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Chennai Port-Maduravoyal Corridor: J Kumar Infraprojects Awarded Contract For All Four Packages, To Construct 21-Km Elevated Expressway In 2.5 years

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J Kumar Infraprojects Limited (JKIL), a Maharashtra-based company has been awarded the contract to build all four packages of the four-lane elevated corridor from Chennai Port to Maduravoyal in Chennai.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) issued letter of acceptance (LoA) to J Kumar for the construction of elevated road project at an order value of approximately Rs 4,000 crore.

The first and fourth package have been awarded to a joint venture of JKIL and AZVIRT at a bid price of Rs 915 crore and Rs 775 crore respectively.

Packages II and III have been awarded to the JKIL at a bid price of Rs 1,015 crore and Rs 865 crore respectively.

According to NHAI sources, the contractor, who has worked extensively on the Mumbai Metro, quoted 15 per cent less than the estimated amount of the Rs 5,510 crore project.

In the next stage, the contractor will mobilise the required personnel, materials and machinery.

According to the LoA, the date for the commencement of the work has been fixed as 31 July 2023 and all four packages are required to be completed in two and a half years.

Four Packages

Earlier in July 2022, the NHAI had invited tenders for the expressway project through four engineering procurement construction (EPC) packages with a 910-day construction deadline.

A total of 13 bidders, including Afcons, Tata Projects and Kalpataru Power Transmission were in fray to construct Maduravoyal Expressway.

These firms had submitted a total of 24 bids for four packages of the project. Out of the 13 bidders, Afcons Infrastructure Limited and J Kumar Infraprojects were the only two to have bid for all the four packages.

Project

The 20.593-km-long double-decker elevated highway between Maduravoyal on the Chennai-Bengaluru highway and Napier Bridge, adjacent to Chennai port, will be constructed under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.

The project entails constructing a four-lane elevated corridor.

Chennai Port-Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway

The first level of the corridor will facilitate movement of light motor vehicles between Koyambedu and Chennai Port, with ramps in 13 places — seven entries and six exits.

The second tier has been designed only for heavy motor vehicles between Chennai Port and Maduravoyal.

The project is specifically designed to manage the expected increase in port-bound traffic, which is predicted to double by 2040 from current levels.

At present, trucks to and from the port ply through the port’s northern end in Royapuram. However, the elevated project will allow entry and exit through the port’s southern end in the heart of the city.

The completion of this project is expected to alleviate traffic congestion in Chennai by segregating local traffic movement onto one tier of the elevated highway. Additionally, it will double the handling capacity of the port, reduce waiting times, and decrease travel time for vehicles bound for the port, by an hour.

The foundation stone of the project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2022.

Centre Plans Mandating Use Of 20 Per Cent Recycled Inputs In Auto Industry By 2026-27

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Indian Automakers may have to mandatorily use 20 per cent recycled materials out of the total weight of metals they need from 2026-27 onwards.

Quoting a senior government official, an ET report said that the mandate is part of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) being prepared by the Centre.

EPR requires the manufacturer of a product, or the party that introduces the product into the community, to take responsibility for its life cycle.

As per the proposed plan, starting from 2026-27, a minimum of 20 per cent by weight of the materials being used in the vehicle’s production need to be recycled material. This requirement will remain constant during 2027-28.

However, in 2028-29 and 2029-30, the amount of recycled materials used in the vehicle’s production will be increased to 30 per cent.

Further, according to the plan, the EPR mandate will be on use of minimum percentage recycled materials in new production. This EPR mandate will be for the total weight of ferrous and steel used in a vehicle.

Vehicle Scrapping

Like any other consumer durable, the moment vehicles become waste for consumers, they enter an altogether different economic sector where they acquire a second life and new value in the hands of recyclers, scrap dealers and sellers of parts in the second-hand markets.

To address this issue and promote sustainable practices, the Centre is planning to implement Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program for automakers. Such a program would make vehicle manufacturers liable for the scrap that is generated once a vehicle reaches its end-of-life (ELV).

