The Ministry is primarily responsible for development and maintenance of National Highways (NHs).
Development and maintenance of NHs is a continuous process. The conditions of NHs are assessed from time to time by the Ministry and its various executing agencies such as National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Public Works Departments (PWDs) / Road Construction Departments (RCDs) / Corporations of State Governments / Union Territories (UTs). The maintenance works on NHs are accordingly taken up from time to time to keep the NHs in traffic worthy condition; such works also include rectification of deficiencies and damages caused due to various reasons, rehabilitation and strengthening of NHs, providing adequate drainage systems, etc.
Aspects of rainfall, high flood level, type of terrain, soil category etc. are invariably taken into consideration during preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) for all NH development / upgradation projects. Accordingly, construction of roadside lined/unlined drains, Cross Drainage structures viz., Culverts, Minor & Major bridges across natural streams/drainage etc., are carried out as per scope of contract for the project by the Contractor / Concessionaire as per standard specifications and Indian Roads Congress (IRC) codes.
The Ministry has evolved a mechanism to ensure Maintenance and Repair (M&R) of all NHs sections including bridges through accountable maintenance agency.
The M&R of stretches of NHs, where Development works have commenced or Operation, Maintenance and Transfer (OMT) Concessions/ Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Contracts have been awarded, are the responsibility of the concerned Concessionaires/ Contractors till the end of the Defect Liability Period (DLP)/ the Concession Period. Similarly, for NHs stretches undertaken under TOT (Toll Operate and Transfer) and InvIT (Infrastructure Investment Trust), M&R responsibility lies with concerned Concessionaire till the end of the Concession Period.
For remaining NHs stretches, Ministry has taken policy decision to undertake maintenance works through contract maintenance, which is either Performance Based Maintenance Contract (PBMC) or Short Term Maintenance Contract (STMC), leaving no section of NHs without any accountable contractual maintenance agency.
Ministry has incurred expenditure of Rs. 6,523 Crore towards maintenance of NHs during the last year.
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