishna Constellation Private Limited, and the Authority Engineering Consultancy, M/s Chaitanya Projects Consultancy Private Limited. Both firms have been directed to submit their responses within three days. Apart from suspending Rajdan, NHAI has instructed the construction company to remove its project manager from the expressway project. The engineering consultancy has also been directed to propose, within seven days, a replacement team leader with qualifications and experience equal to or greater than those of the suspended official....