Centre crafting 5-year plan to clear NHAI debt

19 Apr 2024 CW Team

The government is considering either reducing or eliminating a significant portion of the Rs 3.4 trillion debt owed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) within a five-year timeframe. They mentioned that this initiative aims to enable the agency to allocate its resources towards enhancing highways. One of the sources, who preferred not to be named, stated that the plan to retire the debt is part of the road and highways ministry's 100-day agenda. This plan involves reducing high-interest long-term debt and lowering interest payments.

The central government has expressed interest in repaying a portion of the NHAI's debt while also focusing on reducing the debt servicing obligations of the highway developer, which serves as the primary agency for surface infrastructure development in the nation. Additionally, the government is engaged in discussions with the NHAI?s long-term bondholders regarding prepayment. The second individual, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, noted that the interest payments of the roadmaker are consuming a significant portion of the government?s annual budget allocations.

Infrastructure Transport

07 Apr 2026

Tunnelling Begins for Thane–Borivali twin tunnel project

Tunnelling work has commenced for the 11.84-km Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel, set to be India’s longest urban road tunnel, marking a key milestone in Mumbai’s infrastructure development.As per a post shared by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority on social media platform X, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) ‘Nayak’—the country’s largest single-shield hard rock TBM for an urban tunnel—was launched by Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday. The event was attended by Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, among other dignitaries. A second TBM, ‘Arjuna’, is expected to be launched so..

Large Format Store Planned At M G Road Metro Station

M G Road station in Bengaluru is set to host the city’s first large-format commercial and experience space, with planning led by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited. BMRCL has invited proposals to develop and operate a central business district destination at the Purple?Pink Line interchange. The plan positions the station as a commercial hub designed to serve a broad commuter base across the city. The proposal is part of a broader effort to activate transit nodes commercially. Tender documents set a minimum monthly rental of Rs 0.944 million (mn), inclusive of GST, for the large-format..

Government Cancels Auction Of Eleven Critical Mineral Blocks

The government has cancelled the auction of 11 critical and strategic mineral blocks after receiving a poor investor response and failing to attract a sufficient number of qualified bidders. The decision represents a setback to plans to ramp up domestic exploration and production of critical minerals amid global supply chain disruptions and rising demand for materials used in clean energy and advanced technologies. The mines ministry issued an annulment notice setting out the reasons for the cancellations. The annulment notice indicated that the auction process for five mineral blocks was canc..