The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has made sweeping changes in the process of constructing roads in difficult terrain, which will ensure the safety and sustainability of the highways. The new model would not provide any incentives to contractors to finish the work around the National Highway and centrally sponsored road projects in the mountainous area ahead of schedule. A contractor’s previous incentives rate was 0.03% of the contract price for each day a project was completed in advance.
Guidance has also been provided to ensure newly sloped areas are able to withstand at least one monsoon season until final road construction and permanent structures can be completed. The transfer is happening as increasing worries are being voiced about the aggressive hill cutting and heightened development which have worsened landslides, erosion and slope failures in a number of areas throughout the nation.
The new guidelines foretell that the first step of road projects will be dedicated to the formation cutting and slope profiling. Permanent works, such as any works involving the construction of the pavement can only commence when the authorities confirm that the slopes are stable after the monsoon has exposed them.
The amended rules also toughened geological and environmental protection measures. Comprehensive slope protection measures should be performed, such as sealing tension cracks, soil nailing, rock bolting and anchoring the ground with ground anchors, as well as delivering state-of-the-art drainage systems to mitigate the risk of water-induced slopes failures, among other things in the prevention of slope failure.
These changes are to increase the resistance of various facilities and reduce disaster risks, the Centre said, “In a geologically vulnerable hill area, the durability of various facilities is improved by reducing the disaster risk.” The new rules will be used for all new and future highway projects in the mountains.