Delegate benefits (Virtual Conference)

• Direct interaction with senior speakers (Q&A facility)
• Easy connectivity to geographically dispersed delegates (click of a mouse)
• Concise report offered as a backgrounder
• Cost effective (lower ticket price as compared to a physical conference)
• Offers flexibility and convenience
• Access to conference recording
• Recap of conference sessions
• Contributes to sustainability and lower carbon footprint

• GST @18 per cent is applicable on the registration fee.
• Registration will be confirmed on receipt of the payment.

Benefits of sponsorship (Virtual Conference)

• E-Meet influencers and decision-makers
• Reach out to and engage with new or active prospects
• Generate high quality sales leads
• Increase brand recognition
• Target a captive and engaged audience
• Drive website traffic through social media promotions
• Position your company as the thought-leader in your industry

For  sponsorship opportunities contact:
Tania Agarwal
Email: tania.agarwal@indiainfrastructure.com
Tel: +91-11-43520056, 41034615 | Mob: +91-9953452964

For delegate registrations and sponsorship opportunities, contact:
Tania Agarwal
Email: tania.agarwal@indiainfrastructure.com
Tel: +91-9711588987

• The road sector has been on a strong growth trajectory for the past few years. Models such as hybrid annuity and toll-operate-transfer lent support to the government’s ambitious plans. During FY2016 to FY2019, the ministry awarded projects spanning about 50,000 km. The pace of construction almost doubled to about 32 km per day during the same period.
• However, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a serious impact on the sector, resulting in stalled project execution and revenue losses on account of suspension of toll collection. Many developers and contractors have also invoked the force majeure clause. The pandemic is likely to have a strong impact on NHAI’s asset monetisation strategy through InvITs and TOT.
• A number of measures have been announced to mitigate the impact of the crisis. The government has extended completion timelines up to six months for contractors. Besides, a standstill period of six months has been announced for contractors and PPP concessionaires, with no penalties for not meeting project milestones. The government has also agreed to ease companies’ cash flow stress by partially releasing bank guarantees. RBI has provided a moratorium of six months on term loans up to August 31, 2020. In addition to time extensions, NHAI is offering a Covid-19 loan to private concessionaires at an interest rate of 2 per cent more than the bank rate.
• Nonetheless, the sector continues to offer significant opportunities under Bharatmala. The National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) has also laid out expansive investment targets. As per the report released by the Task Force on NIP, a total capital investment of Rs 20 trillion has been planned for the road sector during 2020-25.
• Besides, the road sector is expected to be biggest driver of M&A activity in the next few years. Asset sales dominated M&A activity, accounting for 99 per cent of the total deal value. A total of 46 road assets have been sold for around Rs 440 billion between 2014 and 2020 (as of April).
• While there are several operational projects that the government has identified for monetisation, the ongoing HAM projects will also offer lucrative acquisition opportunities for investors three to four years down the line. The TOT model will continue to offer opportunities for long-term investors. Initial estimates suggest that Bundles II, IV, V and VI together offer an investment opportunity of Rs 190 billion-Rs 200 billion.
• The mission of this conference is to highlight the emerging trends and new opportunities in road development, analyse the impact and progress of recent government initiatives in light of Covid-19, identify strategies and solutions to fast-track project execution, discuss the key issues and potential solutions, and showcase the most noteworthy projects and promising technologies. The conference will also provide a platform to industry players, policymakers, investors, consultants and technology providers to share their experience and exchange ideas.

KEY TRENDS AND OUTLOOK: IMPACT OF COVID-19

• What are the recent trends and developments? What has been the overall impact of the Covid-19 outbreak?
• What is the outlook for the next two to three years?
• What are the key unresolved issues and challenges?

SPOTLIGHT ON BHARATMALA: PROGRESS, CHALLENGES AND NEXT STEPS

• What has been the overall progress under the programme?
• What is the ministry’s perspective on the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on project execution?
• What are the key mitigation strategies? What are the next steps and top priorities?

NHAI’S PERSPECTIVE: TARGETS AND ACHIEVEMENTS; FOCUS AREAS AND FINANCING STRATEGIES

• What has been the progress so far with regard to project award and completion? What are the new initiatives being taken?
• What are the future plans and targets? What are the upcoming opportunities?
• What is the expected mix of implementation models?

