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Centre Targets 41 Million Tonne Coal Movement Via Inland Waterways This Fiscal

By
Amit Mishra
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The Centre is working to ramp up the coal supplies through the inland waterways network.

As part of this, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) plans to transport 41.06 million tonne (MT) of coal in the current fiscal.

The target for the ongoing fiscal (FY2023-24) is an increase of 17 per cent on the 35.19 MT moved in FY 2022-23, Union Minister of Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal told businessline.

In India, coal is majorly transported through railways and roads. In 2019-20 close to 50 per cent of coal was transported through railways and 32 per cent by road, according to the Ministry of Coal.

However, over the past few years both these transport modes have come under huge pressure from companies and the public alike due to increased costs and pollution, respectively.

Thus, to bring down the consumption of diesel, pollution and cost of transportation, waterways are also being used for the movement of coal.

Based on data available with the Ministry, coal transportation thorugh the waterways have experienced a compounded annual growth rate of 16.71 per cent since 2019.

A total of 18.96 mt coal was transported through the inland waterways in FY 19, which increased to 21.75 MT in FY20, 24.06 MT in FY21, and to 30.61 MT in FY22.

“From 16 MT in 2014, the total cargo handled through the inland waterways network has now increased to over 130 MT in the last five years (cumulative). The majority of this is coal. By 2030, we are targeting to ramp-up cargo handling to 200 MT and also extend the inland waterways network,” Sonowal said.

In Pictures: How ‘Shell-shaped’ New Terminal Building Of Port Blair Airport Looks Like

By
Amit Mishra
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Gateway to the pristine islands of Andaman & Nicobar, the Veer Savarkar international Airport at Port Blair is soon going to have a new terminal building.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new integrated terminal building of Port Blair airport on 18 July via video conferencing.

With total built up area of 40,837 sqm., the new terminal building will be able to serve about 40 lakhs passengers annually.

The new passenger terminal building will have three floors comprising of lower ground, upper ground and first floor. The lower ground floor will be used as remote arrival, Bus Lounge and service area, the upper ground floor as access to the terminal building for departure and arrival of the passengers and the first floor as Security Hold Area (SHA).

Inspired from nature, the design of the terminal is a shell shaped structure depicting sea and islands.

The architectural design resembles a shell shaped structure depicting sea and islands.

The New Terminal Building is a large-span (120 metres) structural steel framed building provided with aluminum sheet roofing and cable net glazing all around.

The entire terminal will also have ample natural lighting throughout the day time which will be achieved by skylights along the roof.

The terminal building is equipped with 28 check-in counters to facilitate smooth passenger flow, three passenger boarding bridges for convenient boarding and disembarking, and four conveyor belts for efficient baggage handling.

Built at a cost of Rs 708 crore, the facility will be capable of serving 1200 during peak hours, will further boost tourism, and create new economic and employment opportunities for local communities.

Mumbai: BMC To Fix Noisy Roads, Plans Sound Barriers On Old Flyovers To Combat Noise Pollution

By
Amit Mishra
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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has formed a committee to carry out a survey on noise pollution caused by vehicular traffic.

The plan to set up sound barriers is part of the civic body’s Development Plan 2034, under which all bridges and flyovers shall be made soundproof to tackle noise pollution in the city.

The civic body is also exploring the possibility of setting up these barriers on roads that pass through densely populated regions.

The committee constituted by BMC comprises engineers from the roads and bridges department. The report is expected to be submitted in the next one month. After that, the civic authorities will finalise the number of flyovers that will have the system.

Based on noise readings, the civic body will install noise barriers on all flyovers in Mumbai, which have been constructed before 2017 and fall under the civic body’s purview.

While there is no compulsory regulation for installing sound barriers on flyovers in Mumbai, all new flyovers and road-over-bridges built by the civic body after 2018 are equipped with noise barriers.

Mumbai’s civic body will draw a priority list for setting up these barriers. To start with, it would prioritise setting up noise barriers on bridges that have schools and hospitals in close proximity.

Research has shown that sustained exposure to loud noise can cause serious health issues, including chronic sleep disruption, permanent hearing loss, and even heart attacks.

