Afcons Infrastructure achieved a historic milestone today, marking the first tunnel breakthrough in the City and Industrial Development Corporation's (CIDCO) history. The breakthrough occurred at the Hetawane Water Supply Scheme project at Shaft-4 in Wahal village, Navi Mumbai, under Package-1, representing a significant achievement in India's infrastructure development.

Project Progress and Technical Achievement

Afcons Infrastructure has completed 5.52 km of the 8.70 km treated water tunnel in CIDCO's Water Tunnel Package-1. The company has demonstrated remarkable progress in this challenging infrastructure project and has committed to completing the project six months ahead of schedule.

Despite geological and logistical challenges, the team has set national tunnelling records by adopting innovative practices. The company maintains the highest safety and quality standards throughout the project execution.

Executive Leadership Comments

Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Executive Chairman of Afcons, said, "I congratulate the project team, CIDCO and all those involved for achieving this milestone. Despite geological and logistical challenges, we have set national tunnelling records by adopting innovative practices. We will complete this project six months ahead of schedule while maintaining the highest safety and quality standards."

Vijay Singhal, Vice Chairman & Managing Director of CIDCO, said, "A few days ago, we created history with the first flight taking off from Navi Mumbai International Airport. Today, we have created another historic moment with this first water tunnel breakthrough. It is the first tunnel breakthrough in CIDCO's history and in this project as well."

Project Scope and Impact

The Hetawane Water Supply Scheme represents a comprehensive infrastructure development initiative designed to address Navi Mumbai's growing water demand. The complete project scope includes substantial infrastructure components.

CIDCO has undertaken this project to augment water supply to Navi Mumbai's developing areas and increase supply capacity from 120 million litres per day (MLD) to 270 MLD.

Company Profile

Afcons Infrastructure Limited serves as the flagship infrastructure engineering and construction company of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, bringing over six decades of experience to complex infrastructure projects. According to the latest ENR survey, the company ranks among the Top 140 international contractors globally, holding the 12th position in Bridges and 14th position in Marine & Ports categories.

Afcons Infrastructure Limited has emerged as India's most innovative company, clinching two top honours at the CII Industrial Innovation Awards 2025. The infrastructure engineering and construction company received recognition for its cutting-edge engineering solutions and innovation-driven approach to complex projects.

Award Recognition and Categories

The company secured two prestigious awards at the ceremony held in New Delhi:

These accolades reaffirm Afcons Infrastructure's reputation as a pioneer in engineering excellence and innovation-driven infrastructure solutions, setting new benchmarks for the industry.

Rigorous Evaluation Process

The recognition came after an intensive three-stage evaluation process that demonstrated the company's innovation capabilities among industry leaders. The comprehensive assessment included:

• Participation Scale: Over 900 leading organizations and multinational corporations competed for the awards
• Evaluation Stages: Online application, assessor-led evaluation, and final review by Grand Jury
• Jury Composition: Directors of IITs and IIMs, industry stalwarts, and international experts
• Selection Process: Intense deliberations at the prestigious forum where Afcons Infrastructure's cutting-edge innovations stood out

Consistent Innovation Leadership

This latest recognition adds to Afcons Infrastructure's impressive track record of innovation awards. The company holds the distinction of achieving global recognition as the Most Innovative Knowledge Enterprise (MIKE Award) for eight consecutive years, awarded by a distinguished global jury. Both the recent CII Industrial Innovation recognition and the MIKE award in 2025 serve as testament to the company's emphasis on innovation in every project it undertakes.

Industry Leadership and Global Standing

The awards were received by senior company officials including Mr V Manivannan, Director Chief Technical Officer, Mr Jayadatta Lad, Deputy General Manager, and Mr Prajwal Halagatti, Manager. Speaking about the recognition, Mr V Manivannan stated that innovation is at the heart of everything the company does, and these awards validate their commitment to delivering sustainable, technologically advanced engineering solutions across geographies.

With these honours, Afcons Infrastructure strengthens its position as a global infrastructure leader, driven by knowledge, operational excellence, and a relentless pursuit of innovation in executing technologically complex EPC projects both within India and internationally.