NMC plan to procure German machine to asphalt roads even during rains
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), in order to overcome the nagging handicap in asphalting roads during rainy season. Now, the local body is planning to procure micro surfacing road asphalting technology machine which can asphalt the road even in rainy season. Such asphalted roads withstand the accumulation of water. NMC will be the first civic body in Maharashtra if it deploys the machine. The only authority engaging the machine is National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for repairing national highways for last six years. City-based Anjani Logistics, operator of road jetpatcher, gave a demo of the machine a couple of days ago by asphalting a 100 metre stretch on RPTS Road between Surendra Nagar and Ajni Square. Mayor Pravin Datke, Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar, Chief Engineer Ulhas Debadwar and other engineers from NMC witnessed the demo. Debadwar said the machine can be beneficial for NMC in various manners. It is also a cold mix technology. The best part is that polymer is used in it. Hot mix tar is destroyed when water accumulates on it. Polymer prevents seepage of water into the road. Therefore, life of road increases with this technology, he said and added the machine can be useful in case NMC borrows it and operates it on its own. Narendra Jichkar of Anjani Logistics said the cost of road asphalting reduces by 50% in the technology. “Hot mix tar costs 400 per sq m while micro surfacing costs only 200 per sq m. Layer of 40-50mm is laid in hot mix while only 4-6mm is laid in micro surfacing. It saves cost and also nature, since lesser material is required, and also does not result in increase in the height of roads,” he said. The machine is from Germany and costs around Rs 3.50 crore. Another issue is that the adhesive used in the technology is available only in Germany. Tre Madden Authentic Jersey
No diesel cess plan, but car makers must think electric: Gadkari
Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said the government had no plans to levy a cess on diesel, adding that levy of any kind is a legislative decision and the right of the government, not the judiciary. It may be recalled that the Supreme Court in December 2015 had banned registration of diesel vehicles with over 2000 cc engines in the National Capital Region. In May, the apex court said it could modify its order banning the registration of luxury vehicles but it could impose a small environment cess. Gadkari was speaking at the Auto CEO Summit hosted by CNBC-TV18. “Our interest is to create new technology and give more opportunity to manufacturers to create maximum….I am always trying to convince them why you are not going for electric,” he said, adding that the auto industry needed to take a bold bet on electric cars. Gadkari said the auto sector must step up its research on electric vehicles, and find ways to bring down the cost of an electric vehicle on par with diesel and petrol vehicles. “Their (auto makers’) problem is: we are ready to manufacture it and reduce the cost, but what will be the demand,” Gadkari said. His view was that there will be takers for new technology which is pollution free and cost effective. Once prices came down, demand would increase, he said. Gadkari said the government would try to give subsidies to encourage production of electric cars, but there will always be limitations on how much subsidy could be given. He said the government had no plans to disincentivise use of diesel for now. “For the future, we can make the policy for diesel vehicles that the judiciary and society is making from us,” Gadkari said, adding “But if we take a decision immediately, what will happen to industry, employment.” Speaking at the event, Pawan Goenka of Mahindra and Mahindra said it was essential to have a automobile policy which did not change every now and then. RC Bhargava of Maruti said a continued dialogue between the government and auto industry was important for the growth of the sector and that there must be a scientific method in order to overcome the problem of pollution. Gadkari said that his ministry had submitted the vehicle scrapping policy to the Finance Ministry. The proposed ‘Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Plan’ provides incentives worth 8-12 percent of the cost of a new vehicle against the surrender of the old vehicles. Through the policy, the government aims to get around 28 million 11-year old vehicles off the road, which will create fresh demand for the industry as well as reduce pollution. Timothy Liljegren Jersey
Over ₹5-lakh cr locked up in infra sector disputes: Srei Infra’s Hemant Kanoria