The World Health Organisation recommends an average of 53 decibels or lower for road traffic noise exposure and less than 45 decibels for night noise exposure.

Braving Rough Weather And Terrain, Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Rail Line Surges Ahead With 41 Per Cent Completion

By
Amit Mishra
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0

Braving the tough terrain, the work on the 125-km Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail line in Uttarakhand is moving ahead, with the project having achieved a total of 41 per cent progress.

The broad-gauge rail line estimated to cost over Rs 16,200 crore will connect Rishikesh in the foothills, to Karnaprayag, while passing through five districts of Uttarakhand, namely, Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag and Chamoli.

There are 12 railway stations en route — Yog Nagari Rishikesh in Rishikesh, Muni ki Reti, Shivpuri, Manjilgaon, Sakni, Devprayag, Kirti Nagar, Srinagar, Dhari devi, Rudraprayag, Gholtir and Karnaprayag.

Out of the 125.2 km length of rail line, 104 km will be through tunnels which is around 84 per cent of the total length of the line. The project has a total of 17 tunnels including a 15.1 km tunnel, one of the longest in the country, between Devprayag and Lachmoli.

According to the update shared by the Ministry of Railways, total tunnelling progress, including the main tunnel and escape tunnel, is 115 km, against a total scope of 213.35 km. Tunnelling works have been divided into 10 packages, and work on all 10 packages are underway.

A look at the work done so far :

Bringing Char Dham Closer

The rail link between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag, is being built as a part of the Char Dham Rail line project of the Indian Railways, so as to improve pilgrim connectivity to the Char Dham shrines of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath which are situated in the Garhwal Himalayas.

The new rail line will be a game changer for the hilly state as this will be the first time that a railway line will go into the hinterland and connect the region with the plain areas.

Thus, it will facilitate easy access to pilgrimage centres situated in the state of Uttarakhand, connecting new trade centres, development of backward areas and to serve the population living in the area.

2024 Deadline

The first section of 5.7 km between the existing Virbhadra station and Yog Nagari Rishikesh station was commissioned in March, 2020. The remaining railway line from Yog Nagari Rishikesh to Karnaprayag is targeted to be commissioned by December 2024.

When the project is completed, the distance between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag will be reduced to 2 hours, from the present 7 hours.

The line is also part of an Indian geostrategic initiative to build infrastructure along the India-China border to discourage Chinese expansion.

The project is considered to be of national strategic importance and is being tracked on the union government’s PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) portal.

Air Ambulances To Be Deployed on Samruddhi Mahamarg For Swift Medical Aid, 16 Helipads Planned

By
Amit Mishra
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0

Amidst a spate of accidents on Samruddhi Mahamarg, the latest being on Friday (30 June) where 25 people lost their lives, the state government has decided to deploy air ambulances on the stretch to provide speedy medical assistance to injured.

The government is also planning to build 16 helipads on the expressway to facilitate the landing and take off of these air ambulances, an Indian Express report noted.

Quoting an official, the report said that the air ambulance will be deployed to evacuate the injured to hospitals which will prevent deaths due to delay in treatment. With this, the lives of those seriously injured can be saved.

The 701-km-long greenfield expressway is turning into a death trap with a life being lost every third day. A total of 846 accidents have been reported since December 2022 this year, resulting in 105 casualties over the eight-month period.

The most recent incident involved a private AC sleeper bus travelling from Nagpur to Pune, which caught fire after colliding with a steel pole and road divider, resulting in the tragic death of 25 people.

Samruddhi Mahamarg

Officially named ‘Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg’, the 701-km-long expressway connects Mumbai and Nagpur.

The first phase of the Samruddhi Mahamarg, connecting Nagpur to the temple town of Shirdi in Ahmednagar district covering a distance of 520 km, has been in operation since December 2022, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it.

The second phase of Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg, an 80-km stretch between Shirdi and Bharvir village in Igatpuri taluka in Nashik district, was inaugurated on 27 May 2023 by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

With this, a total of 600 km out of the 701 km of the Samruddhi Expressway is now open to the public. The remaining 100-km stretch under Phase-III, between Igatpuri and Vadpe in Thane, will be completed in the next seven to eight months.

