Ports, airports, highways to get Rs 320,000 cr for modernisation

New Delhi, July 6 (UNI) A sum of Rs 320,000 crore has been earmarked for the modernisation, upgradation of ports, airports and highways for the 11th Plan Period to make India as world-class manufacturing hub with the best of infrastructure facilities, Planning Commission Advisor Gajendra Haldea today said.

Giving sector-specific details for the 11th Plan Period, while releasing the Assocham study on 'Infrastructure: The 150 Billion dollars Growth Story' Mr Haldea said Rs 40,000 crore have been specifically earmarked for modernisation of leading airports and Rs 60,000 crore for the upgradation of ports while Rs 2,20,000 crore have been earmarked for building highways across the country.

About 75 per cent of resources for building highways would be generated through public-private partnership, Mr Haldea said, adding that enabling model would shortly be announced for the execution of 11th Plan programme for infrastructure building.

Resource generation would not be any constraint for the government as it is committed to build a world-class infrastructure for the Indian industry, he added.

''The government not only intends to build infrastructure in roads, telecom, ports and airports but also alter the current phase of the railways for which the government has already approved 14 applications for running freight trains in close competition with CONCOR,'' Mr Haldea said.

Quoting findings of the study, Assocham President Anil K Agarwal said the study had suggested creation of Consortium of banking and financial institutions such as SBI, PNB, IDBI, UTI, LIC, ICICI, IL&FS, HUDCO and PFC to finance domestic Infrastructure needs which is estimated at 150 billion dollars.

The chamber forecasts the estimate that India needs an investment of Rs 650,000 crore or around 150 billion dollars, for its 'big ticket programmes' like Bharat Nirman, National Urban Renewal Mission (NURM), completion of National Highway Development Programe (NHDP) including the Golden Quadrilateral and North-South and East-West Corridor, modernisation of Delhi-Mumbai-Bangalore-Hyderabad and non-metro airports along with setting up mega power projects through active government-private partnership in the next five years.

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