In Parliament: Major infra projects see 14 structural failures in two years

Even as the government pushes forward its mission to develop multi-crore infrastructure, a string of structural failures have revealed critical gaps in the planning and execution of national highway projects across India.

In a written reply in Parliament, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has admitted that several under-construction stretches of highways witnessed major safety failures in the last two years.

In one of the most tragic of these events, a portion of the Baihata flyover on NH-27 collapsed in Assam on June 22, 2023, killing one person and injuring two others. The flyover was yet to be opened to the public.

The contractor was fined Rs 1 crore and barred from bidding for government highway contracts for four months. The incident occurred while preparations were underway for deck casting and revealed major shortcomings in the design and formwork systems.

In the region, Himachal Pradesh is suffering the double whammy of flawed engineering and natural fury. Heavy rainfall and landslides in July 2023 severely damaged various stretches of the national highway between Kullu and Manali and NH-5 between Parwanoo and Solan.

The embankment near Bindu Dhank on Kullu-Manali NH and the protective structures at several locations were washed away. A Bailey bridge had to be deployed near Raison after the pavement at Solang Nullah was scoured out. The damage was so extensive that sections of the national highway had to be completely realigned, with protective RCC counterfort walls being installed as long-term stabilisation measures.

In Haryana, a spine box girder collapsed during the erection of the superstructure on the Rajiv Chowk–Sohna section of NH-248A. Besides the imposition of Rs 3 crore penalty on the contractor, the ministry removed the design consultants from other projects and ordered a detailed design review, admitting that the structure had not been adequately stabilised during the temporary stage.

Uttar Pradesh has also witnessed multiple structural failures in the recent months. A girder collapsed during launch activities between Bulandshahr and Garhmukteshwar on NH-709AD.

In another incident, a concrete slab fell between on the Dumariyaganj–Utraula stretch of NH-730A during shuttering work. Although there were no casualties, both incidents raised serious questions about site management and supervision. Penalties were imposed and the designs were sent for reassessment.

On the Jhargram flyover in West Bengal, span P17–P18 collapsed in March 2024. The accident triggered a complete redesign of the structure. Though the ministry has not disclosed the financial penalty, the project came under a safety audit, and supervision was tightened after the incident.

In Gujarat, the collapse of a flyover slab on NH-48 in Bharuch during reinforcement work forced the contractor to dismantle the segment entirely. It is now being rebuilt under a revised structural plan.

In Punjab, the Ropar–Bathinda section of NH-7 did not see a full collapse, but extensive cracking of slabs, damaged parapets and poor drainage were flagged during safety inspections. The ministry attributed this to probable shrinkage or settlement issues and directed that the entire stretch be structurally rectified.

In Kerala, a culvert wing wall on NH-183 near Karukachal gave way due to rain-induced erosion, and in Andhra Pradesh, a parapet wall collapsed on NH-40 near Kadapa, revealing structural vulnerability during the monsoon season.

In response to concerns around these incidents, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways told Parliament that it had taken appropriate action – imposed monetary penalties, suspended works, ordered redesigns and even blacklisted the erring agencies.

The ministry confirmed that design consultants were removed from current projects following their failure to ensure safe and stable engineering.

To address repeated failures, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has also directed its regional offices to submit incident reports within 15 days and conduct joint inspections with contractors and independent design experts.

The reply also stated that the government is revising its design and safety protocols, and mandating third-party verification, especially for the design of temporary staging structures and girder-launching systems, areas found to be behind several recent accidents.

Despite this corrective stance, the data reveals a disturbing pattern. At least 14 major structural incidents have occurred across key infrastructure projects in less than two years. Many of these projects are part of flagship highway expansion schemes like the Bharatmala and National Highways Development Project, raising doubts over the rigour of audits and the accountability of public-private partnerships.