Indian Roads Thread

The Technology & Economic Forum is a venue to discuss issues pertaining to Technological and Economic developments in India. We request members to kindly stay within the mandate of this forum and keep their exchanges of views, on a civilised level, however vehemently any disagreement may be felt. All feedback regarding forum usage may be sent to the moderators using the Feedback Form or by clicking the Report Post Icon in any objectionable post for proper action. Please note that the views expressed by the Members and Moderators on these discussion boards are that of the individuals only and do not reflect the official policy or view of the Bharat-Rakshak.com Website. Copyright Violation is strictly prohibited and may result in revocation of your posting rights - please read the FAQ for full details. Users must also abide by the Forum Guidelines at all times.
Sanjay M
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4892
Joined: 02 Nov 2005 14:57

Post by Sanjay M »

A DRDO program has found a way to make fuel from the jatropha plant:

link

Their intent is to grow fuel in the remote areas, rather than having to take it out there.
ankurv
BRFite -Trainee
Posts: 12
Joined: 04 Aug 2004 01:10
Location: New Delhi

Post by ankurv »

The Discovery series on Mount Everest last season in the US was an eye opener into what it takes to reach the summit and all that Signhaji talks about here - the death zone, various base camps and the weather games on the mountain. It showed a traffic jam at the last stage to climb up the summitt - climbers had to spend hours just a few feet below the summit waiting turns for people already up there to climb down.

The series also showed an Indian Military team with a sick member being cured on the climb route and being brought down by 3-4 people - his condition was hopelessly bad but miraculously - he survived and was send down to the first base camp.

Should be available on Youtube if someone wants to watch it.

-Ankur

PS: Also recommended is the Discovery Series "Planet Earth" for the nature buffs.
Singha wrote:I read a long article in last months india today spice on the everest scene.
SaiK
BRF Oldie
Posts: 36424
Joined: 29 Oct 2003 12:31
Location: NowHere

Post by SaiK »

re: darl jathropa, is it going to be >85% of jathropa mixture? just replacing the hi kerosene?

news link doesn't say that.

btw: finally we are talking expressways!
[quote]
Delhi Plans to vroom non-stop to MumbaiAdd to Clippings
SUBHASH NARAYAN & PRIYANKA TALWAR

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2007 01:05:18 AM]
NEW DELHI: Does travelling non-stop from Delhi to Mumbai on a six-lane expressway modelled on international standards sound too good to be true? Not any more, with the government planning an additional 4,000 km of expressways across the country, offering users seamless travel without having to stop at inter-state checkpoints and toll booths.

The controlled-access expressways would have barricades on both sides with petrol pumps and other facilities needed for long-distance travel. The government may even provide legal cover to make its expressway programme run without hurdles.

The proposal has been discussed by the Prime Minister’s committee on infrastructure and is likely to be part of the 11th Plan document, an official source told ET.

The government had kicked off the first project in 2005 under phase-VI of the National Highways Development Programme, where 1,000 km of expressways were to be constructed. The work on an additional 4,000 km is proposed to begin at the start of the 12th Plan. However, land acquisition could start immediately after a formal approval, which is expected later this year.

The government is considering putting in place a legal framework for dispute-free execution of the project. Since the project would require construction along new alignments, state support for land acquisition is necessary. Since the expressways would pass through various states, there is a need for a legislative framework that would eliminate state-level hassles and facilitate non-stop movement, the source said.

“The proposed high-speed expressways would give a fillip to road transport by increasing the average distance travelled in a day,â€
vsudhir
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2173
Joined: 19 Jan 2006 03:44
Location: Dark side of the moon

Post by vsudhir »

In a first, Bihar gets US firm to check district roads for quality (IE)

[quote] NEW DELHI, June 21: In the thick of a massive road-building and upgradation exercise, Bihar has gone further in search of lasting quality for its roads and opened district construction projects to third party inspection.

