Lawyer Monthly Magazine - February 2020 Edition

are relatively undeveloped, they present a unique opportunity to the bidder to undertake city side development. The airport project is also beneficial for the state of Uttar Pradesh which is looking at the project as an opportunity for overall development in the area, which will also create job opportunities, raise standards of living, and facilitate economic growth. What challenges arose? How did you navigate them? Overall, the bid submission was a smooth process. However, as ZAIA was entering in India as a foreign entity without having a place of business in India, there were some concerns and issues relating to the land acquisition for the project, obtaining permits, consent and performance of certain obligations of the concessionaire under the concession agreement. We were able to reassure ZAIA on these issues, legally assess the risks, and suggest mitigants. We also interacted with the authorities on behalf of ZAIA, to ensure a seamless procedure. How does this deal shape the potential 2020 investment scene? This is a large scale project that has kickstarted a lot of interest from Swiss companies that were sceptical about entering the Indian market. A Swiss conglomerate having been awarded a project of this magnitude has put a positive light on the Indian market as an investment opportunity. This should garner a lot of interest in both PPP and private sector projects from many European entities. What other sectors do you think we should keep an eye on for 2020? A current focus area of the government is our infrastructure, including in core sectors like the railways, roads, ports, airports. India is looking to open up these sectors and encourage private participation through divestment and other avenues of project development. We expect a lot of traction in these sectors, and investors and developers should expect more opportunities in these sectors. The government is also looking to introduce new models for monetization of public assets, including operational assets. All in all, this is a very exciting time to be investing in India. Transactions Zurich Airport International AG’s Bid for Jewar Airport 69 FEB 2020 | WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM All in all, this is a very exciting time to be investing in India. This is a large scale project that has kickstarted a lot of interest from Swiss companies that were sceptical about entering the Indian market.