Economy & Market
RAHSTA to submit policy recommendations to NHAI
- RASHTA Expo 2024 and 10th India Construction Festival (ICF) receive grand reception from infrastructure industry
- 10th India Construction Festival 2024 awards over 75 companies from infrastructure industry
- At the 14th RAHSTA Expo – India’s first indoor trade fair for the construction equipment technology – more than 100 companies showcase their latest technologies, products and solutions for building a strong infrastructure
- A M Naik, Chairman Emeritus of L&T, and Mofatraj Munot, Group Founder, Promoter and Chairman of Kalpataru Group, were bestowed with Construction World (CW) Lifetime Achievement Awards
- Dineshchandra Agrawal, CMD, Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon Pvt Ltd (DRAIPL) was honoured with the CW Person of the Year (Private Sector) award
- Jaideep Shekhar, MD, Terex India, was recognised as the “Equipment India Person of the Year 2024”
- More than 50 speakers discussed innovative technologies, sustainable practices, and funding opportunities for the roads sector at 14th India RAHSTA (Roads) Conference
Mumbai, 10 October 2024
The 10th Edition of India Construction Festival (2024) – comprising 14th RAHSTA Expo, 14th India RAHSTA (Roads) Conference, 12th Equipment India Awards and 22nd Construction World Global Awards – received a big thumps up from industry leaders of the construction and infrastructure industry for recognising the industry’s contribution to the nation building by awarding & celebrating its success.
Held on October 9-10, 2024, at Jio World Convention Centre, BKC, Mumbai and hosted by infrastructure think-tank FIRST Construction Council in partnership with Construction World (CW) and Equipment India (EI) magazines, India Construction Festival 2024 honoured over 75 companies in the infrastructure and construction equipment sectors with awards under various categories.
The 14th RAHSTA Expo – India’s first indoor trade fair for the construction equipment technology – provided a platform to more than 100 companies for showcasing their latest technologies, products and solutions that are crucial for the development of a strong infrastructure. The RASHTA Expo and conference united all stakeholders in the infrastructure sector, including policymakers, industry professionals, and supporting industries such as financial institutions and technology providers. This gathering aimed to showcase integrated solutions for challenges within the construction industry and establish best practices for efficiency.
Sanjay Bhatia, Upa-Lokayukta, Government of Maharashtra along with Vipin Sondhi, Chairman, RAHSTA Expo Committee, inaugurated the RAHSTA Expo. Speaking at the inaugural session, Sanjay Bhatia, who has been instrumental in projects like Atal Setu, NAINA region, Mumbai East Coast Marina, Sagarmala during his stints leading CIDCO, Mumbai Port Trust etc., expressed his delight at the huge display of construction technology at the expo, “The RAHSTA expo has put the construction industry on an international standard. India is experiencing nation building at a robust pace and I am truly impressed with the work being now done by our youth with their start-ups many of which are showcasing their innovation here at this expo.”
Launching his to-be-released book ‘Tarmac to Towers – India’s infrastructure story’, Pratap Padode, Founder, FIRST Construction Council stated, “RAHSTA Expo is a paradigm shift in exhibition presentation for the construction industry. It has drawn 4000 quality business visitors who have had fruitful discussions with material manufacturers and OEMs of equipment and technology. The RAHSTA Expo has brought together road contractors, developers, financiers, material manufacturers, equipment OEMs, government authorities and engineering firms on the same platform to share from each other.”
Speaking at the inauguration, Pam Mcfarland, Senior Editor, Engineering News – Record (ENR), said, “India and the USA deals with a lot of similar issues such as flooding, hurricane, etc. Billions of dollars are being poured into construction, roads, and variety of transportation which has climate and environmental resilience focus. In India, pace of road construction has increased manifold. I am looking forward to learn more about what’s going on in India and particularly resilient materials in roads and bridge construction.”
Vipin Sondhi, Chairman, RAHSTA Committee, and former MD & CEO, Ashok Leyland & JCB, said, “This occasion is not just a gathering but reflects our collective strides in shaping the future of India’s highway sector. This sector is not only critical for economic growth but is the backbone of physical connectivity that binds our nation together. The union budget reflected the priority of the sector and allocated Rs 2.7 trillion for Ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH). India’s road network is the second largest and it moves not only goods, people but drives opportunities of inclusivity and development. National highway construction has seen a remarkable upward trajectory, growing at 9 per cent CAGR from FY2016 to FY2024.”
The 14th India RAHSTA Conference (IRC) convened policymakers, industry leaders, and experts to explore innovative technologies, sustainable practices, and funding opportunities aimed at transforming the road construction landscape in India.
