Bundling highway projects needed to bring foreign investors to road sector

Foreign players may find these projects unattractive if their total value is less than $200 mn

International pension funds with an appetite for staying invested for several years are expected to be primary suitors for the highway contracts to be auctioned next month by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Experts say the government wants to generate cash to support its next tranche of investment in the highways sector. They are of the view that foreign pension funds would be keen to bid for such projects because they typically invest in those with a longer duration, unlike private companies, which look for quick results.

“Since most of the construction-related risk is taken care of by