New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will conduct special quality inspections of 17 under-construction National Highway projects across the country, including projects in Punjab and Haryana.
The projects have been selected after meeting specific criteria, including tender bids that were more than 15 per cent below the estimated project cost.
Why Has NHAI Ordered Special Inspections?
The inspections are aimed at identifying potential quality issues during construction and ensuring that corrective measures are taken at an early stage.
The first round of inspections is scheduled to be completed by December 2026. The selected projects will then be inspected again after six months by a different team of experts.
The second round will assess whether construction standards are being followed and whether corrective measures identified during the first inspection have been implemented.
Three Criteria Used To Select Projects
NHAI said the 17 projects were selected using three criteria — a construction cost of more than Rs 500 crore, a tender discount of over 15 per cent, and physical progress between 35 and 80 per cent.
The criteria are intended to focus quality checks on projects that are at a critical stage of construction.
The authority said the selection process is designed to follow an objective and data-driven approach.
Punjab, Haryana Among States Covered
The selected projects include greenfield and access-controlled corridors, bypasses and four- and six-laning works.
Apart from Punjab and Haryana, projects in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh are also part of the inspection exercise.
39 Experienced Engineers To Lead Inspections
NHAI has created a pool of experts for the exercise. Specialised inspection teams will be led by 39 experienced and retired engineers from various government organisations.
These include engineers associated with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Defence and state Public Works Departments.
Technical experts will also assist the teams during the inspections.
What Will NHAI Teams Check?
The teams will assess construction work against approved drawings, technical specifications, contractual conditions and project-specific quality plans.
They will examine construction materials, workmanship and construction methods, along with records relating to sampling and testing.
The inspections will also cover road safety measures, traffic management and environmental safeguards wherever applicable.
Any work found to be below prescribed standards will be identified for corrective action under the applicable contractual provisions.
NHAI said the exercise will also help identify recurring quality problems, construction practices that require improvement and areas where greater accountability is needed from contractors, consultants and other stakeholders.
The initiative forms part of NHAI’s broader efforts to strengthen quality monitoring of ongoing highway projects and ensure timely corrective action across the National Highway network.
