Facing growing scrutiny over the quality and durability of highway construction, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has ordered special quality inspections of 17 under-construction highway projects where bids were quoted more than 15% below the estimated project cost.
The inspections, over and above NHAI’s routine quality checks, aim to detect construction deficiencies early and ensure contractors adhere to prescribed technical and safety standards, a statement by NHAI said. The first round is scheduled to be completed by December 2026, with the projects to be re-inspected six months later by a different team of experts.
The move comes amid recent criticism and concerns over the quality of highway construction and the need for stronger oversight of contractors and consultants. NHAI’s decision to specifically examine projects awarded at unusually large discounts indicates a sharper focus on whether aggressive bidding could have implications for construction quality.
The 17 projects were selected using three objective criteria — project cost above Rs 500 crore, tender discount of more than 15% and physical progress between 35% and 80%. NHAI said the criteria would enable inspections to focus on projects that are at a critical stage of construction while adopting a data-driven approach.
The projects span Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and include greenfield and access-controlled corridors, bypasses and four- and six-laning projects.
Among the projects being examined are the Tumkur-Nelamangala six-laning project in Karnataka, Durg-Raipur Bypass in Chhattisgarh, several six-lane access-controlled greenfield packages of NH-544G in Andhra Pradesh, the Thoppur Ghat improvement project on NH-44 in Tamil Nadu, and sections of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway.
NHAI has constituted specialised inspection teams led by 39 experienced and retired engineers from organisations including the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Railways, Defence Ministry and state public works departments. Technical experts will also assist the teams.
The inspections will examine construction against approved designs, technical specifications, contractual conditions and project-specific quality plans. Teams will scrutinise the quality of materials, workmanship, construction methods and sampling and testing records, besides road safety, traffic management and environmental safeguards where applicable.
Any deficiencies will be followed up for corrective action under the relevant contract provisions.