NHAI awards projects worth Rs 1,220 billion in FY2017-18

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has awarded 150 road projects of 7,400 km worth Rs 1,220 billion in FY2017-18. In last five years, the average length of road projects awarded by NHAI was 2,860 km, with 4,335 km awarded in the last financial year. Under the new protocol, the NHAI board was delegated full powers for sanctioning EPC projects. Following that, the high powered Projects Appraisal Committee and Cost Committee were put in place in NHAI. Tendering and awarding projects picked up only after the sanction of ambitious Bharatmala programme and subsequent new procedure for sanction being put in place in November 2017. As reported, during this drive, post Bharatmala, 232 projects were put on tenders involving around 11,200 km of road length costing more than Rs 1,960 billion. Out of the total projects awarded, 3,791 km length was reportedly awarded on EPC mode at Rs 430 billion; 3,396 km was awarded on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at Rs 765 billion and 209 km on Toll mode at Rs 25 billion. The projects awarded include 1,234 km in Rajasthan; 739 km in Maharashtra; 747 km in Odisha; 725 km in Uttar Pradesh; 511 km in Tamil Nadu; 504 km in Andhra Pradesh; 468 km in Karnataka; 449 km in Gujarat; 389 km in Madhya Pradesh; 331 km in Haryana; 232 km in Bihar; 201 km in Jharkhand; 189 km in Telangana; 126 km in West Bengal; 120 km in Punjab; 100 km in Jammu and Kashmir; and the balance in other states.