At present, only under-construction national highways and externally aided road projects by the World Bank and ADB opt for third-party inspection for superior road quality and contractor accountability. Bihar government has tied up with US firm MSV International for “third party quality check of constructionâ€
Rien
BRFite
Posts: 267
Joined: 24 Oct 2004 07:17
Location: Brisbane, Oz

Post by Rien »

vsudhir wrote: Nitish bhaiya ki jai ho!
I have to ask. Is Bihar really improving now? Everything seems to have turned around since a certain minister departed for Delhi. I actually hear quite a few good things about Bihar, which is amazing considering what was said about it before. Anyone got any updates on the situation there today?
Rishirishi
BRFite
Posts: 1409
Joined: 12 Mar 2005 02:30

Post by Rishirishi »

The govt realizing that it has to outsource quality monitoring is a huge step forward. Better to pay $$ to MNCs as local goons won't have an easy time scaring the goras as they do desis and guilty contracters will find it not as easy to bribe them as they would desis. JMTPs and IMVHOs etc.
Had the GOI had some guts, they would have sent IB to train with Mossad/sin beth and then handed a cool death penalty to corrupt people.
rajkumar
BRFite
Posts: 423
Joined: 22 Sep 2000 11:31
Location: London U.K
Contact:

Post by rajkumar »

Rien wrote:
I have to ask. Is Bihar really improving now? Everything seems to have turned around since a certain minister departed for Delhi. I actually hear quite a few good things about Bihar, which is amazing considering what was said about it before. Anyone got any updates on the situation there today?
Yes it is improving. Nitish is attempting to fix the state machinery first. Under Lalu's the state had surrendred all its powers to the local anti social elements etc. Nitish's first attempt has been to get the rusted government machinery to start functioning again and he seems to have woken it up a bit. I visit Bihar on a 6 month cycle and the change is visible, people out in the streets after 7 pm is the most visible sign of the improvement, people are starting to belive in a better future.

Not all things are good, State government still needs to do a lot but its moving forward as opposed to having stood still or gone backwards for the last 15 years.
Suraj
Forum Moderator
Posts: 15043
Joined: 20 Jan 2002 12:31

Post by Suraj »

For those who wanted to know what the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway is like now, here's a video:
Youtube: ride from South Delhi to IFFCO Chowk in Gurgaon
Very bideshi look and feel, as Singha would put it; a look at the up and coming India.The airport interchange is getting done soon, so you can take the same road to IGIA. Nice architecture on both sides of the expressway. Gt NOIDA expressway ought to be even better once the semiconductor companies start building down that 25km stretch.
Yerna
BRFite
Posts: 108
Joined: 17 Oct 2003 11:31

Post by Yerna »

Damn, look at how the maruti 800 was merrily driving between lanes!
I think we should change the whole lane system in India. Driving between two white lines (a driving lane) works for rest of world and not India. In India people use the white line to center their vehicle and drive in a straight line, so that should be the lane. Two thin white stripes to indicate lane width and one thick yellow line to center the vehicle 8)
vsudhir
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2173
Joined: 19 Jan 2006 03:44
Location: Dark side of the moon

Post by vsudhir »

Private players queue up for public sector NHAI’s projects (IE)

[quote]NEW DELHI, JUNE 26: National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) decision to open up large stretches of highways to private participation has received a warm toast from industry. The eight road stretches up for bidding under Phase-V of the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) — most of which are over 200 km in length — have received 180 requests for qualification (RFQs) from both Indian and international players.