The infrastructure sector is yet to get back on the growth path. The Government needs to sort out some of the major issues such as liquidity and project delays, Hemant Kanoria, Chairman and Managing Director of Srei Infrastructure Finance Ltd, said. While the Government has addressed most of the concerns of the road sector over the past two years, public, private partnership (PPP) projects, which play a crucial role in the growth of the country’s infrastructure, have not gathered pace. The Government needs to revive investor and developer interest in PPP projects, he said. Speaking at Indian School of Business here, Kanoria said, “More than ?5,00,000 crore is locked up in disputes relating to infrastructure. While there have been efforts to bring about changes in various arbitration clauses, the Infrastructure Disputes Redressal Tribunal could make a big difference.” “While all the players in the infrastructure sector are facing liquidity concerns, imagine the impact of such a huge amount being unlocked. Even if there is half of what is disputed, it could be a major boon to the sector,” Kanoria told BusinessLine. Referring to the road sector where there was a huge interest in the past, he said developers, of late, have become wary of taking up PPP mode projects due to uncertainty and possible delays. Instead they are focussing on EPC contract with assured returns. Kanoria said, “The power sector, which has been a major thrust area for the Government over the past two decades, continues to face problems of fuel supplies, both coal and gas. A number of projects are stranded and funds locked. While some concerns have been addressed, the free power model for agriculture is something that requires a fresh look.” On the black money declaration drive, he said instead of the Government asking people to pay up 45 per cent upfront, it could have considered another model where infrastructure or agriculture bonds are issued with the funds thus declared. In return, they can be issued 10-year bonds with no returns for five years. Pavel Bure Womens Jersey
New National Highway along Godavari banks
The State government proposed a new National Highway along the banks of the Godavari, from Badrachalam to Kautala adjoining Maharashtra via Kaleshwaram temple, covering a distance of 370 kilometres, said Minister for Roads and Buildings T. Nageshwara Rao. Speaking after laying the foundation stone for high-level bridges across Mulavagu rivulet at Vemulawada temple town at a cost of Rs. 28 crore as part of the beautification of the temple shrine, the Minister said that they have ordered for a detailed project report (DPR) for laying of new National Highway covering major irrigation projects of Kaleshwaram in Karimnagar district. He said that the new NH would benefit Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. He said the bridge across the Godavari, connecting Kaleshwaram to Sironcha in Maharashtra constructed at a cost of Rs. 200 crore, would be completed within a month. The Bornapalli bridge in the district would be completed in seven months. Stating that they have taken up a total of 46 bridges in Karimnagar district at a cost of Rs. 300 crore, Mr. Rao said that they were also constructing check dams at the bridges to store water and recharge ground water level in the region. The government has taken up four-lane works from district headquarters to Hyderabad city, and is making the roads of all mandals double-lane. He said that Telangana state has emerged a role model in the country with the implementation of the Mission Kakatiya and Mission Bagheeratha programmes. The people who took the State lightly are now shocked to see the progress on all fronts, he maintained. Later, the Minister participated in the Haritha Haaram programme by planting a sapling at the Government Junior College in the temple town. Minister for Finance and Civil Supplies Etala Rajender said that the Haritha Haaram would be taken up on a grand scale from July 8 to 15 to take up massive plantation to protect the environment. Earlier, Mr, Rao and Mr. Rajender offered prayers at Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy devasthanam. The temple authorities accorded a warm welcome to the Ministers and presented them with prasadam and a portrait of the temple. Karimnagar MP B. Vinod Kumar, Vemulawada legislator Ch. Ramesh Babu, TSCOB chairman K. Ravinder Rao, and Vemulawada sarpanch Uma were also present. Curtis Riley Womens Jersey
Policy to scrap old vehicles submitted to finance ministry: Gadkari
Looking to get nearly 28 million over-11-year-old polluting vehicles off country’s roads, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has submitted the vehicle policy to the finance ministry to seek approval. The proposed ‘Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Plan (V-VMP)’ provides incentives worth 8-12 percent of the cost of a new vehicle in lieu of surrendering the old ones. “I have submitted the vehicle scrapping policy to the finance minister. It is a good policy and we will take it to the cabinet once it is approved,” Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari said.The policy is good for environment and is in the interest of the government, he said.The benefits under the proposed voluntary vehicle modernisation policy will come in three forms — scrap valuefrom the old vehicle, a special discount by the automobile manufacturer and a partial excise duty exemption. Inviting comments from general public and all stakeholders on the draft policy, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has said the ‘Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernization Plan (V-VMP)’ will be applicable to the vehicles bought on or before 31 March 2005. “The total potential vehicles to be replaced with this definition are nearly 28 million,” as per the draft policy. Under the scheme, people surrendering their old vehicles and buying new one are likely to receive three benefits amounting to 8-12 percent of total cost of the new vehicle, the ministry has said. To ensure that the resultant impact is beneficial to the environment, the replacement vehicle needs to be BS-IVcompliant, which is going to be rolled out nation-wide by April 2017.The draft policy said that it is expected to boost sales of automobile manufacturers leading to higher productioncapacity utilisation and the automobile manufacturers would support the government in this initiative “financially by giving special discounts to customers buying vehicles under this scheme”. Gadkari had earlier said the policy will boost automobile industry turnover over four-times to Rs 20 lakh crore in the next five years. Subject to approval from the Ministry of Finance, it has been proposed that vehicles bought under this scheme may get up to 50 percent excise duty relief based on old vehicle and replacement vehicle category. In addition, SRTU (state road transport undertaking) buses may be given complete excise exemption to ensure higherparticipation and modernise State’s bus fleet. Carlos Lee Jersey
