Whalesbook
Ye jo West Asia mein tensions chal rahe hain na, uska seedha asar apne desh ke highway projects par ho raha hai. Contractors keh rahe hain ki projects ka cost 5 se 8% tak badh sakta hai aur kaam bhi thoda late ho sakta hai. Iska reason hai bitumen, steel aur fuel jaise important cheezon ke bhaav ka badhna.
Rising Input Costs
Actual mein, West Asia ki unstability ki wajah se bitumen ke daam March 2026 tak 20 se 50% badh gaye hain. Road tarring ka kharcha bahut badh gaya hai. Steel ke prices bhi up hue hain, Hot-Rolled Coil (HRC) prices ₹2,000/tonne badhkar lagbhag ₹55,000/tonne ho gaye hain. Isse overall steel cost mein 18 se 25% ki badhotri aa gayi hai. Cement companies bhi price hike expect kar rahi hain, especially crude-linked expenses ki wajah se. Fuel costs toh waise hi badh rahe hain crude oil ke daam increase hone se. Puraani baat karein toh, pichle 5 saal mein construction cost lagbhag 40% badh chuki hai.
Industry Response
Is situation ko handle karne ke liye, construction firms ab strategic sourcing par focus kar rahi hain aur long-term supply agreements kar rahi hain. Bahut saare contracts mein price escalation clauses bhi use ho rahe hain. National Highways Builders Federation (NHBF) ne National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) se project extensions, penalty maaf karne aur extra cost compensate karne ki maang ki hai. Lekin haan, in clauses ko implement karne mein NHAI ke saath hamesha disputes hote rehte hain, jisse uncertainty rehti hai.
Sustainable Materials and Methods
Cost control aur durability badhane ke liye industry ab naye aur sustainable materials bhi use kar rahi hai. Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) ka use badh raha hai, jisse material mein 10 se 20% tak saving ho sakti hai. RAP se construction cost earthworks mein 4.92% aur base courses mein 4.12% tak kam ho sakti hai. Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) technology se kaam 20 se 40°C kam temperature par ho sakta hai, jisse energy, emissions aur fuel costs kam hote hain. Iske alawa, Crumb Rubber Modified Bitumen (CRMB), bio-bitumen, plastic waste, steel slag aur concrete jaise materials bhi use ho rahe hain.
Challenges
Itne efforts ke baad bhi, input costs ka tezi se badhna aur supply chain mein problems ki wajah se margins par pressure aa raha hai, khaas kar choti companies ke liye. ICRA ka estimate hai ki FY26 mein construction industry ke operating margins 10.25-10.75% ke aas paas rahenge, jo pehle se kam hai. Revenue growth bhi 6 se 8% tak revise kar di gayi hai. Real estate sector mein bhi slowdown hai, jisse cement demand par bhi asar pad raha hai. Bade steel companies ke stocks toh 8 se 18% bhage hain, par ye sabko fayda nahi ho raha. Import kiye hue materials aur global energy prices ka risk abhi bhi bana hua hai. Iska example Bengaluru mein dekha gaya, jahan West Asia conflict ki wajah se 80% road tarring ka kaam ruk gaya tha.
Outlook
Government infrastructure par kharcha kar rahi hai, jo ek achha support hai. Budget 2025-26 mein Rs 11.21 lakh crore (3.1% of GDP) allocate kiye gaye hain. Indian infrastructure market 2025 mein $204.06 million ka tha aur 9.57% CAGR se grow hone ki umeed hai. Analysts cement sector ko lekar optimistic hain. Par, ongoing geopolitical situation aur cost inflation ke karan contractors ko apne projects ki profitability aur timelines par nazar rakhni hogi.