Govt to hire EIL for third-party quality checks on 5,000 km of highways and expressways

The road transport ministry will engage Engineers India Ltd (EIL) as a third-party inspection agency to examine the quality of around 5,000 km of expressways and national highways throughout the construction period, The Times of India reported. The move comes amid concerns over deficiencies in road projects and premature failures.

EIL, an engineering consultancy under the petroleum ministry, will initially be engaged for three years, according to the report. Its mandate will cover 770 km of expressways, 2,200 km of six-lane highways and around 1,000 km each of four-lane and two-lane national highways.

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The agency will inspect and examine the quality of work and verify whether construction complies with the technical specifications and standards prescribed under the respective contracts.

The move follows a direction from the Prime Minister's Office earlier this year to the road transport ministry to introduce independent third-party audits to improve the quality of highway construction.

At present, third-party quality checks are carried out by independent quality auditors, including retired government engineers empanelled by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and other implementing agencies.

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Officials said the new arrangement was prompted by concerns over the effectiveness of the existing system and feedback received from independent auditors.

EIL has previously undertaken third-party quality checks for highway projects, including during the construction of the Golden Quadrilateral, the major highway development programme launched under then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The ministry's decision comes amid concerns over quality deficiencies in national highway projects and instances of roads and expressways deteriorating or failing prematurely.

(With inputs from TOI)