However, one of the primary hurdles in this plan is the limited number of scrapping centres in the country. A total of 31 Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) are currently operational across 12 states.

Out of the 31 RSVF, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of centres at nine. The facilities are also in Andhra Pradesh (2), Assam (2), Chandigarh (1), Gujarat (4), Haryana (5), Madhya Pradesh (2), Maharashtra (1), Odisha (1), Punjab (1), Rajasthan (2), and Uttarakhand (1).

Uttar Pradesh: Tender Floated For Rs 251 Crore Trivani Sangam Ropeway Project In Prayagraj

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The National Highway Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) has floated a tender for the development, operation and maintenance of a ropeway between Shankar Viman Mandapam and Triveni Pushp at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh.

The NHLML — a 100-percent-owned special purpose vehicle (SPV) of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) — took the decision after completing a feasibility and detailed project report (DPR) of the project

The 2.2-km-long ropeway connecting the two places will be constructed at a cost of Rs 251.05 crore under the hybrid annuity mode (HAM).

The majestic Shankar Viman Mandapam, popularly known as the Shankaracharya Temple, is situated on the north of renowned Triveni Sangam.

Shankar Viman Mandapam

The 130-feet-high temple with four floors built in south Indian style has the idols of Kumaril Bhatt, Jagatguru Adi Shankaracharya, Kamakshi Devi, Tirupati Balaji and Yogsahastra Sahastrayoga Linga.

While Triveni Pushp is a picturesque tourist attraction located on the banks of Yamuna at Arail in Prayagraj’s Naini.

Triveni Pushp (Credit: Prayagraj Social)

Spread over an area of four hectares, Triveni Pushp has a magnificent tower architecture visible in the southeast direction from the confluence of Triveni Sangam, surrounded by 12 small lawns. Triveni Pushp is a viewpoint and a major tourist attraction visited by almost all national and international delegations, travellers and pilgrims during Kumbh-2019.

The ropeway project is being carried out under the central government’s Parvatmala scheme, which is a National Ropeways Development Programme and will serve as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional roads. The NHLML has been assigned to develop ropeway projects under the scheme in the country.

Notably, this would be the second ropeway project to be developed under the Parvatmala scheme in Uttar Pradesh.

A 3.8-km ropeway link between Varanasi’s Cantonment Railway Station and Godowlia Chowk is currently under construction. The Rs 645 crore Varanasi ropeway project has a completion deadline of 18 months.

An Indian firm, Vishwa Samudra Engineering and its technology partner Bartholet Maschinenbau AG of Switzerland were awarded the contract for the Varanasi ropeway project. The contract order includes the operation and maintenance of the project for 15 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation for this ambitious project on 24 March this year.

Mumbai: NCC–J Kumar Infra JV Emerges As Lowest Bidder For Goregaon-Mulund Link Road Tunnel Project, Work To Start In October 2023

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is going to award the work of the construction of two underground tunnels as part of the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project to a joint venture of Hyderabad-based NCC Limited and Mumbai-based J Kumar Infra Projects Limited.

The 12.2-km-long GMLR will connect Goregaon in the western suburbs with Mulund in the eastern suburbs, through a serious of arterial roads, underground tunnels and bridges.

It was in October 2022, that the BMC had floated tenders for construction of 4.7-km twin tunnels with an estimate of Rs 6,237 crore. But owing to requests from bidders, the submission deadline had to be extended four times.

Afcons Infrastructure, Larsen & Toubro, NCC–J Kumar Infraprojects (JKIL) joint venture (JV) were the three firms to submit their bids, out of which the NCC JV emerged as the lowest bidder.

Twin Tunnels

As part of the futuristic GMLR project, the BMC has envisaged a twin tunnel below Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the only national park in the world to be located within a metropolitan area.

Twin Tunnel Project, GMLR.

The 4.7-km-long tunnel will start at Film City at Goregaon and exit at Khindipada at Mulund. The tunnel, with a diametre of around 13 metre, will have a depth varying between 20 and 160 metre, depending on the surrounding topography.

