The National Highways Authority of India is carrying out special quality inspections across 17 National Highway projects currently under construction, where the accepted bid value was more than 15 percent below the estimated project cost.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said these inspections are being conducted in addition to NHAI’s routine quality checks. The exercise aims to detect possible quality concerns at an early stage so that necessary corrective measures can be taken on time.

Specialised teams led by 39 experienced and retired engineers from different government organisations will conduct the inspections. Technical specialists will also support the teams during the process.

The first round of inspections is expected to be completed by December this year. After six months, NHAI will conduct another inspection of the selected projects through a separate team of experts to check compliance with required construction standards and quality norms.

The teams will evaluate construction work against approved drawings, technical specifications, contractual requirements and project specific quality plans. They will also examine construction materials, workmanship, methods of construction, as well as sampling and testing records.

The inspections will also cover road safety, traffic management and environmental safeguards wherever applicable. Any shortcomings found during the process will be followed up with corrective action under the terms of the respective contracts.

The exercise is also expected to help NHAI identify recurring quality concerns, improve construction practices and strengthen accountability among contractors, consultants and other stakeholders involved in the projects.

The 17 selected projects include greenfield and access controlled corridors, bypasses and four lane and six lane highway works across Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.