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The latest bout of infrastructure booster to road construction push includes the Bharatmala Pariyojana with a Rs 5.35 trillion investment to construct 34,800 km of roads. In addition, Rs 1.57 trillion will be spent on the construction of 48,877 km of roads by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). This is bound to accelerate the road construction pace of 23 km per day as all contracts would be targeted to be awarded by December 2018, keeping an eye on elections expected to be held in May 2019.<p></p><p>Big ticket projects have always been a boon to the growth of equipment market due to the sheer scale of equipment utilisation in such projects. RIL's Jamnagar project gave a real push of growth for OEMs and rental players. Now, with the equipment used there are gradually being decommissioned from the site, the OEMs and rental players have to wait for such other big scale projects. But there seem to be such mega projects on the horizon: the much anticipated Navi Mumbai International Airport project has now moved one step closer to ground-breaking as the Maharashtra Cabinet has given a formal approval to the GVK Group for the construction of the airport project, while the 22 km Trans-Harbour Link project from Sewri to Nhava-Sheva has been cleared too. </p><p>Metro projects are dotting all major cities across the country. Expectations are high on the ground-breaking such anticipated projects in the ensuing new year 2018. </p><p>Mining is a highly equipment-intensive operation with many small and huge equipment involved. Coal mining remains the major user of mining equipment in India. According to latest reports, thermal power plants across the country are facing a shortage of coal. </p><p>About 600 MW of coal-based power generation is already affected due to the coal shortage. The western and northern regions are the most affected and in states such as Maharashtra and Rajasthan, about 40 per cent of power generated from coal is affected. There is likelihood of demand for new equipment from Singareni Collieries Company Ltd and others during Q1CY2018. Mining equipment players are optimistic about a possible capex investment initiative of mining PSUs from next year, with focus on increasing production, evacuation and technological upgradation. Capex initiatives in metal mining is also expected from private sector in the coming years. With mining going deeper, major miners are looking for higher capacity and productive machines. This, coupled with a focus on safety and less man-machine interface, is going to be the trend that will drive the growth of mining equipment in India. Read the 'Cover Story' on Mining ÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ for more insights into the current industry trends.</p><p>Blasting method of mining can be fatal in mines near inhabited areas. The focus on 'Blast-free Mining' provides an overview of the advantages of this method over the blasting method using explosives. Lubricants play an important role in the efficiency and productivity of mining equipment. The CASH Special Focus elaborates on the speciality lubricants that are used in mining to effectively perform equipment in extreme conditions. The regular features, interviews and industry updates provide a complete overview of the industry.</p>