Launch of “The Highway Dialogues” Podcast Series
The Highways Investor Association (HIA) has launched a new podcast series titled “The Highway Dialogues” to bring together policymakers, investors, industry leaders and infrastructure experts for in‑depth discussions on the ideas, policies, investment frameworks and technologies shaping the future of India’s highway sector. The series is designed to provide both retail and institutional investors with clearer insight into the evolving highway ecosystem, its investment opportunities, associated risks and long‑term growth drivers.
Inaugural Episode Details
The first episode, called “The Highway Opportunity,” features a conversation between Shri V. Umashankar, Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), and Dr. Zafar Khan, President of HIA and Executive Director & Joint CEO of Vertis Infrastructure Trust. The discussion explores the changing highway landscape, the role of technology in tolling, the emergence of highways as an investable asset class, the growth of asset monetisation, and the importance of long‑term asset management.
Statement from HIA President
Dr. Zafar Khan emphasized that the sector has moved beyond mere road construction to focus on investment, management and sustainability of highway assets over the long term, and that the podcast will facilitate open, meaningful conversations among the key stakeholders shaping this journey.
Content Roadmap for the Series
Future episodes will systematically address key dimensions of the highway ecosystem, beginning with broader policy and investment opportunities and subsequently covering road safety and sustainability, concession and deal structures, financing, tolling and revenue models, construction quality and asset lifecycle management, highway operations, technology and data, risk management, and governance and accountability.
About HIA
Formerly known as the Highway Operators Association (India) (HOA(I)), HIA is a unified platform representing India’s leading highway investors, asset managers and concessionaires. Established in 2019, its motto is “Driving Investment for Safer and Sustainable Mobility.” The association originated in 2018 with focused dialogue on hybrid tolling and operation & maintenance frameworks and has since evolved into an institutional voice influencing how capital and policy converge in the highway sector.
Membership Scale
HIA’s members collectively manage more than 153 highway assets valued at over US$55 billion, covering more than 12,515 kilometres of assets across 22 states and two union territories, constituting a significant share of India’s operational public‑private partnership (PPP) highway network.
Access
The podcast series is available on the HIA YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@HighwaysInvestorAssociation).
Disclaimer
The press release is provided under an arrangement with Business Wire India; PTI assumes no editorial responsibility for its content.