Roads Ministry issues public consultation guidelines for highway projects after Public Accounts Committee makes recommendations

Taking cognisance of recommendations made by the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, headed by senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has informed the panel that it has issued guidelines for structured public consultation in all future highway projects at the stage of preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR).

Under the revised Request for Proposal (RFP) document for inviting bids from consultants to prepare DPRs, a mandatory provision for public consultation has been incorporated.

For all brownfield projects, the Ministry informed the panel that consultations will be held with the village sarpanch, the mayor or chairperson of the municipal body, the District Magistrate, and the State Public Works Department. For greenfield projects, consultations will additionally be held with the local MLA and MP.

The panel had, in earlier meetings, flagged concerns that highways were often being constructed by sub-contractors not listed with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and who did not always comply with prescribed norms. At the meeting on Wednesday (July 15, 2026), the NHAI informed the committee that it has introduced a requirement for all sub-contractors undertaking work worth 8% or more of the total project cost to register with it.

Reflecting on the deficiencies flagged by members regarding inadequate facilities at toll plazas, Mr. Venugopal pulled up both the NHAI and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Pointing out that the NHAI, through a 2023 amendment to the National Highways Fee Rules, enabled a system of continued toll collection that benefited concessionaires, he said similar attention had not been paid to the concerns of commuters.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad pointed out that ambulances required to be stationed at toll plazas were often absent, leading to delays in emergency response on highways, sources said. BJP MP Anurag Thakur raised concerns about the behaviour of toll plaza staff and said they needed better training in dealing with commuters.

Mr. Venugopal also flagged the issue of underreporting of traffic by concessionaires, referring to an audit report that found FASTag records showed traffic volumes up to 69% higher than those recorded in concessionaires’ ledgers in several instances.

Responding to the issue, the NHAI informed the panel that a pilot project using the Automatic Number Plate Recognition System is operational at five toll plazas and will be extended to more locations. The system, officials said, is expected to address several issues, including underreporting of traffic, which currently results in revenue losses to the exchequer.