Infrastructure News & Discussion

vina · Post by **vina** » 04 Feb 2008 22:12

Suraj wrote:For someone going to Gurgaon after 4 years, imagining the old Mehrauli-Gurgaon traffic jams, the new expressway will be a pleasant shock - eight lane access controlled all the way, plus service lanes outside. Delhi-NOIDA is no different, and if you venture beyond, there's the equally excellent 25km NOIDA-Gt.NOIDA expressway. Akshardham is a great view from the nearby overpass.

There's a lot to see around South Delhi (where I lived). Besides the ring road and general road improvements, the Delhi Metro, new and under-contruction ring expressways, and the fact that Noida and in particular Gurgaon, and probably unrecognizable to anyone who's not been there 5 years.

Regarding GQ, it is morely complete. It is the NSEW grid that is slow to take off, since its execution was primarily during UPA's tenure, and they've effectively dropped the ball after Khanduri's high standards.

I predict Sumeet will come back or post from home in a daze. Cameras and large amounts of photographic evidence are mandatory. I've been doing it on every trip home myself :)

Hmm. You guys really have me curious about Delhi. Need to visit it sometime. Haven't been there since 1994. I sure that it is beyond all recognition.

Yeah.. If we need to thank the NDA and Vajpayee and Kandhuri from the bottom of our heards, it is the highway system. Kangress would not have shifted it's arse and got working on it for a million years. Enternally grateful for that

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 04 Feb 2008 22:27

vina: Delhi's drastically different from 1998-99 (which was the first time I visited there since the 80s), much less 1994. For one, you'll see the air quality having significantly improved.

Anyone living outside India visiting Delhi after a long hiatus will be struck by the changes that are already there, or ongoing.

Anyone living elsewhere in India similarly visiting Delhi will be scandalized at the sight of so much 'hard' infrastructure coming up there in so short a time, while their own corner is taken down several notches from where it has already descended to. Refer Dileep's rant earlier...

sanjaychoudhry · Post by **sanjaychoudhry** » 04 Feb 2008 22:52

I am from defence colony so I don't think my colony would have changed that much.

Well, the Moolchand flyover has got a new underpass, while the Amar Colony-Lajpat Nagar crossing has got a 2-km long flyover. And AIIMS crossing has a huge complex of spaghetti flyovers. Metro construction is on full swing on Aurobindo Marg, going to Green Park and Gurgaon. And entire Ring Road has flyovers at every crossing, making it totally signal free. The Ansal Plaza Mall is giving stiff competition to South Ext. The dedicated high-capacity bus corridor is being constructed, going past defence colony toward chirag Dilli and Sainik Farms. Apart from this, it is business as usual.

As a hard-core Delhite, even I am amazed at the changes taking place so fast.

Rishirishi · Post by **Rishirishi** » 04 Feb 2008 22:56

Rishi, that area you describe (1st and 4th block) is still very similar. being
the wealthiest part there is no temptation by people to commercialize the
place. the interior roads are still quiet, green and stately homes mostly dark at night because lord of the castle is either on tour abroad or working late hours.sukh sagar is still there, and still popular.
there are more shops on 80ft road near raheja and also near the games village. more gyms too.

Thanks for the reply Singha.

Imagine, I was offered a very nice house there (500 sqft of land) for only 50 lacks, in 97. Guess they are out of reach now.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 04 Feb 2008 23:23

I am looking for a general land price approved by BDA per sq ft in Bangalore, especially in Koramangla and BTM Layout. Is there an online document or website that keeps update on land price, market price, etc. And, what is the % difference between BDA price and market price?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 05 Feb 2008 00:05

get the print edition of deccan herald. it has weekly real estate special issues.
not sure if its archived online. or just look at TOI real estate classifieds to
get some idea.

there are hardly any plots for resale in koramangala thats for sure. some
huge plots in 4th block are empty and marked not for sale.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 05 Feb 2008 00:10

thanks

Sumeet · Post by **Sumeet** » 05 Feb 2008 00:43

So you are Suraj from SSC forum. Didn't know our economics guru is also a photo enthusiast on SSC.

Thanks for your answers too. I would have been in a daze too if there was no SSC or I didn't know about it. But thanks to my regular lurking on SSC I won't be dazzled.

