Long-term lenders like IIFCL and IDBI Bank are unlikely to fund road projects where land acquisition is incomplete, a move that could scuttle plans to award projects of 8,000 km this fiscal year. Lenders and builders have approached the finance ministry, road ministry and NHAI, insisting that road contracts should not be awarded without all clearances in place.

“We are not taking up new projects unless 100% land acquisition is done. We are taking up the issue with NHAI,” IIFCL chairman SK Goel told FE. “We feel other lenders will follow suit,” he added.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) may black list GMR Infrastructure from bidding for highways projects on the grounds that the company allegedly terminated a contract unilaterally wit

Stung by the “abrupt and unilateral” walkout of the GMR Group from the 555-km-long Kishangarh-Udaipur-Ahmedabad National Highway project alleging delays in approvals, the ministry of road transport

The decision by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to move the Supreme Court seeking exemption for delinking environment and forest approvals for road projects had the approval of the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), it has emerged.

Government sources in the know say that the PMO’s approval came in a meeting held on October 31, 2012. The meeting was chaired by Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Pulok Chatterji and attended by representatives from NHAI, and the ministries of road transport, environment and law.

20 Highway Contracts Stuck Due To Red Tape Over Environmental Norms

New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India has decided to approach the Supreme Court against the environment ministry’s norms as a series of projects are held up due to green clearances. While infrastructure major GMR has already announced its exit from Rs 7,500 crore highway project, there are at least 20 highways contracts — each worth over Rs 1,000 crore — that have been awarded by NHAI but there fate remains unclear as the environment ministry is sitting over forest clearances. The projects have cleared one hurdle of getting environmental approvals but work cannot start until a green signal on the forest side is also received.

NHAI likely to take ministry to SC today for ‘failing to comply with delinking order’

The tussle between the environment ministry and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) over who caused the alleged delays in approvals in highway projects came to a head on Tuesday with the NHAI threatening to take the ministry to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, accusing it of failure to comply with an earlier court directive to de-link forest and environmental clearances.

Spanning 555 km, the project was to cost Rs 7,500 cr

GMR Infrastructure has terminated the concession agreement on its Rs 7,500 crore, 555-km highway project connecting Rajasthan and Gujarat, India’s largest. GMR Infrastructure reached the decision after weeks of discussions with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), over getting various statutory clearances for the project.

A Few days after the GMR Group announced its intent to walk out of the 555-km long Kishangarh-Ahmedabad highway, the GVK Group has informed the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) that it wishes to exit the 330-km long Shivpuri-Dewas highway in Madhya Pradesh. GVK had promised to pay NHAI a little under R3,000 crore (on an NPV basis, using a 10% annual discount) for the highway it was four-laning, over a period of 30 years — starting with a payment of R190 crore in the first year, the payment was to be escalated by 5% in each subsequent year.

Experts feel there is definitely more activity on the ground now compared to a year ago. Public sector enterprises have started spending on projects and are also ordering equipment

Amid signs of a revival in the industrial cycle, the capex plans of large companies such as Reliance Industries are creating traction in the infra space. The company’s petcoke gasification project will see investments of $4 billion over the next three years. The company is also setting up a petrochemical cracker for an investment of $8 billion. The project management firms for these have been finalised and ground work has started in Jamnagar. Analysts say the project site could require at least 1,000 cranes and companies such as Sanghvi Movers could finally see business improving two quarters down the line when work commences.

With the mercury going up in the hills, the momentum of protests are also going in the same direction in Uttarakhand over the issue of hydel projects.

India’s top Public Sector Undertakings and private companies like L&T, Lanco, GMR, GVK, NTPC, THDCIL and UJVN are constructing hydel projects on the Ganga and its tributaries in Garhwal region with potential to generate 10,000 megawatts (mw) of power. These days, there are two different and contradictory protests going on in the hill state — one led by Avdhash Kaushal, a social activist, who wants the early completion of all dams on the Ganga and its tributaries where clearances had already been made.