LUCKNOW, Aug. 8 -- Even as two fresh potholes emerged on the recently inaugurated Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway before repairs at the first damaged stretch were completed, PNC Infratech has attributed the recurring craters to heavy and incessant rainfall. In a mandatory filing with the BSE on Thursday (August 6), PNC Infratech, which executed Package-2 of the project, said the damage was confined to "isolated and localised stretches" affected by recent heavy rainfall. "As part of routine maintenance obligations, we have taken immediate action to repair the affected stretches. Maintenance work on the remaining stretches is already underway," the company said in a clarification note shared with the media on Friday following the NHAI's press conference on Thursday. PNC Infratech also clarified that the cost of the ongoing repairs is covered under its routine maintenance obligations during the 15-year post-construction period. The company further said the issue would have no impact on its ability to continue as a going concern or on the execution of other projects. It added that it remains eligible to participate in bidding for new projects. Awadh Expressway Private Limited, a subsidiary of PNC Infratech and the concessionaire for the project, was granted the final completion certificate on February 2, 2026. The project involves the construction of a six-lane, upgradable to eight-lane Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway under the Hybrid Annuity Mode. "The company has, over the years, built and operated highway and infrastructure assets across the country, and delivering them to the required standards has been integral to its record," PNC Infratech said. Meanwhile, the fresh damage has forced authorities to begin reconstruction of another 200-metre stretch of the expressway, even as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) withdrew traffic diversions after repairs to the earlier 350-metre damaged stretch were completed on Friday evening. However, toll collection will remain suspended until the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway becomes fully operational, NHAI chief general manager and regional officer (UP) Gautam Vishal said. Officials said newly formed potholes, nearly eight feet deep, have developed at two separate locations. Around 100 metres of pavement at each site will have to be dismantled and rebuilt. The latest failures have once again raised serious questions over the construction quality of the Rs.42,000-crore expressway....