The model aims to reinforce investor confidence and draw greater domestic and global investment into India’s national highway assets.
The National Highways Infra Trust (NHIT), an InvIT sponsored by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), has engaged general management consultants (GMCs) to professionalise operations and maintenance (O&M) of national highway assets under its portfolio.
In the first phase, GMCs will manage O&M of 908 km of highway assets. The initiative is designed to enhance asset performance, improve operational efficiency and adopt global best practices in managing operational national highways, the national highway development said in a release on Thursday.
Registered with the stock market regulator SEBI in October 2020, NHIT manages highway assets spanning 2,653 km. It is supported by National Highways InvIT Project Managers Pvt Ltd (NHIPMPL), a wholly owned NHAI subsidiary that functions as the project manager.
To strengthen the O&M framework, NHIT has engaged GMCs to assist NHIPMPL in delivering end‑to‑end asset management solutions. Consultants will conduct systematic inspections through daily, weekly and monthly assessments, using both visual checks and modern equipment. Based on these, GMCs will identify maintenance needs, safety interventions, defect rectification, capacity augmentation measures and other improvement initiatives.
In addition, GMCs will manage procurement of specialised contractors, supervise execution of works, certify completed projects, recommend improvements in toll plaza operations and traffic management, and ensure timely reporting and compliance with SEBI’s regulatory framework for InvITs.
The initiative will help create a dedicated ecosystem of professional O&M consultants with specialised expertise in highway asset management, while generating new avenues for business, innovation and employment in the infrastructure sector.
By raising governance standards, improving operational efficiencies and ensuring compliance with SEBI requirements, the model is expected to reinforce investor confidence and attract greater domestic and global investment in India’s national highway assets.
Building on this, NHAI also plans to develop a robust ecosystem of specialised O&M contractors to further strengthen asset management capabilities across the national highway network.