Gaps in Governance and Execution: Ten Case Studies of Failed PPP's in India

There are several common factors that have led to the poor performance or failure of numerous Public-Private Partnership (PPP) road projects in India, including unreasonable traffic and revenue estimates, inflexible contracts, unbalanced risk allocation, regulatory hold-ups, and limited oversight. In reviewing ten landmark PPP highway cases, the aim of this study is to emphasize the recurring themes behind the poor performance and failure of PPPs in roads in India; and highlight recommendations such as flexible contracts, proper financial expectations, pre-existing clearances, and proper monitoring. All of these lessons are intended to inform changes going forward to help achieve a more resilient and effective PPP arrangement in the Indian roads sector. This study is limited to secondary data and solely reviews highway cases.