Anyways, my dad on his last trip to US got Canon EOS 5D digital SLR with some lenses, filters etc.. So I think I can get some good pictures of Delhi. Thats a promise if I go later this year I will put up a thread on SSC showcase gallery or otherwise whenever I go I will take pictures. Malls, expressways, roads, buildings, metro, babes, CP etc

Singha, don't worry near Malls, Food courts, CP type areas I will take pics in track while search mode.

Vina, so got a shock going through those pics. Yeah man that was my reaction too. Each of them is as beautiful as the other.

SanjayyChaudhary, I saw AIIMs flyover during 2004. The one is dhaula kuan was under construction or near to completion then. Have been to ansals many times. Though I still like south ex. Also, will the metro pass over the ground by AIIMs interchange or it will be underground ?

I have been on DND but I have to see DGE & N to GN expressways. IGI loop looks cool too. Those multiple flyovers by each other looks pretty nice. I am really interested to see multi storeyed high capacity automated parking lots.

Delhi is developing on fast pace compared to other places because first its the capital, center of political will and more than anything because of 2010 olympics. I think things will slow down after that. Would be a pleasant surprise if things are at same pace as now even after then. But by then delhi's map would have changed. Also, heard that it will have max number of flyovers, underpasses, interchanges barring tokyo in the whole world.

Rohit_K · Post by **Rohit_K** » 05 Feb 2008 00:52

Sumeet wrote: Can't wait to visit my school again. DPS RKP. Want to see what new stuff they have built. They were always up to constructing something new.

I was studying at DPS RKP but got whisked away to massa land by moi parents some months before the 10th board exams

I visited the school in 2006 and it has changed a lot. Do you remember CB block? It's that circular building which had the staff room on the ground floor and science labs+some class rooms on the first floor. They've built 2 circular staircases hugging the building outside. The assembly area next to the football ground sports a whole new look.

Then all the blackboards have been replaced with whiteboards. No chalk fights in the class room anymore

I heard Chona is going to retire very soon thus ending her 17-18 yr reign as the principal. Saini (who used to be the Kirket coach) will most probably replace her.

They've placed tiles on all the floors in the classrooms and corridors. Even the walls have been tiled up to ~5 feet. Prince Pan Corner still remains the place where all the fights take place after school

Rohit_K · Post by **Rohit_K** » 05 Feb 2008 00:59

Sumeet wrote: Also, will the metro pass over the ground by AIIMs interchange or it will be underground ?

Underground.

pradeepe · Post by **pradeepe** » 05 Feb 2008 01:28

SaiK wrote:I am looking for a general land price approved by BDA per sq ft in Bangalore, especially in Koramangla and BTM Layout. Is there an online document or website that keeps update on land price, market price, etc. And, what is the % difference between BDA price and market price?

Take a look at this-

http://www.bangaloreproperty.com/landvalues.asp

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 05 Feb 2008 15:22

Vina, everyone with a molecule of Jingoase gene in their DNA should take a look at the SSC photos threads. I used to do that while at massa, but missed it for some time after moving back.

You know how period films are shot. If the camera angle is changed a few degrees you will see a cell tower in the backdrop of Brindavan. It might be possible to fake a good road in malluland by careful camera placement. Likely along the NH47 newly built sections.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 05 Feb 2008 15:28

south ex imo is very passe'. the lack of space and new high quality buildings
makes it impossible to compete with new malls. parking is very tough nearby and most of the local streets are banned for parking.
khan market faces the same situation but has its core chichi crowd nearby atleast...and the place isnt smack on ringroad unlike south ex.
as architecture goes its grubby cpwd stuff.

does anyone really go to C.P these days for hanging out?

bala · Post by **bala** » 07 Feb 2008 05:38

I don't understand why India persists in getting other country loans (strings are attached), when the forex reserves are inching towards $300 B (4th largest in the world behind China, Japan, Russia).

JBIC to provide assistance to Chennai Metro Rail project

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has assured financial and technical assistance to Tamil Nadu Government's Rs 9,700 crore metro rail project for Chennai.

Rudranathh · Post by **Rudranathh** » 07 Feb 2008 21:40

x-posted

Bharti to set up another high-capacity undersea optic cable
New Delhi, PTI:

Bharti Airtel, on Wednesday, said it will set up another high-capacity undersea cable, in association with eight global telecom players, by the end of next year. The new cable which will connect India to France through the Middle East.

A formal construction and maintenance agreement to build the high-capacity fibre-optic submarine cable was signed on Wednesday in Rome by all the firms.

