NHAI to conduct special quality checks on 17 highway projects with abnormally low quoted bids
The National Highways Authority of India will conduct special quality inspections of 17 under‑construction national highway projects whose bid values were lower than the estimated project cost by over 15 per cent, an official statement said on Wednesday.
IANS
Sep 30, 2026 07:54
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New Delhi, Sep 30 (IANS) The National Highways Authority of India will conduct special quality inspections of 17 under‑construction national highway projects whose bid values were lower than the estimated project cost by over 15 per cent, an official statement said on Wednesday.
The statement from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways said the project inspections will strengthen quality, ensure compliance with technical standards and facilitate timely corrective action.
The first round of inspections is scheduled to be completed by December 2026. NHAI will re-inspect the identified projects after 6 months with a different team of experts to ensure quality and adherence to construction standards.
The inspections are in addition to NHAI’s regular quality checks and are aimed at identifying any quality-related issues at an early stage so that corrective action can be taken on time.
The 17 projects have been selected using three criteria: construction cost above Rs 500 crore, tender discount exceeding 15 per cent and physical progress between 35 per cent and 80 per cent. These criteria help focus quality checks on projects that are at an important stage of construction and adopt an objective, data-driven approach.
The projects include greenfield and access-controlled corridors, bypasses, as well as four and six laning works in the states of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
The inspections will be carried out by specialised teams led by 39 experienced and retired engineers from various government organisations, including the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Defence and State Public Works Departments. Technical experts will also support the teams during the inspections.
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, the statement noted.
The inspections will also cover road safety measures, traffic management and environmental safeguards, wherever applicable. Works failing to meet the required standards will be identified and followed up for corrective action as per the applicable contract provisions.
The specialised inspections will also help NHAI to identify common quality issues, construction practices and areas where greater accountability is required from contractors, consultants and other project stakeholders.
—IANS
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