**Executive Summary**
The document is a response from the Minister of Road Transport and Highways to questions raised in the Lok Sabha regarding the expansion of National Highways (NHs). It confirms the government's approval of new NH projects and the development of a special monitoring mechanism for road construction quality. Details of state/UT-wise projects approved during the last and current year are provided in an annexure. The information was provided on December 11, 2025.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **National Highway Development and Maintenance:**
* Development and maintenance of NHs is a continuous process, driven by traffic density, connectivity needs, road condition, and alignment with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP).
* State/Union Territory (UT) wise details of Development / Construction / Upgradation projects on NHs approved during the last year and current year are at Annexure.
* **Quality Control Measures:**
* National Highways (NHs) are constructed as per quality standards specified in the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) specifications and codes.
* Consultants [Authority's Engineer (AE) / Independent Engineer (IE)] are appointed for day-to-day supervision.
* Executing agencies conduct inspections to ensure quality adherence.
* Deficiencies are communicated to the Concessionaire/Contractor for corrective measures.
* Actions are taken against defaulting agencies as per the contract agreement.
* **Additional Initiatives for Quality Improvement:**
* Adoption of Automated & Intelligent / Machine-aided Construction (AI-MC) in NH projects.
* Mandatory road condition assessments using Network Survey Vehicle (NSV) before, during, and after completion, with regular intervals of six months to monitor quality of maintenance and prioritize maintenance requirements.
* Analysis of High-Resolution Imagery collected from Drone Surveys in Drone Analytics Monitoring System (DAMS) integrated with Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning.
* Deployment of Mobile Quality Control Vans (MQCVs) with Non-Destructive Testing Equipment in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Karnataka as pilot projects.
* Deployment of Third Party Quality Auditors for independent quality audits of NH works on a case-to-case basis.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Government of India, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways**
* **Impact:** Responsible for overseeing and implementing the expansion and maintenance of national highways and the quality control measures.
* **Action Required:** Continue to monitor and enforce the quality standards and initiatives outlined in the response to ensure the effective and timely completion of highway projects.
**Stakeholder: State Governments / Union Territories**
* **Impact:** Directly involved in the implementation of NH development and maintenance projects within their jurisdiction.
* **Action Required:** Ensure compliance with the quality control measures and initiatives set by the Ministry, and collaborate with the executing agencies and consultants.
**Stakeholder: Concessionaires / Contractors**
* **Impact:** Responsible for constructing and maintaining NHs according to stipulated requirements and quality standards.
* **Action Required:** Adhere to quality standards and implement corrective measures as per the guidelines and contract agreement.
**Stakeholder: Consultants (Authority's Engineer/Independent Engineer)**
* **Impact:** Accountable for day-to-day supervision of works at sites, ensuring compliance with quality standards, and reporting deficiencies to relevant stakeholders.
* **Action Required:** Conduct thorough inspections and provide timely feedback to concessionaires/contractors, following the guidelines and contract agreement.
Key Entities Referenced
National Highways: Subject of the question regarding expansion and quality control.
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways: The ministry responsible for the subject matter.
PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP): Referenced plan for synergy in highway development.
Indian Roads Congress (IRC): Standards body whose specifications are used in highway construction.
State / Union Territory: Locations where the highway projects are being implemented.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1913
ANSWERED ON 11TH DECEMBER, 2025
EXPANSION OF NATIONAL HIGHWAYS
†1913. SHRI IMRAN MASOOD:
Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार् ग मंत्री
be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has approved new projects for the
expansion of national highways;
(b) if so, the names of the States where these projects are being
implemented;
(c) whether the Government has developed a special monitoring
mechanism to ensure the quality of road construction; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
(SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)
(a) and (b) Development and maintenance of National Highways
(NHs) is a continuous process. Works on NHs are taken up based on
the traffic density, connectivity requirement, condition of the road
and synergy with PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP).
