Overview
On July 8, 2026, Union Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways Shri Ajay Tamta presented the 2026 RAHSTA Awards to 24 companies at the 16th RAHSTA Expo held at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai. The ceremony recognised excellence across road construction, equipment manufacturing, material innovation, safety technology and project execution.
Winners and Honours
The awards covered a broad spectrum of categories. Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery received the Best Earth‑moving Equipment for Road award, while FRED India (formerly Dynapac Road Construction Equipment) was named Best Compaction Equipment. Powerscreen earned Most Innovative Road Construction Equipment, and Alltech India was honoured for Most Sustainable Road Construction Equipment. Escorts Kubota secured the Best Equipment for Productivity Enhancement.
In material innovation, Zydex Industries topped the Most Innovative Road Construction Material ranking, followed by Ramuka Global and CSIR‑CRRI in second place. Tata Steel Ltd’s Industrial By‑Products Management Division was recognised for Best Sustainable / Low‑Carbon Material for Roads. The Best Road Safety Technology awards went to the Border Roads Organisation (Rank 1) and Subtronics (India) (Rank 2). L&T Transportation Infrastructure IC received the RAHSTA Excellence in Innovation award.
Project execution accolades included Welspun Enterprises for Best Bridge Execution, Border Roads Organisation for Best Tunnel Execution, and GHV Infra Projects as Emerging Contractor of the Year. Ceigall India was praised for Excellence in Project Execution (Timely Delivery). Joint winners J. Kumar Infraprojects and Rajpath Infracon shared the Excellence in Highway Construction award, while Dineshchandra R. Agrawal Infracon won Best Highway Project (BOT / HAM / PPP). INTERISE was named Green Highway Developer of the Year, and the Best Smart Highway/Intelligent Transport Solution awards went to Salaipudhur Madurai Tollway (Rank 1) and Zen Microsystems (Rank 2). Additional recognitions were given for asset management, low‑carbon materials, and overall contribution to road infrastructure.
Ministerial Remarks and Technology Focus
During the ceremony, Minister Tamta stressed that “technology is becoming central to highway development,” but cautioned that not all technologies suit every ecosystem. He cited Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) used by MMRDA in Mumbai as unsuitable for fragile or hilly terrains, where controlled blasting is preferred to protect ecology.
Bidur Kant Jha, Director of New Technology for Highway Development at MoRTH, outlined the ministry’s structured framework for adopting proven technologies, alternative materials and innovative designs. He emphasized that new technologies must obtain Indian Roads Congress (IRC) accreditation and demonstrate performance through pilot projects before broader rollout.
Special Recognitions
The Special Recognition Award was presented to Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee (IAS), Metropolitan Commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), for his leadership in advancing Mumbai’s underground tunnel network. Dr. Mukherjee highlighted the importance of integrated urban planning, multimodal mobility, and the synergy between roads, metro and bus systems.
Future Expo and Participation Details
Founder of the FIRST Construction Council, Pratap Padode, announced that the next RAHSTA Expo will be held from May 20‑22, 2027. Contact details for prospective exhibitors were provided: Ninad (regions Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Indore, Pune, East) – Mobile 8657758122, Email exhibition1@asappinfoglobal.com; Anupama (South and Pune) – Mobile 8422874045, Email exhibition2@asappinfoglobal.com; Chandrashekhar (Mumbai & North) – Mobile 8652493000, Email chandrashekhar.b@asappinfoglobal.com.
Disclaimer
The press release is distributed under an arrangement with NRDPL; PTI assumes no editorial responsibility.