Syllabus: GS-III & V: Infrastructure 

Why in the news?

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has decided to impose penalties on contractors for accidents occurring on Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) highway stretches — a significant step toward enhancing accountability. However, in the Northeast region, where highway construction and maintenance delays are chronic, the impact of such measures remains uncertain.

Current Situation in the Northeast

• Between 2014 and now, 74 out of 576 delayed national highway projects in India are in the Northeast. 
  • This includes 17 in Assam, 8 in Sikkim, 7 each in Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, 6 in Nagaland, and 4 each in Tripura and Meghalaya.
• National highways, though forming only 2% of India’s road network, account for over 35% of road-accident deaths, reflecting severe safety gaps.
• The region’s highways are frequently damaged by floods, landslides, erosion, and heavy rainfall, leading to weeks of traffic disruption and isolation of remote districts.
  

Key Issues

• Delays in Project Completion:
  
  • Factors such as land acquisition hurdles, utility shifting, law-and-order problems, financial distress of contractors, and natural disasters have prolonged timelines.
    
  • Force majeure events, including COVID-19, added to cost overruns and execution delays.
    
• Maintenance Neglect:
  
  • Even completed stretches face poor maintenance, with damaged pavements, unmarked diversions, and blocked drains, raising the risk of accidents.
    
  • Post-disaster repairs are sluggish, showing lack of coordination among implementing agencies.
    
• Limited Accountability:
  
  • The new MoRTH penalty clause applies only after project completion, making it difficult to fix responsibility for accidents during the construction phase.
    
  • Under BOT norms, contractors are bound to maintain highways for 15–20 years, but penalties can be imposed only once these projects are operational.
    
• Safety Infrastructure Gaps:
  
  • Abrupt diversions, poor signage, and inadequate lighting make under-construction highways extremely hazardous for commuters.
    

Policy and Accountability Measures

• Penalty Mechanism: If more than one accident occurs on a completed BOT stretch within a year, contractors face a penalty of ₹25 lakh, rising to ₹50 lakh for repeated negligence.
  
• Black-Spot Identification: MoRTH’s national programme identifies and rectifies accident-prone stretches through engineering redesign and safety audits.
  
• Act East Policy: Enhancing road connectivity in the Northeast remains central to India’s strategic outreach to Southeast Asia, making timely completion of highway projects a geopolitical as well as economic priority.
  

What Needs to Be Done?

• Strengthen Monitoring: Introduce real-time dashboards and independent third-party audits for ongoing and completed projects.
  
• Expedite Execution: Resolve bottlenecks in land acquisition, clearances, and contractor financing to ensure timely completion.
  
• Ensure Robust Maintenance:
  
  • Conduct periodic inspections and enforce performance-based maintenance contracts.
    
  • Create rapid-response teams for post-disaster road repairs.
    
• Enhance Safety Engineering:
  
  • Mandate proper signage, lane markings, and slope protection in hilly terrain.
    
  • Use geo-textiles and slope stabilisation technologies to minimise erosion.
    
• Community Engagement: Empower local monitoring committees to report hazards and monitor contractor performance.
  

Exam Hook – Key Takeaways

• The Northeast’s highway network is crucial not only for connectivity but also for strategic and economic integration.
  
• While MoRTH’s penalty clause enhances accountability, it must be supported by timely execution, maintenance funding, and safety monitoring.
  
• Sustainable highway infrastructure requires a shift from reactive repair to preventive maintenance and climate-resilient engineering.
  

Mains Question

“Analyse the challenges of highway construction and maintenance in India’s Northeast region. Suggest institutional and engineering measures to ensure safe and timely completion.”

One-line wrap:
In the Northeast, highways are more than roads — they are lifelines that demand not just construction, but care, accountability, and resilience.

SOURCE