NHAI to take action on officials for poor road construction quality

According to a circular, the officials and engineers of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) and other agencies involved in the NH construction will be held accountable for non-compliance in specifications and quality control measures in the construction of bridges and road on national highways. The officials will face major or minor penalties for repeat failures to comply or loss of any structure during the road construction. The authorities have so far only penalised contractors and consultants managing work or independent engineers for construction failure. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) cited that it is the responsibility of the officers-in-charge at the site to examine construction projects to ensure the proven methodology is being followed. According to the ministry, despite contract provisions for enforcing quality assurance, there are instances of 'lapses' on the part of construction companies or contractors and consultants, which have led to failure in construction. To make sure there is no compromise with the quality, the officers concerned will compulsorily inspect the project to secure that the approved quality assurance plan is being followed. They will have to conduct sample laboratory and on-site tests on significant-quality characteristics of materials, mixes and final products. In the case of works costing more than Rs 300 crore and projects comprising a bridge of more than 60 meters, officers will have to conduct bi-monthly inspections. The circular said that there would be graded action for negligence of officers in their duty. Image Source Also read: NHAI makes Monthly Drone Survey mandatory for all NH Projects Also read: NHAI debars Gayatri Projects for non-performance