Tunnel builders can opt for TBM leasing option: NHAI

Construction companies bagging contracts from NHAI for building roads in hilly terrains now need not buy expensive tunnel boring machines (TBMs) but can lease them, according to Member-Projects, NHAI, RK Pandey. Under the Bharatmala project, Road Ministry's NHAI and National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) have to build almost 400 km of tunnels. If the lowest bidder who wins a project, goes to buy a TBM, it may take two years for him to get it. Since projects that involve building tunnels through high altitude areas are much more expensive, both the government and private sector stakeholders want to cover their risks in the contract documents. Geotechnical risks in Himalayan tunneling projects are unpredictable and can result in huge cost and time over-runs, said CEO, PEMS Consultants, Vinod Shukla. For the first time, NHIDCL has incorporated a risk matrix for geotechnical risks involved in such projects. Executive Director, NHIDCL, Sanjeev Malik, noted that while there is scope for the government to take more risks, it is already taking several risks in the EPC model of project implementation against the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. In EPC, the government funds the entire project, while in BOT the private sector shares more risks, including funding.