Padode stated, “India has the distinction of the second largest road network in the world. In the last 10 years, the speed of road development has increased manifold, and today we are building roads at the rate of 30-37 km per day. But, we need to build roads and bridges of the best quality that can last for 100 plus years. With rising environment and climate change concerns, India need to promote climate and disaster resilience in the infrastructure development process. RASHTA conference provides an ideal forum to discuss, debate and form strategies for building more sustainable, resilient infrastructure projects.”
During the conference Ashish Kumar Singh, Chief General Manager – Finance, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has asked FIRST Construction Council to submit policy recommendations based on deliberations and discussions at the RAHSTA conference and expo.
The two days of RAHSTA Conference paved the way for fruitful engagement and informed participants about novel technologies, strategies and processes required to build a resilient infrastructure.
With over 50 speakers, participants gained valuable insights through engaging panel discussions, thought-provoking keynotes, and displays of cutting-edge innovations at IRC 2024. The event enhanced understanding of industry trends and facilitated important partnerships, contributing significantly to the development of safer, greener, and more efficient road networks.
On the occasion, seven RASHTA Awards were presented in various categories such as Award for best in Road Engineering & Construction, Bridge Engineering, Road Financier, technology in road building, project management, project execution, etc.
CW Global Awards presented to 50 construction industry leaders
The awards were presented at a dazzling ceremony attended by leading figures from the construction industry, including V Chandrashekar, MD & CEO, GMMCO; Sarat Chandak, CEO, H&R Johnson; Srikrishna Subramanian, Director & Sr. VP – HR, GA & ICT, Komatsu India; R K Bansal, Executive VP & Head – Roads, Larsen & Toubro; Anil Kumar Singh, MD, APCO Infratech; Ashish Kataria, Ashoka Buildcon, Director; Rajeev Mishra, CFO, H G Infra Engineering; Sudhir Hoshing, CEO Execution, IRB Infrastructure Developers; Nalin Gupta, MD, J Kumar Infraprojects; Suhas Eklahare, Director, NCC; Kavita Shirvaikar, MD, Patel Engineering; Yancharla Rathnakara Nagaraja, MD, Ramky infrastructure; Sandeep Garg, CEO & MD, Welspun Enterprises; B R Parthasarathy, Sr VP & Head-Infrastructure Cluster, Tata Consulting Engineers; Shammi Khurana, VP – Execution, Civil, KEC International; and Puneet Singh Narula, CEO & Director, Ceigall, among others.
The 22nd Construction World Global Awards brought together top construction industry leaders, experts and policymakers. CW Global Awards were presented to 50 companies such as Berger Paints, Century Plyboards India, GMMCO, H&R Johnson, Komatsu India, Larsen & Toubro, Afcons Infrastructure, APCO Infratech, Ashoka Buildcon, DRAIPL, H G Infra Engineering, IRB Infrastructure Developers, ITD Cementation India, J Kumar Infraprojects, NCC, Patel Engineering, PNC Infratech, Ramky Infrastructure; Welspun Enterprises; Shapoorji and Pallonji, Tata Consulting Engineers, KEC International, and Kalpataru Projects International, among others in different categories. The CW Global Awards and ENR Awards offered a platform to acknowledge and celebrate the innovation, dedication, and outstanding accomplishments of individuals and companies in the construction industry, raising the standard for future endeavors.
A M Naik, Chairman Emeritus of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), and Mofatraj Munot, Group Founder, Promoter and Chairman of Kalpataru Group, were bestowed with CW Lifetime Achievement Awards, for their incredible contribution to the growth of not just their companies, but also of the industry.
A M Naik commented, “I would like to extend my gratitude to the jury of the 22nd Construction World Global Awards and to the entire team at First Construction Council and Construction World magazine for this honour. To be recognised in this way, for contributing to a sector that has been a passion of mine for decades is a moment of great pride. Not just for me but for all those who have been a part of this journey. I have been fortunate to work with some of the brightest minds and most committed professionals, and I share this award with them. It is through their dedication and innovation that we have been able to achieve so much and propel both our company and the industry forward. Over the years, we have seen immense transformation in technology processes and practices, and it is heartening to witness how this industry continues adapting to new challenges while always looking to build better and smarter. This recognition from Construction World serves as a powerful reminder that our efforts to drive progress, innovation, and sustainability have been noticed.”
While accepting the award, Mofatraj Munot said, “A project can progress successfully only with the support of right equipment. Timely and quality completion depends on having reliable machinery at the site. I vividly remember, back in 1980s, I used to visit Bauma in Germany to see the latest machines because, at that time, India lacked a platform to showcase innovative equipment. Today, thanks to efforts like those of Construction World, we have access to all these machines right here in India. I want to express my gratitude to Construction World for the award.”
Dineshchandra Agrawal, CMD, Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon Pvt Ltd (DRAIPL) honoured with the prestigious Construction World Person of the Year (Private Sector) award.