While the highway is a motorist’s delight, they are also experiencing highway hypnosis, as there are no hoardings or billboards on the roadsides or hotels/dhabas on the newly built highway that would distract a driver’s mind.

“Due to continuous driving on a monotonous stretch for long hours, the drivers kind of get hypnotised and sometimes lose control and reach a state when there is a temporary disconnect between the brain and body’s action. This results in the driver losing control of the vehicle and leads to accidents,” said Additional Director General of Police (Highway Traffic Maharashtra State) Ravindra Singhal.

Also Read: Samruddhi Mahamarg: 358 Accidents, 39 Deaths In Five Months And The Big Problem Of Highway Hypnosis

A Primer On Progress of Amrit Bharat Station Scheme In Southern Railways

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme launched in 2022 by the Railway Board to transform travel experience has a good start in southern India.

A total of 90 stations falling under the Southern Railway’s six zones have been identified for upgradation under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

The list of 90 stations include 61 in Tamil Nadu, 26 in Kerala, 1 each in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Union Territory of Puducherry.

Southern Railway’s present network extends over a large area of India’s Southern Peninsula, covering the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Pondicherry, and a small portion of Andhra Pradesh. Headquartered at Chennai, the Southern Railways’ six divisions include Chennai, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram and Salem.

Work Budget

Out of 90 stations selected for modernisation and upgradation of facilities under the scheme, work contract has been awarded for 35 stations and tender finalisation is underway for the remaining stations.

Chennai Egmore, Katpadi, Kanniyakumari (CAPE), Ernakulam Town, Rameswaram, Madurai Junction, Kollam Junction are some of the major stations for which the work of redevelopment has been awarded.

Proposed Design of Nagercoil Junction
Proposed Design of Coimbatore North Station
Proposed Design of Tiruchendur Station

The redevelopment works are being expedited at a steady pace with a vision to modernise the major railhead with futuristic designs, infrastructure and to provide best facilities to passenger.

According to the Southern Railway, the Railway Board has sanctioned a total of Rs 934 crore to take up more than 150 works as part of the station improvement scheme.

Amrit Bharat Scheme

Ministry of Railways has formulated a new policy for modernisation of stations named “Amrit Bharat Station” Scheme.

The scheme envisages development of stations on a continuous basis with a long term vision. It is based on master planning for long term and implementation of the elements of the master plan as per the needs and patronage of the station.

Up to 1,275 stations have been selected under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. They are those located in major cities and places of tourist and pilgrimage importance.

“Work is in progress at 88 stations. Tendering and planning is in progress for 1,187 stations,” a senior railway official said.

Further, the railways has decided that the work in Phase-1 of the stations identified under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme should be completed preferably by the end of financial year 2023-24.

Agra: Taj City Witnesses First Metro Trial Run, March 2024 Opening On Cards

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The Agra Metro began its trial run on a 2.93-km elevated portion of the priority corridor on Tuesday.

A team of Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) manually operated Alstom MOVIA trainset from the Ramp Area of Agra Metro Depot to Taj East Gate Station, spanning around 3 km.

Low-speed train trials were being conducted till now on the ballasted track at the Agra Metro Depot. For the first time, the Agra Metro train moved to Taj East Gate station on a ballastless track, claimed officials on Tuesday.

Sushil Kumar, managing director, Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation said, “It is a historic day for the people of Agra, as today, for the first time, the train moved successfully on a 3 km-long viaduct, and all train systems and equipment were tested successfully. We are fully committed to beginning metro operations very soon in Agra. We hope to put in sustained efforts to achieve timely commissioning of the Agra Metro Project.”

Third Rail System

In a first for the project, the Agra Metro train ran on its own power (electricity), created through the third rail system.

“There will be no overhead equipment for the movement of metro trains. The train in Agra will derive power through a charged third rail running parallel to the track. The metro system will blend seamlessly with the skyline of Agra, which is a heritage city, and its beauty will be preserved by the metro,” Kumar said.

There are three standard and proven systems of electric traction for use in metro lines, viz, 1500 V DC overhead catenary and 25 kV AC overhead catenary system and 750 V DC third rail.

