Highway Road Infrastructure Development

India’s road sector had been stagnating since 2012, hamstrung by the economic slowdown and a lack of private sector participation. Between 2012 and 2014, the government could only award 5,000 kilometres of road projects or about seven kms a day. Modi, on the other hand, promised to build 30 kms of roads a day.

To revive the road sector, the Modi government decided to rely on a tried-and-tested model of construction: the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model. In this model, the construction of the road is executed by the private developer, but funded by the government.

The Modi government also devised a new hybrid annuity model in April this year, where it would share project costs with the private sector in a 40:60 ratio. Under this model, the government provides 40% of the project cost to the developer to start work while the remaining investment will have to be made by the road contractor. While the government is for a revival and increased momentum in the highway sector, it has gone to Spain, Malaysia and Japan to invite investors to take part in projects under its latest hybrid annuity model.

Narendra Modi wants to build a massive new highway that cuts across the heart of the country, connecting all of India’s Himalayan states.The Indian prime minister wants to do this in five years, at an estimated cost of Rs14,000 crore ($2.2 billion).

Road projects like Bharatmala and Setu Bharatam will accelerate the pace of development in the country. Bharatmala will connect 123 districts to national highways. Under the Setu Bharatam project, we'll be building over 400 new bridges.

A big push in the roads sector is key to the NDA government’s infrastructure focus, wherein it has drawn up an ambitious target to award highway projects worth Rs 3.5 lakh crore. As many as 1,231 projects measuring 37,000 km have been firmed up for award by the ministry over the next two years.


The government is planning to award over 100 road projects under the public-private partnership mode in the next financial year. 

Besides, about 111 projects completed on the engineering, construction and procurement mode are ready to be put up for sale by the government. For the BOT-toll projects too, the government has approved the exit policy which allows an operator to move out of a project two years after the completion. This has been done to free up the locked capital for further investment in the infrastructure sector.

Major Projects

Bharatmala 

The project will start from Gujarat and Rajasthan, move to Punjab and then cover the entire string of Himalayan states – Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand – and then portions of borders of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar alongside Terai, and move to Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and right up to the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur and Mizoram.

 Setu Bharatam

Under the " Setu Bharatam" scheme the road transport and highways ministry will undertake construction of 150 Rail Over Bridges (ROBs) and bridges during the current financial year for seamless connectivity. Target is to build 210 ROBs in the next two years and about 400-500 bridges would be built as standalone projects.

Delhi-Meerut expressway

Rs 6,500-crore Delhi-Meerut expressway project will be undertaken with private investment. The Delhi-Meerut expressway project, where 27 km of 150 km is to have 16 lanes, is being bid out under the BOT (build-operate-transfer) model.

Peripheral Expressways 

The prime minister layed the foundation for 135 km-long Eastern Peripheral Expressway worth Rs.5,763 crore and 136 km-long Western Peripheral Expressway worth Rs.2,274 crore. Another project is widening (8-laning) of the 70 km long stretch between Mubarka Chowk in Delhi to Panipat on the NH-44 worth Rs. 2,129 crore.

The Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) is expected to be commissioned by July 2018. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is executing the project under six packages through the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) mode.

Ref:

1. http://qz.com/394021/is-modis-new-2-billion-trans-india-highway-project-just-too-ambitious/
2. http://www.newsroompost.com/192978/bharat-mala-modis-ambitious-road-project-gujarat-mizoram/
3. http://qz.com/518024/narendra-modi-has-put-indias-road-sector-back-on-track-but-some-potholes-remain/
4. http://www.thestatesman.com/mobi/news/delhi/modi-to-lay-foundation-stone-for-rs-10-166-crore-highway-projects/101620.html
5. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-06-29/news/63937636_1_highway-projects-road-ministry-highway-sector
6. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Setu-Bharatam-to-build-bridges-rail-over-bridges/articleshow/47227670.cms

Indian

Blogger

This blog is intended to list all major projects initiated by or supported by NDA Govt and PM Modi. Information is collated from government websites and several publically available information on news sites and blogs. Please use comment section or contact form below to notify any updates or corrections. Thank You.