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Highway Construction Deficiencies
Context:
In a strong rebuke to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism, and culture has raised serious concerns over persistent shortcomings in highway construction and the ministry’s handling of these issues.
More Findings
- The panel also questioned why contractors with poor track records continued to receive new project assignments.
- In its report on the ministry’s demand for grants for 2025-26, the committee acknowledged the introduction of defect liability clauses in highway contracts as a positive step.
- However, it criticised the inconsistent enforcement of these provisions, noting that some contractors fail to carry out necessary repairs without facing any penalties.
- This raises significant concerns regarding firms with a history of substandard construction continuing to secure new contracts.
- The committee, therefore, recommends stricter enforcement of defect liability clauses.
- The panel urged the ministry to adopt differentiated contracting approaches, incorporating extended defect liability periods, akin to the successful models of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) and Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) contracts.
- These models have demonstrated improved road conditions by ensuring contractor accountability for maintenance.
- To enhance contractor accountability, the committee recommended a tiered-rating system for contractors, an initiative the ministry has been reportedly working on since last year.
- The proposed rating system would influence eligibility and preference in future contract allocations.
- Additionally, the committee advised the ministry to establish a public registry of non-compliant contractors.
- This registry should include standardised performance metrics, documented defects, remediation timelines, and compliance history, allowing for meaningful comparisons between firms.
- Such measures, the panel believes, will strengthen transparency and improve overall infrastructure quality.
- The report underscores the need for MoRTH to adopt more stringent oversight mechanisms to ensure that national highways meet the required quality standards while holding contractors accountable for their work.
India Status Report on Road Safety 2024
The India Status Report on Road Safety 2024, issued by the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention (TRIP) Centre at IIT Delhi, provides an in-depth analysis of the country’s road safety challenges.
Key Findings:
- Fatalities and Injuries: India experiences approximately 178,000 road traffic fatalities annually, accounting for nearly 10% of global road accident deaths, despite having only 1% of the world’s vehicles.
- Road crashes are responsible for 45% of unintentional injury deaths in India, with pedestrians, cyclists, and motorised two-wheeler riders being the most vulnerable.
- State-Level Variations: Tamil Nadu (21.9 per 100,000 people), Telangana (19.2), and Chhattisgarh (17.6) recorded the highest per capita death rates, while West Bengal and Bihar had the lowest rates at 5.9 per 100,000.
- Six states—Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu—account for nearly 50% of all road traffic fatalities.
- Causes of Accidents: Speeding is identified as the leading cause, responsible for 75% of fatalities, followed by wrong-side driving (5.8%), driving under the influence (2.5%), and mobile phone use while driving.
- Trucks and buses are involved in 70% of crashes in urban and rural areas, with trucks being the largest contributors to fatal crashes.
- Time and Location Factors: Most fatal accidents occur between 9 PM to 2 AM, attributed to higher speeds, low visibility, and hit-and-run cases during nighttime.