FOCUS ON ASSET MONETISATION: THE WAY FORWARD FOR TOT

• What has been the overall experience?
• How is the Covid-19 outbreak likely to impact the attractiveness of the upcoming TOT bundles?
• What are the key steps being taken to ensure the long-term viability of bundles?
• What are the upcoming opportunities?

This session will feature a panel discussion among representatives from the government, private equity firms, insurance and pension funds, SWFs, commercial banks, etc.

FOCUS ON LABOUR ISSUES

• What has been the impact of large-scale labour migration on project execution?
• How do the issues compare in terms of the availability of skilled and unskilled manpower?
• What are the strategies being adopted to deal with manpower-related challenges?

NHIDCL’S PROGRESS AND PLANS

• What has been the progress so far with regard to project award and completion?
• What are the new initiatives being taken?
• What are the future plans and targets? What are the key unresolved issues?

DEVELOPERS’ VIEWPOINT: EXPERIENCE WITH HAM, KEY LESSONS AND STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE

• What has been the overall experience? What has been the impact of Covid-19?
• What has been the financing experience? What has been the impact of Covid-19 on HAM projects?
• What are the unresolved concerns? What is the future outlook for the sector?
• What are the expectations from the government?

CONTRACTORS’ PERSPECTIVE

• What has been the overall experience? What has been the impact of Covid-19?
• What are the unresolved concerns? What is the future outlook for the sector?
• What are the expectations from the government?

REVIVAL STRATEGIES FOR BOT

• What is the outlook for BOT in the current scenario?
• What is the level of stakeholder interest in the sector?
• What can the government do to revive developer and investor interest in this space?

PROGRESS UNDER EXPRESSWAYS AND GREENFIELD CORRIDORS

• What has been the progress so far?
• What are the key upcoming opportunities?
• What are the key issues and challenges?

INVESTOR AND LENDER PERSPECTIVE

• What is the current stance of lenders/investors on funding road projects?
• What is their take on funding HAM projects or on acquiring operational/stressed assets? What will be the impact of Covid-19 on valuations and return expectations?
• What is the outlook for the TOT model? What are the alternate financing options being considered in the sector?
• What are the key issues and challenges?

STRATEGIES TO FAST-TRACK LAND ACQUISITION

• What are the key steps being taken to fast-track land acquisition?
• What are the unresolved issues?
• What role does technology play in expediting the process?

DETAILED PROJECT REPORTS: RELIABILITY, COMPLIANCE AND TIMELINESS

• What are the gaps in the current DPRs?
• What are the emerging needs and requirements?
• What are the steps being taken to improve the quality of DPRs?

STATE-LEVEL INITIATIVES, NEW PROJECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

• What is the current status of road development in states? What are some of the noteworthy initiatives?
• What are the upcoming opportunities (EPC as well as PPP) in the segment?
• What are the key issues and challenges? What is the future outlook?

DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND ARBITRATION

• What has been the experience so far? What are the strategies for faster dispute resolution?
• What are the costs and time overruns associated with arbitration?
• What are the issues and challenges?

PROJECT MONITORING: MANAGING TIME, RISKS AND COSTS

• What has been the project monitoring experience so far?
• What have been the key measures to improve the speed of construction and reduce construction costs?
• What are the management costs and risks?
• What are the new and innovative best practices?

NEW CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES, MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

• What are the latest industry offerings?
• What are the best practices?
• What are some of the global advancements?

FOCUS ON O&M IN THE ROAD SECTOR

• What are the opportunities for O&M players?

• What are the best practices in project operations, maintenance and tolling?
• What are the latest innovations, most promising technologies and noteworthy projects

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

• ETC and FASTag
• WEIGH-IN-MOTION
• HIGHWAY TOLL MANAGEMENT & INTELLIGENT TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
• PAYMENT GATEWAYS
• GPS, GIS, ETC.
• ONLINE PORTALS (PROJECT MONITORING INFORMATION SYSTEM, ROAD ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, CONCESSIONAIRE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, GATI)

The conference is targeted at:

• Road operators
• Construction firms and contractors
• Construction equipment providers
• Government agencies
• Technology solution providers (GIS, RAMS, etc.)
• Consultants
• Road development agencies
• Road products (Geosynthetics, Steel, Bitumen, etc.)
• Infrastructure development organizations
• OMT organizations and service providers
• International financial agencies
• Financial institutions and banks
• Coir Geotextile manufacturers
• Legal firms, etc.