To recognize professionals delivering excellence in National Highway development, the sixth edition of ‘National Highways Excellence Awards 2023’ (NHEA 2023) were held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Hon'ble Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari along with Shri Harsh Malhotra, Hon’ble Minister of State and Dr V.K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog; senior officials from MoRTH, NHAI and other stakeholders were present on the occasion.
NHEA 2023 commemorated various officials and concessionaire/contractors for their innovation and exceptional performance. Out of total 125 nominations, 22 entries were shortlisted by the jury through multiple assessment rounds and five awards for outstanding projects were awarded in different categories. In the ‘Excellence in Project Management (PPP) category, the winner H.G. Infra Engineering Ltd was conferred with the Silver Award for the project Ateli Mandi to Narnaul section of NH-11 & Narnaul Bypass as an economic corridor in Haryana. Under the ‘Excellence in Project Management (EPC)’ category, Bhartia Infra Projects was awarded the Silver Award for Hakanjuri to Khonsa section of NH-315A in Arunachal Pradesh. The ‘Excellence in Operation & Maintenance (Flexible)’ category had Nanguneri Kanyakumari Tollway Pvt Ltd being bestowed with the Gold Award for Madurai to Kanyakumari of NH-7 Package 4 in Tamil Nadu. In the Green Highways category, Ashoka Buildcon Ltd won the Gold award for Kandi to Ramsanpalle section of NH-161 in Telangana and Deccan Tollways Ltd won the Silver Award for Maharashtra-Karnataka border to Sangareddy section of NH-65 in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
The Best Engineer Award was conferred to Shri Navratan, DGM & PD, NHAI, Shri Devender Kumar, GM, NHIDCL and Shri Subhash Chandra, RO Itanagar, MoRTH. Special recognition was given to Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society (ULCCS) for its unwavering commitment to quality, transparency and social responsibility.
During the day long event, winners of the पथ चिंतन Hackathon were also felicitated for their innovative ideas and tech-driven solutions that will contribute in transforming India’s National Highway infrastructure.
Encouraging adoption of innovative practices in National Highway development, Hon’ble Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari in his keynote address said, “Our goal is to raise the bar for quality, ownership & decision-making in road construction. With collective responsibility, we can create global benchmarks & achieve higher daily construction targets.”
Addressing the audience, Hon’ble Minister of State for MoRTH & Corporate Affairs, Shri Harsh Malhotra said “Our highways are just not concrete roads, they are the roads of progress for our country. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is going to play a very important role in the vision of Viksit Bharat in 2047.”
In his address Shri V. Umashankar, Secretary, MoRTH said “As we advance rapidly in National Highway development, we are equally prioritizing quality construction. The quality of highways we give right now is the legacy we will be leaving behind for the next generation. Highway construction is not just a technical endeavor, but a collective effort of vision, innovation, and pride. Our goal is to set new benchmarks in engineering excellence and embracing new technologies for highway development, that will contribute towards our shared commitment towards nation-building.”
In his address NHAI Chairman Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav highlighted the importance of enhancing collaboration between different stakeholders to achieve excellence in National highway development. He also underlined the collective impact of regular capacity-building of all stakeholders to create a world class National Highway network.
Focused panel discussions with senior officials, academicians from various IITs, representatives of research institutes and industry experts were also held on various aspects of highway development which included deliberations on ‘New technologies in Highway Construction and Use of Technology in Quality Control’, ‘Highway Development in Hilly Areas’, ‘Rating of DPR Consultants/AEs and Road Construction Agencies’ and ‘Emergence of Indian Construction Companies as Global Players’.
Institutionalized in 2018, National Highway Excellence Awards aims to incentivize and encourage key stakeholders and to create a spirit of healthy competition amongst all the stakeholders involved in the development of National Highway infrastructure in the country.