Lok Sabha Question No. 4538 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-19
Subject: Substandard Construction of Roads
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Shri Narayan Tatu Rane

## be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  appropriate  steps  taken  by  the  Government  for  proper upkeep and maintenance of roads;
- (b)  whether  the  roads  in  various  States,  including  Maharashtra, construction practices, heavy rainfall and inadequate drainage systems, if so, the
- frequently suffer damage due to substandard details thereof;
- (c) the number of such cases which have come to the notice of the Government during the last three years, State-wise;
- (d)  whether  any  scientific  study  or  technical  evaluation  has  been conducted to identify the root causes of recurring road damage and poor durability of road surfaces; and
- (e)  if  so,  the  agencies  involved  in  such  study/evaluation  and  the major findings and recommendations thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

(SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4538

ANSWERED ON 19 TH  MARCH, 2026

## SUBSTANDARD CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS

†4538.   SHRI NARAYAN TATU RANE:

Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

- (a) Government  in  Ministry  of  Road  Transport  and  Highways  is primarily responsible for development and maintenance of National Highways (NHs). The Government has prioritized the maintenance of existing NH network and inter-alia evolved a mechanism to ensure Maintenance and Repair (M&R) of all NHs sections through accountable maintenance agency.

The M&R of stretches of NHs, where development works have commenced or Operation, Maintenance and Transfer (OMT) Concessions/  Operation  and  Maintenance  (O&M)  Contracts  have been awarded, are the responsibility of the concerned Concessionaires/  Contractors  till  the  end  of  the  Defect  Liability Period  (DLP)/  the  Concession  Period.  Similarly,  for  NHs  stretches undertaken  under  TOT  (Toll Operate  and  Transfer) and InvIT (Infrastructure Investment  Trust), M&R  responsibility lies with concerned Concessionaire till the end of the Concession Period.

For all remaining sections of NHs stretches, Government has taken  a  policy  decision  to  undertake  maintenance  works  through Performance  based  Maintenance  Contract  (PBMC)  or  Short  Term Maintenance Contract (STMC).

- (b) to (e) Damages sustained on NHs, including structures thereon, are caused due to various reasons like design flaws, noncompliance  to  Standards  /  Specifications,  improper  construction practices  /  techniques  etc.  apart  from  Force  Majeure  events  like heavy rains, landslides, floods etc.

State  /  Union  Territory  (UT)  -  wise  details  of  Incidents  of collapses / major deficiencies in NHs  stretches (including in structures like Bridges, culverts etc.) reported during maintenance period in the last three years, including for the State of Maharashtra, along with action taken are at Annexure.

Government has conducted the study of failures of Reinforced Earth (RE) structures through Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Another Research scheme has been taken up through IIT Roorkee for  development  of  guidelines  for  the  Assessment  of  Hillslope Instability Instrumentation & Real Time Monitoring. Further, Expert

Committee is also engaged on case-to-case basis for assessment of damages  /  failure  on  important  NHs  stretches  and  finalization  of restoration works based on such reports.

Based upon the findings of the above study, some of the major recommendations made are as under: -

- i. Detailed guidelines for provision of RE wall alongwith mandatory study of soil condition at the location.
- ii. Penal action for Contractors / Concessionaires responsible for catastrophic failures apart from contractual action.
- iii. Implementation  of  standardized  parameters  for  investigating hill slope stability & selecting cost-effective long-term stabilization measures for landslide-prone areas in hilly regions
- iv. Hill  construction  methodology  refined  which  mandates  initial construction  only  for  hill  cutting  &  slope  protection  and subsequent highway construction only post stabilized cutting formation and protection work.
- v. Sensor instruments based monitoring of internal slope disturbances  has  also  been  taken  up  on  pilot  basis  for  realtime landslide monitoring systems.

## ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (b) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4538 ANSWERED ON 19.03.2026  ASKED  BY  SHRI  NARAYAN  TATU  RANE  REGARDING SUBSTANDARD CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS

State / UT  wise details of Incidents of collapses / major deficiencies in NHs stretches (including in structures like Bridges, culverts etc.) reported during maintenance period in the last three years,  including  for  the  State  of  Maharashtra,  along  with  action taken: -

| State             |   S. No. | Name of the Project                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |   Year of incident | Details of Major damages / defects                                                    | Action Taken                                                                                                                                                           |
|-------------------|----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Arunachal Pradesh |        1 | Permanent solution to Slip Zones on Papu - Yupia - Hoj - Potin section of NH-713A & NH-13 at Km 31.000 (Hoj Market), Km 38.300 (Yabi Village), Km 39.000 (Waterfall), Km 39.700 (Appa Crusher) and Km 40.300 (Crusher Point) in the state of Arunachal Pradesh for the year 2021-22 |               2024 | RE wall Collapsed                                                                     | Rectification of defective work initiated by the Contractor. Penalty of 5% of contract value imposed on Contractor.                                                    |
| Andhra Pradesh    |        2 | Six-laning of Vijayawada bypass from Chinna Autupalli (Design Ch.0+000) to Gollapudi (Design Ch. 30+000) in Vijayawada - Gundugolanu Section of NH-16 in the State of Andhra Pradesh under Bharatmala Pariyojana on Hybrid Annuity Mode                                             |               2024 | Defects in the construction RE wall.                                                  | of Concessionaire commenced the rectification work based on recommendation /suggestion of RE wall Expert. Rs.10,99,235/- was recovered as damages from Concessionaire. |
| Bihar             |        3 | Four Laning of Simaria-Khagaria Section of NH-31 from Km. 206.050 to Km. 266.282 (Design Chainage) and (Existing Chainage Km. 209.945 to Km. 270.000 of NH-31) in the State of Bihar on EPC Mode                                                                                    |               2023 | Issues reported by CRRI in quality of Concrete superstructure in bridge at Km 264.946 | of Repair works taken up by Contractor as recommended in CRRI report                                                                                                   |
| Bihar             |        4 | Varanasi - Mohania (GTRIP/5; Package - IV A): 4L of existing 2L section from km. 65 to km. 317 of NH-2 in UP and Bihar on NH-2                                                                                                                                                      |               2023 | Major deficiencies in structural elements                                             | Damages of INR 25 Cr imposed on Contractor                                                                                                                             |

| State        |   S. No. | Name of the Project                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |   Year of incident | Details of Major damages / defects                                                                                                  | Action Taken                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|--------------|----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Chhattisgarh |        5 | Rehabilitation & Upgradation 2-lane with paved shoulders configuration of Bilaspur Urdawal section in km 241.553 to 312.60 = 71.0476 km (Masanialala to Rengapali) on NH 200 (New NH 49) (Package- III)(Borai river MNB at km 217.358) |               2025 | Damage in slab of Minor bridge                                                                                                      | The work is in Defect Liability Period and taken up by Contractor at his own cost.                                                                                                                                                          |
| Haryana      |        6 | Delhi-Vadodara Expressway Pkg. 2                                                                                                                                                                                                       |               2024 | Rutting                                                                                                                             | Authority has imposed damages amounting to Rs.48,61,243/- on the contractor for delayed maintenance. Rectification of rutting has been taken up by Contractor and majority of the rutted portion has been rectified.                        |
| Haryana      |        7 | Delhi-Vadodara Expressway Pkg. 3                                                                                                                                                                                                       |               2024 | Rutting                                                                                                                             | Authority has imposed damages amounting to Rs. 42,95,049/- on the contractor for delayed maintenance. Rectification of rutting has been taken up by Contractor and majority of the rutted portion has been rectified.                       |
| Gujarat      |        8 | Sanchore-Santalpur Package-4                                                                                                                                                                                                           |               2025 | Ruts, cracks and surface deformation/ Distress was observed recently after rains June month 2025, severe rutting at some locations. | in imposed on the Contractor along with a recommendation for debarment up to one year or until successful rectification, whichever is later. Contractor has taken up repair/ restoration works. The Project Director of NHAI was suspended. |
| Karnataka    |        9 | Two/Four Laning of BRT Tiger Reserve Boundary to Bengalore Section of NH-948                                                                                                                                                           |               2025 | Km 337+670 to Km337+680 RE Block of length 10 mts collapsed                                                                         | Concessionaire has taken up repair/ restoration works as per recommendation of report submitted by IISC Bangalore.                                                                                                                          |
| Maharashtra  |       10 | Mehkar-Ajispur Road                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |               2024 | Cracked panels                                                                                                                      | The Performance BG of Contractor is forfeited. Process initiated for rectification of damages.                                                                                                                                              |
| Maharashtra  |       11 | Bhokar-Sarsam                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |               2024 | Cracked panels                                                                                                                      | Contractor has initiated actions for rectification of damages.                                                                                                                                                                              |
| Maharashtra  |       12 | Sillod-Fardapur                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |               2024 | Cracked panels                                                                                                                      | Contractor has initiated actions for rectification of damages.                                                                                                                                                                              |
| Maharashtra  |       13 | Rehabilitation and up-gradation of NH-66 (Old NH-17) form km 332/200 to km 367/200 (Watul to Talgaon Section) to four lanes in the State of Maharashtra under NHDP-                                                                    |               2024 | Full depth Cracks in PQC                                                                                                            | Contractor has initiated actions for rectification of damages.                                                                                                                                                                              |