Expressing deep gratitude to the Jury and Construction World for selecting him for the award, Dineshchandra Agrawal said, “This field is my passion, and I believe we are contributing to nation-building by generating employment and fostering growth. Also, it is important to mention that the construction equipment industry has been playing a key role as an enabler to build a strong, sustainable India. With the ‘Viksit Bharat’ vision, I hope we become a developed country where businesses thrive, and government policies support fair and transparent contracts. I dedicate this award to all the individuals and organisations that have been part of my journey and supported me throughout. It is because of their encouragement that I am receiving this recognition today.”
Equipment India awards 22 industry leaders
The eagerly awaited 12th Equipment India Awards 2024, presented by BKT, brought together industry leaders, top construction equipment manufacturers, and components & accessory suppliers to recognise and celebrate excellence and innovation in the construction equipment sector. Some of winning companies included Schwing Stetter India, Sany Heavy Industry India, Ammann India, Schwing Stetter India, Caterpillar India, JCB India, Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery, Action Construction Equipment (ACE); BEML Limited, Doosan Bobcat India, LiuGong India, AJAX Engineering, Case Construction India, etc.
A key highlight of the evening was the announcement of the Equipment India Person of the Year 2024, awarded to Jaideep Shekhar, MD of Terex India. The jury recognized Terex India’s impressive growth under Shekhar’s strong leadership.
Jaideep Shekhar said, “I’m deeply grateful to the Jury and Equipment India for this remarkable honour. This award reflects not only my contributions but also the dedication and hard work of my team. I have been associated with the industry for more than 25 years, and this award motivates me to keep pushing boundaries and to lead the growth with integrity.”
Equipment India and Smart Manufacturing & Enterprises (SME) also hosted a CE Panel Discussion – titled RAHSTA (Road) Ahead for CE Industry – to deliberate on opportunities and future trends in the construction equipment (CE) industry. Panelists of the panel discussion – moderated by Ranjan Sharma, Senior Director – Large Corporate Ratings, CareEdge Ratings – included Dimitrov Krishnan, MD, Volvo CE India Pvt Ltd; Sandeep Singh, MD, Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Pvt Ltd; Shalabh Chaturvedi, MD for India & SAARC region, CASE Construction Equipment; SP Rajan, VP and Head Plant & Machinery, L&T Construction; Sanjay Koul, President – India and SE Asia and MD – India, The Timken Company; and Sitaram Ganeshan, President, Wipro Hydraulics.
Partnership galore
The industry’s overwhelming support was evident from the numerous partnerships it was able to garner as below:
- 22nd Construction World Global Awards: Powered by BKT, Varindera Construction as the Platinum Partner, ITD Cementation, Gmmco, and Dinesh Chandra R. Agrawal Infracon Pvt. Ltd. as Gold Partners, Liugong as the Silver Partner, TATA Hitachi as the Equipment Partner, LivSYT as the Technology Partner, and Shyam Steel and Action Construction Equipment as Association Partners.
- 12th Annual Equipment India Awards: Presented by BKT, Timken as the Platinum Partner, TATA Hitachi as the Equipment Partner, and Schwing Stetter and Action Construction Equipment as Association Partners.
- India RAHSTA Conference: Presented by BKT, Timken as the Gold Partner, Liugong and Nemetschek India as Silver Partners, TATA Hitachi as the Equipment Partner, LivSYT as the Technology Partner, and Action Construction Equipment as the Association Partner.
- RAHSTA Expo: Hosted by MSRDC as the Host State Partner, Birla Pivot as the Powered By Partner, AF Star as the Platinum Partner, ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India as the Gold Partner, NPL Bluesky Automotive as the Silver Partner, Mahindra Construction Equipment, Terex, Shyam Steel, and PNC Infratech as Associate Partners, TATA Hitachi as the Equipment Partner, Volvo as the Badge Partner, SANY as the Lanyard Partner, Steel Authority of India as the VIP Lounge Partner, and Automark Industries as the Bag Partner.
- 10th India Construction Festival: Larsen & Toubro as the Gold Partner, TATA Hitachi as the Equipment Partner, and Action Construction Equipment as the Associate Partner.
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Contact:
For exhibitor enquiries (for RAHSTA Expo 2025), contact Sujoy Gomes on Mob: +91 86577 95881, or Email:sujoy.g@asappinfoglobal.com Office: 022-3103 3000
Jignesh Kundaria, Director and CEO, Fornnax Technology
India is simultaneously grappling with two crises: a mounting waste emergency and an urgent need to decarbonise its most carbon-intensive industries. The cement sector, the second-largest in the world and the backbone of the nation’s infrastructure ambitions, sits at the centre of both. It consumes enormous quantities of fossil fuel, and it has the technical capacity to consume something else entirely: the waste our cities cannot get rid of.
