629 of 1,191 highway projects miss deadlines; 103 contractors penalised as Gadkari flags execution gaps

As many as 629 of the 1,191 National Highway (NH) projects currently under construction have overshot their original completion schedules, underscoring persistent execution challenges in one of India's biggest infrastructure programmes, according to information tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.

Replying to questions in the Rajya Sabha, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said the delayed projects form more than half of all ongoing highway works that are yet to reach any stage of completion. While the minister did not specify the reasons behind the time overruns, the data highlights the implementation bottlenecks facing India's expanding road network.

103 contractors penalised for poor-quality highway works

In a separate reply, Gadkari informed the House that 103 contractors and concessionaires were blacklisted or penalised between 2023-24 and 2025-26 for poor-quality execution of National Highway construction projects.

The disclosures come as the government continues to tighten quality oversight while simultaneously accelerating infrastructure expansion. The ministry has increasingly relied on stricter monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to improve project execution standards across the highway network.

AI identifies 6,358 accident-prone corridors

The minister also said the government has identified 6,358 black corridors across the country using AI-based tools and Electronic Detailed Accident Report (e-DAR) data for the 2023-2025 period.

Unlike isolated black spots, these corridors represent continuous stretches of National Highways that have recorded a significant number of fatal and grievous road accidents. The identification is expected to help authorities prioritise engineering interventions and improve road safety outcomes.

Gadkari further said the government is implementing a phased rollout of Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) across nearly 52,647 km of four-lane and above National Highways and Expressways. The initiative includes Local, Regional and National Command and Control Centres for real-time traffic monitoring, incident management and analytics.

FASTag Annual Pass crosses 77 lakh users

On tolling reforms, Gadkari said the FASTag-based Annual Pass for non-commercial cars, jeeps and vans has gained significant traction since its rollout.

Available at ₹3,075 for FY27, the pass permits travel for one year or up to 200 toll plaza crossings, whichever is earlier. As of June 2026, more than 77 lakh Annual Passes had been issued, accounting for 63 crore transactions across National Highway toll plazas. The minister said Annual Pass users now contribute around 33% of all electronic toll collection transactions by cars, jeeps and vans, signalling growing adoption of the scheme.