Inland Waterways Authority of India starts work on converting 106 rivers into national waterways
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has begun the preparatory works on converting 106 rivers into National Waterways (NWs) by making them navigable. 106 rivers across the country were declared national waterways by the government in April 2016. These rivers would be used to move freight cargo. In phase I, 8 waterways are being considered for development. Some of the states that the eight NWs would cover, include Bihar (NW-37, Gandak & NW-58 , Kosi), Uttar Pradesh (NW-40 Ghaghra), Goa (NW-68, Mandovi, NW-111, Zuari and NW-27, Cumberjua Canal), West Bengal (NW-97, Sunderban), and Assam (NW-16, Barak). “While the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for these waterways are ready, the tender process for fairway development of two NWs namely river Barak in Assam and Ghaghra in Uttar Pradesh respectively have been initiated. For Goa waterways, the tenders for construction of jetties would be taken up shortly,” a statement from IWAI said. For another 46 waterways, which are in coastal & tidal regions, two stage DPR studies have been initiated. These reports are in the final stage of preparation. Based on the recommendations, further development works would be under taken. Of the remaining 52 waterways which are in remote, inaccessible and hilly regions, only feasibility studies have been ordered. Field surveys in 44 NWs have been completed and are in progress in another 4. Draft feasibility report of 36 NWs have been received and are under evaluation. With just 0.6% of India’s freight transported through the inland waterway route despite vast network of rivers across its geographical corner that form about 20,000 Km of navigable waterways, the need for developing additional National Waterway is essential. Transportation through inland waterways comes with inherent advantage of being cost effective and environment friendly. To tap the possibilities of this mode of transportation Government of India declared 106 new waterways in April 2016. Mike Reilly Jersey
Govt to take steps to boost private investment in roads, shipping
The government will take tangible steps to boost corporate investment in roads and shipping with business-friendly strategies that balance profitability with effective project execution, Mansukh L Mandaviya, minister of state for road, transport and shipping, has said. “We are creating an investor-friendly model for private sector. Who will invest in roads if there’s no profit?” the minister told corporate leaders at the ET Roundtable on highways, ports and shipping on Thursday. He said his ministry would sympathetically consider their suggestions that the PPP model needs to focus on strengthening the element of partnership between the investor and the government. “We must modify the public-private partnership model as per the need of the day and there’s a constant need to change the mindset at all levels. We’ll be coming up with a lot of policy interventions in coming days to revive the interest of private sector,” Mandaviya said. He also said cashless payments and toll and upcoming GST law would transform the transportation and logistics sector by cutting down the cost through simplified payment and tax structure. Business leaders were concerned about the PPP model, but also said it can help infrastructure take a giant leap. “PPPs can bring the same revolution as telecom in infrastructure. The government has taken a lot of important measures but there’s still a need to walk that extra mile,” said Puneet Dalmia, managing director at Dalmia Bharat Group. Essar Ports managing director Rajiv Agarwal emphasised the need for “real partnership” between stakeholders, along with access to low-cost funds and flexibility in contracts, in the wake of uncertainties. “This will help revive confidence and investment climate enabling achievement of the national objective of national development on the back of strong infrastructure,” he said. Feedback Infra chairman Vinayak Chatterjee said some solutions were already available with the government. “The Kelkar report has called for a rational allocation of risks among various stakeholders in a project, and moving away from the onesize-fits-all approach to PPP model concession agreements,” he said. Kaushik Pal, CEO-roads business, at Reliance Infrastructure, said his company had gone all out to encourage cashless tolling. However, the company had to bear the cost of 1% that was charged on cards and wallets. Industry leaders also emphasised the need to focus on optimisation of different modes of transport — road, rail and costal shipping. Anil Radhakrishnan, chief executive officer at Adani Logistics Ltd, said the government should incentivise coastal shipping to make it attractive. Participants also raised concerns about the reluctance of banks to fund projects. Malvika Pillai, portfolio manager, infrastructure and natural resources, International Finance Corporation, Asia-Pacific, said funds were readily available for the sector but there were several obstacles such as badly structured projects and issues of land acquisition. Anand Kumar, MD, National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation, said all projects should be made public from the stage of planning itself so prospective bidders know what is coming up in two years and they can plan their resources accordingly. Dispute resolution mechanism is another area that needs to be addressed, industry believes. “The capacity of decision makers has gone down; most disputes are caused because of this. The government must empower officers to make decisions independently,” Chatterjee of Feedback Infra said. Nomar Mazara Womens Jersey
Confident of achieving 40 km/day target by next yr:Nitin Gadkari
Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari is very optimistic of his ministry contributing 2-3 percent to the GDP of the country and create 5 crore jobs by end of his 5-year term. The ministry will be a big contributor to the double-digit growth of the country, he said. In the forthcoming Union Budget on February 1, he expects the Finance Minister to give high priority to infrastructure investments. “Budget is an economic vision for the whole country,” he said. He is also confident of his party (BJP) doing well in the elections in Uttar Pradesh, Goa and other states. Speaking to CNBC-TV18 from the sidelines of WEF at Davos, he said there has been a lot of investor interest in road and infrastructure sectors. Foreign investors have a good opinion of the Indian economy, especialy investment-friendly policies, he said. The Canadian Pension Fund has promised huge investments. He is also confident of his ministry achieving the target of 40 km of road per day by next year. By end of December, last year they had reached 30 km per day, said Gadkari. He is also looking at 12 more express highways. The government will now also focus on the agriculture sector. Phil Esposito Authentic Jersey
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust investing Rs 3K cr on road connectivity project: Government
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) is investing Rs 3,000 crore for improving road connectivity and also looking to finalise Rs 2,000 crore-dredging project, a top government official said today. Shipping Secretary Rajive Kumar said the port is “investing Rs 3,000 crore for a road connectivity project. They are just in the process of finalising Rs 2,000 crore (for) dredging project and they are investing about Rs 1,000 crore within the port for improving both the rail and road network.” He also said that operationalisation of the fourth terminal will double the capacity of JNPT “that they intend to start phase I in early 2018”. Further, the official informed, the government is working to reduce cost of logistics for traders. “We are looking at GST. We are also looking at roads having electronic toll collection so that the trucks need not stop everywhere,” Kumar added. However, he said, the centre would have to negotiate with state governments to ensure that reduction of other local barriers for smooth movement of cargoes. He was speaking at a function on ‘Stimulating India’s EXIM Growth – reducing the indirect costs of trade’. Speaking at the event, Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) A K Bhalla said that the country’s exports are showing growth in the last three months. He said under the WTO’s trade facilitation agreement in goods, India is bound to bring lot of reforms. Under the foreign trade policy (FTP), the commerce ministry extends lot of incentives to facilitate exports under certain schemes, Bhalla said, adding “some of these schmoes are not going to be WTO compliant in the years to come where we crossed a certain threshold of GDP”. There is a need to reduce cost of logistics and its impact on trade, he said. Brenden Dillon Jersey
Nitin Gadkari promises to make India’s own Davos
As over 3,000 leaders from across the world huddle for their annual talk-fest in this snow-capped Swiss ski resort town in sub-zero temperatures, senior union minister Nitin Gadkari has got a full city to take back home literally — he wants to create India’s own Davos in hilly terrains of Himalayas. Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport, Ports and Shipping, said it is very much possible to create a new city like Davos back in India where hotels, shops and conference centres would be set up, while taking care of the environment and other issues, and which can host events like World Economic Forum while giving a big boost to tourism, jobs and overall economy. “After I came here, a thought has come to my mind. I’m yet to start any work on it. We are working on a 1,000-km new roads for Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri of Rs 12,000 crore which would be all-season roads. That will be a historical thing with tunnels etc. “Along with that, there is Pittoragarh where we are building a road for Mansarovar and we are taking Australian machines through MIG-17 and some work is already done, about 50 per cent. That place has got temperature of about minus 5-6 degrees. “After coming to Davos, I felt why can’t we develop a township like this in that area, where people will come in sub-zero temperatures and which will have hotels and tourism facilities and will even go to Mansarovar,” Gadkari told PTI in an interview here at Make in India lounge on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. The minister, known for his out-of-the box innovative ideas, said it is very much possible to create a Davos-like city there in India, which is rich in all kinds of assets. “We are capable of creating Taj Mahal even in a desert. It needs a vision, fast track decision making process, transparency and corruption free system. Another important thing is the commitment to the society and the country, and my country also needs something like this,” he said. Giving an example, Gadkari said he was travelling from San Francisco through Pacific Ocean and an idea struck him to build a new road for Mumbai to Goa which will run alongside the sea and the work has begun on that idea. “Similarly, we will work on Yamuna riverfront by building a wall for a highway from Delhi to Yamunanagar. A study is on for this project which will make travel easier from Delhi to Uttarakhand and Himachal, bringing down the traffic on existing roads,” he said. Gadkari, who is attending several sessions at WEF and is also holding bilateral meetings with corporates and other leaders from across the world here, said he has got an idea after coming here and it is very much possible to create a beautiful city in India itself in sub-zero degree temperatures. Observing that at times an extreme position is taken on environment like issues, he said it is necessary to protect environment but development is also necessary, so appropriate measures can be taken to ensure that there is no ecological disturbances. “We need an integrated approach, since an eccentric approach on either side is not good for the country. For a developing country like India, the development should be done by taking care of both sides,” he said. There can be opposition even for