Open More Sectors for Private Investment

India's ambitious push, said Kuljit Singh, partner and leader for infrastructure at EY; Rahul Mithal, chairman & MD of RITES Ltd, and Jagan Shah, chief executive officer of The Infravision Foundation, at the Business Standard Infrastructure Summit 2025 in New Delhi. Opening more sectors for private involvement will help, they said during a panel discussion with Business Standard's Dhruvaksh Saha. Edited excerpts:

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People are talking about infrastructure, especially during monsoons. Are our cities really falling apart?

Jagan Shah: I think our cities are reeling under growth. What we're facing is the consequence of not planning our cities sufficiently for modern expansion. While many neighbourhoods had good foundational planning, the kind of post-1991 growth we've seen has left systems and regulations unfit to handle today's scale. Our systems, our policies, our regulations, all of it is not fit for purpose, for the kind of growth that we're seeing.

Can you elaborate on the real challenges of infrastructure planning in Indian cities? What's missing?

Jagan Shah: Cities are complex systems of systems; planning them isn't child's play. It needs to be driven by a vision for the future. The shift needed isn't limited to digital innovation—even core functions like sanitation demand scientific advances. That means adopting frugal, homegrown innovations, and building an entire ecosystem that supports this evolution. Diverse skills and disciplines must collaborate, especially given our geography—8,000 cities across a vast subcontinent.

Rahul, you've overseen infrastructure projects nationally. What are the challenges in such projects?

Rahul Mithal: Planning is at the core of any infrastructure project but it's often undervalued. To put it in perspective: for a ₹500-crore project, the detailed project report (DPR) might cost just ₹1-1.5 crore. Even though the DPR's quality determines the project's cost, timeline, and final output, selecting the right entity for a DPR is mishandled. Too often, governments use a simple two-packet tender system—one technical, one financial—and give the contract to the lowest financial bidder. This is appropriate for construction, but not for specialist consultancy like DPRs.