The Road Transport Ministry has, for the first time, asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and highway developers to start their own YouTube channels to share regular project videos. The goal is to improve transparency and encourage citizen feedback as India expands its 1.46 lakh km highway network under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.
Road Transport Secretary V Umashankar said that uploading drone-shot videos of highway construction will help the public understand ongoing work and share feedback on problems. He noted that many useful insights already come from independent YouTubers who post updates about road conditions, and now this process will become part of official contracts.
Officials explained that highway builders already record drone footage during construction, so making it public will be a simple way to increase accountability.
At an event hosted by CII, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said new hoardings will soon include QR codes so commuters can scan and view details about contractors and officials responsible for each stretch. He added that people paying tolls deserve smooth, high-quality roads and that excuses such as weather or poor bitumen will not be accepted.
Gadkari also urged officers to respond quickly to public complaints on social media and to clearly display who is accountable for every road. He said regular performance audits will help identify maintenance gaps, reward good work, and build greater responsibility within the system.
