In a major move to ensure accountability and public safety, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has formally defined “catastrophic failures” in National Highway projects. The new policy aims to weed out substandard construction by linking structural failures directly to a contractor’s performance rating and future bidding eligibility.
What Qualifies as a ‘Catastrophic Failure’?
According to the latest circular, any incident—unless caused by Force Majeure (acts of God)—that results in loss of life or lasting structural damage is now classified as a catastrophic failure. Specific triggers include:
Structural Collapses: The collapse of any bridge, flyover, underpass, retaining wall, or launching girder during construction or operation.
Tunnel Incidents: Any collapse inside a tunnel or at its portal, or any incident during construction that traps workers for more than 72 hours.
Pavement Quality Issues: Major failures in concrete surfaces (PQC) requiring full-depth replacement of more than 2% of the road area within five years of completion.
Serviceability Lapses: Road damage that forces a carriageway to close or divert for repairs over a continuous stretch of 50 meters or more.
The Penalties: High Stakes for Contractors
The Ministry has introduced a “deduction of marks” system that will hit contractors where it hurts most—their ability to win future projects.
Heavy Rating Deduction: Contractors will face an automatic deduction of 30 marks for every instance of a catastrophic failure.
Bidding Ban: Separate reports indicate that major incidents could lead to a two-year ban from bidding on government-funded national highway projects.
Strict Reporting: Implementing agencies (like NHAI) must report such failures within one month. Failure to do so could lead to disciplinary action against government officials.
Why Now?
The decision follows a string of high-profile infrastructure collapses across the country, including incidents on the Delhi-Vadodara Expressway and the Silkyara tunnel. A recent report revealed that there were 55 structural failures on NHAI projects alone in the last five years.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recently criticized the “indiscriminate shift” from bitumen to concrete roads without proper site assessment, leading to premature collapses in low-lying areas. By codifying these failures, the Ministry aims to move away from the previous practice where contractors were often allowed to continue working after minor repairs, ensuring that quality becomes the primary metric for future contract awards.
