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Union Road Transport Secretary Giridhar Aramane has said that ‘all weather terrain’ might well be a befitting description for the country's road sector. It said weathering the pandemic-induced twists and turns, the sector will see more stretches of national highways, completion as well as awarding of multiple projects and fund raises in 2022, making it a better year than the passing one.

Aramane said connectivity with remote and tough terrains, decongesting major points in the road network, an integrated multi-modal national network of transportation and logistics, and steering ahead with the ambitious voluntary vehicle scrappage policy are also on the 2022 radar. He also said while the pandemic ravaged many a sectors at different points of time in the last nearly two years, the road sector grappled with barriers but the progress in terms of national highway construction was stellar. He pointed out that due to monsoon, state-owned agencies that are into construction of national highways faced some problems during August and September in certain states.

Regarding monetisation of road assets, the secretary pointed out that all the roads built by the state agencies are monetised for a short term, ranging from 1-3 years, or for a longer tenure spanning 15-25 years. About the proposed second InVIT, he said, ‘we are planning a small one, around Rs 2,500-3,000 crore. We are in the process of preparing for the issue.’