The tunnelling works for the project will be done using the tunnel boring machine and the tunnel will be equipped with advanced ventilation, lighting systems, and electric surveillance.

GMLR Project

The Rs 8,550 crore Goregaon Mulund Link Road project envisages creating an east-west corridor for traffic movement, connecting Western Express Highway at Goregaon and Eastern Express Highway at Mulund.

Currently, there is no direct connectivity between these areas, and commuters have to take a detour from either Ghodbunder Road in Thane or Powai. Both these roads remain grid-locked during peak hours.

The entire project has been divided into four phases and at present the first and second phase is on, which includes construction of flyovers, traffic interchanges, widening of existing roads and creating traffic interchanges.

Alignment of GMLR Project (MetroRailGuy)

Quoting P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner (projects), an Indian Express report said that the work on the twin tunnels, being built under the third phase, is expected to start from October 2023 and it will take 60 months to get completed.

Nine Years Into Service, Mumbai Metro Line 1 Trains To Get An Overhaul

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In a first-of-its-kind exercise, the process to overhaul the rakes of Metro Line 1 that traverses between Versova and Ghatkopar has commenced.

A total of 16 trains deployed on Metro Line One which were procured from China’s M/s. Crrc Nanjing Puzhen Co. Ltd., have completed travelling 6 lakh kilometre and are due for overhaul.

As per the Metro One officials, overhauling work began in March this year and three rakes have already been completed. The periodic overhauling for trains which is undertaken every nine years, includes overhaul of mechanical, pneumatic and electrical aspects and on an average 25 days are required to overhaul one rake.

A team of experts have come to Mumbai to assist in the overhauling work.

Nine Years Into Service

Mumbai Metro One, city’s first metro that runs between Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar, completed its nine years of operation on 08 June this year.

The project was inaugurated by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in June 2006 and construction work began in February 2008 and commercial operation commenced from 8 June 2014.

The project runs on a dedicated elevated corridor providing East – West connectivity with a travel time of 25 minutes between Versova and Ghatkopar.

The 11.40-km long service of Metro One, having a fleet size of 16 trains serve an average four lakh ridership daily.

The headway between each train on weekdays (Monday to Friday) is three and half minutes during peak hours and gradually increases to eight minutes during non-peak hours.

The Mumbai Metro Line 1’s operator is Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL), a special purpose company formed by Reliance Infrastructure, and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

Mumbai Metro One is India’s first Public Private Partnership (PPP) metro project in which all the three phases (construction, operation and maintenance) have been undertaken by a private player.

Further, Mumbai Metro One is the first MRTS (Mass Rapid Transit System) in the world to offer e-ticket on WhatsApp, it claimed in a release.

Bihar’s Infrastructure Woes Call For Embracing 3S — Scale, Strength And Speed

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Bihar, one of the largest states in the Hindi heartland, is often in news for many things. But, of late, it has been in the spotlight due to a string of major infrastructure failures.

Contrast this, the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, which was in the same boat until a few years ago, is now famous for being the ‘Expressway capital’ of the country.

What should a poor state like Bihar do to improve their status then? The answer is relatively straightforward: 3S — scale, strength and speed.

Scale

The state is in dire need of expanding its infrastructure, encompassing additional national highways, airports, and railway systems.

For example, the state’s share in the NH network is continuously decreasing. According to the Economic Survey of the state for 2022-23, the increase in NH length in Bihar was less than doubled from 3,537 km to 5,940 km, compared to more than doubled at the all-India level, from 65,569 km to 140,995 km, during 2005 to 2022.

“The shrinking share of NH in Bihar in the all-India total should be an issue of probe by the central government,” said the survey.

Similarly, Bihar has 31 airstrips, of which only three are operational for domestic flights, ie, Patna, Gaya and Darbhanga.

While Gaya and Patna airports are two operational Airports Authority of India (AAI) airports, Darbhanga is an operational AAI civil enclave under the Indian Air Force (IAF) and has limited flights.

