NHAI HQ Officers Deployed for On Ground Maintenance Checks

In a significant move aimed at enhancing accountability and user-centric maintenance of national highways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has undertaken a first-of-its-kind exercise by deputing approximately 60 officers from its headquarters to conduct on-ground inspections of highway stretches across the country.

The inspections focus on evaluating operation and maintenance standards from the perspective of road users, with particular emphasis on safety, riding quality, smoothness, aesthetics, and overall comfort.

As part of this exercise, the inspecting officers have been directed to record all observed defects and deficiencies in real time through the NHAI One mobile application, ensuring contemporaneous documentation and reducing reliance on secondary field-level reporting.

This initiative assumes importance against the backdrop of increasing concerns over inadequate maintenance of national highways and the limitations of conventional reporting mechanisms. By sourcing feedback directly from the ground, NHAI seeks to bridge the gap between reported compliance and actual site conditions.

The officers have been given specific mandates to identify deficiencies that impact user experience, including issues related to riding quality, an area of recurring concern. Notably, field units were provided advance notice of the inspections, thereby reinforcing the expectation of preparedness and eliminating justifications for substandard maintenance.

To support this exercise, NHAI has also deployed Network Survey Vehicles (NSVs) to digitally capture deficiencies along highway corridors. Based on these surveys, field officers and contractors are required to submit Action Taken Reports (ATRs). The deputed headquarters officers are tasked with verifying the accuracy and effectiveness of these ATRs during physical inspections.

In order to maintain the independence and objectivity of the inspections, the presence of contractor or concessionaire personnel during the inspection process has been expressly prohibited. Upon completion of each inspection, officers are required to submit a summary report highlighting deficiencies and recommending corrective and follow-up actions.

From a regulatory and contractual standpoint, this initiative reflects a strengthened approach towards monitoring compliance with operation and maintenance obligations under highway concession frameworks. The exercise signals a shift towards data-driven verification, enhanced accountability, and closer scrutiny of on-ground performance and is expected to be replicated across additional highway stretches in due course.