New Delhi : In partnership with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the National Highways Authority of India, the Highway Operators Association of India (HOA(I)) successfully concluded the HOA(I) National Conference 2026 at The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, New Delhi 27 February 2026. The conference brought together policymakers, concessionaires, investors, technology partners, and operational experts to reflect on the future of India’s highway sector and the collaborative steps required to support sustained national growth.
Centred on the theme “Persistent Growth: Powering India’s Highways of Tomorrow,” the conference featured a full day of high-level deliberations, keynote sessions, and sectoral dialogues that examined policy reforms, operational challenges, financial models, and technological innovations shaping the national highways ecosystem.
The event featured panel discussions on Transforming India’s Roads with ATMS and MLFF, How can Smart Contracts help the Highways Ecosystem – Minimizing Disputes, Sustainability, Quality Management and Cost effectiveness – Material and Carrying Highway Monetization Transformation to States. It brought together industry and government leaders including Sh. Harsh Malhotra, Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Sh. Vishal Chauhan IAS – Member Admin, NHAI, Sh. Vipnesh Sharma – Member Projects, NHAI, Sh. Alok Deepankar – Member Technical, NHAI, Sh. V. Umashankar IAS – Secretary, (MoRTH), Sh. Mudit Agarwal CEO – IHMCL, Sh. Piyush Tewari, Founder and CEO -SaveLIFE Foundation, Sh. Amit Ranjan Chitranshi, COO – IHMCL, Dr. Harikishan K. Reddy, Chairman – Cube Highways, Sh. Ivan Maestre Santos Suarez, CEO – Cintra India, Sh. Raunak Dhillon, Partner – Disputes Resolution Practice – Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Sh. Manish Chitkara, Managing Director – Sekura India Management Ltd., Sh. Pawan Kumar, Advisor – NHIT, Sh. Martinho Fernandes, AVP – Ammann India Pvt. Ltd., Sh. Bovin Kumar, CEO – Cube Highways, Sh. R. K. Pandey, Former Member – NHAI, Dr. G. Bharath, Principal Scientist – CRRI, Dr. G. Gurunath – Manager, Pavement & Quality Assurance, Sekura India Management Limited, Sh. NRVVMK Rajendra Kumar, Member (Finance), NHAI, Sh. Sreekumar Chatra, Managing Director, Infrastructure Funds, EAAA Alternatives among others.
Key insights that emerged from the discussions include:
* The future of tolling in India driven by Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) systems, aimed at enabling seamless, barrierless travel across national highways.
* Emphasis on the nationwide implementation of advanced traffic safety and management systems, underscoring the urgent need for a renewed push toward stronger road safety outcome.
* Insights on the government’s monetization roadmap, including the upcoming second-year targets under the National Monetization Pipeline (NMP) and efforts to further accelerate capital recycling. The discussion also highlighted the strong momentum achieved in recent years, with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)’s asset monetization having gathered pace, especially in the last 2-3 years, with proceeds from monetization touching ₹31,668 crores in FY2024. The InvIT model, now a mature and dependable platform for monetization, unlocked ₹17,738 crore in the last fiscal alone. These results reflect NHAI’s willingness
* to learn along the way and enhance performance on the three core pillars of its asset monetization program.
* The use of sustainable materials and emerging technologies in highway maintenance, including increasing the use of recycled and repurposed materials (RAP) to 60% to significantly reduce environmental impact.
* Deliberations on extending the monetization framework to states, with guidance from, Sh. V Umashankar IAS – Secretary, (MoRTH) on enabling states to adopt structured, scalable monetization models.
Dr. Zafar Khan, President – HOA(I) & Joint CEO – Vertis Infrastructure Trust shared, “Today’s discussions demonstrated the collective resolve of the government and industry to shape a safer, smarter, and more efficient national highway network. The dialogue we witnessed has reaffirmed that India’s infrastructure growth is strongest when rooted in partnership, transparency, and innovation. The insights shared today will guide our journey forward as we work to enhance the national corridors that connect people, drive commerce, and power the country’s progress.”
The successful conclusion of the HOA(I) National Conference 2026 reaffirmed the sector’s shared commitment to innovation, collaboration, and responsible growth. The insights exchanged across panels and leadership dialogues will help shape future reforms, strengthen operational frameworks, and accelerate India’s journey toward a more efficient, technology-enabled and sustainable national highway network.
