NHAI signs Rs 5,729 crore deal for Guwahati Ring Road project on BOT (Toll) Model

In a major step towards infrastructure development in the North-East region, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed a concession agreement with M/s Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon Pvt. Ltd. for the development of the Guwahati Ring Road. The agreement was signed in the presence of NHAI Chairman, Santosh Kumar Yadav, along with senior officials.

The 121 km long Guwahati Ring Road will be developed on a Build-Operate-Toll (BOT) model with zero grant, at an estimated cost of Rs 5,729 crore. The concession period for the project is 30 years, including a four-year construction phase.

The Assam State Government has extended financial support by bearing 50 per cent of the land cost and providing exemptions on royalty for aggregates and the state portion of GST, contributing approximately Rs 1,270 crore. This brings the gross project cost to around ₹7,000 crore.

The project will consist of three major components:

A 56 km-long, 4-lane access-controlled Northern Guwahati Bypass

Expansion of the existing 8 km NH-27 bypass from four to six lanes

Improvement of the 58 km-long NH-27 bypass

Additionally, a 3 km-long major bridge over the Brahmaputra River will be constructed as part of the project.

The Guwahati Ring Road is set to significantly improve regional connectivity by providing seamless passage for long-distance traffic along the East-West Corridor of NH-27, a vital gateway to the North-East. The project will help decongest Guwahati City and neighboring states by diverting heavy traffic, particularly from West Bengal and Bihar towards Silchar, Nagaland, and Tripura.

Moreover, it will facilitate better connectivity to key towns including Siliguri, Silchar, Shillong, Jorhat, Tezpur, Jogigopha, and Barpeta, enhancing economic growth in the region.

The Government of India has been actively promoting Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in infrastructure projects, particularly under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model. In recent years, the government has introduced various modifications to the Model Concession Agreement (MCA) for BOT (Toll) projects to encourage private sector participation.

This is the first contract signed under the revised MCA, paving the way for more BOT-based infrastructure projects in the future.

As part of ‘Vision 2047’, Centre aims to develop a network of high-speed corridors across the country. The Guwahati Ring Road project aligns with this vision, reinforcing the importance of robust Public-Private Partnerships in building and maintaining a world-class National Highway network.