ET Infra's Roads and Highways Summit: Improving BOT model, tech-enabled highway development, key focus points at the event, ETInfra
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NEW DELHI: Technology-enabled road development, quality maintenance as well as choosing the optimum financing model were among the key themes which resonated amongst the speakers and participants at the second edition of ET Infra's Roads and Highways Summit which was held on Friday in Delhi.Chief guest at the summit, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Harsh Malhotra, emphasized on the rapid development of highways and rural roads since 2014, which has substantially led to GDP growth and employment generation, especially in previously underserved regions like the Northeast. He further highlighted that major road infrastructure development in and around Delhi is expected to decongest the city and significantly reduce pollution.V. Umashankar, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways , spoke on significant progress in highway construction over the past decade but noted a recent dip in the pace of awards, necessitating a recalibration of direction, including improving and making more attractive the Build–Operate–Transfer (BOT) Model of highways development.He further outlined that highway construction globally and in India as well occurs in spurts, with the country's road infrastructure buildup expected to see saturation within the next 15-20 years.Rahul Kaswan, Member of Parliament and Member, Standing Committee on Transport, highlighted that while India has made strides in highway development, the infrastructure continues to face issues such as a lack of white lines and lane segmentation, faulty entry/exit points, improper compaction leading to road settlement, and potholes. He called for such issues to be addressed by the ministry and National Highways Authority of India in order to prevent the number of accidents on India's highways.Lt. Gen Raghu Srinivasan, Director General, Border Roads Organisation, underlined that since 2014, significant government impetus on infrastructure has led to a surge in border connectivity, transforming remote villages and ensuring strategic sovereignty. Major projects like the Sela Tunnel, the upcoming Shinku la Tunnel, and the Indo-Myanmar border fencing underscore the organisation's expanding scope and its commitment to developing vital infrastructure despite extreme conditions.Kesridevsinh Jhala, Member of Parliament and Member, Standing Committee on Transport, stated that for the future, the focus should be on developing climate-resilient infrastructure to withstand the impacts of global warming and sporadic weather events.Panel discussions amongst various stakeholders from the industry and government deliberated on relevant roles of Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs), Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) and Build–operate–transfer (BOT) Model, as well as budgetary support to the sector.Technology-enabled roads and highway development along with the need for sustainable practices were also among the key topics of discussion at the summit.The summit was supported by industry partners Arcadis, Welspun Enterprises, Bosch, Autodesk, Xpedeon, CP Plus, ACE (Action Construction Equipment), Khaitan & Co, Equirus Raghnall, JSA, Dextra, RETAS.Government associations included Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, NAREDCO, CSIR-Central Road Research Institute, Construction Industry Development Council, National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency.Community partners included International Road Federation (India Chapter), Construction Federation of India, National Highways Builders Federation.
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