The cable system â€” I-ME-WE (India, Middle East, Western Europe) â€” is the fifth in the series of similar cable systems, and is likely to be available for service by the end of 2009, a Bharti Airtel statement said here, adding that, the cable system is designed to provide 3.84 terabytes per second and covers a distance of almost 14,000 kms, extending from India to France

The nine global telecom companies that have come together to form the I-ME-WE consortium include Bharti Airtel (India), Etisalat (UAE), France Telecom (France), Ogero (Lebanon), PTCL (Pakistan), STC (Saudi Arabia), TE (Egypt), TIS Sparkle (Italy) and VSNL (India), the statement further added.

Rudranathh · Post by **Rudranathh** » 08 Feb 2008 15:56

Manmohan Singh lays foundation stone of two rail lines in MP

Fri, Feb 8 04:05 PM

Jhabua (MP), Feb 8 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today laid the foundation stone of 200-kilometer-long Dahod-Indore and 157-kilometer-long Chhota Udaipur-Dhar railway lines at Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh.

The Dahod-Indore rail line, estimated to cost Rs 678.5 crore, is expected to provide a shorter route between Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

The line between Chhota Udaipur and Dhar would cost Rs 608.25 crore.

The two projects are expected to be completed in eight years.

Sumeet · Post by **Sumeet** » 11 Feb 2008 11:17

Rohit,

thanks for your DPS update. So there are three Dipsites on this forum. Manu, me and you. nice to know you. hope you are doing well in life in general.

ashish raval · Post by **ashish raval** » 14 Feb 2008 21:46

Modi govt. have started working again after brief vacation following election battle.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indi ... 780918.cms

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 14 Feb 2008 23:03

bala wrote:I don't understand why India persists in getting other country loans (strings are attached), when the forex reserves are inching towards $300 B (4th largest in the world behind China, Japan, Russia).

JBIC to provide assistance to Chennai Metro Rail project

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has assured financial and technical assistance to Tamil Nadu Government's Rs 9,700 crore metro rail project for Chennai.

These are funded for the those companies from Japan and other countries.
They help in getting the projects to these companies.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 20 Feb 2008 19:59

Country's first water tunnel to come up in Mumbai.

With a view to meet the growing demand of water and overcome the problem of its inequitable distribution, the BMC has begun work on the country's first underground tunnel, from Malabar Hill to Cross Maidan in South Mumbai.

The Bhoomipuja ceremony for the project, took place on Tuesday in presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray and Mayor Shubha Raul.

The tunnel, at a depth of 70-metre below the surface, is 3.6 km long will be complete by 2011. The cost of the project is Rs 157 crore as given under the JNNURM.

The project will benefit Kalbadevi, Dhobitalao, Thakurdwar, CST, Fort, Colaba, Nariman Point and Cuffe Parade areas in South Mumbai.

Currently, the BMC provides 3,350 mld water per day to the city's 1.6 crore population. The real demand is for 4,200 mld of water.

Besides, the pipe lines in the South Mumbai are 100 years old and small in the diameter, which need to be replaced.

Mayor Shubha Raul said that presently, BMC faces 20-30 per cent of water leakage which is equal to the water supply of Pune city

and the underground tunnel will prevent encroachments and water theft.

Also, there are other problems like contamination of water due to aging network and intermittent supply which peaks during monsoon. The average duration of water supply is from 20 minutes to four hours depending upon the areas.

Home | Mumbai

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 20 Feb 2008 20:29

REL is front runner for Mumbai trans-harbour link.

I Like this!!!If REL were to get this Project, expect Mukesh Ambani to go hammer and tongs on all other Mumbai city development projects.Good for the city.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 20 Feb 2008 20:35

REL gets Mumbai trans-harbour project.

A consortium of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) company Reliance Eenergy has bagged the construction contract for the Mumbai trans-harbour link between Sewri in Mumbai and Nava-Sheva across the creek in Navi Mumbai beating a consortium led by Mukesh Ambani.

Sources said the REL-Hyundai combine quoted a lower concession period for the build,operate and transfer (BOT) project of nine years and 11 months as against 75 years quoted by the Mukesh Ambani-controlled Sea King Infrastructure.(So Mukesh Ambani will now have to depend on his younger brother for access to to his Dream SEZ's. This will make the New Bombay airport bidding all the more interesting).

Phase-I of the project will comprise a six-lane dual carriageway linking Nhava to Sewri and Phase-II, which is expected to be added in 2015 -18, will consist of a double track rail link that will run parallel to the road link on the north side.(Wish this was done in the first phase itself)

Government officials said the project cost has been revised to Rs 6,000 crore with a construction period of five years. The REL-led consortium can charge Rs 250 per heavy vehicle and Rs 120 for cars and light commercial vehicles as toll charges.

