Small bundles of highways to be offered for takeover

The lull in the use of the toll-operate-transfer (ToT) model for monetising highway assets may soon come to an end, as the government considers a shift in its approach to future bids.

- Mukesh Jagota

According to a senior official, the new bids will feature smaller highway bundles valued up to ₹1,500 crore, aimed for bidding to private investors.

This will increase competition, and boost proceeds for both the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the government.

A virtual pause was put on ToT mode of monetisation by the ministry of road transport and highways, as it felt that the yield per km of highways monetised through ToT was less than those given to investors through Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT).

The ministry has sought a comparative review of both modes of monetisation.