ARSS Infra – spreading wings across the verticals

ARSS Infrastructure Projects is an infrastructure development company focusing on construction of highways, buildings and railways. Sunil Agarwal, CEO and president of ARSS Group highlights the growth story of his company
 
Incorporated in 2000, ARSS is one of the fastest growing construction companies of India. Can you discuss about your current performance?
Our performance year-on-year has seen a constant growth which is great news for our well wishers, investors, stakeholders and the entire Team ARSS. We constantly keep upgrading our systems and processes to match and outshine global standards and being a trendsetter and a brand name in infrastructure segment globally has been achieved as envisioned so far. We have so far successfully secured and executed numerous extremely challenging and respectable landmark projects which many major players failed to execute like the Tomka‑Keonjhar track linking project in the highly Maoists infested remote areas of Odisha , the BRT corridor in Jaipur or the Kaushalya Dam in Panchkula which is its first earthen dam project. It is because of our brand image and reputation that we have won the respectable Baramunda bus terminal modernization project in Bhubneshwar, Odisha under PPP mode, which is the first bus terminal modernization project in the state with plans and vision of making it a world class terminal with all modern facilities like air-conditioned waiting halls, food courts, e-ticketing kiosks, multiplexes, and other commercial facilities.
 
ARSS has also won its first BOT project from Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation which adds another feather to its cap.
 
ARSS Infra has a strong presence across railways, road buildings and irrigations. Which is that one segment you have stronger hold?
Railway construction work is our core business and we are the pioneers in that segment followed by road and other segments where over time we have executed numerous landmark projects and have earned our stronghold as well. We are the only agency in Railways that can build turnkey projects that include major and minor bridge, track linking, supply of the arc, electrification, track signalling and telecommunications etc. This is the type of work we are capable of doing. We start from the green-field and hand over the keys to railways. These types of agencies are very less in India. We feel, in few years, we will be one of the leaders in these fields in India.
 
What is your current order booking?
Our current order booking as on date is over Rs. 5,000 crore and we are expecting numerous other mega projects in the coming months.
 
Out of your total order booking, you have a very marginal percentage booking in PPP model. Can you share your opinion on that? Are there any problems in dealing with PPP model projects?
The Baramunda bus terminal modernization project in Bhubneshwar, Odisha is our first PPP project and going forward we plan to bid for many more such projects. We at ARSS believe in taking one step at a time, however I would also like to highlight that we believe in taking giant steps and prefer being surefooted in every step. So every step of ours is well measured and graceful. After ascertaining our stronghold in cash projects and proving our excellence in the infrastructure, we are now spreading our wings to other models and we are sure that we would be successful in that as well and the percentage of booking in PPP model of our total order booking will see a growth in future. We have already bid for 11 projects worth over Rs. 1,000 crore of projects under PPP mode but results are awaited. The bids are likely to be opened in July.
 
ARSS has recently moved into the north-east region in Assam. Can you elaborate this strategy?
In the North-East region, development so far has been limited, thus there are great potential in that region. We bagged Rs. 104 crore order from Assam government for doubling of NH-44 in February. In September last year, we have been awarded an order worth Rs. 163.11 crore by the Mizoram govt for construction of a new two lane highway.
 
We are one of the few players in the country who are well equipped with the technology and manpower to handle such projects in that challenging geographic location under that tricky climatic condition. Moreover, it falls in line with our vision to have a pan India presence meaning presence in every possible region of the country.
 
Would you like to share the growth story of ARSS?
The company came into being as a private limited one with name and title ARSS Stones Pvt. Ltd. (abbreviated as ARSSSPL) in the year 2000 duly registered with the Registrar of Companies in Odisha. Within a span of two years i.e. in 2002 we ventured into the field of construction of major bridges and railways.  We have acquired plant, machinery and skilled man-power to strategise, co‑ordinate and execute all construction related activities.
 
At a time when Odisha was considered a backward state and its infrastructure was assumed to be of a below average standard, ARSS Group knew that the time has come to give Odisha a facelift by giving it a world class infrastructure and that could only be achieved if the construction quality and technology is upgraded. We strategised and upgraded our systems to be the most efficient and technologically advanced infrastructure company of Eastern India. We aggressively bid for and executed major infrastructure development work in Odisha because our vision was to leave our mark in Odisha Infrastructure and develop its infrastructure into “Truly Global”. Odisha is our base state and has a very rich and famous history and we are committed to give it its much deserved global recognition which is not possible without a world class infrastructure. Odisha is a land of opportunities and many global giants are now able to see those opportunities we had seen earlier and are shifting their focus to this amazing land. We hit the turning point when we executed numerous railways and bridge construction projects which many other big players from within and outside the state failed to execute. It is the perseverance and ability of our employees and management that we proudly completed critical Tomka-Keonjhar track linking and other such extensive projects under extreme circumstances in intensely Maoist infested remote areas of Odisha. On completion of such projects within the stipulated time span, the government and even our competitors looked up to us and recognized our competitive advantage and ARSS Group became one of most respected advanced infrastructure development companies in Eastern India.
 
Our mission was to give the world a cutting edge infrastructure solution and we decided to expand our focus to other regions of the country too and started intensive bidding and execution of infrastructure development projects in other parts of the county too which covered central, western and northern India too.

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