All in all a very positive deleopment for the city as it opens up and literally extends city limits into the Konkan belt , something which this space starved island city desperately needed.

Katare · Post by **Katare** » 20 Feb 2008 23:10

So the rumor mill has it that bade miyan (Mukesh Bhai) bribed the MH Neta/babu junta to get chhote miyan disqualified and become the only bidder for the project. The cost of bribe was recouped with 100X profit margine by putting an exhorbittant bid (75 year concession period). Now once the bids were submitted and choote miyan got disqualified on technical grounds he went to court and bade miyan's exhorbitant bid got stuck in the process. Chotte miyan was allowed to bid for the project by court but bade miyan couldn't change his ridiculous bid to compete with Chote miyan.

Anyhow Mumbaikars been saved from Ambani exploitation by Ambani competition

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 20 Feb 2008 23:35

Things have come a full circle for the Ambanis.It was in the early 80' that Dhirubhai Ambani had asked the State Govt(Vasantdada Patil) for 20,000 acres of land near Panvel to develop a new city in exchange for building the Nhava -Sewri Bridge.At that time Mafatlal's,Mahindra's, Nusli Wadia and Tata's had got together to scuttle his bid.Dhirubhai was too small then to take on these heavyweights.

Circa 2008 and times have changed. Mukesh has the land (and it may be the same chunk) for his SEZ and Anil Ambani has got the Project.

Katare · Post by **Katare** » 23 Feb 2008 01:19

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) today awarded five projects, worth Rs 10,912 crore

bala · Post by **bala** » 23 Feb 2008 02:54

That award for 6 laning is rather expensive. 10,912 cr for roughly 800 km, 2-lane addition from the 4 lane existing one works out to be 13.64 cr per km which is $3.4 Million.

For the golden quad:

the base construction cost for most of the sections for the four-laning of the 3,000 km which is to be awarded in this fiscal 2003 is Rs 3-4 crore per km.

Wow, must be Extraordinary Inflation or money eating in the awards?

ManuJ · Post by **ManuJ** » 23 Feb 2008 03:19

bala wrote:That award for 6 laning is rather expensive. 10,912 cr for roughly 800 km, 2-lane addition from the 4 lane existing one works out to be 13.64 cr per km which is $3.4 Million.

For the golden quad:
the base construction cost for most of the sections for the four-laning of the 3,000 km which is to be awarded in this fiscal 2003 is Rs 3-4 crore per km.
Wow, must be Extraordinary Inflation or money eating in the awards?

The cost is more because of the change in model concession agreement? I'm not sure NHAI got any share of revenue earlier.

The new agreement will work on revenue-sharing model where the private developers with share 17-48 per cent of their toll-revenue with the NHAI within 180 days of signing the agreement.

Under the old agreement, the NHAI projects were awarded on the bidding parameter of positive or negative grants.

Explaining the new agreement, a senior NHAI official said: â€œFor the Delhi-Jaipur section, the NHAIâ€™s share of the toll revenue will be 48 per cent while it will be 38 per cent for the Surat-Dahisar project. These shares have been worked out on the basis of the potential of toll-revenue collections of each of the five projects.â€

Gaurav_S · Post by **Gaurav_S** » 23 Feb 2008 03:43

Fedara airport gets Praful's nod

23 Feb 2008, 0109 hrs IST,TNN

AHMEDABAD: Barely a month after Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath paved the way for a new international airport at Fedara - 85 km from Ahmedabad - as part of a special investment region, Praful Patel's civil aviation ministry is learnt to have cleared the runway for the project with necessary clearances.

Interestingly, the airport is proposed to be built on around 1,000 hectares of land near Dholera, the nearest point from Ahmedabad (110 km) in the Gulf of Cambay, where the Adani group is planning to set up one of the biggest ports in the private sector.

The clearance from Patel comes even as the Adani group is putting up a 2,000 mw power project in Patel's constituency of Gondia in Maharashtra, as a reciprocating gesture.

The 350-sq km Ahmedabad-Dholera SIR forms part of the second phase of the Japan-supported $77-billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC).

The proposed international airport has been strategically located near the planned Rs 15,000-crore port-cum-SEZ project of the Adani group spread over 30,000 hectares at Dholera.

