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With a total length of approximately 3.3 million kilometres, India has the second largest road network in the world. Roads have played a vital role in transportation and also enhancing trade. The government has taken initiatives to improve and strengthen the network of national highways, state highways and roads in major districts and rural areas. In terms of private sector participation in road projects, the government has received an encouraging response from private investors, both foreign and domestic.
Estimates show that Indian roads carry almost 67 percent of freight and 8 percent of passengers annually. Road traffic is growing at a steady pace. According to estimates, traffic on roads is growing at a rate of 7 to 10 percent per annum. The growth in the numbers of vehicles has been around 12 percent.
The Indian road network is divided into three main categories:
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National highways (interstate) covering over 58,000 kilometres;
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State highways covering approximately 200,000 kilometres; and,
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Rural and urban roads covering nearly 3 million kilometres.
The national highways cater to about 45 percent of road transport demand in the country. The government has embarked upon an integrated National Highways Development Programme (NHDP). A major part of the NHDP is the Golden Quadrilateral project. It entails upgrading and widening of 6,000 kilometres of highways connecting the four main metropolitan cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
The government is also undertaking the North-South and East-West Corridor projects. These projects comprise of about 7,000 kilometres of highways connecting Srinagar (North) with Kanyakumri (South) and Silchar (East) with Porbandar (West).
The number of foreign investors in the Indian road sector has been increasing over the years. Of 132 contracts awarded in recent years, 85 have gone to Indian firms, 35 have gone to joint ventures (Indian-foreign), and 12 have gone to foreign firms.
Opportunities in the Highways & Roads Sector
To augment resources, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has taken a lead in private sector participation in road infrastructure projects. At present 34 national highway projects costing about US$1120 million are in different stages of construction or are in operation. The NHDP is one of the largest road sector projects being pursued by the government. The private sector is expected to play a significant part in this. Further information can be obtained from:
http://morth.nic.in.
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