‘Huge investments in infrastructure have attracted private players’
NEW DELHI: The National Projects Construction Corporation Ltd (NPCC) was set up in 1957 as a premier construction company to help build necessary infrastructure for India’s economic development in sectors such as irrigation, water resources, power and heavy industries. Since then, the PSU has diversified its profile to include thirdparty inspection and project management consultancy. Chairman and managing director, HL Chaudhary tells HT how the organisation is now working to achieve the miniratna status. Excerpts:
What are the new opportunities in your sector?
We are mainly working in construction of roads and bridges, buildings, irrigation, water supply and sanitation, hospitals, townships, powerhouses, border fencing & other ancillary works.
The new opportunities that have come up include river development and rejuvenation works, beside thrust of the government on infrastructure development.
How big is the sector in terms of value?
India needs to spend `31 lakh crore ($454.83 billion) on infrastructure development over the next five years. The sector is very vast in terms of value. The government has announced a number of big infrastructure works such as smart cities, development of airports, development of infrastructure in north eastern states... We hope, NPCC is able to tap these opportunities as it will also help swell our order book, which worth about `4,500 crore. How do you plan eco-friendly, sustainable development? Among recent projects, NPCC has secured works to develop the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Hyderabad valuing about `500 crore, Colleges of Central Agricultural University (CAU) at Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram valuing about
`250 crore, Clean Ganga Mission works in
Jharkhand and institutional buildings for clinical research unit (Homeopathy), IIT, Kharagpur and
Rajendra Agricultural University, Bihar valuing `150 crore.
We are eyeing opportunities in new areas such as real estate, water and sewage treatment, solid waste management projects by associating with capable and credible partners. NPCC is working as a third party inspection agency (TPIA) for rural electrification projects in Bihar and UP...
What challenges are you facing and what are NPCC’s plans for the future?
Huge investments in infrastructure have attracted large number of private sector players. This has intensified competition and put pressure on profit margins. Recruitment and retention of suitable technical manpower is also a challenge due to difficult on-site conditions. Going ahead, we plan to grow on a sustainable basis. Arunachal’s new chief minster, Pema Khandu, has his work cut out. Here’s why.
Arunachal Pradesh comprises a fragile, rich parcel of wildlife and ecosystem, among the richest ecosystems in India. It is also the focus for hydro projects. In 2003, over 50,000 megawatts of additional hydro-based projects were proposed to boost India’s energy, half of them in Arunachal.