Manipur truckers to keep off NH 39 on SundayEmergency on the highway? Soon a 3-digit number to callMaya brings hope for stalled NHAI projectsHouse panel: Road, bridge toll can’t be foreverCops watched as NH 11 was torn apart

The response, say NHAI officials, has been excellent, despite the fact that large road projects have never been undertaken privately in the country yet. “Each of these projects has received an average of at least 20 RFQs (a pre-bidding proposal of interest) and every company has shown an interest in all the road stretches on offer,â€
Bade
BRF Oldie
Posts: 7212
Joined: 23 May 2002 11:31
Location: badenberg in US administered part of America

Post by Bade »

Does anyone here have a recent driving experience on the NH7 south of B'lore, specifically between Salem and Krishnagiri and also stretches of NH47 between Salem and Coimbatore/Palghat ?

From my 2005 summer trip there were still vast stretches around Dharmapuri which were under construction and barely drivable. Have these been completed to smooth 4-lane roads yet ?

What about beyond Mysore towards the kerala border ?

Singhaji had a trip report posted on BR some time back and I am quite concerned since I will very likely be using the SDRE Santro AT for my summer plans on the road this time around. No Scorpio's rough and tough handling of Indian roads like my last trip with this sub-compact car. :oops: I need to put some miles on it to justify keeping it for India jaunts.
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Post by Singha »

> What about beyond Mysore towards the kerala border ?

mysore-nanjangud-gundlapet is in decent shape. from there road forks towards kerala border via bandipur sanctuary and is in good shape too. in
kerala the road is not that great but manageable..sultan bathery..kalpetta...vythiri...then down to kozhikode. from gundlapet the road
to ooty has a very bad stretch before bandipur township...gudalur to ooty is a collection of huge potholes and impassable for cars.

blr-hosur-krishnagiri-vellore-chennai is all 4 laned and in great shape. after krishnagiri I dunno how it is further south.

overall avoid taking santro on bad roads or hills , the repairs will cost more
than renting a taxi

I had driven 30km towards chennai on the old madras road via hoskote last weekend. it is not 4 laned so one needs to be very alert for overtaking vehicles. volvo plant is there after hoskote. onlee buses to kolar side seem to prefer this route. pretty much everyone else moves via Vellore route NH7
ShauryaT
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5350
Joined: 31 Oct 2005 06:06

Post by ShauryaT »

Yerna wrote:Damn, look at how the maruti 800 was merrily driving between lanes!
I think we should change the whole lane system in India. Driving between two white lines (a driving lane) works for rest of world and not India. In India people use the white line to center their vehicle and drive in a straight line, so that should be the lane. Two thin white stripes to indicate lane width and one thick yellow line to center the vehicle 8)
I love this thread...Makes me laugh like no other, not even the humor thread.
Bade
BRF Oldie
Posts: 7212
Joined: 23 May 2002 11:31
Location: badenberg in US administered part of America

Post by Bade »

Singhaji, thanks for the quick report. Will have to avoid the hills as much as possible with the Santro. :) Maybe will stick to TN roads, in general they seem to be in good shape.
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Post by Singha »

in going through potholes if people are sitting at the back, santro has a tendency to scrape its bottom on lip of the hole. if u enter a pothole too fast the front bumper and a small skid plate below it again scrapes with ugly noise.

it is most definitely just a city car or smooth highways below 90kmph for stability ... the rear brakes in mine need to be adjusted for squeaky noises every few months

just a cardboard box for point-A to point-B stuff
SaiK
BRF Oldie
Posts: 36424
Joined: 29 Oct 2003 12:31
Location: NowHere

Post by SaiK »

Image
Fatal point...? The crater and iron rods in the middle of Kuloor Bridge on NH-17 may prove fatal for any driver. Will the authtorities concerned do something or wait till a major tragedy? DH
vsudhir
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2173
Joined: 19 Jan 2006 03:44
Location: Dark side of the moon

Post by vsudhir »

Govt approves Rs 5,611 cr for six-laning of national highways (ET)
NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday approved six laning of 838 km of National Highways, including Gurgaon-Jaipur and Panipat-Jalandhar, under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) at an estimated cost of Rs 5,610.77 crore.

"The CCEA has approved six laning of 838.10 km of four sections of existing four lane national highways under public- private partnership (PPP) model," Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after the CCEA meeting.

