“The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways have constructed 12,349 km of national highways in 2023-24 - the 2nd highest achievement! In 2020-21 a record 13,327 kms had been constructed, the highest so far. The experience of a well-constructed road is no accident but a badly constructed one can cause many,” stated Pratap Padode, Founder, FIRST Construction Council, a pioneering infrastructure-driven council focused on advancing India's infrastructure development. Padode was speaking at the launch of a road show - 14th RAHSTA Expo, which will be held from October 9-10, 2024, at Jio Convention Centre, Mumbai. RAHSTA, which stands for Roads and Highways Sustainable Technologies & Advancement, is a dedicated event to the world of road construction equipment, technology, and sustainability. Speaking at the launch, former Managing Director of Ashok Leyland & JCB, Vipin Sondhi (Chairman of RAHSTA Expo Committee) underscored the need for specialised platforms like RAHSTA Expo for the burgeoning road construction industry. AK Singh, CGM – Finance, National Highway Authority of India, R K Pandey (former NHAI member and Member of RAHSTA Expo Committee), S K Nirmal (Secretary General, Indian Roads Congress, and Member of RAHSTA Expo Committee), Prof Satish Pandey, Principal Scientist, CSIR-Central Road Research, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ankit Jain, CFO, Cube Highways Growth Advisors, Vijay Agrawal, Executive Director, Equirus Capital and Subodh Dixit, Former Executive Director, Shapoorji Pallonji participated in a round table discussion on the new BOT proposals. 

The launch function at PHD Chamber for RAHSTA Expo was attended by who's who of the infrastructure industry such Lt Gen Harpal Singh, (President, International Road Federation and former Engineer-in-Chief, Indian Army), Akhilesh Srivastava (Road Safety Ambassador, International Road Federation), Sandeep Singh (MD, Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery), Rajesh Menon (Director General, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers), Raman Kapil, President, Tata Projects, Anand Sundaresan, Director, Ammann India, Dheeraj Panda, Managing Director, Ammann India, Rajan Aiyer, Managing Director, Trimble, Satin Sachdeva, Founder & Secretary General, Construction Equipment Rental Association, Dr Swamy, Chairman, The Institution of Civil Engineers and Dr Ranjeet Mehta (Executive Director of PHDCCI), among others.

"With 6.3 million km, India has the second-largest road network in the world. National Highways has witnessed 58 per cent growth since 2013, a testament to India's ambition. As per Interim budget 2024-25, the government will spend a record Rs 11.11 trillion on infrastructure creation in 2024-25 to ensure India remains one of the world's fastest growing major economies. In this backdrop, the RAHSTA Expo will play a crucial role in driving progress towards more resilient, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable transportation infrastructure," said Vipin Sondhi, Chairman, RAHSTA Expo Committee, signifying the importance of the expo.

Organised by the FIRST Construction Council, the RAHSTA Expo 2024, which will be held as part of 10th India Construction Festival, will bring together industry leaders, innovators, and stakeholders for two days of exploration, collaboration, and transformation.

Besides RAHSTA Expo 2024, the India Construction Festival 2024 will include the following:

Exhibitors can use RAHSTA Expo 2024 to showcase their construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, and construction vehicles to a targeted audience of industry professionals. RAHSTA Expo will be an ideal platform to connect with key decision-makers, generate leads, and grow business in this rapidly expanding market.