The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is conducting special quality inspections of 17 under-construction National Highway projects where the bid value was more than 15% below the estimated project cost.
The additional inspections are being carried out alongside NHAIโs regular quality checks to identify construction and quality issues at an early stage and enable timely corrective action. The first round of inspections is scheduled to be completed by December 2026.
NHAI will re-inspect the selected projects six months after the first round through a different team of experts to assess compliance with construction standards and follow-up on identified issues.
The projects were selected based on three parameters: construction cost of more than INR 500 crore, a tender discount exceeding 15% and physical progress between 35% and 80%. The selected portfolio includes greenfield and access-controlled corridors, bypasses and four- and six-laning projects across Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
For the inspections, NHAI has formed specialised teams led by 39 experienced and retired engineers from government organisations, including the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Defence and State Public Works Departments. Technical experts will also assist the teams.
The inspections will assess construction against approved drawings, technical specifications, contract conditions and project-specific quality plans. Teams will examine construction materials, workmanship, construction methods and sampling and testing records.
Road safety measures, traffic management and environmental safeguards will also be reviewed wherever applicable. Non-compliant work will be identified and followed up for corrective action under the applicable contract provisions.
The exercise is also intended to identify recurring quality issues and construction practices requiring greater accountability from contractors, consultants and other project stakeholders.
NHAI said the initiative is part of its efforts to strengthen quality monitoring across ongoing National Highway projects and ensure timely corrective action.
