New Delhi, Oct 12 — National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has introduced a stricter monitoring and enforcement mechanism to ensure proper upkeep and maintenance of toilet blocks and other facilities, including toll collection booths, surrounding areas and signboards, an official statement said on Monday.
User Fee Collection Agencies will be required to comply with the prescribed service standards for toilets and other facilities as NHAI officials will inspect these facilities at least once every week under the new mechanism.
The initiative aims to ensure that agencies responsible for maintaining public-facing infrastructure meet prescribed service standards and address deficiencies promptly, the statement from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.
If proper maintenance is found deficient, the concerned User Fee Collection Agency will be issued a show-cause notice and directed to rectify the issue within the stipulated time.
Notices along with dated photographs will be uploaded on NHAI’s Data Lake portal to ensure transparency and proper monitoring. The concerned agency will also be required to submit its reply and upload photographs showing the corrective action taken. NHAI field units will monitor progress and ensure that deficiencies are addressed within the prescribed time.
“Where a deficiency amounts to a violation of the contract or prescribed service standards, NHAI will impose the applicable penalty in accordance with the contractual provisions and existing guidelines,” the statement noted.
NHAI has also introduced a provision to take action against agencies that repeatedly fail to rectify deficiencies. When the number of notices for unresolved deficiencies reaches or exceeds 10 per cent of the total number of toll plazas being operated by an agency, the agency will be declared a non-performer.
Such an agency will not be eligible to participate in bidding for toll plazas, regular toll plaza contracts, civil works or any other NHAI bid for a period of 15 days or until all pending deficiencies are rectified.
The new mechanism will apply to publicly funded toll plazas and other toll plazas where User Fee Collection Agencies are appointed by NHAI. It will operate in addition to the existing policies, guidelines and contractual provisions.