The projects will also include six-laning of 239 km Surat-Dahisar National Highway at an estimated cost of Rs 1,355.47 crore and 82.5 km Chilkaluripet-Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh at Rs 540.30 crore, he said.

The 291 km Panipat-Jalandhar National Highway has also been approved for six laning at an estimated cost of Rs 2,198 crore.

For six laning of 225.6 km Gurgaon-Kotputli-Jaipur National Highway, the CCEA has approved Rs 1,517 crore.

All the projects will be undertaken on the pattern of design, build, finance and operate (DBFO) basis under NHDP's fifth phase, Chidambaram said.
At first glance the stretches chosen appear arbitrary. Of course, there would be some criteria for choosing these andonly these stretches for 6 laning. Anybody have any idea what these might be?

I hope the criteria are at least part-economic and not related to power, pelf and prestige of our neta log helping out their constituencies (relatives, favored contractors, the bribe and deliver model etc) with public funds.
Rishirishi
BRFite
Posts: 1409
Joined: 12 Mar 2005 02:30

Post by Rishirishi »

At first glance the stretches chosen appear arbitrary. Of course, there would be some criteria for choosing these andonly these stretches for 6 laning. Anybody have any idea what these might be?
Seems very senseble to me. I think the GOI is tying to connect major industrial and commercial hubs together to create economic corridors. It will create efficient industrial hubs, wich will result in more competative products.

Great news. Let us hope that the surface of the roads are world class and can support speeds of above 100km per hour.
Abhibhushan
BRFite
Posts: 210
Joined: 28 Sep 2005 20:56
Location: Chennai

Road Report on NH45

Post by Abhibhushan »

Just finished a trip from Chennai to Kodaikanal and back using NH 45 for the most part. Condition as on 5 Oct 07 are:

a. The fist 100 km or so from Chennai are in excellent condition except for traffic density upto Vandalur. Four lane dual carriageway with good maintenance of the road surface. The tolled portion are upto international standards.

b. From Tindivanam upto Dindigal four laning is in progress. Only one carriageway is in use. Where the active carriageway is the newly built road, the engineering standards are good. Sadly, these stretches are still without proper markiings. Also, the shoulders are not done as yet and are quite dangerous at places. In stretches where the active carriageway is the old road, fast driving is risky. Unmarked potholes abound. Edges are heaped with rubble.

c. Between Dindigal and Madurai NH7 is also being upgraded to dual carriageway 4 lanes. Traffic is too heavy and the road surface is in a poor condition, very small streches of new track excepted.

d. NH45B between Madurai and Trichi is also being upgraded to 4 lane / dual carriageway. However, the active road is in a reasonable condition.

e. Level of activity all along the NH was high.

I sincerely hope that the whole road reaches the level of excellence of the first portion soon
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Post by Singha »

Trip report: BLR-Hassan-Belur-Halebidu-Shravanabelagola-BLR
========================================

started at 8am sharp and headed for Neelamangala 30km outside city
from where NH48 to Mangalore forks away from NH4 to Tumkur.

the stretch upto Neelamangala is 4 laned but very crowded because of
industrial zone and hordes of workers moving around. due to lack of proper parking places trucks are always blocking all the sides. it sure needs a plan.

koramangala to neelamangala took 1 hr 15 mins

NH48 is 2 laned but generally very smooth both in Tumkur and then Hassan district. in some stretches the vegetation is very near the road which makes visibility around the corners suffer.

there is village named Yediyur where presumably Yedyurappa-ji's
ancestors hailed from.

Reached Hassan at 12 noon and ran smack into a BJP road roko at
the main intersection. hence drove on and entered Hassan through
a side road, after asking directions finally reached Hassan Ashok hotel
at 12:30, it is a excellent place both the rooms, service and the food.
stuff like hair dryer, 110v in bathroom, glass shower booth (good if SHQ
or gf is around), a well stocked fridge etc. very good quality furnishings.
tariff 2K with breakfast.

