The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed a concession agreement with Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon for the 121 km Guwahati Ring Road project.

To be developed on a build-operate-toll (BOT) mode with zero grant, at a total cost of Rs 5,729 crore, with a 30-year concession period, it entails a four-year construction phase. The Government of Assam will contribute by bearing 50 percent of land costs, exempting royalty on aggregates, and covering the state portion of GST, amounting to Rs 1,270 crore, making the gross project cost Rs 7,000 crore.

The project includes a 56 km, four-lane access-controlled Northern Guwahati Bypass. widening of the existing eight km NH-27 bypass from four lanes to six lanes, upgradation of a 58 km bypass on NH-27, and a three km bridge over the Brahmaputra River.

The Guwahati Ring Road will enhance seamless connectivity along the East-West Corridor of NH-27, benefiting traffic between West Bengal, Bihar, Silchar, Nagaland, and Tripura while decongesting Guwahati city. It will also improve access to key regional towns such as Siliguri, Shillong, Jorhat, Tezpur, and Barpeta.

This is the first contract under the modified model concession agreement (MCA) for BOT (Toll) projects, signaling a strong push for public-private partnerships (PPP). Under ‘Vision 2047’, the Indian government aims to develop a world-class national highway network, leveraging robust PPP models to enhance connectivity and economic growth.