(FE)
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has proposed that foreign partners should hold a 51% majority stake in joint ventures for building tunnels and creating detailed project reports (DPRs). This move aims to ensure that only serious and technically qualified players bid for such critical infrastructure projects.
Gadkari expressed concern over the current practices in some tunnel projects, humorously noting that European companies sometimes choose Indian partners with unrelated businesses like catering or beauty parlours. To improve the quality of work, he stressed the importance of giving foreign partners a controlling stake.
While advocating for more liberal technical and financial parameters, Gadkari emphasised that this flexibility should not come at the expense of quality. He candidly criticised DPR makers, blaming them for the lack of oversight that leads to construction issues, including landslides, particularly in the Himalayan regions.