The need for more airports can be attributed to the north-south divide which makes the journey to the airport in Patna difficult and burgeoning air traffic which means demand has outstripped supply. Any person who wishes to fly out of the state has to undertake an arduous five-six-hour journey to the state capital, leading to time and cost constraints.

Similarly, the aviation sector in Bihar has grown roughly by eight times over the past decade and generated Rs 252 crore in the 2021-22 fiscal alone, according to the Bihar Economic Survey, which means more airports will be required to cater to the growing traffic.

To be fair, a major part of blame lies with the state government. The state has not been able to plan let alone develop a single expressway. On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh, the fourth largest state in the country, may be a laggard on social indicators like health and nutrition but the glistening new blacktop expressways that are coming up, crisscrossing the entire state has been the talk of the town.

The state currently has an operational network of six expressways, totalling 1,225 km of length. Another 2,600 km of expressways are being built, making Uttar Pradesh the first state to have a network of 14 expressways, all being built with state’s own resources.

Strength

A series of accidents has time and again raised concerns about the safety and quality of infrastructure in the state. To put this into perspective, countless bridges have come crashing down in the northern state in recent history. There have already been at least four bridge collapse incidents in the state this year.

The most recent case occurred on 4 June when a 200-metre superstructure of the under-construction Aguani Ghat-Sultanganj bridge spanning the Ganga River in Bihar suffered a collapse, mirroring a previous incident involving the same bridge just over a year ago.

As is the norm, after the first few days of chaos, rescue operations, customary meetings and discussions, it all gets forgotten about the lives affected and the people responsible. The basic reason behind all these structural failures is low quality of materials used for construction, which is a consequence of administrative anarchy and corruption.

The state has done little to address the issues related to poor construction and safety standards, except indulging in political slugfest.

It must be noted that such incidents are regularly reported from across the country (eg, Morbi bridge tragedy in Gujarat), but the intensity of such occurrences makes Bihar unique.

It would do well for an average citizen if the state government takes preventive measures including regular checkups, structural design audit, detailed inspection of quality of material and workmanship to prevent such tragic incidents.

Speed

Things move at a snail’s pace in this eastern state — a two-km-long railway mega bridge on river Kosi, the foundation stone of which was laid by former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003, was inaugurated 17 years later in 2020.

To start with, the situation is so dire that the high court has been monitoring the new constructions/widening/four-lane works of all national highways crossing through Bihar by hearing more than 40 PILs filed for expeditious constructions of national highways in the state.

Similarly, it was only in June 2023 when the state government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the AAI for the construction of new civil enclave at Darbhanga, three years after the airport became functional in November 2020.

Why things move slow may be attributed to various factors, but the delay in completion of crucial projects compounds problems being faced by residents of the state. It would do well if the centre government, especially, takes a proactive step to ensure projects meet their deadline.

A brilliant example of this can be seen in the fact that the Centre in 2018 had agreed to the state government’s proposal to bring down the criterion of having 90 per cent land in possession before starting construction work to 70 per cent, which was an important reason behind delay in the implementation of projects.

Bihar had been pressing for a change in criteria because of the high density of population (1,102 persons per sqkm), which makes land acquisition a tardy process fraught with legal hassles.

The Curious Case Of Railways

The state which gave eight rail ministers has an abysmal track record in railways. The issues with railways can be classified in three major areas: very few trains, maximum train delays and slow pace of rail infra upgrade.

The state with high population growth, had always been underdeveloped and poorly governed, creating a large number of travellers using rail to travel across the country in search of jobs.

However, there are not enough trains to accommodate them, which is evident in the number of waitlisted passengers on any train operating to major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. The end result is that masses of migrants are forced to travel in cramped coaches without food and water in sweltering Indian summers.

To make matters more complex, passengers on trains originating from, arriving at, or passing through Bihar stations face significant delays. Train delays need urgent attention as being on-time has a definite value for every traveller.

The most appalling part is neglect for the rail passengers in the scheme of things. Sample this, Bihar was the last state to get its inaugural Vande Bharat train.