The overhead equipment has a tendency to trip when it comes in contact with kites etc, which led to the emergence of the third rail system.

Third rail systems are a means of providing electric traction power to railway trains, and they use an additional rail (called a “conductor rail”) running parallel to the track for the purpose. The trains have metal contact blocks called “shoes” which make contact with the conductor rail.

Presently, all these three systems are in use in India (750 V DC third rail in Kolkata Metro, 1500 V DC catenary in Mumbai suburban of Central & Western Railways and 25kV ac catenary in Delhi Metro & Indian Railways).

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 Corridor 1 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 Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) has planned to roll out the first metro train on the 6-km priority corridor from Taj East Gate to Jama Masjid by March 2024.

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.

UP To Get First Ultra-Supercritical Thermal Power Plant, State Cabinet Gives Nod To 1600 MW Project In Sonbhadra

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet gave its approval on Tuesday to set up Obra D project having two ultra super critical units.

It will have a total generation capacity of 1600 megawatt (MW) at Obra thermal power generation complex in Sonbhadra.

The first ‘ultra-supercritical’ thermal power plant of the state will help in providing cheaper electricity to the people.

“During the summer, the power demand reached 27,000 MW. It was unprecedented. The power demand is expected to increase even further. During the Global Investors Summit (GIS) organised in Lucknow from February 10 to 12, 2023, we signed an agreement with National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) to set up thermal plants at Obra,” said U P Energy Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma, after the Cabinet meeting.

“Taking a step forward in this direction, the Cabinet today approved two 800 MW Obra D power projects,” said Sharma.

Project Details

The Rs 17,927 crore project will be executed by the state government on a a 50:50 partnership basis with state-owned power generator NTPC.

While 30 per cent equity will be given for the implementation of the projects, the rest 70 per cent of the amount will be arranged from financial institutions.

The first unit is targeted to be ready in 50 months and the second unit in 56 months, said Sharma.

The state government has already made available 500 acres of land for the project and if required more land would be allotted.

Sharma further said that these two thermal power plants would contribute to around one fourth of the current thermal power generation capacity of the state, which stands at about 7,000 MW.

Further, as the coal for the plant would be available in the nearby area, the power would be available from the plant for Rs 4.89 per unit against Rs 5.50 per unit available now.

“At present, we buy electricity for Rs 5.5 per unit. After the plants become functional, the rate will be reduced by Re 1 per unit i.e. Rs 4.79 per unit,” the minister added.

First USC In The State

Obra D will be the first ‘ultra super critical’ thermal power project in the state.

Ultra-supercritical (USC) power plants operate at temperatures and pressures above the critical point of water. Under these conditions, the liquid water density decreases smoothly with no phase change, becoming indistinguishable from steam.

These plants, thus, require less coal per megawatt-hour, leading to lower emissions (including carbon dioxide and mercury), higher efficiency and lower fuel costs per megawatt.

Great Nicobar Transshipment Port: Over 10 EoIs Received, Global Players Keen On Bidding For The Mega Project

By
Amit Mishra
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0

Several international players have expressed their interest to participate in the bidding process for the proposed Rs 48,000 crore international container transshipment port (ICTP) project in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

This is in addition to “at least” 10 expressions of interest (EoIs) submitted for the mega port project in the Bay of Bengal.

“We have received over 10 EoIs for the Gibraltar Bay port, and a few more players and leading shipping liners, including international ones have reached out to us saying that they are interested in bidding for the project. So let’s see how this works out. As of now, the initial trends or interest levels are encouraging,” Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), told businessline.

In January 2023, the Ports Ministry had invited EoI from interested parties to develop the first phase of ICTP project.

Notable names that have submitted EoIs for the project include Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), JSW Infra, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), and Container Corporation. On the international front, Dutch dredging major Royal Boskalis Westminster has expressed its intent to be included in the bidding process.

An EOI is not a formal order tender. It is used to determine the terms of engagement, and actual orders are awarded at a later stage.

Phase-Wise Development

The Great Nicobar Port will come up at Galathea Bay in Great Nicobar Island of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Location of Great Nicobar Islands

The port facilities are proposed to be developed in four phases between 2028 and 2058 and would handle 16 million containers per year, in the ultimate stage of development.