According to CPCB and NITI Aayog projections, India generates approximately 62.4 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, with that figure expected to reach 165 million tonnes by 2030. Much of this waste is energy-rich and non-recyclable. At the same time, cement kilns operate at material temperatures of approximately 1,450 degrees Celsius, with gas temperatures reaching 2,000 degrees. This high-temperature environment is ideal for co-processing, ensuring the complete thermal destruction of organic compounds without generating toxic residues. The physics are in our favour. The infrastructure is not.
Pre-processing is not the support act for co-processing. It is the main event. Get the particle size wrong, get the moisture wrong, get the calorific value wrong and your kiln thermal stability will suffer the consequences.
The Regulatory Push Is Real
The Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2026 mandate that cement plants progressively replace solid fossil fuels with Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF), starting at a 5 per cent baseline and scaling to 15 per cent within six years. NITI Aayog’s 2026 Roadmap for Cement Sector Decarbonisation targets 20 to 25 per cent Thermal Substitution Rate (TSR) by 2030. Beyond compliance, every tonne of coal replaced by RDF generates measurable carbon reductions which is monetisable under India’s emerging Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS). TSR is no longer a sustainability metric. It is a financial lever.
Yet our own field assessments across multiple Indian cement plants reveal a sobering reality: the primary barrier to scaling AFR adoption is not waste availability. It is the fragmented and under-engineered pre-processing ecosystem that sits between the waste and the kiln.
Why Indian Waste Is a Different Engineering Problem
Indian municipal solid waste is not the material that imported shredding equipment was designed for. Our waste streams frequently exceed 40 per cent to 50 per cent moisture content, particularly during monsoon cycles, saturated with abrasive inerts including sand, glass, and stone. Plants relying on imported OEM equipment face months of downtime awaiting proprietary spare parts. Machines built for segregated, low-moisture waste fail quickly and disrupt the entire pre-processing operation in Indian conditions.
The two most common failures we observe are what I call the biting teeth problem and the chewing teeth problem. Plants relying solely on a primary shredder reduce bulk waste to large fractions, but the output remains too coarse for stable kiln combustion. Others attempt to use a secondary shredder as a standalone unit without a primary stage to pre-size the feed, leading to catastrophic mechanical failure. When both stages are present but mismatched in throughput capacity, the system becomes a bottleneck. Achieving the 40 to 70 tonnes per hour required for meaningful coal displacement demands a precisely coordinated two-stage process.
Engineering a Made-in-India Answer
At Fornnax, our response to these challenges is grounded in one principle: Indian waste demands Indian engineering. Our systems are built around feedstock homogeneity, the holy grail of kiln stability. Consistent particle size and predictable calorific value are the foundation of stable kiln combustion. Without them, no TSR target is achievable at scale.
Our SR-MAX2500 Dual Shaft Primary Shredder (Hydraulic Drive) processes raw, baled, or loosely mixed MSW, C&I waste, bulky waste, and plastics, reducing them to approximately 150 mm fractions at throughputs of up to 40 tonnes per hour. The R-MAX 3300 Single Shaft Secondary Shredder (Hydraulic Drive), introduced in 2025, takes that primary output and produces RDF fractions in the 30 to 80 mm range at up to 30 tonnes per hour, specifically optimised for consistent kiln feeding. We have also introduced electric drive configurations under the SR-100 HD series, with capacities between 5 and 40 tonnes per hour, already operational at a leading Indian waste-processing facility.
Looking ahead, Fornnax is expanding its portfolio with the upcoming SR-MAX3600 Hydraulic Drive primary shredder at up to 70 tonnes per hour and the R-MAX2100 Hydraulic drive secondary shredder at up to 20 tonnes per hour, designed specifically for the large-scale throughput that higher TSR ambitions require.
The Investment Case Is Now
The 2070 Net-Zero target is not a distant goal for India’s cement sector. It starts today, with decisions being made on the plant floor.
The SWM Rules 2026 are already in effect, requiring cement plants to replace coal with RDF. Carbon credit markets are opening up, and coal prices are not going to get cheaper. Every tonne of coal a cement plant replaces with waste-derived fuel saves money on one side and generates carbon credit revenue on the other. Pre-processing infrastructure is no longer just a compliance requirement. It is a business investment with a measurable return.
The good news is that nothing is missing. The technology works. The waste is available in every Indian city. The government has provided the policy direction. The only thing standing between where the industry is today and where it needs to be is the commitment to build the right infrastructure.
The cement companies that move now will not just meet the regulations. They will be ahead of every competitor that waits.
About The Author
Jignesh Kundaria is the Director and CEO of Fornnax Technology. Over an experience spanning more than two decades in the recycling industry, he has established himself as one of India’s foremost voices on waste-to-fuel technology and alternative fuel infrastructure.
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