It is true that the state has started getting more budgetary allocation — the budgetary allocation of Rs 8,505 crore for FY 2023-24 is 7.5 times more as compared to earlier budgetary allocations of total Rs 1,132 crore between 2009 and 2014.

However, the surprising part is things miraculously do not happen. For example, the Samastipur-Darbhanga doubling new line project which was sanctioned in 2015 is yet to be completed.

Though things have improved much for the better, a lot needs to be done. For the start, a strong Centre-state coordination is required to remove the major stumbling blocks, particularly, issues related to land acquisition. Further, it is time efforts are made to provide multiple avenues of comfortable travel for the local population as well as the inter-state migrant.

Infrastructure investments have a powerful multiplier effect. They enhance accessibility and facilitate trade, improve mobility, generate greater employment opportunities, and boost overall economic productivity. If India has to move forward, Bihar’s rightful place has to be secured in time and infrastructure, is a key cog in that wheel.

Agra: Metro Train On 6-km Priority Corridor To Become Operational By February 2024, Six Months Ahead Of Schedule

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Residents of the Taj City have reason to celebrate as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced on Wednesday (26 July) that the Agra Metro will kick off its operations by February 2024, six months ahead of the originally scheduled date in August 2024.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath made the announcement after inaugurating the high-speed train trial of Agra Metro on the 3 km long elevated section of priority corridor from Taj East Gate Station.

Speaking on the occasion, the CM said, “I feel very proud to share that now the high-speed trials of Agra Metro have begun. The team has done a commendable job.”

“Metro services will be operational for the people of Agra by February 2024,” he said.

Managing Director for Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC), Sushil Kumar, said, “UPMRC has always executed metro projects timely and ahead of schedule. This time as well we will achieve the same milestone, by delivering a world-class metro to the people of Agra ahead of the set timeline”.

Until now, low-speed trials of the metro were already being carried out in the Agra Metro Depot.

Agra Metro Depot

Now, the high-speed trials will commence on the 3-km-long elevated viaduct comprising three elevated stations, which is a part of the 6-km-long priority stretch (on the first corridor) that runs from Taj East Gate Metro Station to Jama Masjid Metro Station.

Two Routes

The 29.4-km-long Agra Metro has two corridors with 27 stations.

The first corridor between Taj East Gate and Sikandra is now under development. The 14-km-long Corridor1 has 13 stations — six elevated and seven underground.

Agra Metro Map

The second corridor to be built between Agra Cantt and Kalindi Vihar in Agra City will be 15.4-km-long and will be completely elevated with 14 stations.

The priority stretch which is a part of the Corridor 1 has three elevated metro stations — Taj East Gate, Basai and Fatehabad Road along with three underground metro stations — Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Jama Masjid

While the civil work-related to the elevated stretch is complete, the tunneling work on the Priority corridors’ 3 km underground section between Taj Mahal and Jama Masjid is currently underway. Also, the three underground metro stations are taking shape rapidly.

Agra Metro, once operational, will be the sixth metro city in Uttar Pradesh and will give plenty of employment opportunities, enhance tourism and boost its image on the world map. Metro trains are currently operational in five cities — Lucknow, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida.

Mission Decongestion: A Look At Major Projects Under Implementation To Unclog Delhi Roads

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The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is working on projects worth Rs 65,000 crore to reduce traffic congestion and pollution in Delhi.

Out of these, projects worth Rs 25,000 crore have been completed whereas, projects worth Rs 33,000 crore are in progress. A total of projects worth Rs 6,000 crore are under consideration for implementation.

Bordered by Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, the National Capital territory (NCT) of Delhi has a convergence of five major national highways (NH). Over the years vehicles and pollution levels have increased exponentially, resulting in severe traffic congestion.

To save Delhi through decongestion, the Road Transport Ministry and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have taken up the comprehensive exercise of widening, upgradation and development of the arterial NH network in the National Capital.

As part of this, the Centre has built a network of an expressway, underpasses and a flyover quickly spread out along Eastern Peripheral with a cost of Rs 12,000 crore in 2018. The 135km passageway, called as Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) was followed by the construction of an 8-lane corridor from Dhaula Kuan to the IGIA in 2020.