I dumped my bag and headed off to Belur after taking a few snacks in
car, didnt wait for lunch.

road Hassan-Belur around 40km is SUPERB. 2 laned by ultra smooth.

from Belur , Chikmagalur is 20km away and high hills are clearly
visible in distance. I took an interior road from Belur to Halebid which
again was very smooth. in distance could see a line of big white windmills
up in the hills.

the road continued from Halebid to enter Hassan from another side.
pop density very low in this stretch. here is where I saw the ISRO Hassan
Project-X MIB compound.

next day started at 9:30 from Hassan for S'belagola

SH8 that forks away from NH48 to Shravanabelagola and rejoins it later
on other side is two laned by bar one or two spots in very good condition.
there are old trees and lush marshes on the side.

I started back to BLR at 1:30pm after the sights and lunch at one
hotel raghu near the main gate of the hill. reached back home at 5pm.

overall Hassan distt looks quite well run and polished. parts of Hassan
town (the newer parts) are neat and rich, looks fairly like mysore colonies.

so with a overnight stay, its possible to do all three sites leisurely with
minimal strain. KSRTC volvo does this in one day 7am - 11pm but I feel
its too rushed and out of personal control.

p.s. in two places children wandering around came to me and demanded
to be photographed :) I obliged and showed them result to their great
satisfaction. thats the good thing about Yindia, in west one could be in
whole lotta trouble given paranoia levels.

my friend did all three in one day and his car is manual(clutch). says he
couldnt walk the next day and only limp the day after that. could be
clutch work (1000s of times) + a overly fast ascent at shravanabelagola.
I havent felt any discomfort. took a couple tylenol after arriving here.
Last edited by Singha on 06 Nov 2007 07:56, edited 3 times in total.
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Post by Singha »

3 page ad taken out in TOI last week notifying land acquisiton on NH48
for 4-laning of the Neelamangala-Hassan stretch.
Laks
BRFite
Posts: 192
Joined: 11 Jan 2005 20:47

Post by Laks »

Nice trip report GD. I see that there has been some improvement in the roads. I agree that there are bunch of trucks on the road sides - there are no big truckers stops a la massaland. That plus, four laning should cut down the travel time further.

Good that you took the hotel in Hassan. I saw that Belur had only one ITDC hotel + darshini style resto which looked a bit run down. The rest of the town itself was very small and dusty with the usual bus stand and shops.

so with a overnight stay, its possible to do all three sites leisurely with
minimal strain. KSRTC volvo does this in one day 7am - 11pm but I feel
its too rushed and out of personal control.


I took the 1 day volvo trip and indeed felt that it was too rushed. The tourist guide @ Belur and Halebid did his best to cover as much as possible. One could spend a lot more time enjoying these beauties from the Hoysala period.

p.s. in two places children wandering around came to me and demanded
to be photographed

Same thing happened to me. They were indeed very excited to see the photos off the digicam. I wish I were able to somehow sent it across to them.

I also noticed very few IT-Vity types even know about these places (barring Shravanabelagola thanks to sekular ejjucashun :roll: ). Have been telling people to check them out. sounds like one of Naipaul's book (Wounded Civilization) where even Bengaluru students are not aware of Hampi.

btw, Deccan has started flights to Hampi from Bengaluru - should check that out soon.

I hope you can upload some snaps too :)
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Post by Singha »

the KTDC maurya hoysala in Belur looks like a derelict ship.

