National Road Infra Conclave 2022: The first edition of the National Road Infra Conclave (NRIC) was organized by the Financial Express Online, saw discussions by industry experts on emerging opportunities as well as trends in the road infrastructure sector. The event also analyzed the impact of policies and initiatives of the government while identifying the strategies for the faster execution of road projects. When asked about his opinion about the current pace of infrastructure development in the road and highway sector by FinancialExpress.com, Sudhendu Sinha, Adviser (Infrastructure Connectivity – Transport and Electric Mobility) at Niti Aayog said the pace is what it was never before. That is the kind of speed at which it is being taken. In addition to the speed, the approach to inclusion is something that is phenomenal. We are fanning out areas that have been infrastructurally deficit since the last decades together, he said.
When asked if the pace of construction can accelerate further and how can it contribute to the overall GDP growth, Sinha said that that is what the aspiration is. It is a very aspirational target that we have laid down for ourselves, he said. The idea is very clear that we must be surpassing 50 km a day or beyond that. So with respect to laying down of quality road- that is not the only area. To add on to it is ensuring that the road amenities are developed, road safety is assured. The kind of roads that we are laying down that is absolutely world-class, he claimed.
He further said that we have to ensure that even the maintenance is also world-class. It is not that we lay down the road and after a few years, it is completely gone. He also added the resilience aspect to it. The road strength has to be so good that in the event of any crisis- it should be able to bounce back to its original position with the least cost and fastest possible ways. Finally, he also mentioned its sustainability part. According to him, the roads ought to be green roads. The kind of materials we are using ought to be sustainable.
When asked if he is happy with the current level of monetization happening on highways and his thoughts on how to speed this up going forward, Sinha said that a lot of initiatives are being taken to monetize it. The idea is the kind of aspiration we have laid down for ourselves, the number of kilometres we want. When we say we want to connect each and every segment that has a population of 500 or 250, if that is the kind of connectivity that we are looking for with quality parameters, naturally not everything cannot be done with government funds.
According to him, one has to leverage it for kind of bringing in private funds. Now naturally, when we go to private area, private investors ought to be given that confidence. Monetization is one of such initiatives, we gain that confidence, and the funds start flowing in from there. A lot of initiatives have been taken and it is still going on. The way we are taking it forward and the way the private sector is putting interest, we are able to find the appetite for investment in the road sector, which probably is the highest among the infrastructure sector, that itself is a kind of indication, that how much the private sector is valuing their contribution in the roads and how much the government and allied agencies are facilitating their role into it, Sinha said.