October Issue 2016
October Issue 2016
October 2016
October Issue 2016
New Initiatives
IR to address issues in freight and passenger segments
The railway sector holds a vital position in India’s transport infrastructure. Unfortunately, the sector has been beset by several challenges, which have led to a decline in its modal share from almost 89 per cent […]
Railway Revamp
Reform and restructuring is need of the hour
Ever since its inception, Indian Railways (IR) has developed in a complicated way without any focus on the organisation’s viablity, and today, it operates several uneconomic lines. IR’s operations are largely focused on the passenger […]
October 2016
EDITOR Devangshu Datta
The road sector has seen multiple policy tweaks in the past year. At the central level, the minister has spent a lot of time and personal equity bringing stakeholders to the negotiating table to unclog […]
Necessary Move
Technology advancement is imperative
The mining sector plays an important role in supporting industrial growth, and is thus considered an key determinant of economic growth. For the Indian economy, which is expected to register GDP growth rates of 7-8 […]
Catching Up
Trends in IT deployment and automation in mining
There is tremendous scope for technology adoption in the mining industry going forward, since most mining companies have been reluctant so far to deploy new mechanised and technologically advanced equipment. The commodity super-cycle resulted in […]
Raising Productivity
Urgent need to boost output
Productivity in mining activity is measured chiefly by output per man shift (OMS) and this reflects how efficiently operations are carried out. The Indian mining sector is unfortunately characterised by rather low OMS levels. Though […]
Mining Techniques
Set to expand in scope and size
In India, technology penetration in mine planning and operations continues to be lower than that in many leading economies. However, the country’s mining industry is heading towards a technology-driven optimisation process and envisages the use […]
Improved Outlook
Sector reports impressive growth in numbers
The road sector has certainly started showing signs of recovery after a slowdown of almost three years. […]
Policy Moves
Removing roadblocks to project implementation
Elimination of policy-related barriers in order to step up activity in the road sector has been the key focus area of the government. In the past 12 months, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways […]
Government Initiatives
Focus on big-ticket programmes and online portals
Over the past couple of years, the central government has taken several innovative initiatives to facilitate road development. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has focused on the augmentation of existing infrastructure as […]
Awards Increase
NHDP makes significant progress over the past year
In the past year, the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP) has witnessed a surge in activity. During 2015-16, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) achieved about 85 per cent of its project award target as […]
Views of A.K. Singh
“HAM and EPC-based projects mark a surge in competition”
The road sector has witnessed an uptick in sentiment in the recent past. Leading this change is a host of initiatives launched for the revival of stalled projects as well as the creation of new […]
On a Growth Path
Road development in the Northeast
Over the past two years, the central government has been focusing on the development of road infrastructure in the north-eastern region. To facilitate this, the government has set up National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation […]
Recovery in Sight
Financing scenario gradually improves
The road sector has witnessed stressful times in terms of financings over the past four-five years. Lags and execution delays have resulted in potential investors being more cautious about committing funds to road projects. While […]
Developer Perspective
PPP experience in road development
The investment environment in the road sector is not very optimistic at present. The interest of private players is mostly subdued. This depressed interest can be attributed to several challenges that developers continue to face. […]
EPC Experience
Challenges faced by contractors in project execution
The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model essentially works as an enhanced version of the item rate contract. The engineering part seems to be missing in “EPC” as there is little scope or flexibility for […]
Big Plans
Key developments across states
Road development in states across the country has picked up pace over the past year. Poll-bound states such as Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have announced several big-ticket projects to augment road infrastructure. While public funds […]
Asset Recycling
Cabinet approves toll-operate-transfer model
In August 2016, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the toll-operate-transfer (TOT) model to monetise public-funded operational toll-based projects which have been generating revenues for a minimum of two years after the commercial […]
In Mission Mode
Brisk progress in village electrification
Rural electrification under the government’s flagship programme, Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), ended on a high note last year with the annual target being exceeded. […]