The National Highways Authority of India, or NHAI, is conducting special quality inspections of 17 under-construction National Highway projects where the bid value was more than 15 percent lower than the estimated project cost.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said the inspections are in addition to NHAI’s regular quality checks and are aimed at identifying quality-related issues at an early stage, allowing timely corrective action. The inspections will be carried out by specialised teams led by 39 experienced and retired engineers from various government organisations. Technical experts will also assist the teams during the inspections.
The Ministry said the first round of inspections is scheduled to be completed by December this year. NHAI will re-inspect the selected projects after six months through a different team of experts to ensure quality and compliance with construction standards.
The inspection teams will assess construction work against approved drawings, technical specifications, contract conditions and project-specific quality plans. They will also examine the quality of materials, workmanship, construction methods, and sampling and testing records. The inspections will cover road safety, traffic management and environmental safeguards, wherever applicable. Any deficiencies identified will be followed up for corrective action in accordance with the provisions of the respective contracts. The Ministry said the exercise will also help NHAI identify common quality issues, improve construction practices and strengthen accountability among contractors, consultants and other project stakeholders.
The 17 projects selected for inspection include greenfield and access-controlled corridors, bypasses, and four- and six-laning works in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
