Road projects have to be built on EPC mode, response on PPP tepid: Nitin Gadkari

Road projects in the country should be entirely government funded, built on the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode to ensure faster execution, at a time when private players are facing difficulties in raising finance, union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari has said.

The government should opt for building projects on EPC mode, and monetising them, instead of depending on the private sector to bring funds, which delays these projects, he said.

“In the infrastructure sector, we tried encouraging PPP. But those who have gone for BOT projects, they have faced several difficulties, the reason why banks are (now) not friendly towards them, and a lot of their time is wasted in raising finance,” Gadkari said at an Assocham webinar on Covid-19 impact and investment opportunities in roads and highways sector on Tuesday.