Surveillance Drones to make monthly trips at all HN projects – NHAI

Project Directors of NHAI shall undertake monthly drone surveys from the date of signing of contract agreement till start of construction of the project at site and at completion of the project.

To enhance transparency, uniformity and leverage latest technology, NHAI has made mandatory use of drones for monthly video recording of National Highway projects during all stages of Development, Construction, Operation and Maintenance. Contractors and Concessionaires shall carry out the drone video recording in presence of Team Leader of the Supervision Consultant and upload comparative project videos of the current and last month on NHAI’s portal ‘Data Lake’, capturing various project related developments during the month. Supervision Consultants shall analyze these videos and will provide their comments on the digital monthly progress reports covering various aspects of the project development.

These videos will also be used by NHAI officials during the physical inspection of the projects to check the discrepancies and rectifications made based on the earlier observations. Additionally, Project Directors of NHAI shall undertake monthly drone surveys from the date of signing of contract agreement till start of construction of the project at site and at completion of the project. NHAI will also undertake a monthly drone survey in all developed projects where NHAI is responsible for operation and maintenance. Since these videos will be permanently stored on the ‘Data Lake’, they can also be used as evidence during the dispute resolution process before Arbitral Tribunals and Courts. NHAI is committed to adhere to the highest quality standards during construction of projects. Recently, NHAI has introduced Independent Inspection of the ongoing National Highways projects, by involving reputed retired government officials. These inspections are held in addition to the regular inspection of the projects by NHAI officials.

The quality inspections not only ensure adherence to standards but also verify compliance to specific contractual requirements and good engineering practices with reference to procedures formulated as per approved Quality Assurance Plan. Apart from this, deployment of Network Survey Vehicle (NSV) has also been made mandatory to carry out road condition surveys on the National Highways to enhance quality. The deployment will enhance the overall quality of the highways as NSV uses latest survey techniques such as high-resolution digital camera for 360-degree imagery, Laser Road Profilometer and other related technology for measurement of distresses in road surface. Sharp focus on Quality, Technology and Transparency by NHAI will enhance the overall quality and ensure timely completion of the National Highway projects. This will further result in better upkeep of National Highways, leading to more comfort and better travel experience for Highways users.

For more info visit: https://nhai.gov.in/

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