Larsen & Toubro (L&T) chief executive S N Subrahmanyan recently outlined his views on the state of India’s infrastructure projects, highlighting both ongoing progress and areas that need renewed momentum. He pointed to central government-led projects as the primary growth driver.
Government Orders Driving Growth
“Today what is propelling is predominantly central government orders — the huge developments of Central Vista, a lot of hospital developments, both centre and states. The Jal Jeevan Mission has slowed down a little, maybe due to certain government-related matters and excess spend that has taken place. The government is reviewing how to reorganize it and take it forward,” he told MoneyControl.
He added that schemes like the Atal Mission for electrification have fared well, while the dedicated freight corridor — both western and eastern routes — is largely complete. Subrahmanyan noted that new freight corridors, such as Mumbai–Chennai and Chennai–Kolkata, could be key future projects.
Bullet Train, State-Level Push, and Big Projects
Speaking on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet train project, he observed, “The high-speed corridor between Ahmedabad and Mumbai is progressing. Much of the civil work is done, but electrical, signaling, and telecommunication packages have just been awarded, so maybe it will take another two and a half to three years. But other corridors are yet to be implemented. One high-speed corridor is fine, but other high-density corridors should also be connected with high speed, which will improve passenger movement, business movement, and so on.”
He also praised certain states for advancing projects at a faster pace. “Some states have done extremely well. Maharashtra, for example, with the Atal Setu, the coastal corridor, the metros, and many other packages. But further acceleration has to be done. Andhra is also doing quite well now — the positive atmosphere is back, and you see Amaravati coming back as the capital, with a lot of spending around Amaravati and Vizag,” he explained.
Transformational Projects Ahead
Summing up, Subrahmanyan expressed optimism about India’s infrastructure journey. “So I feel fairly positive that some states and the central government continue to push big capital projects, which are real change makers. The rapid rail transit system, the Char Dham railway system connecting important holy cities — these are epoch projects. And when you say project, it also includes locomotives and such, which have gone well. A little more push on this side will keep the economy moving like this from our point of view.”