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INTERVIEW

“With NIP in place, we expect

speedy project awarding”

In an interview, Satish Parakh,
Managing Director, Ashoka Buildcon
speaks about government’s recent
thrust on speeding infrastructure
projects, company’s approach on road
safety and smart highways vertical

What are the opportunities ABL national infrastructure plan of opportunity going ahead. However,
is eyeing being a Master System which major share has been ABL will be selective in bidding as
Integrator? given to the transport sector. we did in past and will focus on the
ABL started thinking of Smart How are you planning to viable projects without compromising
Highways vertical three years leverage it? on the bottom line.
back with a vision of overall social Ministry of Road Transport and What milestones has ABL
development by leveraging the power Highways has come up with phase-I achieved to make it one of the
of technology to solve modern-day of ambitious Bharatmala programme, largest infrastructure developers
problems. Smart Highway vertical wherein around 24,800km of in India?
of Ashoka Buildcon, a wing specially highways are being considered for
dedicated to smart city projects is also development. Besides, it also includes Ashoka Buildcon has been
making its presence in Integrated 10,000km of balance road works the forefront contributor for the
Traffic Management System, under NHDP, taking the total to nation-building program having an
command control, e-governance, 34,800km at an estimated cost of Rs experience of building more than
safe city, data centre and disaster 5.35 lakh crore. We believe that this 10,000+ lane km of highways.
recovery, early warning dissemination announcement by Finance Minister Our integrated business model has
Systems, homeland security, border for the national infrastructure plan been instrumental in establishing
management security, smart light, (NIP), wherein major share of capital control across the value chain. We
e-Education, BRTS, smart parking, expenditure has been allocated to have our in-house expertise for all
e-Health, mobile video surveillance transport sector will contribute to the roads/highways projects for
and other verticals. Currently, we are the successful implementation of the entire life cycle of the projects
in the process of capacity building prestigious Bharatmala programme. involving activities start from
with a specific focus on AI and IoT. Looking at the above agenda of inception stage survey, engineering,
the government, it is likely that the finance, project planning,
Recently, the finance minister pace for awarding new projects will construction, monitoring, operation
announced Rs 102 lakh crore be high. We feel, we have a huge and maintenance. Our portfolio

72 December ’19 - January ’20 / TrafficInfraTech www.trafficinfratech-com-500653.hostingersite.com