COMMITTED TOWARDS CONTINUOUS GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTS

Describe your business entity in the field of infrastructure; and let us know about your expert opinion on the current market situation in the Indian Infrastructure sector.

REPL has had its presence in the infrastructure consultancy segment from more than 25 years. As a company, REPL provides end-to-end consultancy services such as Viability analysis, Feasibility studies, Infrastructure services, Urban planning, GIS mapping, BIM consultancy, Structural engineering design, MEP Services, Detailed Project Report, Authority engineers and Project Management Consultancy in various states; all under one roof. We are also working on various prestigious central govt. schemes such as Smart City Mission, PMAY & AMRUT projects across the country at various capacities.

The infrastructure sector in the country witnessed a major setback due to the current pandemic outbreak. However, the future appears promising as many projects which got stalled due to this outbreak are expected to start soon with the government starting phase-wise unlocking.

What are your latest projects in your niche of infra works; and what are your recent achievements for completing your pipeline projects?

We are expanding in new territories across the country. Recently we have bagged several new projects which include DPR & PMC for PMAY project in Pune Metropolitan, Project Management Consultancy for Itanagar & Jabalpur Smart Cities, BIM consultancy & PMC for Chennai Metro Rail Phase II, GIS based Master Plan for 5 Towns in U.P., DPR & PMC for Jharkhand State Guest Houses in Mumbai and Puri and mega rural water supply scheme in Bundelkhand Region, U.P.

Apart from these, we are currently working on various Smart City projects that include – Varanasi, Indore, Kanpur, Moradabad and Dehradun. We also have various PMAY projects, water supply schemes, GIS based Master Plans, interception & diversion for sewerage systems to prevent the river pollution and similar other projects on infrastructure in our kitty. We are also providing detailed Engineering and PMC services for construction of accommodation for married defence personnel in Meerut. REPL Group is also offering consultancy on OBPAS (Online Building Plan Approval Systems) for various Development Authorities in Uttar Pradesh, under Housing and Urban Planning Department of state government.

Tell us about the growth challenges which the overall infrastructure industry is facing and is expected to face in the year 2020; and what is your strategy to combat the crisis of labour to finance for your business plans?

Well, the infrastructure sector has been facing several challenges like liquidity crunch, economic slowdown etc from quite some time. The COVID outbreak has added to the woes of the sector however the gradual unlock of the economy raises hopes for a sooner-than-expected revival.

The spread of the virus across the globe though was unfortunate; it brought forward several opportunities for players like us. Ever since we have started our journey, we have been focusing on the technological disruptions and now we have a much more conducive environment to implement our technical expertise such as BIM (Building Information Modelling). With the new normal in place, we will have to work on technical advancements to lessen the manual interventions and therefore in the post-COVID era we will have a bigger field to play.

Infrastructure and construction sectors are actively participating in building the smart and sustainable future. Overall market growth is expected to continue through the year as construction spending follows the overall GDP growth rate. The gradual adoption of digital technologies is expected to ease the challenges faced by the sector.

Primarily, in what manner do you think the government of India is supportive of developing the infra sector in order to rejuvenate the gradually slowing GDP growth and bring back some light of hope and enlightenment for boosting demands in the market; especially, talk about your field and the ray of sunshine you see to manage your business?

The government has acted quite proactively whenever the sector has faced any challenge. The government’s announcement of investing Rs 100 lakh crore in the infrastructure sector is very encouraging for infrastructure companies like us. We are also expecting that the projects like smart cities, PMAY, Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (AHRCs), etc are likely to pick up once the dust settles. Jal Jeevan Mission under Ministry of Jal Shakti is pushing many projects which will transform the water supply infrastructure.

 What is it that you forecast for the period of 2020-2022? Do you think that the Indian market can plan out an exit from the challenges and draw some intensive successful movements for doing business activities?

The pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges before the world and infrastructure sector is no different. Every aspect of the sector has been affected due to low spending, lesser travel and the social distancing norms. However Indian infrastructure sector does have the ability to bounce back from the current situation by the virtue of its robustness and constant technological adaptations. The period of 2020-2022 will be a period of renaissance for the India infrastructure sector.

What expectations do you have from the government’s plans and reforms?

The government has been very supportive towards the infrastructure sector during the Covid-19 crisis, however there are still several challenges that need to be addressed. The government should work on removing the bottlenecks such as delays in land acquisitions & clearances, liquidity crunch, Environmental clearances etc. Most of all, we expect the government to device strategies to ensure the return of the migrant workers so that infrastructure projects could gain pace again. Another expectation that we have from the government is to ease the norms of importing modern technologies in the country.

Is there is something you would like to share with your audience at large, as in discussing your trade principles and motives?

We would like to share our clients, shareholders and investors, that REPL is committed towards continuous growth and sustainable developments to create win-win situation for the Indian economy and all its stakeholders. We are continuously investing in new technologies to meet the current and future challenges for the infrastructure sector.