Professor of Practice, Aravalli Institute of Technology
Rajesh Bhandari
Twenty-five years of building highways, metros and water systems, now teaching the next generation how infrastructure gets delivered.
School of Infrastructure and Planning, Jaipur, Rajasthan
Previously at
- Tarang Infrastructure Advisors
- Halden Engineering Group
- Sethu Consulting Engineers
- Northgate Highways Ltd.
Selected work
2019–2021
Structuring a 180 km expressway as a hybrid annuity project
Led the financial and risk structure that let a state road agency attract private bidders without a guaranteed traffic return.
2016–2017
Metro corridor feasibility for a tier-2 city
Ridership, cost and phasing study that recommended a smaller first phase, cutting the initial capital need by a third.
2012–2015
24×7 water supply for a city of 1.2 million
Advised the city on moving from intermittent to continuous supply, including tariff design and a performance-based operator contract.
Writing
- Why Indian infrastructure projects run late: evidence from 400 contracts. Journal of Infrastructure Development, 2025
- Hybrid annuity models after a decade: what worked. Economic and Political Weekly, 2024
About
I spent twenty-five years in infrastructure consulting before joining academia, most of it leading the planning and delivery of large public projects: expressways, metro corridors and city water systems.
As a Professor of Practice, I teach what I wish I had been taught: how projects are really financed, why most of them run late, and how engineers can work with governments, contractors and communities without losing sight of the public interest.
I still advise state governments and development banks on project structuring, and I speak regularly on public–private partnerships and infrastructure governance.
- 1999
- M.Tech, Construction Technology and Management, IIT Delhi
- 1997
- B.E., Civil Engineering, MNIT Jaipur
- 2022
- Distinguished Alumnus Award, MNIT Jaipur
Career
1999–2003
Graduate Engineer
Northgate Highways Ltd.
2003–2010
Project Manager, Highways
Sethu Consulting Engineers, New Delhi
2010–2018
Director, Transport Advisory
Halden Engineering Group, India practice
2018–2024
Partner, Infrastructure & PPP
Tarang Infrastructure Advisors
2024–present
Professor of Practice
Aravalli Institute of Technology
Expertise
- Public–private partnerships
- Infrastructure project finance
- Delivery of large public projects
- Urban water systems
- Infrastructure governance and procurement
Talks and media
Talk · 2026
What a decade of hybrid annuity roads taught us
National Infrastructure Summit, New Delhi
Keynote · 2025
Teaching project delivery to engineers
Indian Society for Technical Education convention
Panel · 2025
Getting private capital into city water
Urban Water Forum
Podcast interview · 2024
Why our projects run late, and what to do about it
The Infra Conversation
Let’s talk about your project
For advisory work, talks, or collaborations with students and industry, email me with a line about what you have in mind.
- rajesh.bhandari@example.edu
- Google Scholar
- Jaipur, Rajasthan