The countrywide lockdown has hit the National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) plans to monetize almost $1 billion of toll roads, as investors wait out the uncertainties of the virus crisis, said three people aware of the development, requesting anonymity.
The delay could stretch NHAI’s balance sheet, given that it has suffered losses on toll revenue, with collections suspended till 20 April and dwindling traffic. On 15 April, credit rating agency Icra had said that NHAI could lose as much as ₹1,181 crore in toll revenue due to the lockdown.
As part of its asset monetization plan, NHAI was selling bundles of road projects under the toll-operate-transfer (TOT) model, under which long-term concessions for collecting toll revenues are auctioned to the highest bidder.