I have put seven pix of belur & halebid temples here if the unfaithful
need an incentive to visit.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33097132@N00/

I intended this one of a shrine atop shravanabelagola to be windswept and
moody....came out dark, brooding and sinister...like a portal into another
world.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33097132@N00/1883070420/

Hampi is next on my list. should be fairly easy because NH4 towards Mumbai
is in good shape.
Laks
BRFite
Posts: 192
Joined: 11 Jan 2005 20:47

Post by Laks »

As if the earlier limits were enforced ...
You can legally do 100 kmph on expressways soon
Paul
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3800
Joined: 25 Jun 1999 11:31

Post by Paul »

Laks wrote:I also noticed very few IT-Vity types even know about these places (barring Shravanabelagola thanks to sekular ejjucashun ). Have been telling people to check them out. sounds like one of Naipaul's book (Wounded Civilization) where even Bengaluru students are not aware of Hampi.
Are you sure about Naipaul referring to Benguluru students. He referred to R K Narayan's ignorance of what happened to Hampi. Why does does Benguluru have to responsible for each and every do and don't that IT-Vity people do under the sun.

Most IT-Vity people and students in Benguluru are non-locals anyways and this state of ignorance extends across the length and breadth of India.
joshvajohn
BRFite
Posts: 1516
Joined: 09 Nov 2006 03:27

Drivers and corruption, not cars, cause accidents news

Post by joshvajohn »

Drivers and corruption, not cars, cause accidents news
12 January 2008


Cars do not kill. Drivers do. But they are not the only ones. Corruption and self-serving collusion between contractors and municipal and state road authorities resulting in dangerous, cracked and cratered Indian roads are a major cause of accidents, says Kiron Kasbekar.
For some inexplicable reason, Ratan Tata's dream, the micro-priced Nano car has drawn completely unwarranted flak from environmentalists. For a discussion of some of these reasons, see Vivek Sharma's article on domain-b a couple of days ago
http://www.domain-b.com/people/20080112_cars.html
bala
BRFite
Posts: 1993
Joined: 02 Sep 1999 11:31
Location: Office Lounge

Post by bala »

There are so many programs on NHAI for building yet another 1000KM stretch of roads in the nation. What is the reality thus far? The Golden Quad under major general BC Kandhuri, BJP govt has done a wonderful job in inducting world class roads that have separate lanes for traffic bothways, a good first attempt in connecting the major cities in the nation. The Next project NSEW city connectors is proceeding very slowly. India is creating < 1000 Km of good road infra per year. Just to put a perspective that is around 35 Km per state on average and around 1-2 km per district of the state. What a pathetic implementation rate. China for instance does around 4500 Km per year. Many stretches that are implementing the newer roads are woefully inadequate in providing ongoing traffic an alternate, well surfaced road path. For example the Krishnigiri Salem route is an unmitigated disaster. I saw one Tractor Trailer with heavy load tipped over its side due to slushy gravel roads. Heavy traffic mainly lorries and buses tears up whatever make shift roads are out there. The good roads are taking an inordinate amount of time in creating them. I did not see road laying machines, road rollers for the 2-3 days of my travel. Such lethargic implementation of infrastructure is why everyone is clamoring about the problem. Politicians and babus are comfortably snoozing, meanwhile, need a billion swift kicks on their behinds (from all the people of India).

Each State needs to embark on their own Golden Quad program to connect their major cities/towns with 4-lane good quality roads, proper overhead exits into minor destinations, so that traffic flows unimpeded for kms on end. Cutting down travel time with good quality roads is a must to improving mileage, wear and tear and speeding up the economy.

With all this world class roads the next phase is to have world class amenities. The only ones on the road sides are the ubiquitous Indian Oil/bharat oil/hindustan oil pumps and shanty road side eateries. It is about time the Govt creates via private enterprise Rest Areas for civilian car traffic and separate truck stop areas. None exists now. Reliance petrol is coming up with eateries cum petrol dispensers. These rest areas should have clean restrooms, eating joints, general seating areas, parking for vehicles and other amenities including a petrol depot etc. Local cities would immensely benefit since locals can be employed to run the place. Indian roads do not have adequate signs nor proper exits for important way side tows/cities. Bus stops are now plumb on the highways and local population is using them like a pit stop. Instead clear exits for buses is required for stops in the local city to pick up/drop of people.

