NHAI invites bids for proj reports for 15,000 km eco corridors
Setting the ball rolling for its programme to develop 44 economic corridors for faster movement of freight, government has invited bids for preparations of detailed project reports for 15,000 km of such corridors under the first phase. The government plans to develop 35,000 km of highways under the Economic Corridor project which is estimated to cost Rs 3 lakh crore. “Consultants are being tasked to carry out critical examination of existing logistic infrastructure … and 44 freight corridors (Economic Corridors), Inter corridors and feeder routes to reduce cost and time of freight movement,” Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement. It said under ‘Logistic Efficiency Enhancement Programme’, these these are proposed to be developed by taking an end-to-end corridor view, rather than stretch-by-stretch road construction view to ensure consistent infrastructure along the corridor, as per discussion between NHAI and government. “As a first step towards this task, preparation of DPRs is being undertaken by NHAI. In the first phase, DPRs of identified 15000 km is proposed to be prepared” for which NHAI has invited bids, it said. “Bids have been invited in 45 packages of about 300 Km length each,” the statement said. Jason Kidd Womens Jersey
NHAI may compensate concessionaires for loss in toll money
With government’s decision to stop toll collection till November 18 hitting concessionaires, NHAI has proposed to compensate up to 75 per cent of the losses due to the move resulting from demonetisation. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the scrapping of Rs 500/1000 notes last week, Union Minister for Roads and Highways Nitin Gadkari asked all the toll operators to stop collection at all toll plazas to enable smooth movement of traffic. “On an average daily toll collection is around Rs 60-75 crore across the country so the loss they are facing is to that extent. We have proposed that we will make interim relief to these concessionaires by paying nearly 75 per cent of the losses to ease their cash flow,” NHAI Chairman Raghav Chandra told reporters on the sidelines of an Infrastructure Finance summit organised by industry body Assocham. He said some of the tolls are publicly funded while others are private tolls. “There are around 100 tolls which are publicly funded and around 265 private tolls. But these 100 have also been given on contract to private operators. So to ensure that these also don’t face cash flow problem because of the decision, we have decided to provide the relief even to these tolls,” he said. Chandra further said NHAI has put forward the proposal to the government for its approval. “We have insisted that this move is necessary for the concessionaires so that they don’t face huge licenses and they will be able to support the government’s demonetisation plans,” he added. The government has set a target of awarding nearly one lakh crore worth of projects this fiscal. Yesterday the government had decided that no toll would be charged on National Highways till the midnight of November 18. CM Punk Authentic Jersey
80% of transporters go off-roads following demonetization of Rs 500 and 1000
Demonetization of 500 and 1000 rupee notes has adversely hit the transporters of the city as around 80% of them have not been able to travel outside Delhi-NCR region due to lack of fresh currency. Transporters said that most of them owning trucks, canters and other medium commercial vehicles are sitting at home as they don’t have enough cash to use during a long-route journey. While the central government has already suspended toll collections on the National Highways a day after the ban on Rs. 500 and 1000, problems are being faced by transporters at the state highways and expressways. “We are getting complaints from some transporters who are already out of state, that old notes are not being accepted at petrol pumps in states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, etc. A transporter needs between Rs. 30,000-40,000 for a long-route trip. It has become extremely difficult for our people to plan long-route journey. Almost 80% of our transporters are sitting at home,” Chaudhary Vedpal Singh, president of Noida Transporters Association, told TOI. Videos of toll tax being collected from vehicles at the Yamuna Expressway have been doing the rounds, showing arguments between toll company officials and the commuters. It suggests how people are confused if the order to stop toll collection is meant only for National Highways or also includes state highways or expressways. However, according to the district administration, the order is only for the National Highways and not state highways or expressways. “The order stands only for the National Highways and expressways like the Yamuna Expressway don’t come under the purview of the central government. However, I have written to the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) asking them to consider putting off toll collection for some time on the lines of the central government,” DM NP Singh, told TOI. A day after Prime Minister announced ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to tackle corruption and black money, the central government had on November 9 said that no toll fee would be collected on National Highways till November 11 midnight. The deadline was again extended till November 14 midnight. Carter Rowney Authentic Jersey
India may have ‘electric highway’ with Swedish help: Gadkari
