Highway expansion in the northeastern region has gained strong momentum, with the central government prioritising road connectivity for strategic requirements and accelerating development. Altogether 175 National Highway (NH) projects with a total length of 3,500 km are currently under construction in the region for an estimated cost of Rs 80,000 crore. Besides, the development of about 3200 km of NH in the region for an estimated cost of Rs 1.2 lakh crore is in the pipeline, which speaks volumes about the connectivity push. The region being located in a high rainfall zone and prone to landslides and other disasters, regular maintenance and repair of such a huge highway network is crucial to ensure that trade, tourism and other transportation requirements facilitated by NH are seamless in all-weather conditions. Commuters have been facing harrowing experiences during the expansion from existing two-lane highways into four-lane highways, or single lanes into double lanes, due to long delays in construction work, as contractors do not undertake minimal repairs on old highway stretches until completion of construction work. This grim preview of what the highway connectivity would become if timely post-construction upkeep is not taken calls for prioritising adequate budgetary provision for highway maintenance along with new NH projects. The parliamentary standing committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture rightly sounded a caution that when construction agencies attend to routine maintenance (filling potholes, maintaining pavement edges) but neglect periodic maintenance and rehabilitation, they may save money in the short term but eventually face expensive reconstruction costs. The parliamentary panel recommended that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) transform its approach to maintenance by implementing a comprehensive 10-step maintenance planning process that includes facility audits, task definition, prioritisation, scheduling, resource allocation, implementation, safety protocols, performance metrics, emergency preparedness, and documentation. The Committee believes that this structured approach would ensure that maintenance budgets deliver optimal outcomes through strategic targeting and efficient execution. Another important recommendation by the Committee that deserves urgent attention from MoRTH is to develop a digitised asset management system that tracks the condition of all national highways and predicts maintenance needs based on traffic patterns, climate conditions, and construction materials. This system should prioritize maintenance based on safety concerns, economic importance, and cost-effectiveness rather than simply responding to visible deterioration, the committee insists. The MoRTH maintains that the Ministry prepares a stage-wise maintenance plan considering the state-specific issues in maintenance in which hilly and northeastern states are given special attention. Repair of identified defects/issues in the road condition as well as other maintenance/repair works are completed by the Contractor/Concessionaire within the stipulated timeline as per provisions of the Contract. Compliance is ensured through regular field reports and penalty provisions incorporated in the contract documents for action against the defaulting contractor/concessionaire. Replies by the Ministry in response to recommendations of the parliamentary panel highlight that for assessment of factors like climate vulnerability, weather condition, etc., MoRTH has finalised matrices for hill slope investigation and slope stabilisation selection measures. Besides, a circular on the planning, design and construction of roads on hill terrain is also under finalisation, while the ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Institute of Rock Mechanics for peer review of geological and geotechnical investigation for the Shillong–Silchar High Speed Corridor. It is heartening to know that MoRTH has collaborated with expert institutions—the Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment for sustainable landslide/avalanche mitigation measures, the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation for the identification of landslide-prone areas and protection measures for NHs in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, and the Geological Survey of India for the vetting of the tunnel geological report. With a few months left for this year’s monsoon season, expeditious implementation of mitigation measures is crucial for reducing traffic disruption caused by landslides on hilly stretches of the NH network in the region. The maintenance measures being effective in the upkeep of highways and landslide-prone areas of the region in both the short and long term is vital for sustainable trade, tourism and other development activities. The Ministry issuing the directions to all its field officers to monitor all the completed works for performance of the maintenance obligations of the contractor during the maintenance/defect liability period is good news, but transparency on inspection and compliance of maintenance obligations is crucial for informing highway users on the maintenance schedule and actual status of highway worthiness. Once the defect liability period is over for the contractor concerned, the responsibility for maintenance of NH shifts to the MoRTH, and availability of adequate funds for maintenance and repair work is essential to ensure that upkeep of highways is not affected by shortfall in funds. The growing risks of disasters and worsening weather changes in the region highlight the need to set aside enough money for maintaining national highways in the Northeastern states to help boost their economic growth.