Stung by criticism of poor construction of highways across the country, the government-run National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to enforce stricter quality control norms and procedures in procurement of key raw materials like steel and cement, government sources said on Tuesday, February 25.
NHAI, the agency entrusted for construction and maintenance of national highways, has proposed introduction of a multiple-level quality control mechanism for enhancing construction standards through use of higher quality inputs of steel and cement.
At the same time, NHAI will establish “Independent Regional Quality Control Offices (RQCs) in all five zones replacing the current practice of securing ‘one-time source approval’ from its headquarters.
These new offices will function under the NHAI’s Standards, Research, Development & Quality division. Each office will be headed by a regional quality officer (RQC), who will be responsible for coordinating and managing quality control matters in their respective regions.
The RQCs will conduct random testing of materials such as cement, steel, emulsion and products like bearings, expansion joints and components at project sites under their jurisdiction twice a year through third-party laboratories.
Last year, NHAI had issued show-cause notices to 11 steel companies across India for failing to meet the specified quality standards for rebar used in highway construction.
According to the notices, NHAI conducted random sampling of rebars provided by steelmakers and tested in third-party accredited labs. The tests revealed that the samples did not conform to the specified limits in IS-1786 for chemical composition.