NEW DELHI: The government has extended the bid submission deadline for the fourth set of road auctions to July 31 as
traffic flows remain below normal in the aftermath of the lockdown in the country.
Bids for the Toll-Operate-Transfer bundle were invited by the
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in October and the deadline has been extended five times so far.
While the initial plan was to raise ₹4,200 crore, the floor price was eventually lowered to about ₹2,200 crore to attract smaller
investors. The current offer consists of road stretches in Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana,
Rajasthan and
Madhya Pradesh, with a cumulative length of 341.6 km.
Investors who were asked to submit their bids by Friday now have time until July 31. The move may impact the highway ministry’s asset monetisation plans.
“Asset monetisation is looking difficult in the current financial year,” a government official told ET.