The Indian Roads Congress (IRC) is the Apex Body of Highway Engineers in the country set up by the Govt. of India. IRC works in close collaboration with Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The Director General (Road Development) & Special Secretary, MoRTH, is the Honorary Treasurer of the IRC. The Principal objectives of IRC are to provide a national forum for regular pooling of experience and ideas on all matters concerned with the construction and maintenance of highways, to recommend standard specifications and to provide a platform for the expression of professional opinion on matters relating to roads and road transport.
Standards development activities of IRC
a) IRC has set up following three Apex Committees for formulation of Standards, Codes of Practices and Guidelines related to all aspects of design, construction and maintenance of roads and bridges, road transportation, traffic as well as general aspects of road and bridge engineering through various Technical committees working under the respective apex committee:
- Highways Specifications & Standards Committee (HSS)
- Bridges Specifications & Standards Committee (BSS) &
- General Specifications & Standards Committee (GSS).
So far IRC has published 112 specifications/standards/design codes and 96 special publications. The List of Standards published by IRC can be accessed at http://www.irc.nic.in/publications.aspx; https://law.resource.org/pub/in/bis/manifest.irc.html
b) Compliance to IRC specification No. SP:58 of 2001 related to use of fly ash has been made mandatory by Ministry of Environment Forests & Climate Change, Govt. of India by issuing an amendment to their fly ash notification while undertaking construction or approve design for construction of roads or flyover embankment within a radius of hundred kilometers of thermal power plant.
Certification/Accreditation activities of IRC
IRC also accredit patented or new materials / techniques, developed in India / abroad and evaluated as per recognized national / international specifications through a committee for accreditation of new materials and techniques under the aegis of Highway Research Board of IRC. For details of accreditation services see the information provided at
Brief of Accreditation
Guidelines for accreditation of new materials and techniques
Website: www.irc.nic.in
Key contact person on Standards: Under Secretary-II, +91-11-2338 7759