The Construction Federation of India (CFI) has called for a stronger focus on the quality, safety and long-term performance of infrastructure as India enters the next phase of its development journey. 
Speaking on the occasion of Independence Day, CFI President and L&T Ltd. Advisor to the CMD M. V. Satish said India's infrastructure priorities should move beyond delivering projects at greater scale and speed and place equal importance on quality, safety, integrity and long-term performance. 
CFI is a national industry body representing India's construction and infrastructure sector. It works on areas including professionalism, safety, quality, innovation, technology and sustainable construction practices. 
India is undertaking infrastructure development across expressways, metro systems, railway corridors, airports, ports, tunnels and bridges. Projects such as the Chenab Rail Bridge, Anji Khad Bridge and Atal Setu have demonstrated the country's ability to execute complex engineering projects. 
However, CFI said the industry's next priority should be ensuring that quality, safety and performance remain consistent throughout the infrastructure lifecycle. 
The federation said several challenges faced during construction can be traced back to the project preparation stage. Inadequate site investigations, weak detailed project reports (DPRs), incomplete utility mapping, unrealistic cost estimates and insufficient risk assessment can result in delays, redesigns, disputes and cost increases. 
CFI has therefore called for better project preparation and greater emphasis on technical competence. It said procurement for complex infrastructure projects should assess the technical capability and experience of bidders along with lifecycle value, rather than being determined only by the lowest initial cost. 
The federation also highlighted the wider and appropriate use of Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS), which considers both technical quality and cost while selecting project partners. 
CFI said technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), LiDAR, drones, digital twins and artificial intelligence can improve project planning, design, monitoring and asset management. 
At the same time, the federation stressed that technology cannot replace engineering judgement and professional expertise. Poor-quality or incomplete data can limit the effectiveness of AI-based systems, while digital models cannot substitute for proper site investigations. 
The focus, therefore, should be on using technology to strengthen the work of engineers and other professionals involved in infrastructure projects. 
CFI has also called for infrastructure to be designed and managed with its full operating life in mind rather than being assessed only on the basis of completion and inauguration. 
Greater attention is required on durability, preventive maintenance, structural health monitoring, climate resilience and timely rehabilitation, it said. The federation maintained that the value of an infrastructure asset should be assessed not only through its construction cost but also through its performance and maintenance requirements over its lifetime. 
The federation said accountability remains necessary in cases involving negligence or misconduct. At the same time, infrastructure failures should lead to a broader assessment of the systems involved in delivering and maintaining the asset. 
Such reviews should cover design, site investigation, procurement, supervision, quality assurance and maintenance practices. CFI said lessons from failures should be used to strengthen processes and reduce the possibility of similar incidents in the future. 
India has already demonstrated its ability to execute large and technically complex infrastructure projects at considerable speed. CFI said the challenge ahead is to make this performance more consistent in terms of safety, durability and sustainability. 
The federation outlined the need for a stronger chain across the infrastructure development process, beginning with better data and DPRs, followed by better design, procurement, construction, inspection and maintenance. 
As India works towards the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, CFI said speed and quality should not be treated as competing priorities. The focus should be on delivering infrastructure that is completed efficiently while also meeting high standards of safety, quality and long-term performance. 
Source PTI