A new opportunity knocks on the doors of private developers, especially those in the second-tier or contractors aspiring to be developers. Rural roads are all set to offer large opportunities this year as the government steps on the accelerator to see projects through, after the successful experiment by PMGSY especially in quality monitoring and maintenance contracts. Janaki Krishnamoorthi writes.
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Author: admin (Infratructure Today)
Expertspeak Ways to lure
Policy suggestions for private participation in rural roads.The way for the government to attract private participation in rural roads should be introduce innovative bidding and quality processes such as bundling allied projects into a road contract,says Hemant Kanoria.
Mining logistics Motion sickness
A recent mining ministry report recognises logistics as one of the several problems clogging the sector.It's yet another wake up call for the sector.It's raining mining reports out of the Pandora's Box that Justice Santosh Hegde opened.
Mining: Struggling to emerge from doldrums
Karnataka now finds itself in the company of other states in the clamp down on mining and ore transport. This means India will soon drop down in its export rankings of ore, adding to the brewing export and currency troubles. A Shivkamal writes that in this delicate environment, further reforms in mining will prove to be difficult to implement, at least in the near future.
Indian and foreign cos keen on MTHL
Prospective consortiums involving more than 50 companies, Indian and international, showed up for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) project pre-qualification-bid meeting. They appreciated the way MMRDA has been showcasing and addressing the all critical MTHL.T
New scheme to lure cos to highway projects
The government has drawn up a new scheme of ultra mega road projects (UMRPs), where firms will have the right to develop real estate alongside the stretches. This is to boost the viability of road products without adding to fiscal stress and attract big corporations into the sector. Each UMRP will be marked for its sheer size - Rs 20,000 crore each - and the resultant gain on cost efficiency.
Less bidders for NHAI projects
November saw some moderation in competitive bidding for the National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI) road projects. NHAI has awarded nine projects in two weeks where the number of bidders was relatively less as compared to last two-three quarters.
IRB Infra to seek compensation
IRB Infrastructure Developers plans to claim a compensation of around Rs 60-70 crore from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for terminating its contract for a Goa road project after the latter could not acquire land for it. Road projects have faced delays due to issues relating to land acquisition, environmental clearances and right of way but this is only the second instance in the last two years where a project has been cancelled due to NHAI's inability to acquire land.
Solar Cities to be Developed
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy proposes to develop 60 cities as solar cities. So far,based on proposals received by the government from various sates, in-principle approval has been given to 48 cities to be developed as solar cities in the country. Out of these, 37 cities have been given the green light by the government.
Shale Gas: The unlikely alternative?
The government’s plan for bidding out the shale gas blocks for exploration has been postponed till 2013, and it seems India is in the dilemma of how to take its shale gas initiatives forward in policy. The delay points to a debate on the environmental hazards. Given the greater likelihood of groundwater contamination, will shale gas be a reality in the near future? Sudheer Vathiyath explores.