State / Union Territory (UT) – wise details of Development /
Construction / Upgradation projects on NHs approved during the last
year and current year are at Annexure.(c) and (d) All efforts are made to ensure that the National
Highways (NHs) are constructed as per quality standards specified
in the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) specifications and codes. To
ensure that highway construction adheres to stipulated quality
standards, Consultants [Authority’s Engineer (AE) / Independent
Engineer (IE)] are appointed by the executing agencies for day-to-
day supervision of works at site. Officials of executing agencies
undertake inspections from time to time and ensure adherence of
conformity of quality of the work done by the Concessionaire /
Contractor with stipulated requirements. Deficiencies, if any,
observed during such examination / supervision are brought to the
notice of the Concessionaire / Contractor for taking up necessary
corrective measures. Actions against defaulting agencies are taken
as per the provisions of the Contract agreement in case of any
defaults.
The Government has taken the following additional initiatives
for improvement of quality control systems in implementation of
NHs works, some of which are as stated below: -
i. Adoption of Automated & Intelligent / Machine-aided
Construction (AI-MC) in NH projects;
ii. Mandatory assessments of road conditions through Network
Survey Vehicle (NSV) before start of work, before issue of
completion certificate and thereafter at regular intervals of six
months after completion of the work, thereby enabling quality
assessment of NHs at regular intervals for (a) ensuring the
maintenance during Concession period / DLP and (b)
prioritizing maintenance requirements to maintain NHs in
traffic worthy condition, and revamping of NSV system for
road condition assessment using analytics and enforcement of
contractual provisions during Operation and Maintenance
(O&M) through dedicated central cell;
iii. Analysis of High-Resolution Imagery collected from Drone
Surveys in Drone Analytics Monitoring System (DAMS)
integrated with Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learningalgorithms for periodic evaluation of progress and quality of
ongoing NHs works from time to time;
iv. Deployment of Mobile Quality Control Vans (MQCVs) equipped
with Non-Destructive Testing Equipment in four States, namely
in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Odisha and Karnataka as pilot, for
diagnostic assessments of overall health and quality of works
from time to time during project implementation phases;
v. Deployment of Third Party Quality Auditors for independent
quality audits of NH works on a case-to-case basis.ANNEXURE
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) AND (b) OF LOK
SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1913 ANSWERED ON
11.12.2025 ASKED BY SHRI IMRAN MASOOD REGARDING
EXPANSION OF NATIONAL HIGHWAYS
State / UT – wise details of Development / Construction /
Upgradation projects on NHs approved during the last year and
current year: -
Length in Km; Cost in ₹ Crore
2024-25 2025-26 (Till November, 2025)
S.No. State/UT
No. Length Cost No. Length Cost
1 Andhra Pradesh 22 166 2,193 6 159 4,985
2 Arunachal Pradesh 6 95 18 5 52 440
3 Assam 8 223 6,382 2 86 6,961
4 Bihar 12 103 3,694 10 357 12,717
5 Chhattisgarh 9 143 3,595 9 73 694
6 Goa 12 54 4,348 3 3 40
7 Gujarat 22 526 16,122 14 259 2,036
8 Haryana 6 61 755 2 26 182
9 Himachal Pradesh 11 31 254 3 8 1,065
10 Jharkhand 7 147 3,829 2 41 1,099
11 Karnataka 4 - 5 1 66 83
12 Kerala 3 18 1,103 0 0 0
13 Madhya Pradesh 21 846 19,790 4 112 2,047
14 Maharashtra 60 939 23,339 22 494 6,673
15 Manipur 3 140 1,356 2 45 116
16 Meghalaya 2 23 590 2 196 23,815
17 Mizoram 1 - 7 3 152 227
18 Nagaland 4 20 123 1 13 24
19 Odisha 16 180 5,447 9 131 8,507
20 Punjab 15 168 2,608 3 88 1,995
21 Rajasthan 19 238 3,154 10 188 3,726
22 Sikkim 1 5 161 1 - 7
23 Tamil Nadu 22 342 4,221 10 141 4,294
24 Telangana 1 14 516 2 - 7
25 Uttar Pradesh 22 355 18,388 2 36 1,772
26 Uttarakhand 24 38 1,670 18 84 1,799
27 West Bengal 29 338 14,800 6 23 275
28 Chandigarh 0 0 0 1 2 247
29 Delhi 0 0 0 1 50 956
30 Jammu & Kashmir 5 29 1,262 2 81 32
31 Ladakh 1 11 29 3 88 76
32 Puducherry 0 0 0 2 18 461
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