Layout of the Phase 1 Port Development.

The first phase, upon completion in 2028, will handle 4 million containers per year. The estimated cost for the first phase of the port is Rs 18,000 crore. Currently, clearances are being worked on for the first phase of the port project.

Landlord Mode

The government is looking to undertake development of the port project in landlord model.

In this model, the publicly governed port authority acts as a regulatory body and as a landlord, while private companies carry out port operation — mainly cargo-handling activities.

Here, the port authority maintains ownership of the port, while the infrastructure is leased to private firms that provide and maintain their own superstructures and install their own equipment to handle cargo. In return, the landlord port gets a share of the revenue from the private entity.

According to the EoI, the port authority will provide the basic infrastructure and 125 hectares of reclaimed land for development of the container yard and other infrastructure facilities.

On the other hand, the chosen concessionaire will design, finance, construct, operate and maintain the container handling facilities envisaged in Phase-I under a long-term concession agreement of 30-50 years.

The concessionaire shall have the flexibility to develop storage area and handling equipment based on their market assessment subject to the minimum guaranteed traffic. It will be responsible for the provision of port services and shall have the rights to levy, collect and retain charges from port users.

Assam: Barauni-Guwahati Gas Pipeline Nears Completion With 1.2-Km Microtunnel Completed Across Major Rivers In State

By
Amit Mishra
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0

The tunnelling exercise for Barauni-Guwahati gas pipeline project has come to an end with the microtunnel boring machine (MTBM) breaking through under the confluence of Kanamakra, Aie and Manas rivers in Assam.

The break-through of the MTBM machine was achieved by Ace Energy Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, a part of the Mumbai-based Ace Pipeline Group in the early morning hours of 2 July.

MTBM breakthrough.

Microtunnelling, or pipe jacking method, is a trenchless solution for constructing small diameter tunnels, used especially for projects that require the tunnel to cross under railways, rivers etc.

This technique installs concrete pipes, by a pushing or jacking frame installed in the launching shaft. A special boring machine or shield, or the MTBM is attached to the head of the pipe that follows the path of the tunnel, as it is being bored.

Microtunnelling in process.

Barauni-Guwahati natural gas pipeline which is being executed by state-run GAIL (India) saw a microtunnelling of diameter 1,600 millimetre across a total length of 1,200 metre, at a depth of 11-12 metre under the river bed.

The process was executed on strata consisting of extremely hard and abrasive boulders, and a river flowing up to its brim over the past three months, owing to the flooding in its upper reaches in Bhutan.

The construction crews are now expected to install the 24-inch carbon steel pipeline to transport natural gas within this tunnel in the next few weeks.

Once this is done, it will serve as a final link to complete a 2,300-km network of gas pipelines from Barauni to Guwahati and further to Numaligarh crossing major rivers such as Subansiri and Brahmaputra.

The 282-km Bihar portion of the Barauni-Guwahati pipeline was completed at investment of Rs 1,260 crore in April this year, connecting six districts of the eastern state to the national gas grid.

Barauni-Guwahati pipeline

The 726-km Barauni-Guwahati pipeline from Barauni in Begusarai district of Bihar, to Guwahati in Assam via West Bengal is an extension of Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra Pipeline (JHBDPL), commonly known as Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga and has been designed to take the fuel to hitherto unconnected Eastern states.

Barauni-Guwahati pipeline.

The Barauni-Guwahati pipeline is passing through Bihar, West Bengal and Assam encompassing 20 districts in these states.

Feeder Connection to Northeast Gas Grid

Further, JHBDPL through the Barauni-Guwahati pipeline will also connect to North-East Gas grid (NEGG), which will cater to eight states of Northeastern India in a phased manner.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board has authorised Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited, a joint venture company of five Central Public Sector Enterprises i.e., Indian Oil Corp, Oil India Ltd, Numaligarh Refineries Ltd, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and GAIL for the development of NEGG to connect Northeast region with the national gas grid.

The 1,656-km-long NEGG Project is 70 per cent complete and the entire project is targeted to be completed by 31 March 2024.

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