Infrastructure for Inclusive Growth, 2011

Date: June 13, 2011Venue: DehradunOrganiser: PHDCCI and ASAPP MediaThe Summit, organised by PHDCCI and ASAPP Media, discussed ways to overcome the current constraints in infrastructure in Uttarakhand. Titled ‘Infrastructure for Inclusive Growth’, the  discussed how building sustainable infrastructure can enable social development, especially in the far flung areas of the ‘hill-plain’ state. Speakers compared the state to Switzerland in terms of topography and potential.Punit Agrawal, AGM, Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India said about 800 km of rail lines could potentially be explored in Uttarakhand. Rajan Malhotra, Regional Head, L&T, said, “Our experience in Uttarakhand has been bad, in part due to delays in decision making. For example, some financial bids have not been opened for two years.” Sumit Barua, PPP Expert (ADB), Uttarakhand Public Private Partnership Cell, countered that perception by describing the 86 projects in the pipeline under PPP in the state, worth Rs 5,182 crore. Similarly, road infrastructure formed a focus area of discussion.Dr SP Singh, ex-Vice Chancellor, HNB Garhwal University and Member of the State’s Planning Commission, said: “Roads are important but must include health and safety as two critical elements for development. “Carbon concentration in our hill stations has increased, clearly calling for sustainable and integrated solutions.”  “The question,” he said, “is how to get investors and the government interested in such projects.” State Planning Commission Advisor Virendra Uniyal urged PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) to develop a sustainable model for tourism in the state.Uttarakhand’s main focus will remain  on harnessing the existing strengths of the state, and that infrastructure will be built to support those activities, such as Ayurveda and tourism. As expected, tourism has attracted the maximum number of projects, 23 of them worth approximately Rs 1,837 crore, while energy followed with 15 worth Rs 899 crore and urban development with seven projects of Rs 811 crore. One of the issues plaguing the entire nation’s infrastructure industries is trained labour and human resources, and Infrastructure Today’s Editor-in-Chief and ASAPP Media Information Group’s Managing Director Pratap Vijay Padode underlined that concern. “Uttarakhand is at an inflection point,” he said. “What is needed therefore is inclusive growth through skill development.” Optimism reigned as speakers pointed out plans for the state to be power surplus again within five years, after a gap of a decade of being deficit on power supply. Padode stressed the importance of hydro electric power as the mainstay for the state.GP Patel, MD and Director (Finance), Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd, said, “While the roadmap was clear for his company to traverse hydro and solar projects to make the state power-surplus, land acquisition, R&R and funding remained deterrents, apart from more natural causes such as a young, weak terrain mountain range leading to ‘geological surprises’.”