2 hours ago
6
ARTICLE AD BOX
2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 19, 2026 05:06 AM IST
“The Government takes cognizance of these grievances, apart from regular review and monitoring of NH projects ... Actions against defaulting agencies are taken as per the provisions,” said Gadkari.
Public complaints regarding the quality of national highways registered a steep 60% increase in 2025-26 compared to the previous year, according to data tabled in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
In a written response on Wednesday, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said grievances related to highway construction, maintenance, and riding surface conditions surged significantly in 2025-26. As per the data, complaints received through the public grievance portal jumped to 11,340 (as of March 12, 2026), compared to 7,030 in 2024-25 and 6,489 in 2023-24. In 2022-23, the number of complaints stood at 7,318.
The current spike is the highest recorded in the past four years. This comes at a time when highway construction has been backed by increased budgetary allocations, a large part of which goes into maintaining quality of the project to ensure road safety.
According to the data, 9,977 complaints were resolved in 2025-26 (up to March 12), compared to 7,066 in 2024-25.
“The Government takes cognizance of these grievances, apart from regular review and monitoring of NH projects … Actions against defaulting agencies are taken as per the provisions,” said Gadkari.
He further said that to address quality concerns, the government has introduced several technology-driven measures such as use of automated and machine-aided construction techniques, periodic road condition assessments using Network Survey Vehicles, and geo-tagging of defects through a centralised mobile application. Drone-based monitoring and artificial intelligence tools are also being deployed to evaluate construction quality and progress.
Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with the Business Bureau of The Indian Express. He plays a critical role in covering India's massive infrastructure sectors, providing in-depth reporting on the connectivity lifelines of the nation. Expertise & Focus Areas: Mishra’s journalism is focused on two of the country's most capital-intensive and public-facing ministries: Ministry of Railways: Tracking the operations, safety, and development of India's vast railway network. Ministry of Road Transport & Highways: Covering policy decisions, infrastructure projects, and highway development. What sets Mishra apart is his rigorous use of the Right to Information (RTI) Actas a primary tool for news gathering. By relying on official data and government records, he ensures a high degree of accuracy and trustworthiness in his reporting. This data-driven approach has resulted in numerous impactful reports that hold public institutions accountable and bring transparency to government operations. Find all stories by Dheeraj Mishra here ... Read More
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
English (US) ·