NHPC may foray into road construction

01 Apr 2019 Editorial Team

The state-run NHPC, formerly National Hydroelectric Power Corp, is reportedly exploring bidding for road construction projects. Considering that hydropower projects are located in far-flung areas, the firm has already been constructing roads in remote locations for its own use; it is already doing some Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) roads in Bihar. Reportedly, it wants to leverage its learnings from this work to tap the booming highways sector as part of its diversification strategy in India and overseas.

NHPC has constructed around 3,209 km of roads in Bihar. It now plans to participate in tariff-based or toll-based bids. Apparently, the PSU is also attracted by the National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) Bharatmala project.

According to Jagannarayan Padmanabhan, Director, CRISIL Infrastructure Advisory, “With an increased focus on awards of contracts, there is room for fresh players to compete in the Government’s highway programme. With HAM and EPC being NHAI’s preferred mode of award, and having taken away much of the project risk from the plate of the private player, this presents an exciting opportunity to developers or contractors who have dabbled in road construction before. Having said that, it is important to foray with a long-term strategy and not treat it as an opportunistic short-term play.”

Infrastructure Urban

27 Oct 2025

Coal Ministry Achieves Milestones under Special Campaign 5.0

The Ministry of Coal and its Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) have achieved notable milestones under the Special Campaign 5.0, focusing on cleanliness, operational efficiency, and sustainability across the coal sector. During the implementation phase from 2–31 October 2025, over 1,205 sites were cleaned, covering 68,04,087 sq ft, nearing the target of 82,51,511 sq ft. Scrap disposal of 5,813 MT against a target of 8,678 MT generated Rs 228.7 million in revenue. In addition, 1,11,248 physical and 30,331 electronic files were reviewed, with 74,123 weeded out or closed. Key initiatives showc..

Vesting Orders Issued for Three Coal Blocks under Commercial Auctions

The Ministry of Coal’s Nominated Authority has issued vesting orders for three coal blocks under commercial coal block auctions on 23 October 2025. The Coal Mine Development and Production Agreements (CMDPAs) for these mines were earlier signed on 21 August 2025. The three blocks include Rajgamar Dipside (Deavnara), Tangardihi North, and Mahuagarhi. Of these, two are partially explored while one is fully explored, with a combined peak rated capacity of around 1 MTPA and geological reserves of approximately 1,484.41 million tonnes. These mines are expected to generate annual revenue of abou..

TEC, IIT-Hyderabad Partner to Boost 6G and Telecom Standards

The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT Hyderabad) for joint research and technical collaboration in advanced telecom technologies and standardisation. The partnership focuses on developing India-specific standards and test frameworks for next-generation networks, including 6G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs). It also aims to enhance India’s participation in international standardisation f..