NEW DELHI: Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday sought accountability, transparency, and ownership among contractors, consultants, and officials to ensure that India’s highways are built and maintained to world-class standards.
He announced that stricter measures would be implemented to ensure transparency and performance-linked accountability across all projects.
All road projects will undergo performance audits and ratings based on quality and accident data, he said.
“Every stakeholder, from the contractor to the engineer to the policymaker, must take ownership of their work. Accountability and quality are non-negotiable… Roads must not only be built but also maintained to international standards. Roads are national assets. Those who build or manage them must be answerable to the people of India,” Gadkari said.
The minister was delivering a keynote address at the Smart Roads Conference 2025, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi.
He said that details of project officials, contractors, developers and consultants would be displayed publicly to enhance accountability to citizens and poor quality work or negligence will invite penalties and blacklisting.
Reaffirming the Government’s target of a five trillion economy by 2027, Gadkari underscored that the path to this vision lies in creating world-standard infrastructure across water, power, transport, and communication, which together form the backbone of India’s economic progress, “If infrastructure is strong, industry, trade, and employment will grow; income will rise, and poverty will decline,” he said.
He also added that the ministry’s annual revenue, which is currently at Rs 55,000 crore, is projected to rise to Rs 1.4 lakh crore within two years, reflecting the immense growth potential of the sector.
He added that a comprehensive 2027 infrastructure plan was discussed in the Cabinet, which includes sustainable initiatives such as the use of 80 lakh tonnes of segregated plastic waste in road construction and the reuse of treated water from purification plants for road building.
The minister also outlined his vision around three core pillars-- People, Prosperity, and Planet.
“Roads should bring comfort, convenience, and safety. Modern roadside amenities, electric charging stations, and clean, accessible toilets are being developed to enhance the travel experience. Performance audits and transparent monitoring will ensure accountability at every level,” he added.
Gadkari emphasised balancing infrastructure growth with ecological responsibility.
“We will not compromise on quality. Together, government, industry, and engineers must deliver world-standard roads that ensure safety, sustainability, and comfort for every Indian,” Gadkari said.
