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.
Category: Roads & Highways
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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.
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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.
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Shunglu report: Can SEBs finally breathe easier?
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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.