Page 59 - TT mag Oct-Nov -Digital

SMART MOBILITY 2018

Sometimes, some members of Despite many hindrances, with astonishing rapidity, and no
a party will refuse to pay toll, and Ashoka Buildcon has set records compromise on quality and safety.
incite those using the road to do for project completion. We In the last few years, the rate of
the same. Not only does this affect had 30 months to construct growth of the highway sector has
operations and maintenance the Rupnarayan bridge near slowed down. If we addresse the
of the road, it also causes huge Kharagpur; we finished it in 10 above problems and implement
losses to the government. months. We reduced a two-year solutions for the same, we will
Unmanned toll plazas are a execution timeline to just 38 days. surely be able to connect India by
futuristic but effective solution to A flyover on Delhi’s Outer Ring building many more kilometres of
ensure uniform collection of toll. Road was completed in 100 days, highways every day.

The need to find a win- win approach

omplimenting Ashoka pressure of targets, the Contractors/ “Be it Hybrid Annuity or EPC mode,
Buildcon for being one Concessionaires also happily agree our concern is not just the availability
of the best performing to accept the Appointed Dates by of 80 or 90% land, but it is also the
entities in the Highway giving waivers to the fulfillment of availability of contiguous land. The
Cconstruction sector, pre-conditions. When I first came contiguity of the work front is as
Yudhvir Singh Malik, Secretary, to NHAI, I had withheld more than critical as availability of 90% land.
MoRTH agreed that land acquisition 25 cases of declaration of appointed If 90% of the land is available with
and utility shifting remain the major dates because of these issues 50 gaps in it, the project would face
challenges. “As an institutional but surprisingly the Construction problems in smooth execution. The
arrangement, now we are considering agencies were more keen to accept response of the Industry to address
a system wherein the Contractors are pre-mature declaration of appointed such situations varies widely. While
allowed to commence work on pre- dtaes. I was given to understand one entity may choose to take the
construction activities like tree-felling that they were eagre to do so as route of arbitral claims on account
and utility shifting during the period they wanted to get the mobilisation of delays, a performing entity,
intervening between the issue of advance. that targets the bonus, adopts an
Letter of Award and the declaration “It is my personal view that it would innovative approach of taking the
of Appointed Date. Particularly, if it is be a good idea to have one year as
a project awarded under the Hybrid an Award holiday, which should be missing links from the land owners on
Annuity Mode, the Contractor/ utilised to complete all pre-project lease. Thus, it depends on what kind
Concessionaire gets about six months activities like Land Acquisition, of approach a particular construction
time for achieving the financial closure approval of Utility shifting estimates entity is adopting. While we are trying
and this intervening period can be and tree-felling etc. so that the to tighten the norms on our side with
gainfully utilised for completion of project execution period is optimised. regard to availability of land before
these pre-construction activities. This It is an unhappy situation that that we invite bids or before we give the
intervening period does not count the Construction agencies are as appointed dates, the construction
towards the scheduled completion much willing to give the waivers in industry should start insisting on the
period of the project”. fulfillment of the preconditions as the completion of the pre-conditions
Mr Malik continued and said, Ministry is found wanting. I would, and refuse to give the waivers on
“Secondly, there is no denying the therefore, suggest that the industry that account. As a matter of fact,
fact that on our part, we have been must take a stand that if we are the joint statement signed between
found wanting in terms of provision of not meeting the pre-conditions for the parties before declaration of the
100% project land. While the project declaration of an appointed date, Appointed Date is going to be made
execution agencies occasionally it should not accept the appointed a part of the Contract Agreement so
resort to pre-mature declaration of date as the ineherent inefficiencies that neither party back-tracks from
appointed dates driven under the hit both sides adversely. the same at a later stage.

www.trafficinfratech-com-500653.hostingersite.com October-November ’18 / TrafficInfraTech 59