New Delhi: To crack down on substandard highway construction, the Centre will ban contractors from bidding for national highway projects for two years following a “major incident” such as bridge collapses, reinforced wall failures, or severe road damage.

According to a TOI report, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has approved the provision for all fully government-funded highway projects, which account for the bulk of national highway works in the country.

A clause dealing with “catastrophic damage or failure” by contractors has been incorporated into contract documents to trigger the penalty.

The decision comes amid mounting public criticism over poor-quality highway projects and repeated instances of newly built roads suffering serious damage even before being opened to traffic.

The ministry has informed Parliament that 17 structural collapses were reported last year, including on the Delhi–Vadodara Expressway, Dwarka Expressway, NH-48 in Gujarat, and NH-66 in Kerala.

Meanwhile, Gadkari’s office has sought details of all show-cause notices issued to contractors since January 2024, along with the responses received and action taken so far. DeshGujarat