3 min readNew DelhiSep 30, 2026 06:54 PM IST
In a rare move, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken up a special quality inspection of 17 under construction projects across nine states, where the bid value was over 15% less than the estimated project cost. Officials said the first round of inspection will be completed by year-end, and it will be re-inspected after six months to check the quality of works.
The aggressive bidding has remained a serious concern in the highway sector, where contractors quote prices below the estimated cost to get the project, but it runs into multiple delays and substandard quality of work, leading to issues such as cave-in and structural damages.
The highway authority officials said the projects have been selected on the basis of three criteria: construction cost of over Rs 500 crore, tender discount of more than 15% and physical progress between 35% and 80%.
These projects include Tumkur-Nelamangala (6-Laning) in Karnataka, Durg-Raipur Bypass Section in Chhattisgarh, 6-lane access controlled greenfield highway from Yerragudipadu to Audireddipalle in Andhra Pradesh, balance works for four-laning of Vikravandi-Sethiyathope section in Tamil Nadu, Punjab section of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, Mator to Barodameo Section of 6-lane highway, 4-Lane Inner Ring Road around Allahabad City, 4-Lane Greenfield Northern-East Side Gorakhpur Bypass and 4-Laning of Moradabad-Thakurdwara-Kashipur Section of NH-734.
According to the officials, the inspections will be carried out by specialised teams led by 39 experienced and retired engineers from various government organisations, which include the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Defence and the State Public Works Departments.
“The teams will check construction work against approved drawings, technical specifications, contract conditions and project-specific quality plans. They will examine the quality of construction materials, workmanship, construction methods as well as records of sampling and testing. Any work that does not meet the required standards will be identified and followed up for corrective action as per the applicable contract provisions,” said the highway authority in a statement.
National highways should be constructed in accordance with the stipulated quality standards specified in the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) specifications and codes. To ensure compliance, consultants (Authority’s Engineers/Independent Engineers-AE/IE) are appointed by the executing agencies for day-to-day supervision of works at site.
Story continues below this ad
However, despite this, instances of damage to National highways have often been reported. That is why third-party quality auditors are deployed on a case-to-case basis for independent quality audit.