India may also have an ‘electric highway’ stretch, similar to the one inaugurated in Sweden recently, with help from the Scandinavian country, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said. “We have sought a proposal from Sweden to build electric highway here, where we can run trucks and such vehicles in open traffic,” Gadkari told PTI. The world´s first two-kilometre strip on road has been built near Gavle in Sweden for fossil-free transportation in which electrified trucks with pantographs connect to overhead electrified lines and are driven in open traffic, using technology developed by Siemens. Gadkari said he had held talks in this connection with a Swedish delegation, led by Minister for Enterprise & Innovation, Mikael Damberg, which called on him after participating in the first meeting of the India-Sweden Business Leaders’ Roundtable. Sweden has developed the new electric highway technology, a result of several years of cooperation between the Swedish Government and the private sector, which permits the trucks to operate as electric vehicles when on the electrified road and as regular hybrid vehicles at other times. The Minister was apprised that all the trucks running on electric stretch have been produced by Scania and are hybrid and Euro 6-certified, running on biofuel. The Swedish delegation explained that the trucks on such electric stretch receives electrical power from a pantograph power collector, mounted on the frame behind its cab and in turn connected to overhead power lines. On going outside the electric stretch, the pantograph is disconnected and the truck is powered by the combustion engine or the battery-operated electric motor. Gadkari said the present government’s emphasis is to promote bio-fuel and electric cars to prevent pollution as well as develop cheaper mode of transportation. The Minister also said that he has sought Sweden’s cooperation in forming joint ventures for Indian companies for testing of vehicles which is being given high priority. The Minister said that the BJP government was emphasising on generation of bio-fuel and reducing oil imports as this would minimise pollution and make the country self-reliant. He also said that the vehicle scrapping policy would contribute significantly in curbing pollution as heavy commercial vehicles more than 15 years old, contributed to 65 per cent of the pollution. Ryan Ramczyk Womens Jersey
Cashless on highways, truckers starve for more than 30 hrs
National Highway 334, near Bulandshahr: Rasheed Khan is eating in complete silence. It is, after all, his first meal in over 30 hours. Only once he finishes his meal does the Jammu native start to talk about how demonetisation has affected him. “I left Kanpur for Jammu on Saturday morning. The last time I had a meal was on the outskirts of Kanpur. My next meal came on Sunday, after driving over 500 km. No place is willing to accept Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and that is all I have, besides some change which I do not want to use. I have a long journey ahead,” he says. Khan is not alone. TOI spoke to truck drivers on Bulandshahr-Haridwar NH 334, all of whom are worried about being cashless on the highway. Some say their money is running out between cups of tea and bribes to cops while others are anxious about what they would do if their truck breaks down. “I left my home in Jammu seven days ago – with a bundle of Rs 500 notes which were legal currency at the time. While I was driving to Kanpur, the announcement came that my money was nothing more than pieces of paper. I thought my contractor in Kanpur would be able to give me change, but even he said he didn’t have any. I think he was lying. Luckily, petrol pumps are still taking the old currency and the toll is free. I think I can get this consignment to Jammu before the toll exemption lifts, but I don’t know what will happen after that,” says Sanjay Kumar, who is driving his truck alongside Khan’s on their 1,100 km-long journey from Kanpur to Jammu. With the economy being cash-strapped, most of India’s small towns have fallen back on barter and good faith. But for truckers, who spend most of their days on the move, “good faith” is a luxury. “Most of the people we interact with, except for contractors and other truck drivers, are strangers to us. It’s not like I’m going to my neighbourhood grocer who is fine with me paying him later. When I stop at a dhaba to eat something or stop at a mechanic’s shop for minor repairs, I can’t tell him that I’ll pay later. Why would he trust a stranger? That’s why we are so vulnerable,” Khan says. Ram Avtar Singh from Rampur says Madhuri, a name he has given to his beloved truck, has served him well so far. But he is fearful that if “she” breaks down at any point during his 1,300-km journey to Ahmedabad, he will be stranded for hours, or maybe days. “I was worried about cash, but my contractor gave me a Rs 2,000 note. Unfortunately, someone picked my pocket at a dhaba and I lost the note. Now I am left with mostly old currency notes in my truck, except a few Rs 100 notes. I am trying to save money for emergencies, so I have not eaten much. Since I’ve left Rampur, I’ve only had one cup of tea and a cream roll. Maybe I will eat something once I cross Jaipur. We need to have cash in hand for emergencies. That is why I hope the government can fix this mess soon.” While most of the country is lining up outside banks to withdraw and deposit cash, truckers say that, too, is a luxury for him. Singh says, “We are on the move all the time. We don’t go home for weeks. If we stop at a bank for four hours, our day is gone and we will miss our delivery schedule. When is the time for standing in lines?” Meanwhile, the waiter tells Khan and Kumar that they owe Rs 185. Kumar tries a shot in the dark and asks the waiter if he will accept a Rs 500 note, but he is turned down. He pulls out Rs 200 and pays for them both. Ask them when their next meal will be and Khan says, “See we have Rs 175 left between the two of us. That should be enough for one meal. Maybe we will stop at Rajpura in Punjab and eat.” Rajpura is still over 300 km away for the both of them. Alexander Burmistrov Jersey
TTAG: Need an expressway from Mopa to Canacona
