The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has mandated the production of a 15-20-minute documentary for every highway development project costing more than Rs. 5 bn. The films will document the complete construction journey and offer the public a detailed view of the work involved in developing major road infrastructure.

The documentaries will cover key milestones, including tunnelling through difficult terrain, constructing bridges across rivers, building viaducts and flyovers, and deploying specialised machinery. They will also record pile foundation work and other significant engineering activities undertaken during construction.

Under existing provisions, the contractor or concessionaire responsible for a project’s development, construction, operation and maintenance must record its progress on video. The new mandate requires these entities to engage a professional video production agency to conduct comprehensive videography and create a high-quality visual record from the beginning of construction through completion.

Monthly video recordings made during construction will form the foundation of the final film. The documentation will focus on technical and engineering challenges, the complexity and nature of those difficulties, the solutions adopted, and the construction methods used to address them. It will be planned as a continuous and coherent record of the project’s evolution.

After a project is completed and commissioned, the concessionaire will be required to produce the documentary with proper narration. NHAI officials said the initiative is expected to help people understand the planning, coordination, technical expertise and on-ground work involved in building highways. The films will also illustrate how difficult structures, including river bridges and tunnels, are constructed and how obstacles encountered during execution are overcome.