Towards modernisation and transparency, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has introduced detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for recording and digitising the sanction process for all road projects, effective from April 1, 2024. The primary objective of this initiative is to transition towards a paperless, informative, transparent, and accountable sanction process.
It is mandatory for all road works executed through the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to adhere to these SOPs, as stated in an official notification released by the ministry. Notably, besides NHAI, other key stakeholders involved in road and highway construction, including state governments, the Border Road Organisation, the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, and all project implementation units (PIUs) under the road ministry, will also be required to sanction projects based on these SOPs. To facilitate seamless implementation, the ministry plans to onboard the concerned chief engineers of national highways from state governments onto its e-office portal. Additionally, project zone sections at the ministry’s headquarters will be responsible for creating e-files for all national highway works requiring MoRTH’s sanction.
Under the new process, proposals will be submitted electronically through the e-office, and project zones will assign a unique number for each received proposal. After scrutiny, the project zones will seek concurrence and approval from competent authorities, generating a Unique Project Code that will be updated on the ministry’s dashboard. Moreover, the planning zone, monitoring zone, and top officers in the ministry will have master access to the Project Management Information System (PMIS), Datalake, and SAP through a standard dashboard, enabling real-time monitoring of sanction details across the country. This strategic shift towards digitalisation and standardisation of the sanction process reflects MoRTH’s commitment to enhancing efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the execution of road projects, ultimately contributing to the development of robust infrastructure nationwide.