The location for the airport was selected after discussions over Adani group chairman Gautam Adani's offer to entirely fund or even build the roads in the 30-km stretch from the proposed airport to Dholera.

With a good four-lane expressway, Ahmedabad could well be just an hour's drive away from a port and the city could steal Mumbai's thunder as exporters and importers using the DMIC would be tempted to cut costs and travel by 400 km.

The state government had sent a master plan for SIR, including the airport, to the Centre for approval. The master plan includes proposal for four-laning of roads leading to Dholera port via Fedara village and upgrading railway facilities by converting the current metre-gauge into broad-gauge line.

The proposal for a new international airport has been necessitated as international passenger traffic is zooming by over 21 per cent per annum out of the existing airport at Hansol, which is facing expansion constraints.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 02 Mar 2008 05:29

while we fight under democratic rights.. china is doing what they want to..

http://deccanherald.com/DeccanHerald.co ... updatenews

its all from the olympics, and now they are going to bring in some fantastic infra, and that could bring global warming to highest levels.. sufferers would be coastal poor Indians, with tsunami and floods.

good luck Indian thinkers.. can't we prevent chinese growth at all!??!?

bala · Post by **bala** » 04 Mar 2008 04:03

There are some useful stats, in Arcelor-Mittal to diversify, once again underscoring where India is w.r.t. China. Order of 10 away, which is another reason why the 10X in 10years re-plan on pretty much everything is needed for India. Roads, Airports, Steel, Cement, Exports, HealthCare, Education, Tourism, Power, Irrigation/Water, agriculture, endless list that all require major rethink on goals, throw out the annual 20-30% babu stats, start with a fresh sheet of paper, put down the current numbers, multiply it by 10 and ask the question how to achieve the same within the next 10 yrs. After achieving the goals do another 10 x in 10 yrs. Babus get reward for the 10x goals.

Asia accounted for 50 per cent of the worldâ€™s steel consumption. While China alone consumed 500 million tonnes a year, Indiaâ€™s consumption was around 40-50 million tonnes. Chinaâ€™s consumption was growing by 10 per cent annually, thus making the country the industryâ€™s powerhouse. In fact, the per capita annual consumption of steel in China was 400-600 kg, while it was a niggardly 40-50 kg in India. However, there was scope for growth of consumption in India too.

â€˜Removal of double tax on dividends boost to infrastructure sectorâ€™

The biggest benefit that the latest Budget has conferred on the entire infrastructure sector is the removal of double tax on dividends. As infrastructure projects are typically developed through SPVs (special purpose vehicles), removal of double taxation can lead to a saving of at least one level of dividend taxation (in the existing level of 16.995 per cent, including surcharge). Another positive from the Budget for infrastructure projects is the reduction of duty on project imports from 7.5 per cent to 5 per cent. Another financial measure that he highlights is the exemption of TDS (tax deduction at source) on listed corporate debt instrument.

The industry was keenly expecting reduction in sales tax (from the 20 to 30 per cent levels to around 4 per cent) on ATF (aviation turbine fuel) and changes in tax on lease rentals. However, none of these expectations has been accepted in the Budget, which means that the airline industryâ€™s rough patch may continue.

bala · Post by **bala** » 26 Mar 2008 05:10

Rs 46,994-cr plan for B'lore traffic

[quote]The Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA), constituted by the State government under the framework of National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP), has accorded approval to the Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Plan (CTTP) for the City.

Gaurab Gupta, Commissioner for Urban Land Transport, said the CTTP envisages an investment of Rs 46,994 crore for Bangalore over a period of 18 years.

â€œThe BMLTA has also unanimously approved a tie-up with Bangalore City Connect, a non-profit trust, to have a public-private-partnership in respect of certain projects.

The tie-up, â€˜Bangalore Traffic and Transport Initiativeâ€™, will see City Connect provide at its cost, 200 traffic wardens to be trained and deployed by the traffic police on the road to the new airport at Devanahalli,â€

bala · Post by **bala** » 28 Mar 2008 05:08

Can some comment on this piece of junk in Bluru. The blurb reads: BBMP has identified several places across Bangalore with heavy traffic to put up precast underpasses as has been done near the Cauvery junction on Sankey road. Who came up with nonsense.

ashish raval · Post by **ashish raval** » 28 Mar 2008 17:47

Nice modi move focussing on state's strength.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_UeoTpygR4

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 30 Mar 2008 07:07

Harvard panelists debate toll of Indiaâ€™s economic growth[quote]â€œInfrastructure plays directly into the manufacturing sector. You have so many people in the agricultural sector â€“ about 60 percent of the population â€“ yet over the next five years, approximately 500 million Indians will be moving into the countryâ€™s urban areas and theyâ€™ll need jobs,â€

Rishirishi · Post by **Rishirishi** » 30 Mar 2008 17:15

Awsome video from Gujrat. Would not surprise if Modhi makes it to the PM post.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 02 Apr 2008 20:17

3 bidders shortlisted for Mumbai Monorail project.

