SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir recorded one major structural failure on a National Highway during the last five years and the current year, resulting in the deaths of 10 workers, according to data presented by the Union Government in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
The incident occurred in 2022 when an adit portal at Khooni Nallah collapsed following a landslide, killing 10 workers, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said. The executing EPC contractor was fined 1 per cent of the project cost and blacklisted in connection with the incident.
The Ministry provided the data in response to Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1214 on infrastructure failures on National and State Highways. The figures cover projects involving the collapse or major structural failure of bridges, roads, tunnels, flyovers and other highway infrastructure on National Highways.
Jammu and Kashmir’s single reported incident was among 34 such projects listed across states and Union territories in the annexure for 2021-26. The data showed that JK had the highest number of fatalities from any single incident in the dataset, with 10 deaths, while other reported incidents generally involved fewer casualties.
The Ministry clarified that it is primarily responsible for the development and maintenance of National Highways, while State Governments are responsible for State Highways. The data supplied by the Centre therefore relates to failures on National Highways and does not constitute a combined record of failures on both National and State Highways.
Across the country, the annexure recorded major structural failures in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya and Delhi during the period covered.
The Union Government said highway projects are required to comply with quality standards prescribed under Indian Roads Congress specifications and codes. Executing agencies appoint Authority’s Engineers or Independent Engineers to supervise construction, while officials conduct inspections to check compliance with stipulated quality requirements.
The Ministry also said Third-Party Quality Auditors are deployed on a case-by-case basis for independent quality assessments of National Highway works.
Where deficiencies or damage are established, action is taken under the relevant contract or concession agreements, including termination of contracts, financial penalties, liquidated damages, debarment, blacklisting and declaring agencies as non-performers.
The Centre said 11 officers had been removed from service following performance assessments, while disciplinary action had also been taken against 11 officers for various reasons, including negligence and dereliction of duty.
The national data showed that Kerala reported the largest number of listed infrastructure failure projects in a single year, with seven in 2025, while Maharashtra recorded four in 2024 and Uttar Pradesh three in 2026. Madhya Pradesh reported two deaths in 2025 after the sudden collapse of earthmass at the crown of an under-construction tunnel.
Other fatal incidents included the deaths of two workers in Andhra Pradesh in 2021 after girder collapse, one worker each in Bihar in 2022 and 2024, one in Tamil Nadu in 2021, one in Assam in 2024 and one in Kerala in 2025. Two workers were killed in Uttar Pradesh in 2026 after a reinforcement cage collapsed at a viaduct pier, while one person was killed in Delhi in 2023 after a portion of a flyover toppled.
The Centre also reported several major financial penalties and other punitive measures nationally. These included a Rs 134.78 crore penalty on a contractor in Telangana in 2022, Rs 119 crore in Madhya Pradesh in 2025, Rs 31.245 crore on contractors and Rs 5 lakh on an Independent Engineer in Kerala in 2025, and Rs 25 crore on a contractor in Bihar in 2023.
The Ministry said the measures were intended to enforce accountability and ensure compliance with prescribed standards in National Highway construction and maintenance.