A look at the other ongoing project, their importance and current status:

1. Dwarka Expressway

Part of the Bharatmala project, the 29.6-km-long Dwarka Expressway- the country’s first elevated one — is being built as a bypass to decongest the NH8 between Delhi and Gurgaon at a cost of nearly 9,000 crore.

Source: Indian Express

While 18.9 km of the section lies in Haryana, 10.1 km lies in Delhi.

The 8-lane access-controlled expressway is 75- 90 per cent complete and is likely to be finished in three-four month.

The project also includes a “3.6-km tunnel, the country’s widest 8-lane tunnel, which will make commuting from Dwarka to IGI Airport Terminal 3 possible in five minutes”.

While it will cut travel time to the airport for residents of Haryana and West Delhi, it would provide direct access to the upcoming India International Convention Centre in Dwarka Sector 25.

2. Urban Extension Road (UER) II

The six-lane access-controlled highway is being developed by the NHAI as a component of the Delhi Decongestion Plan, at a capital cost of Rs 7716 crore.

The UER-II will connect NH-1 to Dwarka and Bahadurgarh and form the third Ring Road of Delhi along the Western boundary.

The UER-II takes off from NH 1 near village Bankoli and terminates near the junction of Sector 24 in Dwarka. The route will connect NH-1 with NH-8 passing through Bawana Industrial Area, Rohini, Mundka Industrial Area, Najafgarh and Dwarka.

Alignment of UER-II (MetroRailGuy)

The total length of UER-II is 46.5 km, out of which 38.11 km is taken up as part of this project and a part alignment is being taken up with alignment of Dwarka Expressway. The complete length of the corridor falls in Delhi.

While the NHAI had set a deadline of October 2023, the project is expected to be complete by December this year.

3. DND Interchange

A new six-lane elevated corridor is currently being developed from DND Maharani Bagh to the Junction with the Jaitpur-Pushta Road Section of NH-148NA.

DND Flyway to Jaitpur

The 9km road from DND Flyway to Jaitpur in south Delhi along the Yamuna River is being built at a cost of Rs 7000 crore, and scheduled for completion by April 2024.

This highway will serve as a primary route for traffic flow between Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, and will improve the connectivity of North/East Delhi with Noida and Ghaziabad.

It will also connect with major highways such as Direct Noida-Delhi flyways, Delhi-Meerut, Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP), NH-2 (Delhi-Agra), Delhi Mumbai Expressway, and Jewar airport.

4. Akshardham to Intersection of Eastern Peripheral Expressway

The 31.2-km-long six-lane, access-controlled corridor from Akshardham in East Delhi to the EPE junction on Baghpat Road is chasing a December 2023 deadline and aims to decongest Delhi and Ghaziabad city.

The 3,500-crore project is being developed in two packages – 14.75km from Akshardham to near Loni and 16.45 km from UP Gate to Khekra near Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) in Baghpat.

Of the total length of 31.2 km, some 17 km will be elevated. The project is expected to be ready by December 2023.

5. Widening of Delhi-Panipat Highway

The NHAI has undertaken the widening work of a 70-kilometer stretch from Mukarba Chowk in Delhi to Panipat on NH-44 at a cost of Rs 2178 crore.

The project has been delayed by almost three years and is 97 percent complete. As part of this, a total of 11 flyovers were inaugurated in June 2023, thereby completing the main carriageway of the project.

The project is scheduled for completion by April 2023, but the ministry has targeted to operationalise the stretch by end of this year. The completion of the main eight-lane corridor has significantly reduced travel time by one hour for straight-going traffic.

6, Improvement of Delhi-Jaipur Road

The 225-km Delhi-Jaipur Highway is being revamped at a cost of Rs 1,300 crore to help improve transport infrastructure and ease the commute.

Of the Rs 1300 crore, Rs 513 crore will be spent on constructing 16 structures that include flyovers, bridges, underpasses on the highway, while Rs 800 crore will be spent on repairing and improving the highway itself.

