Under pressure from banks, who are refusing to lend, state utilities are poring over the new reports by Shunglu and BK Chaturvedi Committees. Is franchise the best way forward, though? At 31 percent, the national average on AT&C losses are unacceptably high. Quantified, this amounts to nearly Rs 70,000 crore of losses, and the Finance Commission fears that this amount will rise to Rs 1.16 lakh crore by 2014-15.
FlashNews:
India Launches First All‑Electric Tug at Deendayal Port, Accelerates Green Maritime Shift
Bharatmala Pariyojana Executes 61% of Phase‑I Highway Targets, Boosts Freight Speed and Connectivity
Waaree Tops India’s Solar Module Shipments in Q3 2025, Reinforces Global Competitiveness
AISATS Expands Nationwide, Launches Ground Handling at Cochin Airport with Future‑Ready Tech
TIL Bags ₹2 Billion Orders Across Defence and Logistics, Validates Dual-Sector Strategy
Indian Railways to Roll Out OTP‑Based Tatkal Window Tickets Nationwide to Curb Misuse
Sanchar Saathi Row: Scindia Defends App as Voluntary, Transparent and Consumer‑Protective Amid Privacy Debate
REIAs Issue 67.5 GW Renewable Energy LoAs Since April 2023 with Zero Cancellations: Joshi
Rail Freight Rises 4.2% in November as Steel, Iron Ore and Fertiliser Volumes Surge
NHAI Partners Reliance Jio to Launch Telecom‑Based Safety Alerts on National Highways
Delhi Airport Becomes India’s First Water‑Positive Major Aviation Hub
Civil Aviation Minister Confirms GPS Spoofing at Delhi Airport; Cyber Threats Spread to Major Hubs
India’s Power Capacity Crosses 505,000 MW, Clean Energy Transition Accelerates
Air India Express Launches Twice-Daily Nagpur-Bengaluru Flights, Expands Maharashtra Network
India to Expand Refining Capacity to 309.5 MMTPA by 2030, Accelerates Biofuel and Green Hydrogen Push
Air India Expands China Presence with TAM Group Appointment as Passenger GSA
DFCCIL Trial Run Paves Way for JNPA Link to Western Dedicated Freight Corridor
India Secures Top Vote in IMO Council Re‑Election for 2026-27
IndiGo Expands Domestic Connectivity from Navi Mumbai International Airport
Category: Roads & Highways
GVK bags MP road project
Infrastructure major GVK Power & Infrastructure (GVK PIL) has recently been awarded the 332-km Shivpuri-Dewas mega road project in Madhya Pradesh by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Govt to raise Rs 10K cr debt for highway projects
Through a public debt issue, India will soon raise Rs 10,000 crore ($1.9 billion) for funding its ambitious national highways project, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister CP Joshi said.
It's not a bridge – it's a gamechanger
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) recently issued Request for Quotation (RFQ) for the much-awaited trans-harbour link from Mumbai's Sewri and Nhava and Jawaharlal Nehru Ports, with further linkages to other ports.
India's longest rail bridge
Mumbai-based AFCONS Infrastructure, which has been engaged in construction of road conÂnectivity in Kochi since 2001, has achieved the distinction of building India's longest rail bridge conÂnecting the island Vallarpadam with Idappalli in north Kochi.
Port connectivity: The efficiency linkages
Bankers say ports are one of the best sectors to finance to. With the frenetic growth envisaged in the 2020 Agenda, port connectivity is impatiently awaited as the government works on four-lane roads and rail lines linking the gateways to the hinterland.
Income tax holiday: Eligibility for infra developers demystified
Infrastructure developers are eligible for a tax holiday for 10 years, and the government has permitted a looser interpretation for the benefit of infrastructure. Vishal Shah and Bijal Desai refer to relevant court and tribunal cases and explain the more nebulous of the tax holiday eligibility clauses.
Credit ratings: Need for a different rating mechanism
Conventional investment credit ratings-typically lower than desirable for infrastructure projects-constrain financing infrastructure investments in India, says Dhruba Purkayastha. So should the methodology be revisited?
NE road projects
The Planning Commission has granted 'in principle' approval to 25 projects against the 56 road project proposals put forth by the North Eastern Council (NEC).
Coir geo-textiles in road building
The Coir Board has got the Indian Road Congress approval for use of coir geo-textiles in rural road construction.