The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has got a boost in its attempt to keep the Dabolim airport functional for commercial operations after defence minister Manohar Parrikar said that the airport will remain open even after operations commence at Mopa. Earlier, the tourism industry based in South Goa had issued a letter on Saturday addressed to the Prime Minister, asking him to scrap the greenfield international airport at Mopa. “The proposed airport is economically unviable and financially unsound and thus lead to the destruction of the tourism industry in Goa,” the letter, signed by major hotel groups, restaurants and shop owners said. All the major luxury hotels are based in South Goa, close to the Dabolim airport. The proposed airport at Mopa, whose foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister on Sunday is slated to commence operations from 2019 onwards. The hotel lobby has raised fear of losing business due to the shift and has been trying hard through the TTAG to keep their business safe. Affirming the intentions of the hotel lobby, president of TTAG, Savio Messias said that they have been in discussion with the government and have been told that the decision to keep Dabolim airport functional depends on commercial viability. “If the government does decide to close operations at Dabolim, we have requested an expressway to be built, connecting Mopa to Canacona. We have been told there is a proposal to connect Mopa with a railway line going from Pernem to Canacona,” he said. Tramaine Brock Jersey
Gadkari puts babus on fast road to reforms
With only 20 per cent of annual national highways construction targets achieved so far, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari is certainly not a happy man. Realising that factors such as land acquisition, legal issues, forest and wildlife clearances are the main reasons for the projects getting delayed for 12-18 months and are beyond their control, his ministry now seems to be looking at out-of-the-box solutions. Gadkari has directed officials to ensure land acquisition hurdles are removed. “For clearance of every project, it takes one or one-and-a-half years. It is the problem of the system. After 2.5 years of experience, I understand what the bottlenecks are. In interactions with the National Highways Authority of India, we are taking a lot of reforms initiatives,” said Gadkari. The ministry recently deployed a senior joint secretary-level officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre in the poll-bound state and interact with district-level officials to ensure that the projects do not face many problems at the local level. Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has directed his officials to remove roadblocks on the construction of the national highways. “It has been an interesting attempt. It seems to be working. It will also ensure that ministry officials have a channel with local officials. This may at least cut delays on account of miscommunication and other simple issues,” said a senior ministry official. The official said they are aware about the problems and are looking towards such simple solutions to work around the delays because otherwise it would never be able to achieve their target. The ministry has also decided to go for acquiring land as per provisions of respective states. The ministry, which had set an ambitious target of construction of 25,000 km of highways in the last eight months, has only been able to commission 4,500 km. Road and railways are two important sectors for the Narendra Modi government as it believes they would bring last-mile connectivity, and infrastructure creation would fuel growth. Last month, the ministry had noted that many projects are lagging due to delay in land acquisition, forest, wildlife clearance, utility shifting, slow progress of contractor and other reasons. “It has been opined that such projects need close on-site monitoring to identify the bottlenecks and ensure timely completion in order to achieve the national target of construction of national highways of 30 km/Day,” said an order issued to state officers by the ministry. When NDA assumed power, India had 96,000 km of national highways and it is planned to increase up to 200,000 km by 2019. Roberto Luongo Womens Jersey
2 lakh heavy diesel vehicles to go off Delhi roads today
Nearly 2 lakh heavy diesel vehicles more than 15 years old will not be allowed to ply in the city from Sunday. They cannot be parked here either. The transport department has drawn up a list of 1.91 lakh such vehicles that it has deregistered on the orders of the National Green Tribunal. Senior government officials said the list had been sent to the traffic police late Friday night, with instructions to impound them immediately. The list has details of the vehicles, including owner’s name, registration number and address. It also specifies the RTO where the vehicle was registered. “The list has details of 1.91 lakh diesel vehicles that are now deregistered. These vehicles cannot ply on roads legally, and neither will these vehicles be allowed to remain parked on roads,” said an official. That’s not all. The department has also compiled a list of vehicles that are between 10 and 15 years old and run on diesel. “There are over 1 lakh such vehicles. The list is ready, and once the NGT issues orders, these will be deregistered as well.” The transport department has identified 21 locations where the impounded vehicles will be kept but that might not be enough to park nearly two lakh vehicles. Traffic officers say they have requested the government to provide additional land space. As of now, the traffic pits can accommodate only 1,000-1,200 heavy vehicles at a time. Violators will be issued challans under section 39/192 of the MV Act and would also have to pay a fine of Rs 2,000. Vehicles will be impounded under section 207 of the MV Act. Traffic police officers say they will prosecute vehicles plying on the road while the transport department will act against owners of parked vehicles. “We will be scanning through our records registered on the e-challan systems to identify the vehicles that are more than 15 years old and impound them. Legal actions regarding plying of unregistered vehicles would be initiated against the owners of the vehicles,” said Garima Bhatnagar, joint commissioner of traffic. Andrew McCutchen Womens Jersey
