The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed a concession agreement with Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon for the construction of the 121 km Guwahati Ring Road, marking a significant step towards infrastructure development in the North-East region. The project, valued at Rs 57.29 biillion, will be executed under the Build Operate Toll (BOT) model with no government grant. The concession period is 30 years, including a four-year construction phase. The State Government of Assam is contributing to the project by covering 50 per cent of the land acquisition cost and providing exemptions on royalty for aggregates and the state’s share of GST. This contribution, estimated at around Rs 12.70 billion, brings the overall project cost to approximately Rs 70 billion. The Guwahati Ring Road will comprise three main components: a 56 km 4-lane access-controlled Northern Guwahati Bypass, widening an existing 8 km bypass on NH-27 from four to six lanes, and improving a 58 km bypass on the same highway. A major highlight of the project includes the construction of a 3 km bridge over the Brahmaputra River. The Ring Road is expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion in Guwahati and facilitate smoother connectivity for long-distance traffic on NH-27, which serves as a key corridor to the North-East. It will help bypass traffic headed to destinations like Silchar, Nagaland, and Tripura, while enhancing connectivity to major towns such as Siliguri, Shillong, Jorhat, Tezpur, Jogighopa, and Barpeta. This project is the first to be awarded under the recently modified Model Concession Agreement, aimed at encouraging more Build-Operate-Transfer projects. As part of India’s Vision 2047, it supports the goal of developing a world-class national highway network through active public-private partnerships. News source: PIB