HYDERABAD: In response to criticism over the alleged poor quality of civil works, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has decided to empanel National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)-accredited laboratories. These labs will conduct necessary tests for all civil works undertaken by the civic body across various engineering divisions during the financial year 2025-26.
The primary objective of this initiative is to ensure quality assurance. The selected agencies will visit construction sites to collect samples and perform field and laboratory tests as directed by GHMC officials, including field engineers and quality control personnel. The scope of testing includes projects like cement concrete pavements, footpaths, bituminous road works, underground drainage systems, stormwater drains (box drains and RCC pipe drains), RCC buildings, culverts, bridges, solid waste management works and other civil projects.
According to GHMC sources, the independent assessment of construction quality aims to ensure the use of superior construction materials and adherence to desired quality standards. This initiative also seeks to motivate contractors to achieve higher quality benchmarks. The agency will provide independent evaluations of construction quality at various stages of the projects.
The empanelled agencies must establish a robust quality control system by adhering to prescribed testing norms. They are required to deploy competent technical personnel and their offices must be located within five kilometres of GHMC limits.
These agencies will be responsible for evaluating the quality of input materials, workmanship, and the final product by conducting relevant tests both on-site and in the laboratory. They will also supervise construction periodically at key stages. Tests, checks, and material sampling will be carried out as specified by the requisition authority, following relevant standards such as IRC, IS, ASTM, MORTH and CPHEEO. Test reports will be submitted to the authority concerned for review and compliance.