I thought there was a naval component too.Construction was scheduled to start by end-2008, and the project should be completed in 24 months.
The integrated plant would include facilities for commercial ships, including very large cargo carriers and specialised cargo ships for gas transportation and cruise ships, it said.
Some more infoThe facility can handle movement of defence ships including submarines, the release said.
L&T plans to build large ships of up to three lakh DWT here. “The first ship will sail out 24 to 30 months after the ground breaking ceremony,â€
Metro Stations identifiedThe work on the 100-million-litre-a-day (MLD) seawater desalination plant at Minjur, on the northern outskirts of Chennai, is progressing expeditiously. Chennai Water Desalination Limited should deliver 15 MLD next month and 100 MLD in August.
As for the other 100-MLD plant proposed at Nemmeli on East Coast Road, Mr. Stalin said the work would be taken up this year. The Union Government had made an initial allocation of Rs. 300 crore.
Macquarie, State Bank of India Plan $2 Billion Fund
One of the cornerstone investors, the International Finance Corp. (IFC), will also take a stake in the proposed company.
by Rita Raagas De Ramos
Macquarie Capital Group and State Bank of India (SBI) plan to raise a new $2 billion fund that will invest in direct infrastructure investment opportunities in India.
Chennai, April 28 The State Government is considering doubling the capacity of the sea water desalination project coming up in North Chennai, according to sources.
The Rs 540-crore project being set up on a DBOOT (Design-Build-Own-Operate-Transfer) basis by the Chennai Water Desalination Ltd (CWDL) has a capacity to produce 100 million litres a day (mld) of freshwater from seawater. It is likely to be expanded to produce 200 mld with an additional investment estimated at about Rs 700-750 crore.
Expansion in the scope of the project by CWDL is being contemplated because of the rapid increase in industrial investments and development happening in the areas in North Chennai and to the north of Chennai, sources said.
CWDL is a special purpose vehicle floated by the Hyderabad-based infrastructure company IVRCL in partnership with Befesa of Spain. IVRCL holds 70 per cent stake in the company. The project is being done for the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Metrowater) with which CWDL has a 25-year agreement to supply freshwater.
A bulk water purchase agreement between the two provides for Metrowater to buy processed water at Rs 48.66 a kilolitre.
Sources say that the point under consideration is the speed with which additional capacity can be brought on line, all the clearances are in place except that from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, and the escalation clauses for the ongoing project could be the basis for the expansion.
CWDL’s ongoing project for Metrowater is expected to start trial production by August and go onstream in December. It was originally scheduled for completion by mid-2008. Rough seas and unexpected rains early this year hit the schedule of laying intake water lines and dredging off shore, the sources said.
India is building new roads, airports and power plants to cater to the needs of an economy that is growing at a rapid pace. But, as Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, infrastructure continues to be woefully inadequate.
Sunway City Berhad Managing Director, Property Development Division, Ngiam Siew Siong poses with the model of the township during a press conference in Hyderabad, 25 April 2008
Later this month, a gleaming, new airport will open in India's famous information technology hub, Bangalore, meeting a long-standing demand of the I.T. industry.
However, access roads to the new airport -- 36 kilometers north of the city center -- have not been widened to ease chronic traffic snarls. As a result, people fear the commute to the airport could take up to three hours -- longer than a short-haul flight.
Inadequate transport networks in bursting cities is just one of the problems confronting a country where all infrastructure is in short supply -- whether it is reliable power, highways, ports or world-class airports.
Bidisha Ganguly, a consultant at the Confederation of Indian Industry, says these shortages have intensified amid the recent economic boom.
"India has been growing at a very fast rate," Ganguly said. "So, as a result, all infrastructure is strained, so there are huge gaps and bottlenecks everywhere. We don't build infrastructure ahead of demand. We typically build it once the bottlenecks are there and fairly apparent."
The bottlenecks are becoming severe. Vehicles choke already crowded roads as car sales go up. Average loading and unloading time at busy sea ports is 85 hours -- 10 times longer than at Singapore or Hong Kong. Airports and ports often run short of warehouse space. It takes manufacturers days to transport goods from one part of the country to the other -- partly because trucks are barred from congested cities during the day for fear they might bring traffic to a standstill.
Lack of adequate power is perhaps the most severe problem. Most industries and offices rely on massive power generators because electricity is often shut off for hours at a stretch, even in prime business and industrial areas.
