Transport Ministry to push road infra

The transport ministry has lined up big plans to give a major push to infrastructure building across the country, Union minister Nitin Gadkari was quoted as saying in a recent media statement that they were roping in an advisor for asset monetization and for suggesting innovative ways to meet funding requirements. Plans were also afoot to make the vehicle scrapping policy more attractive, with suggestions from the finance ministry and the PMO. The policy aims to pave the way for mandatory scrapping of old vehicles from April 1, 2020. The maiden bundle of nine highway projects under toll, operate and transfer (TOT) totaling 681 km of roads in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat in 2018, fetched the NHAI Rs 9,681 crores, however, the second tranche of 586 km was cancelled in February 2019 due to lukewarm response. In view of this, the government will attract private players into highway construction and has already identified 3,000 km to be bid under the build operate and transfer (BOT) mode. Similarly, for private sector revival in highways building, the ministry has identified 3,000 km of highways that have 17,000 PCU (passenger car unit) traffic.