| State     |   S. No. | Name of the Project                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  | Year of incident   | Details of Major damages / defects                                                                                                                          | Action Taken                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
|-----------|----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|           |       14 | IV on EPC Mode. Rehabilitatyion & up gradation for Talere Gaganbawada Kolhapur Road (NH-166G) stretches start from Ch. 6/00 Km. to Ch. 11/00 Km. and Ch. 19/300 Km. (Start of Karul Ghat) to 35/300 Km. (End of Gaganbawada) of NH-166G to 2 lane paved shoulder/2 lane configuration lane, length 21.00 Km. in the state of Mahrashtra on EPC Mode. | 2025               | Cracks in PQC                                                                                                                                               | Contractor has initiated actions for rectification of damages.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|           |       15 | Rehabilitation and Up-gradation to Two lanes with paved shoulder from Karad to Tasgaon NH 266 from Km. 0/00 to 58/830 in the State of Maharashtra on EPC mode                                                                                                                                                                                        | 2024               | Cracked panels                                                                                                                                              | Rectification of damages taken up at risk and cost of Contractor.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
|           |       16 | Upgradation to two lane with paved shoulder from Salaikhurd to Tiroda Km 120/100 to 163/200 (Design Km 44/00 to 87/00) of NH 753 on EPC Mode in the state of Maharashtra                                                                                                                                                                             | 2024 Panels        | Post construction defects are observed in the Rigid Pavement i.e. formation of Longitudinal & Lateral cracks, Opening of Central Joints, Settlement of etc. | IIT Bombay has been appointed for Technical Investigation of defects and suggestion of remedial measures.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| Rajasthan |       17 | Delhi Vadodara Expressway NE-4 Pkg.06                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                | 2024               | Rutting, Raincuts, potholes settlement                                                                                                                      | & Penalty imposed on each contractor amounting to Rs. 50 Lakhs for non-rectification of defects in the stipulated time frame as per provision of contract agreement.                                                                                                                                                                      |
| Rajasthan |       18 | Delhi Vadodara Expressway NE-4 Pkg.07                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                | 2024               | Rutting, Raincuts, potholes settlement                                                                                                                      |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Rajasthan |       19 | Delhi Vadodara Expressway NE-4 Pkg.08                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                | 2024               | Rutting, Raincuts, potholes settlement                                                                                                                      |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Rajasthan |       20 | Delhi Vadodara Expressway NE-4 Pkg.09                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                | 2024               | Rutting, Raincuts, potholes settlement                                                                                                                      |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Rajasthan |       21 | Construction of 6-lane access controlled Greenfield highway from km 53+000 to Km. 88+000 of Sangariya (near Chautala)-Rasisar (near Bikaner) section of NH-754K as a part of Amritsar-Jamnagar Economic Corridor in the State of Rajasthan under Bharatmala Pariyojana- Phase-I (AJ/SR-Package-3)                                                    | 2024               | Failure of the nose structure while launching of 83 mtr single span truss bridge                                                                            | Penalty of Rs. 1.00 Cr. imposed and warning for debarment action for any future instances upon the Contractor was issued. Debarment of fabrication team and Designer team issued for the period of 02 years in NHAI works. Penalty of Rs. 20 Lakhs and warning for debarment action for any future instances upon the Authority Engineer. |

