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Dear Friends,
India has the second largest road networks in the world, aggregating to about 33 lac kilometres at present. The country’s road network consists of National Highways, State Highways, Major District Roads, Other District Roads and Village Roads. The road network comprises 70,934 km of National Highways 1,31,899 km of State Highways, 4,70,000 km of Major District Roads and about 26,50,000 km of Other District and Rural Roads. Out of the total length of National Highways, about 32 per cent is single lane/ intermediate lane, about 55 per cent is standard 2-lane and balance 13 per cent is 4-lane width or more.
Urban Infrastructure
Rapid economic growth will inevitably lead to an increase in urbanization as cities provide large economies of agglomeration for individual activity. Unfortunately, the state of urban infrastructure in the country has deteriorated to an extent that we are not able to fully benefit from these economies. Poor urban infrastructure inflicts a severe hardship on people. Congested roads, poor public transport, inadequate availability of water, improper treatment of sewage, uncollected solid waste, and above all grossly inadequate housing that forces more than 50% of the population in some metropolis to live in slums severely decrease the quality of life and lower the well being of urban population. In order to cope with massive problems that have emerged as a result of rapid urban growth the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) was launched by the government on December 03, 2005 for a seven-year period beginning 2005-06. It envisages urban renewal projects in a mission mode approach.
Capitalising on emerging opportunities
Investment projected for the Eleventh Five Year Plan
The Eleventh Five Year Plan emphasised the importance of investment in infrastructure for achieving a sustainable and inclusive growth of 9 to 10 percent in GDP over the next decade. The total investment in infrastructure during the first two years of the 11th Plan has risen to Rs. 3,03,807 Crores in 2007-08 and Rs. 3,59,192 Crores in 2008-09 as against the earlier projected level of Rs. 2,07,273 Crores and Rs. 3,21,579 Crores respectively. Taking account of the development in the first two years, the earlier projections for the entire 11th Plan have been revised and it is now estimated that the total investment in infrastructure in the 11th Plan would be Rs. 2.06 Million Crores.
Investment Assessed for the Twelfth Five Year Plan
According to a Government of India Publication, preliminary assessment suggest that investment in infrastructure during the Twelfth Plan (2012-07) would be Rs. 4.10 Million Crores.
Outlook
At MBL, we expect to leverage our rich experience as we extend into diverse infrastructure verticals and larger ticket assignments. The Company's business model reconciles safety, quality and timely project delivery with corporate social responsibility, leading to enhanced value for the customer, shareholder and community.
The Company is reputed for its technical expertise and efficient and timely project management. Our technical know-how translates into a significant competitive advantage. It enables us to position ourselves more competently to address construction or implementation risk. We have worked on projects with more aggressive client deadlines than the usual standard.
With this overview I must emphasise that MBL is an active participant in the India's infrastructure development growth story.
Your's Sincerely,
Ram Gopal Maheshwari