The project is 70 per cent complete and is scheduled for completion by August 2023.

7. Four Laning of Gohana-Sonipat

The four-laning of Gohana-Sonipat section of NH-352A under Bharatmala Pariyojana is being undertaken at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore. The 39-km-long road is 73 per cent complete and will be operational in the next two-three months.

The vast network of the redesigned roads, new flyovers, underpasses and foot overbridges will decongest the high-traffic density hotspots and will be a major step towards improvising the livability of India’s capital city.

Green Shoots In Indian Aviation Sector: DGCA Set To Issue Record Commercial Pilot Licenses This Year

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India is set to issue a record number of commercial pilot licenses (CPLs) in 2023, surpassing the figure from 2022, Union minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday (25 July).

The civil aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in 2023 issued 1,135 CPLs, which is the highest for any year. This figure comprises both certifications for domestically trained cadets and license conversions for those trained abroad.

“In the first five months of 2023, DGCA has issued 731 CPLs. I believe that we will issue more than 1,135 licences this year,” Scindia said while inaugurating three flying training schools in Khajurhao, Madhya Pradesh.

In 2014, the number of CPLs issued stood at 896, which declined to 394 in 2015 and rose to 537 in 2016. Further, it increased to 552 in 2017 and 640 in 2018. The data showed that in 2019, the number of CPLs touched 744 before declining to 578 in 2020 and increased again to 862 in 2021.

The count of CPLs issued stood at 823, 654 and 591 in 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively.

An individual is eligible to apply for CPL after completing at least 200 hours of flying and fulfilling other conditions. Besides, the individual has to clear theory papers and once successful, the CPL is given for a period of five years subject to complying with various requirements.

The record issuance of CPLs comes at a time when the domestic air traffic has almost recovered after being hit by the coronavirus pandemic and against the backdrop of mega aircraft orders by domestic carriers like Air India and IndiGo.

The growth in the number of Flying Training Organisations and the implementation of monthly examinations for aspiring pilots in 2021, have significantly contributed to the boost in the CPL numbers. Previously, these examinations used to take place once every quarter.

Additionally, empowering flying instructors to authorise training flights has played a crucial role in enhancing aircraft utilisation and expediting the overall training process.

After Noida, Heliport To Be Set Up In Gurugram; To Boost Options For Delhi’s Air-Space

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The Haryana government, in consultation with Pawan Hans Ltd, a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE), is planning to develop a Heliport in Gurgaon, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M Scindia informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday (24 July).

Replying to a question by Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma, Scindia said that site selection is being carried out by the Haryana government, while Pawan Hans Ltd is conducting the feasibility survey.

The development of Heli-hub in Gurugram will provide helicopter connectivity to the residents of various parts of the State to the National Capital Region (NCR), thereby enhancing the business interests of the State along with development of industry and efficient corporate movement.

Additionally, the heliport is also expected to give a boost to the helicopter Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) industry in the region.

The Haryana government conceptualized the project two years ago and has been closely monitoring its progress on a monthly basis. The government is currently in the advanced stages of allocating land for the heliport.

NOIDA Heliport

Notably, this will be the third heliport in the NCR region after Rohini in New Delhi and Sec 151A in Noida.

The Noida Authority is constructing a heliport at Sector 151A in Noida near Kambakshpur Village to boost the development in the region around Noida Expressway.

The heliport site is located about 18 km from City Centre, via Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and is approximately 47 km away from the upcoming Noida international Airport (NIA) at Jewar and 7 km from Yamuna Expressway.

Through this project, the authority plans to connect the city to the various important religious places and tourist destinations such as Vaishno Devi Temple (Katra), Mount Abu, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Ayodhya, Chandigarh, Mathura, Agra etc.

It will also help in providing helicopter operations from the city to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in Delhi, and other hilly regions of the country.

The heliport is to be spread over an area of 9.3 acres, and will have one helipad. The helipad will allow commercial operations of 12-seater Bell-412 and 26-seater MI-172 or equivalent helicopters.

The global tender for the project received a lone bid, and is currently under evaluation.