(LiveMint)
Enthused by investors’ response to its toll-operate-transfer (TOT) model, aimed at monetizing India’s publicly funded highways, state-run National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is planning to auction toll collection for road length totalling around 1,720km. The auction is expected to fetch the government around Rs15,000 crore, said a person aware of the development requesting anonymity.
The work for these operational national highways across Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Telangana comes even as NHAI is preparing to auction roads totalling 648km for around $1 billion. The tender is expected to open on 23 February.
“While the bid process is on for the first bundle, work has started to monetize the subsequent three bundles. The second bundle will comprise around 480km in the states of Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. While the third bundle comprising around 565km is in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, the fourth bundle totalling 675km is in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,” said the person cited above.