⁠

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| State         |   S. No. | Name of the Project                                                                                                                                                                                          |   Year of incident | Details of Major damages / defects                                                                                                 | Action Taken                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|---------------|----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|               |       22 | Delhi-Vadodara Expressway Pkg. 4                                                                                                                                                                             |               2024 | Rutting & settlement approach                                                                                                      | years in NHAI works. of Damages amounting to Rs. 1.06 Cr. imposed for delayed maintenance. Also, IIT Kharagpur has been engaged for detailed study for permanent rectification of defects.                                                                                                                   |
|               |       23 | Delhi-Vadodara Expressway Pkg. 5                                                                                                                                                                             |               2024 | Rutting, settlement of approach & bulging of RE wall                                                                               | Damages amounting to Rs. 88.32 lakhs imposed for delayed maintenance. Bulging of RE wall has been rectified as per suggestions of CRRI. Majority of the rutting has been rectified. Further, in addition to above, IIT Kharagpur has been engaged for detailed study for permanent rectification of defects. |
|               |       24 | Delhi-Vadodara Greenfield Alignment (NH-148N) (Pkg-16) (Ch. 427.300 to Ch.452.420) [Major bridge over Takli river near Nayagaon Jageer village to Rajasthan/MP Border]                                       |               2024 | Stretch is operational w.e.f. 30.11.2023 and at some locations the settlements observed in approaches of structure                 | EPC Contractor has rectified damages. R                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
|               |       25 | Construction of proposed 2-lane ROB and its approaches in lieu of existing level crossing no. C-64 at km. 172.990 on Jodhpur-Ajmer Road on NH-65 in District Nagaur Rajasthan                                |               2024 | Post-completion, structural defects have been observed in the deck slab of the ROB due to honeycombing caused by poor workmanship. | Contract has been terminated. Debarment of contractor taken up. Bid for rectification works invited.                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| Tamil Nadu    |       26 | 4-laning of Thanjavur - Trichy section from Km 80.000 to Km 136.490                                                                                                                                          |               2023 | The RE wall panel portion of the A1 (Thanjavur) side approach (LHS side) have been disconnected from the geo grid and fallen down. | Based on report of Expert Committee, restoration work using soil nailing completed by Contractor.                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| Uttar Pradesh |       27 | Lucknow Ring Road Pkg-3A                                                                                                                                                                                     |               2024 | Cracks in PQC Panel in length of 2.886 Km.                                                                                         | Contractor has initiated process for rectification of damages.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| Uttarakhand   |       28 | Construction, Operation and Maintenance of 2-Lane Bi- Directional Silkyara Bend Barkot Tunnel with escape passage including approaches on Dharasu- Yamunotri section between Ch. 25.400 Km and Ch. 51.000 Km |               2023 | Collapse at cavity in under construction Silkyara Tunnel.                                                                          | Rectification measures taken up by the EPC contractors at its own cost. Actions as per the Investigation Committee Report initiated.                                                                                                                                                                         |

| State   | S. No.   | Name of the Project                                                                                                                                                                                  | Year of incident   | Details of Major damages / defects                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Action Taken                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|---------|----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         |          | falling along NH-134 (OLD NH-94) in the state of Uttarakhand                                                                                                                                         |                    |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| West    | 29       | Construction of 4-Laning of Puruliya Bypass Section from Km. 84.030 to Km. 94.345 of NH-32 (length 10.315 Km) in the State of West Bengal on EPC Mode                                                | 2025               | Cracks have developed in the newly constructed PQC.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      | i) Rectification works initiated by Contractor. Amount of Rs. 20.00 Lakh withheld from Contractor's bill. ii) Key personal of AE has been debarred for a period of one year.                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| Bengal  | 30       | Four laning with paved shoulders of NH-6 from Chichra to Kharagpur Km 185.150 to Km 134.400 including rehabilitation of existing four lane from Km 134.400 to Km 129.600 in the state of West Bengal | 2023               | Cracks in PQC panels                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     | Repaired at the Risk and Cost of EPC Contractor.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Odisha  | 31       | Chandikhole-Bhadrak Section of NH-16                                                                                                                                                                 | 2023               | 1. Faulty Design in Bridge at km. 96+326: 2. Bridge at km. 79+614: The span A1-P1 had dislodged from the pier P2 due to breaking of the cantilever Portion of the pier cap and had fallen on the ground. Appearance of wide cracks (up to 3-4mm) in the pier cap on grid 'P2'. Damages of deck slab girders of the dislodged span. the on Team Personnel | and Concessionaire and Rs.5 Lakhs the Independent Engineer. Leader of IE and Key of Concessionaire suspended. 2. For Bridge at km. 79+614: Penalty of Rs.5 crore imposed on the Contractor and Penalty of Rs.20 lakh imposed on the Supervision Consultant. Debarment of DPR Consultant for 1 year. The cost of entire remedial measures / reconstruction recovered from the |

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