All of us, at some point or the other, have seen a pavement or a road being dug to lay wires or pipelines after the construction work is done. We always wonder why there is no synergy between the two departments and why taxpayer money is being misused like this. Construction work goes on for years and then even after completion it faces some or other problem. As most of us do, we then compare India with other countries and wonder why we cannot make infrastructure like them. Well, things are about to change!
On 13th October 2021, India released itself from the shackles of age-old notions about its capabilities. PM Narendra Modi announced the 100 lakh crore project PM Gati Shakti Master Plan for developing infrastructure holistically with the latest technology available in the industry. Gati Shakti means the power of speed, and this name encompasses the plan that our government has for the industry in the next decade. Infrastructure has always been the key driving force behind the economy of our country and it makes sense that the government is planning to propel India into the world’s third largest construction market in the next few years.
The main aim of this project is to create synergy between different departments that are involved in a project. We often see that projects are delayed simply because of the miscommunication between different stakeholders. Gati Shakti will give a platform to different ministries to ensure multi modal connectivity. A digital platform will be created for the planning and execution of a project. All the ministries involved will have access to the planning and the data collected for the project to ensure that there is no overlap or delay. 16 major ministries like railways, petroleum & gas, roads and highways, telecom, power, and aviation among others are a part of this platform.
We at GVK believe that infrastructure is like a gift that we give to our future generations and it is important that this gift is an amalgamation of sustainability and technological synergy between present and future needs. So a kind of futuristic view is required when we talk of infrastructure. The geo spatial data available in this portal will provide information on existing and planned infrastructure. This will save valuable time, energy, resources, and huge capital.
I hope and believe that this public-private partnership will be a boon to the infrastructure industry. Even though the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan is a great step towards infrastructure development in the country, the implementation part needs to be precisely executed. The government needs to bring leading firms in the infrastructure industry together to get an insight into the problems faced by them. This will provide a unique and practical point of view.
Another major thing to consider is the environment, the government should also ensure that even the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is a part of this portal. I believe that any development without sustainability and care for future generations will not be helpful at all. We often see that in the name of development many forests that have indigenous flora and fauna are uprooted. Such development practices will surely be detrimental to future generations.
Apart from the six pillars of comprehensiveness, prioritization, optimization, synchronization, analytical and dynamic, the government needs to include sustainability as well. Environmental infrastructure is the need of the hour. With the magnitude of capital being infused in the infrastructure industry and the development scope, we should not lose sight of what matters. However, the infrastructure industry has high hopes with this project and with the implementation of Gati Shakti, the never ending ‘work in progress’ will surely culminate.
By: Sanjay Reddy, Promoter & Vice Chairman, GVK
