The 10th edition of the India Construction Festival (ICF) 2024 – comprising the 14th RAHSTA Expo, 14th India RAHSTA (Roads) Conference and 22nd Construction World Global Awards – was held on October 9 and 10 at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, and hosted by infrastructure think-tank FIRST Construction Council in partnership with CONSTRUCTION WORLD (CW) and Equipment India (EI) magazines.

The roads sector has witnessed a strong growth trajectory and the roads conference aptly chose multiple power-packed panel discussions on the topic. So read the detailed reports for insights into the various discussions as they unfolded over two days.

Tapping into India’s economic engine

In a remarkable achievement, the country has doubled its road network over the past decade, which has not only enhanced connectivity but also attracted substantial investments from infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs). “From the investor’s perspective,” said Vijay Agarwal, Managing Director, Equirus Capital, “around 13 infrastructure investment trusts have been invested in road assets and nearly Rs 2 trillion is under investment.” Similarly, drawing from Upa Lokayukta Sanjay Bhatia’s remarks, Muraleemohan, COO, Maple Infra, highlighted growing international interest in Indian road assets and emphasised, “The time to be in India is now.” He noted that the Government’s policies have created an unprecedented coexistence of multiple investor, developer and contractor classes within the highway industry, noting that the ecosystem offers equal opportunities to all players...

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