a small construction in Himalayas and therefore an integrated approach would be required by the environment ministry, environmentalists, tourism ministry, road ministry and all concerned stakeholders, he added. “There are so many hotels that have been built here in Davos. They may also have cut trees somewhere. What can be done is that for every tree you have to plant ten new ones. Then, what we will do is we will not cut the trees, but will move them to a new place and will ensure that ten new trees are planted for every single one,” he said. “We are a rich country with a poor population. We can become top most tourist attraction in the world,” he said, while adding that there is huge scope for Andaman Nicobar and islands. Gadkari said he has already begun work on running sea planes in the country, while new buses are being brought in that will run on water as well. “We need to think out of box and innovate. We can solve many of our problems with new technologies and help change the country. What is required is the appropriate vision, commitment and a leadership that has willingness to do it. “I am learning after coming here and seeing new ideas. I am studying the successful practices here and I want to know what all can be done back in India,” he said, while complementing Professor Klaus Schwab for making Davos and WEF such a big thing on the world map single-handedly. “A city like Davos in India would give a big boost to tourism, development, jobs and overall economy, while the number of people travelling to holy places in that region will also increase manifold and also increase the faith in our own culture. Malik Jefferson Womens Jersey
Cabinet approves MoU between India and the United Arab Emirates on Bilateral Cooperation in the Road Transport and Highways sector
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the United Arab Emirates on Bilateral Cooperation in the Road Transport and Highways Sector to be signed between the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, India and the Federal Transport Authority – Land and Maritime, U.A.E. The proposed MoU envisages increased cooperation, exchange and collaboration between India and the UAE, and will contribute to increased investment in infrastructure development and enhance logistics efficiency. This will help in promoting safe, economical, efficient and environmentally sound road transport in the country and will further help both the countries in creating an institutional mechanism for cooperation in the field. Salient features of the MoU are: Exchange and sharing of knowledge and cooperation in the area of transportation technologies and transport policies, for passenger and freight movement by roads; Planning, administration and management of road infrastructure, technology and standards for roads/highways construction and maintenance; Sharing of information and best practices for developing road safety plans and road safety intervention strategies, and outreach activities aimed at reducing deaths and injuries resulting from road accidents through: Sharing of knowledge and best practices in user-free (toll)-related issues; including modern systems, technologies and methods of levying of user-free and collection including Electronic Toll Collection System; 6.Sharing of information areas of improved technologies and materials in road and bridge construction, including joint research; and Sharing of information and cooperation for mobilizing investments for setting up of Logistics Parks, freight logistics, transportation warehousing and value added services (VAS) as an enabler and as a catalyst of economic growth and seamless freight movement. Robert Nkemdiche Jersey
Budget 2017: Nitin Gadkari-led Road ministry seeks funds to decongest metros
Earmarked funds to decongest crowded metros creaking under overloaded infrastructure, incentives to phase out old vehicles, and promotion of e-tolling may find a place among proposals for roads and highways in the Union Budget 2017-18. Sources said Budget-related discussions have seen Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari take up the proposals with Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, and also pitch for setting up of logistics parks along national highway corridors linking ports and manufacturing hubs. The initiative to decongest cities was spurred by complaints that day-to-day transport as well as doing business had become increasingly difficult in cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Last year, Wipro chief Azim Premji and Biocon CMD Kiran Mazumdar Shaw had raised Bengaluru’s problems with Gadkari. “They had asked how we can rescue them from this growing problem. It takes nearly two hours for people to reach office. No city can sustain and progress if congestion on roads is not property addressed,” Gadkari had said then. The ministry is also pressing for larger budgets for highway construction, and is looking for measures to improve road safety through signage, rumbler strips, and traffic management systems. The ministry had noted that new road connectivity and improving the existing network in Bengaluru alone would need at least Rs 15,000 crore. Similarly, road projects in and around Delhi require an investment of Rs 50,000 crore. The ministry is looking for some budgetary support that can be supplemented by the states, and may involve a role for private industry too. With old vehicles, particularly trucks and buses, seen as big contributors to air pollution, the ministry is pushing for incentives to phase them out. The road transport ministry has already prepared a proposal for voluntary scrapping of old heavy vehicles, which includes provisions for owners to get some value from scrap and the original manufacturer getting some incentives too. The ministry has said that paying toll electronically could help reduce congestion at toll plazas and save several man-hours and fuel. He has suggested providing some incentive to such commuters. Sources said the minister pushed for developing logistics parks along national highways network, and to set up bus ports with better facilities.
