New Delhi: Lieutenant governor TS Sandhu Tuesday said public-private partnerships (PPPs) were not suitable for every project and stressed that their adoption must be guided by feasibility, risk-sharing, financial sustainability and public outcomes.Addressing a capacity-building programme on ‘Leveraging PPP: Policy, Benchmarks, Partnership Frameworks and Outcomes’ at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), Dwarka, Sandhu said well-structured PPPs could play an important role in advancing the vision of Viksit Delhi@2047.He emphasised that PPPs should not be viewed merely as an alternative source of financing, but as a framework that combines public purpose with private-sector capabilities, clearly defined responsibilities and accountability.Noting that Delhi’s development priorities, including urban infrastructure, public transport, healthcare, education, water management, energy and digital governance, are increasingly interconnected, Sandhu said they could not be planned or delivered in isolation.“The concept is not simply an alternative source of financing. It is a framework that combines public purpose with private-sector capabilities, while clearly defining responsibilities, risks, performance standards and accountability,” he said.Sandhu outlined four key principles for successful PPPs: selecting suitable projects, ensuring sound project preparation, strengthening institutional coordination and establishing robust accountability mechanisms.He said feasibility assessments, financial and legal due diligence, realistic demand projections and stakeholder consultations must be undertaken before implementation, with risks assigned to the party best equipped to manage them.“Govt officials should assess projects across their entire lifecycle rather than focus only on departmental responsibilities,” he said, while cautioning that technically feasible projects could prove financially unsustainable or fail to deliver affordable services if maintenance and operational arrangements were not adequately planned.
