New Delhi – In a move that’s part quality control, part sanity preservation, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided that consultancy firms can no longer treat engineers like mythical multi-armed beings. Starting 60 days from now, no single engineer will be allowed to juggle more than 10 National Highway projects at a time.
The new guideline aims to bring actual supervision back into “site supervision” by cracking down on the growing trend of consultants assigning one overworked engineer to a dozen (or more) projects, effectively reducing them to Zoom-call warriors rather than boots-on-ground professionals.
“It’s about time we put an end to the ‘invisible engineer’ phenomenon,” said a senior NHAI official, with a smile that hinted at too many monthly reports authored from air-conditioned cabins rather than dusty project sites. “National highways can’t be monitored via spreadsheets alone. Real roads need real engineers.”
Under the updated guidelines, consultancy firms working on HAM and EPC models must ensure that each designated engineer visits their assigned project every month and contributes meaningfully to the Monthly Progress Report (MPR) — not just copy-paste last month’s weather update.
The move is expected to drastically improve quality control, streamline accountability, and reduce the growing mismatch between what’s in the contract and what’s on the ground. Most importantly, it might finally allow engineers to remember what the outside world looks like.
“Let’s be honest, managing 20 projects while stuck in traffic on your way to none of them was never a good idea,” quipped a consultant who requested anonymity, adding, “Now at least we’ll have time to eat lunch.”
As the clock ticks on the 60-day transition window, consultancy firms have been asked to make appropriate staffing adjustments. Because this time, the NHAI seems ready to ensure that the only thing spread too thin on national highways is butter on a dhaba paratha — not civil engineers.