Mukesh Ambani is out of the race for the monorail project after the scrutiny of technical bids held at Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The authority has shortlisted a consortium of Anil Ambani-run Reliance Energy and Hitachi, a joint venture between L&T and Scomi group of Malaysia, and Bombardier Transportation India Ltd for the financial bidding for the Rs1,500-crore monorail project.

This is for the second time in Mumbaiâ€™s infrastructure projects that Mukesh Ambaniâ€™s bid has been rejected. Mukesh lost to his brother Anil in the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) bid held recently by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). For the monorail project, Mukesh had a tie-up with Siemens.

â€œWe have asked all the three shortlisted companies to submit their financial bids by May 15, 2008. We hope to start actual construction of monorail first week of July,â€

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Apr 2008 23:14

bala, one of the new ramps to the sole underpass so far *magic box* collapsed due to heavy rains last week

bala · Post by **bala** » 03 Apr 2008 05:45

GD, here is an official trying to explain his brain waves, dont know why, when there are proven methods to create cross flow uninterrupted traffic. read all the gyrations in plan and execution, oh lord, save us from amateurs.

On the road to perfection

I agree the underpass at the Cauvery junction should have been wider. The long term measure to solve the problem is having more stilt roads, roads on storm water drains. It is unrealistic to expect perfection at the first step itself. It is just an initiative.

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 03 Apr 2008 10:51

Hello Folks;

Am really surprised that no one has discussed the death of the Golden Quadilateral project by NHAI -- really really shocking news.

Anyway I cant find the Pioneer link for the news but the following is their edit

Death of a project

Death of a project

The Pioneer Edit Desk

Congress spikes Golden Quadrilateral

The UPA Government's attitude towards the Golden Quadrilateral, a project of overwhelming national importance, is downright outrageous. Having downgraded the importance of the project, which connects the four metros with quality highways, since it came to power, it has now decided to terminate its commitment to it. Delays and inefficiencies caused in no small measure by this Government's wariness in lending support to a predecessor Government's visionary scheme has led to the project overshooting successive deadlines for completion. There are still miles to go, quite literally so, yet the Government has decided to pull the plug by terminating all pending contracts this June. Unfinished stretches will now be taken up as part of the National Highway Development Programme Phase V, thus interminably delaying the completion of the highways and effectively killing the project. This is disappointing. Successive Union Governments, most of them controlled by the Congress, did not give priority to the augmentation of India's road infrastructure. As a result, roads have remained decrepit, crumbling and even likely to disappear with the monsoon; a nightmare to travel on and a progressively worsening bottleneck in the transport of goods. The inadequacies of the national network of highways have been a major hurdle to growth. It was under then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that the NDA Government took the remarkably bold initiative to connect India through the Golden Quadrilateral. Equally remarkable was the swift progress made in implementing the project under the stewardship of Ma Gen BC Khanduri, now Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.

Many thousands of kilometres of roadways were laid between 1999 and 2004, the year the NDA demitted office. The people recognised that these roads were important to the modernisation of the country and would add thrust to its competitiveness. Yet in a period within which China has generously expanded its road network, the UPA Government has gone slow. Clearly, it wants to draw attention away from the successes of the NDA, which is a cussed, small-minded attitude to take, besides being detrimental to national interest. Even otherwise, there is a tendency in our country not to take projects to the fullness of their completion. Projects to supply potable water are deemed complete when pipes are laid despite their being no taps or even water. School buildings are declared ready even though they may lack a roof or basic amenities, including blackboards. This is a serious flaw in our national character. The Golden Quadrilateral project, if taken to its logical conclusion, would prove to be an exception to this rule. Tragically, the Golden Quadrilateral was destined to fall victim to the Congress's vindictive politics and its inability to look beyond its nose. And never reach its completion like so many other grand projects. It could yet be resuscitated if the NDA were to return to power.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 15 Apr 2008 17:03

http://www.chennaimetrorail.gov.in/index.html