Sravasti Dasgupta 
New Delhi: The Union ministry for road transport and highways has informed the parliament that a total of 59 incidents of major deficiencies in national highways including cave-ins have been recorded across the country since 2019, while of the total 13,795 black spots identified on the national highways in the country, long-term rectification has been completed on only 5,036 black spots.
The ministry’s response, during the recently-concluded Budget session, came as a parliamentary panel report raised concerns over “premature surface deterioration on newly completed roads” and firms with a record of poor construction continuing to receive new contracts.
It also raised concerns over the persistent existence of identified black spots calling it “a significant governance failure”. Black spots are identified by the government based on the accident reports received from the concerned state governments, meeting the criteria of occurrence of a certain number of accidents involving fatalities and grievous injuries.
59 deficiencies in national highways
In a written response in the Rajya Sabha on April 2, Union minister for road, transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said that “all efforts” are made to ensure the national highways are constructed according to quality standards specified by the Government and Indian Roads Congress (IRC) specifications and codes.
According to the data provided by Gadkari, from FY 2019-20 to FY 2023-24 and provisionally for FY 2024-25, 59 such incidents of deficiencies have been recorded and are broadly due to pavement issues, retaining wall issues, bridge and structure defects, and other construction and maintenance deficiencies.
Of these 59 deficiencies, Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of such deficiencies with 17 such instances, followed by Rajasthan with seven. While three such instances have been recorded in Uttar Pradesh, another three have been recorded along UP’s route with Uttarakhand, the data provided by Gadkari showed.
Gadkari, in his parliamentary response, also said that consultants (authority’s engineer/independent engineers) are appointed by the executing agencies for day-to-day supervision of the works on site, officials of executing agencies – National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), Border Roads Organization (BRO), Public Works Departments (PWDs)/Road Construction Departments (RCDs)/ Corporations of State Governments/Union Territories (UTs), the Project Implementation Units (PIUs) as well as third party auditors – also undertake inspections from time to time.
“Deficiencies, if any, observed during such examination/supervision are brought to the notice of the Concessionaires/Contractors 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,” he said.
‘Firms with poor record continuing to receive contracts’
Gadkari’s response came after the department-related parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture, headed by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, in its report tabled on March 25, on the Demands for Grants (2025-26) of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, raised concerns over “premature surface deterioration on newly completed roads”
The committee sought to know whether “existing monitoring mechanisms are sufficient to ensure adherence to engineering standards.”
It also noted inconsistent enforcement of defect liability clauses and raised concerns over firms with a record of poor construction continuing to receive new contracts.
“The Committee welcomes the inclusion of defect liability clauses but at the same time observes inconsistent enforcement, with some contractors failing to undertake repairs without penalty. It also raises concerns over firms with a record of poor construction continuing to receive new contracts. The Committee therefore recommends stricter enforcement of defect liability clauses,” the report said.
The committee report also expressed concerns over pavement rutting, surface undulations and inadequate drainage, particularly in monsoon-prone and high-traffic areas.
“The Committee points out poor drainage infrastructure as a key factor in premature road deterioration and seeks to know whether a comprehensive assessment of drainage vulnerabilities has been undertaken,” the report said.
In November 2024, Gadkari in a written response to Lok Sabha said that the number of road accidents had risen from 1,44,221 in 2018 to 1,51,997 in 2022.
In July 2022, parts of the Bundelkhand Expressway had caved in within a week of its inauguration by Modi.
In October 2022, portions of the 341-km Purvanchal Expressway gave way, months after Modi had inaugurated the highway.
In July last year, the Sohna highway developed a 12-feet deep cave in, after it was fixed by the NHAI in March.
Black spots and preventable deaths
In a separate written reply on March 12 in Rajya Sabha, Gadkari said of the total 13,795 black spots identified on the national highways in the country, long-term rectification has been completed on only 5,036 black spots.
“Rectification of black spots is a continuous process and temporary measures are taken on immediate basis,” said Gadkari.
The committee report had noted the “persistent existence of identified black spots represents a significant governance failure that directly translates to preventable deaths.”
The committee called for the implementation of a three-tier prioritisation framework categorising black spots based on severity (frequency and impact of accidents), complexity of intervention required, and population exposure.