Poor
infrastructure has for long been the bane of India. Dilapi
dated roads, jam-packed streets, frequent power outages are
the common sights even in big Indian cities like New Delhi
and Mumbai, which are now grappling with a new problem: congestions
at airports. Fund-starved government agencies have not been
able to cope with the rising demand for infrastructure development
in cities, which are reeling under the pressure of growing
population and migrants. However, all this might change as
the government is showing greater willingness to embrace the
successful global model of Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
Wikipedia defines PPP model as a government service or private
business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership
of government and one or more private sector companies. Some
of the successful examples of this model, globally, include
Chicago Skyway Bridge, Chicago and California Fuel Cell Partnership
in the US, National Air Traffic Services (since 2001) and
some National Health Service (NHS) hospitals and other agencies
in the UK.
Taking
a cue from the success of this model in developed countries,
the Government of India is taking several initiatives to give
a boost to its PPP plans. For instance, so far this year,
the Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC)
has approved 13 projects worth Rs 7,946 cr across the country,
which include development of National Highways, tourism infrastructure
and non-metro airports on PPP basis. Some of these projects
are: development of Udaipur and Amritsar airports, developing
tourism infrastructure in West Bengal, and strengthening the
National Highways network in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Orissa, Uttar
Pradesh, Assam and Rajasthan. So far, since its constitution
in January 2006, PPPAC has granted approval to 52 projects,
with an estimated project cost of Rs 35,068 cr. Besides, the
government is also looking at embracing PPP model for the
Metro rail projects in Hyderabad and Mumbai. |
