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TATA-SIEMENS JV TO DEVELOP METRO CORRIDOR FOR Siemens Financial Services (SFS) invests in infrastructure projects
PUNE METRO UNDER PPP ROUTE around the world. Through PPPs, SFS is able to help cities meet their
A Joint Venture between TRIL Urban Transport Private Limited (a Tata goals of obtaining intelligent infrastructure solutions and enable
Group Company) and Siemens Project Ventures GmbH (subsidiary smarter, more sustainable transportation networks. INFRASTRUCTURE
of Siemens Financial Services) under Public Private Partnership
Route (PPP) will develop the metro corridor from Hinjewadi to AVAILABILITY OF LONG-TERM FINANCE FOR
Shivajinagar. The Joint Venture has formed a special purpose INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IS A CHALLENGE
company called Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited. The elevated Availability of long-term finance for infrastructure projects in
metro line connects Hinjewadi Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park to the country is a challenge, which calls for changes in financial
Shivajinagar via Balewadi. The 23.3 kms corridor with 23 stations will regulation as such development initiatives have lengthy gestation
be the first metro project in India under the New Metro Rail Policy. periods. Majority of funds for infrastructure used to come from
A consortium between Siemens AG, Siemens Mobility GmbH, banks. Presently, banks have been replaced by non-banking
Siemens Limited and Alstom Transport India Limited has been finance companies and infrastructure financing companies.
awarded the contract for the electrical and mechanical system Another aspect is relay financing from one entity to another, which
works of the project by Pune IT City Metro Rail Limited. The project will also help finance infrastructure projects in the country.
is to be completed in 39 months. Siemens Limited being a part Other problems, which are non-financial in nature, are land
of the Consortium will provide project management, turnkey acquisition, providing concessions and contract issues.
electrification, signaling, communications and depot works Lenders are facing these problems. In all these aspects,
(equipment) for this prestigious project. The order size of Siemens reformative measures are needed, adding that the Centre is
Limited is to the extent of `900 crore (approximately). pushing for development of infrastructure in the country.

NATIONAL HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION SPEED TO BE 2013-14, there has been a consistent increase in the construction
ENHANCED TO MEET NEXT FISCAL TARGET: ROAD of NHs/roads with 13,327 kilometres constructed in the year 2020-21
TRANSPORT SECRETARY as compared to 10,237 kilometres in 2019-20. The Road Transport
Union Road Transport and Highways Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Highways Ministry has targeted to construct 12,000 kilometres
said the road construction’s pace will be further increased to NHs in the current fiscal.
achieve the national highways’ expansion target in the next According to Aramane, the development of infrastructure has
financial year. In the ongoing fiscal, the NHAI and the NHIDCL, so been made cheaper by pumping in resources and also, the large
far, have constructed 7,500 kilometres of national highways, and focus on PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan is going to help faster
at least 2,500 kilometres of highway construction is expected in execution of infra projects. While there are 810 economic nodes,
the remaining two months. Aramane was quoted saying in the 730 of them are already connected in one way or the other, he
PTI report that the Budget for 2022-23 is development-oriented. pointed out. There’s a need to provide multiple connectivities
According to him, the large focus on infrastructure development to economic centres such as Mumbai, Delhi, Nasik or Varanasi
in the Budget is going to help India reap the dividends in the and places where a large number of commuters are present,
coming decades. large segments of goods, transport originate, as well as find its
While presenting the Budget for 2022-23, Finance Minister destination, Aramane said.
Nirmala Sitharaman had said NHs will be expanded by 25,000 While replying to a question on NHAI’s rising debt, which is primarily
kilometres during the fiscal 2022-23. According to the Secretary, responsible for the development of NHs and expressways, he said
the construction target of 25,000 kilometres of NHs in the next fiscal the main feature of the Union Budget for 2022-23 is extraordinary
year will be met under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, allocations to the infra sector. In fact, the Ministry of road transport
under which the Centre will have to provide connectivity to all the and highways has been given a very big sum of Rs 1.99 lakh crore
economic nodes in India. for the construction of highways as well as for the transport sector’s
The government will increase the construction pace of highways. improvement, the Secretary noted. So from NHAI, that will take
The existing NHs will be made into bigger, stronger ones and also, off some debt servicing burden, he added. Additionally, he also
new ones to reach these economic nodes. So together, it will be pointed out that the roads, which NHAI is developing, will give the
25,000 kilometres, he said. As per the Economic Survey, since toll revenue in the coming years.

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