Vol.3, Issue 4, 2025

Infrastructure Quarterly

Our Vision & Mission

Punj Lloyd Institute of Infrastructure Management is established within the Indian School of Business as a specialist Institute to support its Infrastructure agenda. The Punj Lloyd Institute of Infrastructure Management seeks to help create top quality management capacity for the Infrastructure and Real Estate Sectors.

Vision

To create high-quality leadership and management capacity for the infrastructure and real estate sectors and create an understanding of the sustainability dimensions impacting the sectors, by delivering quality education, contextual research, and continuous outreach.

Mission
  • Create top-quality educational and training programmes
  • Facilitate learning through online programmes
  • Undertake research that is contextual to the Indian and developing country context
  • Develop tools and decision support systems to support the infrastructure practice
  • Undertake continuous outreach to support the sector
  • Serve as a "Go to" place for the infrastructure sector in India and abroad.

The Punj Lloyd Institute undertakes various initiatives to guide the infrastructure sector toward efficient and sustainable development through research initiatives, knowledge-sharing events, and training public officials and industry professionals. To meet its vision, the institute works closely with corporates in three verticals, Education, Outreach, and Research.

Education

Advanced Management Programme (Infrastructure): Co2025

The eighth cohort of the Advanced Management Programme ( Infrastructure) commenced its final residency at the Mohali Campus from January 3 to January 12, 2025. This cohort comprises 27 participants with an average of 12 years of professional experience, representing a diverse mix of middle, senior, and top management professionals. During the residency, students focused on core subjects related to infrastructure and presented their action learning projects.

Action Learning Projects (ALPs)

Rejuvenation of Lakes to Make ISB Water Self-sufficient Rejuvenation of Depleting Ground Water Levels at ISB Campus
Team Members:
  • Prabhakar Dhulipudi
  • Anurag Jyothy Kunnel
  • Deepak Jain
  • Syed Salman Hussain
  • Diixita Gulgulia
  • Reuben Roy
  • Laxman Rao Lingala
  • Sri Harsha Arisetti
Synopsis:

This ALP addresses the issue of the depleting Water Aquifers by recharging them. The solutions include: (1) To rejuvenate dying lakes and restore RWH (Rainwater harvesting) pits in urban areas. (2) To arrange funds in hybrid model like “Waste to Wealth" as there is Lack of capital from Govt. The significance of this ALP is immense. NITI Aayog based on a study warning that India is facing its ‘worst’ water crisis in history and that demand for potable water will outstrip supply by 2030 if remedial steps are not taken. Nearly 600 million people faced high to extreme water stress. Also, it made predictions that 21 cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad will run out of groundwater by 2030, affecting 100 million people. If matters are to continue, there will be a 6% loss in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2050. Moreover, critical groundwater resources, which accounted for 40% of India’s water supply, are being depleted at unsustainable rates and up to 70% of India’s water supply is contaminated. Therefore, water resources available to the country should be brought within the category of utilizable resources to the maximum possible extent.

Innovative Approaches to Expedite Design Process in Indian Railways
Team Members:
  • Krushang Shah
  • Yuvraj Kanade
  • Deepti Belday
  • Vandit Maheshwari
  • Varun Jain
  • Sandeep deb
Synopsis:

For contractors, working with Indian Railways, an entity that operates across borders and functions, it becomes extremely bureaucratic when trying to achieve approvals and clearances for any project. We believe that a re-imagined unified gateway system that connects relevant stakeholders through Digital Public Infrastructure (like E-Office, API Setu, India Stack) will make the entire process much more transparent, efficient and help make projects more efficient by setting up frameworks to identify bottlenecks in the approvals and clearances. The scope includes (1) Approvals and clearances post awarding of tender in Railways, (2) Analyze completed projects in Railways, and (3) Failures of past single-window vs successful systems.

Enhancing Performance and Efficiency in highway projects Through Expedited Delivery—Strategies for Success
Team Members:
  • Venkata Ranga Rao
  • Subhankar Nath
  • Shubhayu Dutta
  • Sidhant Pandey
  • Manasa Vemuri
  • Sai Sreenivas Bitra
  • Varun Walia
Synopsis:

For the majority of the ongoing/ awarded road projects, consistent delays are experienced thereby causing exchequer loss to both owner and concessionaire. Considerable studies have been dedicated to evaluating reasons with a focus on Prebid processes. However, there exists an imminent need for multi-faceted post bid analysis which encompasses inferences from Concept to completion stages and decipher the gaps and resulting concerns. The objectives of the study will be to identify the concerns and suggest measures for enhanced performance for effective implementation for the awarded projects on a wholistic perspective. The scope includes the study and collection of data and analyze the same for pain points (both explicit and implicit) based on which improved / amended strategies shall be developed for the ongoing road projects for satisfactory and timely completion for pan India projects.

Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Development of Sustainable Satellite Cities
Team Members:
  • Rohit Malhotra
  • Angraj Hazarika
  • Apurva Zopay
  • Uddhav Chandra
  • Harsh Keshari
  • Rajavardhan Tondapu
Synopsis:

Rapid urbanization is leading to overcrowded cities resulting in a lack of access to basic resources such as clean water, electricity, and public transport to the exploding population. This is a problem in most of the developing countries. Government is planning to develop Satellite Cities around major cities to overcome this problem. As per United Nations-Habitat’s World Cities Report 2022 India’s urban population is projected to be 67,54,56,000 in 2035, growing from 48,30,99,000 in 2020 to 54,27,43,000 in 2025 and 60,73,42,000 in 2030. By 2035, 43.2% of the population in India will be residing in urban areas. The existing infrastructure in the cities will not be able to handle such a population explosion. To resolve this problem of overcrowding our cities, governments and private sector shall come together to develop financially viable sustainable satellite cities which are given access to more inclusive, greener, healthier and safer urban infrastructure for our future generations.

Faculty Master Classes

Faculty Master Class by Professor Manish Kumar
Topic: Infrastructure Economics and Its Impact on India’s Future

The faculty masterclass on Infrastructure Economics and Its Impact on India’s Future, delivered by Professor Dr. Manish Kumar, offered a concise yet insightful overview of how economic principles intersect with infrastructure development, particularly in the Indian context. Addressed primarily to mid-career professionals from various sectors, the session aimed to provide a structured understanding of infrastructure as an economic good. Professor Kumar began with fundamental economic concepts like demand and supply, gradually moving into the categorization of goods—highlighting the transition of infrastructure from public goods or common pool resources to club goods through mechanisms such as pricing and regulation. Using relatable examples and real-world anecdotes, he emphasized how infrastructure can be managed efficiently and socially responsibly. The session also touched upon global comparisons to show where India stands and what can be learned from other countries, all while grounding the discussion in practical experience and conceptual clarity.

Faculty Master Class by Professor K Venkatesh
Topic: Contemporary Contract Management to Address today’s Challenges

The faculty masterclass titled Contemporary Contract Management to Address Today’s Challenges was led by Professor K. Venkatesh, a visiting faculty at ISB and former CEO and MD at L&T Infrastructure Development Projects Ltd. The session was introduced by the program lead of the Advanced Management Program for Infrastructure (AMPI), who welcomed participants and outlined the session structure, including a presentation, program overview, and a Q&A segment. Professor Venkatesh began by setting the stage with a macroeconomic perspective, emphasizing how international and domestic financial trends directly impact infrastructure development in India. He discussed how global conflicts, rising debt levels, and shifting capital flows—particularly the effects of high interest rates in developed countries—can influence investments in infrastructure. He also highlighted India’s high defense spending as a continuing challenge, especially considering increasing regional tensions and the rising cost of defense technology. These macroeconomic factors, he noted, play a crucial role in shaping the contract management landscape for infrastructure projects. The session aimed to provide insights into the complexities and evolving nature of contract management within this dynamic environment.

Research

India’s Infrastructure Journey: Progress, Challenges, and Global Aspirations

India stands at a pivotal juncture in its history, having overtaken China as the world’s most populous country, with an estimated population of around 1.426 billion, according to the UN DESA Policy Brief Number 153 (UN DESA, 2023). This demographic shift underscores the urgent need for robust infrastructure capable of supporting a burgeoning population. The Government of India aims to achieve a net GDP of USD 7 trillion by 2030, driven by economic reforms, digital transformation, increased capital expenditure, and significant investments in infrastructure and manufacturing (Ministry of Finance, 2024).

Our upcoming book, India’s Infrastructure Journey: Progress, Challenges, and Global Aspirations, captures this transformation and focuses on the following:

  1. Evaluation of India’s infrastructure sector performance over 13 years (2011–2023) across five key sub-sectors: Roadways & Highways, Railways, Real Estate, Airports, and Ports.
  2. Review of over 200 journal articles to build a foundational understanding of sectoral developments.
  3. Performance analysis using 13 key financial indicators, including Market Capitalization, Total Enterprise Value, Gross Profit, Total Revenue, Return on Equity, and Debt-to-Equity Ratio.
  4. Benchmarking India’s infrastructure performance against global economies using metrics such as railroad density, airport connectivity, and liner shipping connectivity.
  5. Assessment of infrastructure quality using the Global Competitiveness Index and the Ease of Doing Business rankings.
  6. Study of 1,115 companies (private, public, and government-owned) over 13 fiscal years.

The proposed book would also cover insights from sub-sector analysis on various financial parameters

  1. Air Freight and Logistics
  2. Airport Services
  3. Cargo Ground Transportation
  4. Coal and Consumable Fuels
  5. Construction and Engineering
  6. Diversified Real Estate Activities
  7. Electric Utilities
  8. Gas Utilities
  9. Highways and Rail tracks
  10. Independent Power Producers and Energy Traders
  11. Marine Ports and Services
  12. Marine Transportation
  13. Passenger Airlines
  14. Passenger Ground Transportation
  15. Rail Transportation
  16. Real Estate Development
  17. Real Estate Operating and Management
  18. Real Estate Services
  19. Renewable Electricity
  20. Water Utilities

Through this book, we aim to offer actionable recommendations for policymakers to accelerate infrastructure development and enhance resource efficiency. We are currently in the final editing stage and will soon begin exploring publishing opportunities.

Punj Lloyd Institute of Infrastructure Management

Indian School of Business, Knowledge City,
Sector 81, Mohali 140306.