Urgent Need to Strengthen Quality Standards in Highway and Infrastructure Projects: K K Kapila
New Delhi: Highlighting growing concerns over the deteriorating quality of highways, especially during and after the monsoon season, K. K. Kapila , a well known infrastructure expert, former president, Consulting Engineers Association of India (CEAI) and chairman Intercontinental Consultants and Technocrats (ICT) has urged the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India to take decisive steps to ensure accountability and improve construction standards across all infrastructure projects.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s recent review of the highway sector and the directive to the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways to prioritise quality improvement by May, Mr. Kapila welcomed the move to establish robust Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) aimed at ensuring consistency and accountability.
He also appreciated the strong stance taken against poorly performing and litigating contractors. The proposed mechanism to bar blacklisted contractors from indirectly participating in fresh bids, and to factor “litigative behaviour” into contractor ratings, is seen as a critical step toward instilling discipline and improving execution standards in the sector.
However, Mr. Kapila emphasised that the issue of poor quality is not limited to highways alone but extends to projects undertaken by multiple ministries. He reiterated his earlier recommendation that the amended General Financial Rules (GFR), which provide for Quality-cum-Cost Based Selection (QCBS) in construction, must be uniformly implemented across all ministries and departments.
He stressed that adopting the QCBS framework — with a weightage of 30% for quality and 70% for cost — for all works and procurement of goods would significantly enhance construction standards and ensure long-term durability of public assets.
“Unless quality is institutionalised in procurement processes, merely penalising errant contractors will not deliver sustainable results. A systemic shift toward quality-based evaluation is the need of the hour,” Mr. Kapila stated.
He has requested the Hon’ble Prime Minister to issue necessary directions to all Secretaries of various Ministries to immediately adopt the QCBS provision for all public works and procurement processes.
Mr. Kapila reiterated that ensuring quality infrastructure is essential for public safety, economic efficiency, and optimal utilisation of national resources.