Another thing that is lacking is highway patrol. countries like Thailand and Indonesia have cops on motorcycles with walkie/talkie enforcing law and order on the highway. People jay walking, going in opposite direction, driving in multiple lanes, not keeping to the left side of the road need to be booked for traffic offenses. Currently it is free for all. How pathetic. Need national highway patrol folks ASAP.
bala
BRFite
Posts: 1993
Joined: 02 Sep 1999 11:31
Location: Office Lounge

Post by bala »

Private player to get Ganga Expressway contract
The project involves an investment of Rs. 25,000 crore to 30,000 crore

The contract for building the 1,000-km-long Ganga Expressway project from Noida to Ballia in Uttar Pradesh would be awarded to the private developer who has bid the minimum development rights as well as lowest demand of land value.

The Bids Evaluation Committee of the U.P. Expressway Development Authority (UPEDA) finalised the proposals of five bidders late on Sunday night. The bidders are Gammon India and Others (Consortium), Unitech Limited, Zoom Developers (Consortium), Reliance Energy ( Consortium) and J. P. Associates. A total of 14 bids were presented by the private developers. The Evaluation Committee examined the other submission, including bank guarantee and pre-qualification bid, and price proposals of the bidders before finalising their names.

Industrial Development Commissioner Atul Kumar Gupta told newspersons on Monday that the proposals have been presented to the Evaluation Committee under the Chief Secretary, Prashant Kumar Mishra, and the winner’s name would be announced after the Cabinet nod.

To be developed under the public-private partnership formula, the mammoth project involves an investment of Rs. 25,000 crore to 30,000 crore, to be funded entirely by the private developer. Mr. Gupta said a 35-year concession period would be given to the developer, who will however be allowed to levy toll tax on rates decided in the draft concession agreement.

Sixteen land parcels, comprising waste land, flood-affected land and land unfit for agricultural use, along the banks of the Ganga have been identified by the State Government. These carry a fixed circle rate of land. As per the proposals finalised by the Bids Committee, the lowest land value was quoted at Rs.293 crore and the maximum at Rs.593 crore. The private group which had quoted the lowest land value has asked for 30,000 acres of land.

The Industrial Development Commissioner said of the total land required by the bidder, nearly 20,000 acres is in Patiali Tehsil, about 5 km from the riverfront in Etah district. With a circle rate of Rs.9000 per acre, 60 per cent of the 20,000 acres is flood affected, one-third is waste land and single cropping pattern is followed in the remaining acres, Mr Gupta said.

As compared to this, the circle rate of the land in Meja Tehsil of Allahabad (included in the 30,000 acres) is Rs.3 lakh per hectare.
bala
BRFite
Posts: 1993
Joined: 02 Sep 1999 11:31
Location: Office Lounge

Post by bala »

Blore Chennai road, picture taken by me..

Image

Image
rachel
BRFite
Posts: 143
Joined: 17 Jan 2008 01:27
Location: www.canhindu.com

Post by rachel »

Is it 4 lane expressway like this all the way from Blr-Chennai?
svinayak
BRF Oldie
Posts: 14223
Joined: 09 Feb 1999 12:31

Post by svinayak »

Rajesh_MR
BRFite
Posts: 128
Joined: 27 Mar 2003 12:31

Post by Rajesh_MR »

rachel wrote:Is it 4 lane expressway like this all the way from Blr-Chennai?
Yes, its not access controlled from sides. There are toll booths which enforce long distance vehicles payup but folks from in between villages use the highway as well(mostly driving on fast lane of wrong side)
jkarthik
BRFite -Trainee
Posts: 46
Joined: 03 Nov 2001 12:31

Post by jkarthik »

Chennai BLR is 4-6 lane throughout (4 in rural, 6 when passing through towns) and reasonably fast though it goes through a fairly urbanised stretch. The Kanchipuram turnoff-Krishnagiri stretch is superb, the asphalt used is very different from the usual ones (looks exactly like massaland), broad lanes, great alignment. Further, towns like Vellore and Vaniyambadi are effectively leapfrogged (Vellore, eg had 5-6 flyovers). The Krishnagiri-Hosur stretch is older and was not as great.

