NHAI to prioritise Bharatmala projects that are ripe for monetisation: Report

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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is eyeing projects with immediate monetisation capacity for quick implementation under the Bharatmala programme, the Economic Times reported.

Projects which would give higher yields due to traffic density and demand would be fast-tracked with an aim to ‘recycle assets faster’, the report quoted a source as saying.

The move would help bridge monetary requirements for the intended projects, it said.

"The funds can be put into building more roads. The government will resort to a combination of toll securitisation and toll-operate-transfer (TOT) to make debt sustainable," the source added.

The yet-to-be finalised strategy would soon be brought out in a policy, under which high-density stretches would be identified and prioritised, the paper quoted another official to say.

Bharatmala envisions the construction of a 60,000 km stretch of cross-country highways at an estimated cost of Rs 5.35 lakh in its first phase. Land acquisition may however inflate the cost to Rs 10 lakh crore, the government has said.

As many as 225 projects (10,000 km) have already been approved, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari told Parliament.