Increase in road traffic has led to decrease in Railway income: Nitin Gadkari
Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, on Wednesday said that an increase in road traffic has led to decrease in Railway income. Speaking at the CNBC-TV18 Auto Summit, Gadkari said people prefer to commute by vehicles due to better roads and good roads are an advantage to the auto industry. Speaking on electric vehicles, Gadkari said that he was confident electric vehicles will be a success story. He urged the auto industry to manufacture more electric vehicles. “I think if the prices come down, electric cars will do well. We need to focus on research for electric vehicles,” Gadkari said. [Related-Post] Gadkari said that it is the right of the government to impose a diesel levy. He went on to say that the Petroleum Ministry is working on a huge refinery in Madhya Pradesh. Speaking on Make in India, Gadkari said, “Manufacturing in India is an incentive for all companies and the sector must accept international standards.” Gadkari said that his ministry has submitted a scrappage policy to the Finance Minister and promised to take up taxation issues too. Speaking on the policy front, Gadkari said that any industry must have a long standing policy. He said that the auto industry should give maximum potential for employment generation. Gadkari said that the Centre is giving Rs 900 cr every year to state governments to improve black spots. “In terms of road engineering & safety we are taking preventive measures,” Gadkari added. Speaking on heavy traffic on major roads across various cities in India, Gadkari said that his ministry has already asked an IT company to research the cause of traffic jams. John Franklin-Myers Authentic Jersey
Maharashtra plans $10 billion infra fund
In what Maharashtra claims will be a game changer, the state is planning a whopping $10-billion fund, which would be used for building infrastructure in rural areas of the state and specifically in Mumbai. The move to create this Infra Fund comes after the state has struggled to create new infrastructure because of the huge debt of Rs 3.30 lakh crore. The state is also planning to use the money from this fund to ease the state’s debt. The move to create this Infra Fund comes after many countries like Saudi Arabia, Japan, Germany, Israel and Canada expressed keen interest on investing in the state. Some of these countries have also sought sovereign guarantee to safeguard their investment. The state is in talks with the Centre on whether the latter could give a ‘comfort letter’ for specific projects. Maharashtra government officials are optimistic that the fund would be set up within the next three months. “Talks have been going on for the last four to five months. Many countries like Saudi Arabia, Japan, Germany, Israel and Canada to name a few, have expressed keen interest to invest in the state. A few of these countries have also sought for sovereign guarantee to safeguard their investment.The state is in talks with the Centre on whether a ‘comfort letter’ for specific projects could be given,” said a senior state government official. Last month, Kaustubh Dhavse (officer on special duty), a key official in the Chief Minister’s office, who looks after the execution of key infra projects in the state travelled to Delhi where he met an official of Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and other finance ministry officials to explore the possibility of the Centre giving such comfort letters. Cliff Pennington Jersey
NHAI awards Rs 895 crore road project in Rajasthan to L&T
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has awarded a Rs 895 crore project in Rajasthan to Larsen & Toubro. “The NHAI has issued Letter of Award (LOA) for development of 4-laning of Bar-Bilara-Jodhpur section in Rajasthan under phase IV of National Highways Development Projects (NHDP) to Larsen & Toubro,” NHAI said in a statement. The 111 km section connects the western Rajasthan and border area (Jodhpur-Jaisalmer-Barmer) to eastern part of the state – Ajmer and Jaipur. The stretch will be four-laned at a cost of Rs 895 crore, it said. “This is a major strategic route connecting Jodhpur as an important feeder route during war time. Four-laning of the section will permit smooth flow of military traffic as well as heavy commercial and domestic traffic. It will also facilitate transportation of mining and agriculture product,” the statement said. The project will have two bypasses, one at Bar (3.25 km)and another at Bilara (6.70 km), 4 flyovers, 3 pedestrian under passes, 4 major bridges and one railway over bridge. The project would be executed on EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) mode and is scheduled for completion in 30 months from the date of commencement. Bobby Wagner Jersey
