'Defective DPRs responsible for accidents': Nitin Gadkari warns contractors over highway deaths

Amid concern over lives lost on highways and the wider economic cost of road accidents, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said consultants who prepare defective detailed project reports (DPRs) are the "culprits" behind accidents and deaths on roads. Speaking at industry body FICCI's 4th Edition of Tunnels & Bridges Conference 2026 in the national capital, Gadkari also warned contractors against compromising on construction quality after securing infrastructure projects, PTI reported.

Defective DPRs under scrutiny

Gadkari said poor-quality DPRs were contributing to accidents, loss of life and loss of property, and alleged that some consultants prepare such documents with the help of Google. "Such poor quality DPR that today on road, 5 lakh accidents occur, and 1.8 lakh deaths, and all have problem of defective DPR," he said.

Contractors face audits and blacklisting

The minister said contractors would face stricter scrutiny for the quality of work on infrastructure projects. He said there would be a performance audit in addition to a financial audit, and that contractors would be punished and blacklisted on the basis of the findings if they were found to have compromised on quality.

He said these failures were causing economic loss and leading to deaths in road accidents. Gadkari also said contractors and DPR consultants would be given ratings, and those ratings would be used to decide whether they would be allowed to take part in future bids.

Focus on quality and accountability

At the conference, Gadkari said the government's priority was to provide cost-effective, high-quality infrastructure and that there could be no compromise on quality. He said the ministry would review existing provisions on subcontracting of highway works to ensure contractual requirements were followed and that responsibility for quality and timely execution remained with the principal contractor.

He added that the ministry was already assessing contractors on the basis of performance and had started extending the exercise to consultants preparing DPRs, with tender eligibility proposed to be linked to such assessments.

Challenges in tunnel and bridge construction

Gadkari also stressed the need for detailed and robust DPRs to ensure better infrastructure and meet international standards. He said poor-quality DPRs and inadequate geological data often lead to cost overruns, delays and safety concerns.

Referring to the challenges of construction in Himalayan terrain, including landslides, extreme weather, natural hazards and logistical difficulties, Gadkari said building tunnels and bridges in the Himalayas was more difficult than in black rock regions. He highlighted the importance of precast methodology, advanced tunnel boring machines, better survey and monitoring, and early warning systems to prevent failures, and said the ministry was preparing tunnel tenders worth ₹2 lakh crore to ₹2.5 lakh crore.