NHAI to offer risk cover to woo investors for toll roads’ auction
Foreign funds willing to invest in government owned operational national highways need not worry about loss of traffic and other unforeseen risks like engineering faults associated with projects, because National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has agreed to provide a risk cover to such investors. The government had recently authorised NHAI to monetise operational public-funded national highways that are collecting tolls by leasing out them to investors for 25 years against an upfront payment through auctions. Roads ministry expects to raise close to Rs 70,000 crore by leasing out over 100 national highway projects to investors who’ll then be responsible for collection of toll and the operation and management of the stretch, through a toll operate transfer (TOT) model. In a recent meeting with the government, potential investors had flagged the huge financial risk associated with the possibility of structural design faults, sub-standard quality of construction and loss of traffic, and said they would invest only if these risks were covered. “A pension fund or its operation management agency cannot run after NHAI or roads ministry officials to provide compensation for any big structural damage or loss in toll revenue. The government needs to cover all this risk in the model concession agreement,” a senior executive of an international pension fund told ET. NHAI has started the work on mentioning all these risks and who will underwrite the liability in the master concession agreement (MCA) for TOT deals. “Suppose there’s a loss in toll collection or a big structural damage due to some engineering problem, NHAI would provide the cover for it. We are building enough safeguards in the system so that investor confidence remains intact,” NHAI chairman Raghav Chandra told ET. NHAI is also proposing a third party engineering audit of the projects before they are bid out. Chandra said the bidding process for leasing out projects would be started soon. “Till now we were addressing the concerns flagged by the investors. We are including everything in the MCA so that there’s nothing that remains in dark for the future. Now, we’ll start the process of bidding,” he said. Several international pension funds including CDPQ, Brookfield, Ontario Teachers and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority have evinced interest in investing the government’s drive to monetise its road assets to fund new roads. NHAI plans to bundle various projects for investors based on regional proximity, and the entire portfolio would be bid out. Michael Pierce Jersey
State eyes global firms for highway works
In a bid to curb corruption, the Public Works Department (PWD) has decided to give contracts for redevelopment of 30,000-km-long state highways only to big or global companies. The new tender condition will be that the company should have a turnover of at least Rs 2,000 crore so that small contractors are automatically barred. The ambitious project will be executed in two years’ time, bringing state highways up-to-speed with international standards. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has even invited big companies like L&T, Shapoorji Pallonji and Reliance as also Malaysian and Korean companies on November 21 to disclose plans to redevelop 30,000-km roads in the state. “The idea is to curb corruption at lower levels while redeveloping roads. Local contractors have a link with local leaders which impacts work quality. The road conditions are very poor across the state. Hence, we have decided to adopt contract policy from national highways. National and international companies will not indulge in local-level corruption and will build roads matching global standards. The CM has given in-principle approval to changing norms for road construction, allowing us to involve companies with a turnover of Rs 2,000 crore. Also, such companies will have machinery, expertise and engineers required to construct roads,” an official from the PWD department told The Asian Age. Going further, the government has worked out a new financial model where it will pay 60 per cent of the amount in the first three years, and the remaining will be paid in parts for the next 12 to 15 years. “The companies will be allowed to quote their price with interest as the government is going to pay them for the next 12 to 15 years, the entire cost of the project. We don’t have much funding to reconstruct roads and hence, the model will help us pay the cost,” the official said. Every company will be allotted work on 100 km of road and government expects a cost of Rs 1.5 crore per km, he added. The project includes state highways, roads connecting tehsils with district headquarters and a few tourists’ places. “The government wants roads to be completed in two years’ time. Good road condition can have a huge impact on the public and this can also be used as election agenda. The CM has called a meeting with companies on November 21 where we will take suggestions from them,” the official said. Meanwhile, a contractor who has been in the business of road contracts for the past 10 years, expressing surprise over the government’s new policy, said that this would affect small contractors adversely. He also refused to accept that corruption could be rooted out completely with the decision. “The perception that small contractors are corrupt is not correct. This will affect our business. But we have not heard anything concrete from the government yet,” he said on condition of anonymity. Riley Reiff Jersey