New Delhi, May 22 (H.S.): The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) in Oslo to strengthen technical expertise for the development of national highway infrastructure.

According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the collaboration reflects NHAI’s commitment to developing and maintaining India’s national highways in line with global standards.

The MoU aims to leverage advanced international expertise for cooperation in the planning, design, evaluation and monitoring of critical infrastructure projects, particularly in the areas of tunnel engineering, slope stability analysis, slope monitoring and institutional capacity building.

Under the agreement, NGI will provide a range of consultancy services. These include site characterisation for tunnel projects, feasibility studies and preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for upcoming tunnel projects, structural assessment and safety audits of operational tunnels, advanced slope stability evaluations to identify potential hazards and recommend appropriate mitigation measures, as well as analysis and interpretation of InSAR data for slopes and the development of early warning systems.

The agreement also places special emphasis on institutional capacity building and knowledge exchange. Both organisations will collaborate on research and development initiatives related to disaster risk reduction.

Technical capabilities in the highway sector will be enhanced through joint workshops, seminars, technical training programmes and the publication of specialised technical literature.

The MoU will remain valid for a period of five years and will be implemented on a project-by-project basis. It will also allow both parties the flexibility to independently collaborate with other organisations as required.

The partnership between NHAI and NGI is expected to strengthen technical capabilities for the development of safe, sustainable and world-class national highway infrastructure. The collaboration also reflects the growing cooperation between India and Norway in infrastructure development, technology exchange and sustainable engineering practices, further deepening bilateral ties between the two countries.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar