State-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) will acquire a 40% stake in Tiki Tar and Shell India Private Ltd. (TTSIPL) for Rs 85 crore, marking its entry into India's fast-growing value-added bitumen (VAB) market as it seeks to capitalise on the country's infrastructure and road construction boom, the company said today.The acquisition, through a joint venture with Shell Gas B.V. and Tiki Tar Industries (Baroda) Ltd., will strengthen BPCL's presence in specialised bitumen products used in highways, airports and other large infrastructure projects, the company said in a regulatory filing.The venture, established in 2019, develops specialised bitumen products for road construction and infrastructure projects.Read More: Repeated crises reaffirm role of PSU oil firmsThe partnership will manufacture, market and sell products such as polymer modified bitumen (PMB), crumb rubber modified bitumen (CRMB) and bitumen emulsions, which are widely used in highways and airport runways because of their higher durability and longer lifecycle. The venture will also focus on decarbonisation and waste-circularity solutions for India's paving industry.BPCL said the investment is aimed at capitalising on the government's infrastructure push, including projects under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.The company will leverage its nationwide sales and distribution network to target government contracts, public works departments and other large infrastructure projects, while Shell will contribute technology and Tiki Tar its six-plant manufacturing network.BPCL Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Khanna said the partnership would combine world-class technology, advanced blending capabilities and BPCL's distribution network to make next-generation road construction technologies more widely available across the country.Director (Marketing) Subhankar Sen said demand for durable value-added bitumen was rising alongside India's road-building programme and the partnership would help BPCL expand its product portfolio while pursuing large government infrastructure contracts.Read More: Petroleum vulnerability rising, India must build crude buffers and cut import dependence, EY cautionsShell and Tiki Tar said the expanded partnership would combine Shell's technology, Tiki Tar's manufacturing footprint and BPCL's market reach to strengthen the venture's position in India's growing value-added bitumen market. Tiki Tar currently operates six manufacturing plants across the country.