The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has awarded Toll, Operate, and Transfer (TOT) projects totaling 273 kilometers to selected bidders for Rs 9,384 crores, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said on Monday.
The projects have been divided into two groups: bundle 13 and bundle 14. Cube Highways and Infrastructure Pte Ltd has been awarded the TOT bundle 14 contract, which includes the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and the Delhi-Hapur section of NH-9 in the states of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, as well as the Binjabahal to Teliebani section of NH-6 in the state of Odisha.
TOT bundle 13 was granted to IRB Infrastructure (NS: IRBI) Trust for Rs. 1,683 crores, which comprises the Kota Bypass and Stay Bridge on NH-76 in Rajasthan, as well as the Gwalior-Jhansi portion of NH-75 in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
TOT bundles have a 20-year concession duration during which concessionaires must maintain and operate the stretch.
In place of this, the concessionaire shall collect and maintain user fees for certain lengths in line with the NH Fee Rules.
According to the statement, the TOT model was created to stimulate private engagement in the roadway sector.
NHAI has already awarded TOT bundles 11 and 12 for a total length of 400 km for Rs 6,584 crore in October 2023. The two bundles (11 and 12) included the Allahabad Bypass on NH19 in Uttar Pradesh and the Lalitpur – Sagar – Lakhnadon segment in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, respectively.
The total value of the four TOT bundles given in FY 2023-24 is roughly Rs. 15,968 crores, which is more than the current fiscal monetization goal of Rs 10,000 crores.
The National Highways Authority of India is an independent agency of the Government of India that was established in 1995 (Act 1988) and is in charge of managing a road network of over 50,000 kilometers of National Highways out of 1,32,499 kilometers in India. It reports to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The NHAI and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for highway satellite mapping.
The Golden Quadrilateral is a roadway network that connects several of India’s main economic, agricultural, and cultural centers. By linking Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, and Mumbai, a type of quadrilateral is constructed, thus the name.
Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee initiated the biggest highway project in India and the fifth longest in the world in 2001, and it was finished in 2012. It was built as part of the first phase of the National Roads Development Project (NHDP) and cost 600 billion dollars to create 5,846 km (3,633 mi) of four/six lane express roads.
