In a major boost to NHAI, it has managed to award three mega road projects, which would fetch the national highway authority hefty annual premium of Rs 683 crore from players like GMR.
Overall, the NHAI awarded four projects worth Rs 9,500 crore, a senior Road Transport Ministry officials said.
This shows a major shift and growing interest by corporates in the infrastructure sector. Till now, NHAI virtually used to provide grants on schemes to road developers to make the projects viable.
"We have successfully awarded four mega projects today. These include Rs 5,387 crore Kishangarh-Udaipur-Ahmedabad stretch, which was awarded on a premium of Rs 636 crore per annum to GMR group," the official told PTI.
The project for six-laning of 555 km stretch in Rajasthan and Gujarat will be built on DBFOT (design, build, finance, operate and transfer (TOLL) basis under National Highways Development Project phase V.
"The other Rs 1,232 crore project on premium was awarded to BSCPL Infrastructure for four-laning of Orissa border – Aurang section on NH-6 in the State of Chhattisgarh," the official said, adding the project NHAI will receive a premium of Rs 29 crore per annum.
The 150 km-project will be executed on DBFOT pattern under NHDP Phase-IV.
Likewise, Hospet-Bellary section in Karnataka was awarded to PFC where NHAI will receive Rs 18 crore premium per annum from the Rs 900 crore-project.
The project where the NHAI will give grant to developer, widening of Jabalpur-Rewa section in Madhya Pradesh, was awarded to Soma Tollways, the official added.
In the Rs 1,895 crore- Madhya Pradesh project, the viability gap funding (VGF) was reduced to 18 per cent from the earlier envisaged 48 per cent.
The net premium value from these projects will be much higher, the official said.