Road ministry receives 55 cases since rollout of the amended arbitration scheme
The introduction of amended arbitration scheme to revive construction sector has received a good response as 55 claims worth Rs493.53 crore were submitted to the road ministry within a month of its implementation. According to the Action Taken Report (ATR) submitted by the ministry, till 4 January it had received 55 claims and in 32 of them communications have been sent to the contractor/concessionaire for opening of escrow accounts and submission of the bank guarantee. These 32 cases amount to Rs378.05 crore. A road ministry official requesting anonymity said, “The response has been good so far and we expect this to revive the infra sector and especially construction of national highways.” He added that Rs 249.37 crore have already been released to IRB Infra Developers Limited under two claims submitted by them. Out of the 55 claims received by the road ministry 53 are related to national highways construction. The Hindustan Construction Company tops the list with 20 claims, followed by Oriental Structure Engineers with 16 claims, including two joint venture projects—AFCONS -5 and Gayatri 3. The other companies, which have filed claims are IL&FS, Unitech and Sunway Construction. As per the ATR, the road ministry is pursuing arbitration proceedings in 42 cases to switch over to the provisions of amended Arbitration Act. The scheme, which was approved by CCEA last year in August and introduced by the road ministry in December 2016, entailed that the government agencies would pay 75% of the arbitral award amount to an escrow account against margin free bank guarantee, in those cases where the award is challenged. Andy Lee Womens Jersey
Ministry pushes for India-made steel only for govt infra projects
Concerned over the anemic growth in steel consumption, steel minister Birender Singh urged all concerned ministries to use India-made steel only for infrastructure and construction projects of the government. He also wants a modification in the general financial rules to include life cycle cost analysis in design and planning stage of public projects. At a consultative committee meeting on Monday, he also said the ministry is exploring new avenues for usage of steel like steel bridges, containers, water tanks and crash barriers. “We have spoken to different central and state governments to enhance usage of steel,” the minister said. Singh said the ministry has constituted four committees with representatives from INSDAG, steel producers, consultants, architects, users and government authorities to promote steel usage with the mandate of formulating codes and standards, life cycle cost analysis and sustainability, development of designs of various utility structures and skill development in the steel sector. “Similarly, four task forces have been constituted for increasing steel usage in railways, urban development, road transport and highways and shipbuilding sectors,” he said. Hoping demands to come from the government’s rural housing project plan, the steel ministry has approached concerned authorities to elaborate on the advantages of steel houses like less erection time, more durability, better flexibility and eco-friendliness. Presentations with prototype designs have been made to key officials of the rural development ministry. Singh said the road ministry’s plan to reconstruction of 1,500 road bridges, 208 over bridges and the chardham highway project provide huge opportunity for enhancing steel usage. Ministry and PSUs are working on these opportunities as also in sectors like railways, defence and other manufacturing industries, he said. Tahir Whitehead Jersey
Eyeing 5,000-5,200 km of projects by the end of fiscal: NHAI
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to award 10-15 percent more projects this year compared to FY16, said Yudhvir Singh Malik, Chairman of NHAI. Speaking to CNBC-TV18 Malik said they look to award closer to 5,000-5,200 kilometres of projects by the end of the fiscal year. In April 2016, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had announced an ambitious target of awarding 25,000 kilometres of road projects in FY17. Of this, 15,000 would fall under NHAI and 10,000 under the Ministry and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL). Malik agreed land acquisition posed the biggest challenge in achieving the target. To counter this roadblock in future, he said, NHAI plans to avoid any project awards unless 80 percent of the land is in possession and statutory clearances received. He said availability of funds is not an issue in achieving the target. Malik also said the compensation process to land owners is being streamlined subsequent to which they are looking forward to achieve about 7-8 kilometres on a daily basis. JJ Redick Womens Jersey