Every pothole to be accounted for, officials compromising quality may face blacklisting: Union Minister Gadkari
New Delhi, October 27
Companies, contractors, consultants, and officials compromising on highway construction quality will face blacklisting and stringent penalties, with every pothole set to be tracked through Network Surveillance Vehicles, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday.
Addressing the CII National Conference on "Highways of India's Future: Smart, Safe and Sustainable" in New Delhi, the minister warned of zero tolerance toward substandard construction practices across national road assets.
"Last few months, I have been personally monitoring this, and I have reviewed hundreds of projects. Social media posts have also been helpful in flagging quality issues at stretches, and I urge the public to put these problems on social media," he said.
"We have already seen a drop of 30% in such problems since we started monitoring these closely and am reasonably sure we will see the rest resolving over the next two years," the minister added.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways mandated the deployment of Network Surveillance Vehicles by the National Highways Authority of India to conduct automated pavement assessments at speeds between 40 and 80 km/h. The multi-sensor platform plans scientific repairs and feeds condition data into artificial intelligence portals such as the RAMS Data Lake. Scores of manufacturers supplying bearings and expansion joints were already blacklisted after failing quality tests.
Gadkari said discussions were underway with the Chief Minister of Bihar to sign a Memorandum of Understanding allowing the highway authority to conduct river dredging free of charge, using the silt in highway construction to cut flood risks.
The minister linked robust infrastructure in transport, water, power, and communications directly to India's target of reaching a USD 5 trillion economy, noting that logistics costs declined significantly from 16 per cent two years ago.
"Today, I am really happy that, as compared with the logistics cost, 8% of GDP in China, 12% in European countries and the USA, now from 16%, Indian logistics cost is coming to single digits, that is 9%," Gadkari said.
"I am confident that because of the good roads, our logistics cost is now in the single digits. I always feel that infrastructure development is the backbone of the Indian economy. Even globally, it is the real backbone of several countries," the minister said.
"If we spend Rs 100 on infrastructure, the impact on the economy is Rs 325, and GDP is going to increase because of that. So it is very important to develop good roads, and we are giving the highest priority to that," he said.
Gadkari also highlighted plans to deploy AI-based Advanced Traffic Management Systems over an initial 1,000-kilometre stretch to track vehicular movement in real time, emphasising driver lane discipline and alternative biofuels.
Speaking at the session, MV Satish, Chair of the CII National Committee on Roads and Highways, said roads served as corridors for innovation and trade throughout history, stressing that India's future network must remain durable, resource-efficient, and safe.
Akhilesh Srivastava, Co-Chair of the CII National Taskforce on Road Safety, noted that saving lives remains the critical milestone in technology adoption, while John Prasad Kandamparambil of Indian Oil Corporation highlighted road building as an integrated material ecosystem driving sustained economic demand.
— ANI
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