Shri Nitin Gadkari exhorts highways builders and skill development institutions to train highways construction workers
The Minister of Road Transport& Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari has exhorted highways builders, contractors, and skill development institutions to come forward in a big way to train the local, unemployed youth in highways construction, and to upgrade the skills of existing workers. Chairing a meeting of Ministry officials with representatives of National Highways Builders Federation and several construction training institutions in New Delhi today, Shri Gadkari said that his Ministry will pay Rs 15,000 per trainee (on the basis of minimum wages) as stipend to compensate for loss of wage during the training period. The payment would be made directly to the Aadhar linked bank account of the trainee. In addition to this it would also be made mandatory for every Contractor who is awarded a highways contract, to train at least ten persons for every one crore spent on the project. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is in active consultation with stakeholders to finalize and unfold the programme for skill upgradation of highway construction workers and drivers of commercial vehicles. The programme, proposed to work on the PPP model, is aimed at upskilling both unemployed local youth as well as those already working under contractors. The National Highways Builders Federation, Original Equipment Manufacturers and NHAI would be the main programme partners. The Indian Academy of Highway Engineers will be the Lead Agency and will coordinate all activities pertaining to the training programmes. Standards of training programmes, intake, syllabi, trainee-trainer ratio and other parameters for the training programmes, within the National Skill Quality Framework, will be finalised by IAHE with the approval of the Ministry. The training will be imparted in various trades related to highways construction such as masonry, concreting, machine operation and so on. The programme aims to start with training 20,000 highway construction workers immediately and increasing the numbers so that the manpower requirement of the sector is fulfilled together with creation of employment opportunities for jobless youth. Shri Gadkari said such active intervention to promote skill upgradation will benefit lakhs of unskilled and under- skilled local, unemployed youth in the near future. The course content and certification will be as per approved standards of the Ministry of Skill Development. He stated that accountability, and proper auditing will be the key elements of implementation together with putting online, all details of trained workers for ensuring complete transparency. Derek Barnett Jersey
Mandi waste to be used for highways construction: Nitin Gadkari
Solid waste from Ghazipur mandi in the national capital will be used in construction of highways, while plans are afoot for landscaping of two peripheral expressway projects worth Rs 8,037 crore, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said today. “Eastern and Western bypasses, which the government plans to build in 400 days will be the first pilot projects and architects will design beautification of these. This will involve landscaping and other works,” the Road Transport and Highways Minister said here on the sidelines of an event to launch plantation drive under National Green Highways Mission. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of these two projects last year with a combined length of 271 km last year. Gadkari also asked the Haryana government to come forward for the venture saying that the projects will be implemented in such a fashion that driving will be a pleasure through these roads as is the case in various countries. He said the projects when complete will ease congestion in DELHI and reduce its pollution by at least 50 per cent. The Eastern Peripheral Expressway will be 135 km long and cost Rs 5,763 crore while the 136 km Western Peripheral Expressway will cost Rs 2,274 crore. The minister also said that to minimise pollution in Delhi, NHAI will utilise the waste from Ghazipur in construction of highways. The famous Ghazipur mandi, which supplies vegetables and fruits to a large portion of Delhi and adjoining areas, is known as a major contributor to air pollution in the region because of the landfill gases from the garbage dump caused by the waste from the market. NHAI is already utilising fly-ash up to 30 per cent of earth filling in the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and using other slag materials elsewhere. Gadkari said the government had entrusted the assignment of technically verifying whether Solid Waste Material generated from Municipal/city waste can be utilised for highway construction to Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI). He said the report suggest it can be utilised by segregating the waste. “Our department has taken a good initiative in Ghazipur. Plastic, glass, bottle, garbage these all will be segregated. I had a a talk with Delhi Chief Minister and sought Delhi government’s cooperation,” he said. Earlier CSIR and CRRI had conducted a study by collecting 70 tonnes of municipal solid waste from different locations of 5/10/15 years old from Ghazipur Land fill site of Municipal Corporation of Delhi. It recommended that the municipal solid waste contains about 65 to 70 per cent of soil components which can be used in embankment construction after segregation. Josh Manson Womens Jersey