Retail investors may get InvITs for building highways

04 Aug 2022 CW Team

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has said that about 10 public InvITs for road projects in different categories and geographies would be launched in phases. The first such project is expected in the next one month to raise money from the public and make them part of India’s highway development programme.

“The plan is to raise money for highway development from the public to widen the investment basket in road InvITs, which largely get money from long-term institutional investors, insurance and pension funds and private equity firms. The public can get assured returns on such investments, helping them to benefit from the country’s infrastructure development programme," Gadkari told Mint.

InvITs (infrastructure investment trusts) enable direct monetary investment by individual and institutional investors in infrastructure projects, which earn them a small portion of the income as return. So far all road sector InvITs have been private trusts, and getting retail investors on board would require approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to open up its upcoming InvIT to retail investors and is also looking at ways to allow this class access to its toll-operate-transfer (TOT) projects, reports said.

Infrastructure Transport

08 Oct 2025

GMLR’s First Flyover To Open By May 2026, Says BMC

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced that the first flyover of the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project will be ready for use by May 2026.The GMLR, one of Mumbai’s most ambitious infrastructure ventures, involves a 12.2-kilometre corridor comprising tunnels, flyovers, and interchanges, built at an estimated cost of Rs 140 billion. The project aims to provide a seamless connection between Mumbai’s western and eastern suburbs, drastically reducing travel time and congestion.The first phase features a 1.2-kilometre flyover, beginning near Dindoshi Court and extendi..

Assam Awaits Nod For Rs 60 Billion Brahmaputra Tunnel

Assam’s ambitious Rs 60 billion underwater tunnel project, India’s first to be built beneath a major river, is awaiting Union Cabinet approval, according to a report by The Times of India. The proposed tunnel will connect Numaligarh and Gohpur under the Brahmaputra River, significantly improving road connectivity and strengthening strategic infrastructure near Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China.Estimated to take five years to complete, the project marks a major milestone in India’s transport and defence infrastructure planning. “The Detailed Project Report (DPR) is ready and will s..

Kochi Set To Commission South India’s First Hydrogen Station

Kerala is gearing up to embrace the fuel of the future — green hydrogen, with South India’s first green hydrogen plant and refuelling station nearing commissioning on the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) premises. The project marks a major milestone in India’s clean energy transition and could soon power the Kochi Water Metro and selected e-feeder services of the Kochi Metro.The project is being implemented by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) in collaboration with CIAL, featuring a 1,000-kilowatt facility at Nedumbassery. BPCL has also finalised plans for a second hydrogen ..