The head of the Indian Council of International Economic Relations, Rajiv Kumar, says lack of adequate infrastructure holds back growth and discourages investors -- both domestic and foreign.
"The industry has to provide all the infrastructure needs, itself, rather than these be available to it as it is in all other countries routinely as a part of the delivery of public services," Kumar said. "That means that even for those who can afford to do this, the costs become very high. But for a large number of medium and small enterprises it just means that they simply have to forego investment opportunities. So, infrastructure deficit in my view is probably costing India up to two percent growth in GDP (gross domestic product)."
The government acknowledges the country is grappling with a huge infrastructure deficit. It estimates India needs to invest $500 billion, in the next five years, to build roads, seaports, airports, high-speed expressways and power plants. The government is calling on the private sector to share the task.
Some of that investment is already in the pipeline. A project to link the country's four major cities with wide roads is to be completed this year. Modern airports are being built in several cities, under a new model under which private groups will build facilities, collect tolls and eventually hand the project back to the government.
The government says the results of all these investments will be visible in five to 10 years. But many fear it may be longer, because many infrastructure projects often get delayed.
Ganguly says India needs to speed up the pace at which projects are implemented.
"The feeling is that much more should be done," Ganguly said. "While the government has a broad plan, there are problems in implementation, getting clearances. Bureaucratic delays are there and it is not a straightforward issue, where you can just go and build a port or a airport."
But many acknowledge that it is not always easy to fast track projects in a democracy where issues like land acquisition are sensitive and time consuming.
Critics often compare India to the other Asian giant, China, which has built world-class infrastructure in record time. But others point out that although the Chinese central government's nod is enough to get a project off the ground, the task is far more difficult in India, where consensus is needed before any project can go ahead.
Katare, not sure where you are getting the 80% but the IIT study showed that the Buses are just 34% and declining. Car is 14%, Metro is 15%, Walk is another 15% and BiCycle is still 21% as measured in actual passenger miles.Katare wrote:80% of Delhi travels by buses or bicycles and the first reports are showing bus/bicycle transit time is 1/3rd of what it used to be. The system will adjust and a lot of people would switch back to buses which would be faster and cheaper for them to. In the end it’ll allow Delhites to own more cars and be able to drive them around as needed.
when was the last time you came anywhere near Delhi ?Katare wrote:Delhi transport is going through a transition period to BRTS/MRTS so obviously there’s going to be some difficulties and opposition in favor of status-quo. 80% of Delhi travels by buses or bicycles and the first reports are showing bus/bicycle transit time is 1/3rd of what it used to be. The system will adjust and a lot of people would switch back to buses which would be faster and cheaper for them to. In the end it’ll allow Delhites to own more cars and be able to drive them around as needed.
I think with MRTS and BRTS Delhi is moving in the right direction.
They certainly have not. In a picture of bureaucractic arrogance, Delhis CHief Secretary still waves off public anguish at the destruction of a leafy, quiet and efficient arterial road, and its surrounding neighborhoods, with an irritated flourish, insisting that he knows best.satya wrote:Hopefully babu log learned something.
Right said. Delhi officially has more cars on its roads than all the other three metros put together. Delhi is the country's largest market for cars, followed by Greater Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, respectively. About 1,000 brand new cars enter Delhi's traffic every day. Cars are overwhelming the roads. Then there is almost an avalance of motorcycles. Bicycles are hardly to be seen. Rapid expansion of the Delhi metro is the only solution which has no pollution and a single light-weight train of four coaches carries over a thousand people. Road based mass transport cannot come anywhere near this performance. This BRT thingie is only a handiwork of some bus manufacturers to fight back against the metro.when was the last time you came anywhere near Delhi ?
Yeah,Metro is the solution but not everyone in delhi can afford the expensive AC metro.Buses are still the main source of transport for millions even on the existing metro routes.You just can't wish away road based transport.sanjaychoudhry wrote: Rapid expansion of the Delhi metro is the only solution which has no pollution and a single light-weight train of four coaches carries over a thousand people. Road based mass transport cannot come anywhere near this performance. This BRT thingie is only a handiwork of some bus manufacturers to fight back against the metro.
Sure. My office is right down the road from there. Will post pics Monday.Rohit_K wrote:Can you take some pictures?BhairavP wrote:The Andheri-Versova Metro link is coming up quite fast.. Anilbhai seems to be doing a good job. They've messed up the Andheri-Kurla road though, gets really bad during the day. And it's also one of the main access roads to the International airport.