Ambur was the only indisciplined spot I encountered. The trip from A1 Plaza Sriperambudur to the A1 plaza near Hosur measured 270 km and took exactly 3 hours without any overspeeding or breaks. The delays were from Hosur - Bangalore - 1.5 hrs in the afternoon due to 3 reasons - rampant indiscipline and very heavy traffic in hosur, 8 laning of NH7 from Hosur to Electronics City and the elevated road construction thereon) and from Chennai airport to sriperambudur (again 1.5 hours, absolutely pathetic road -Mount Poonamalee road).

Got Gowdaed in Bangalore, spotted the NICE Expressway exit near e-city to Bannerghatta road, and happily took it. Road was awesome and I was steaming along at 140, when it abruptly ended, in some marshy patch (remembered Singhaji then). My skid marks are probably still visible there!
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Post by Singha »

so does the NICE entirely cover from Bghatta road to Hosur road ? once u hit Bghatta road, the path to BLR city is none too good, there is some token widening and media near the IIM with major hospitals and apartments coming up in JP nagar. the interior roads are bad as hell though in that patch.
SSridhar
Forum Moderator
Posts: 25087
Joined: 05 May 2001 11:31
Location: Chennai

Post by SSridhar »

I have travelled several times on the Blr-Chennai Highway. There are two highways, one NH4 which goes thro' Kolar, Mulbagal and Palamaner and the other NH46 that goes thro' Vellore and Krishnagiri. NH46 joins NH7 at K'giri and then reaches B'lr throgh Hosur. Both NH46 and NH4 have a junction near Kanchipuram and become NH4 to Chennai.

jkarthik was talking about NH46. NH4 is not of the quality of NH46.
jkarthik
BRFite -Trainee
Posts: 46
Joined: 03 Nov 2001 12:31

Post by jkarthik »

My cousin told me that there is a dirt track detour from the point where the dual carriageway terminates, which links back to the half of the NICE road which goes to Bannerghatta. Didn't explore it myself, as it looked too demanding for the Hyundai Getz that I'd rented.
jkarthik was talking about NH46. NH4 is not of the quality of NH46.
That's right. This is NH4 upto somewhere beyond Vellore (Wallajah I think) and then its NH46. NH4 turns off to Chittoor at this point, and IIRC wasn't even divided.
Vivek K
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2931
Joined: 15 Mar 2002 12:31

Post by Vivek K »

Gents,

Does anyone know answers to the following:

a) Who maintains pavements at Commercial airports in India? Would that be IAAI? What percentage are made of asphalt (balance would be concrete)?
b) Who maintains the pavements at IAF's airbases? What percentage are made using asphalt?
c) What is the unit cost (cost per sq. ft or sq. yd) to construct a new pavement? What is the design life of airport (military and civilian) pavements?
d) What is the routine pavement maintenance treatment used?

I am keen to understand the Indian Paving business and plan a venture once I can complete all research into it. I would be greatful if anyone can point me to a website(s) for more information.

Thanks.
bala
BRFite
Posts: 1993
Joined: 02 Sep 1999 11:31
Location: Office Lounge

Post by bala »

Truly UP is going big places with such a project; have to watch out for dog-in-manger type politicians opposing any progress..

JP Associates bags Rs 30000 cr Ganga Expressway
Jaiprakash (JP) Associates bagged the controversial Rs 30,000 crore Ganga
expressway project, to be built from Greater Noida to Balia. The total
length of the expressway will be 1,000 km and will be completed in four
years. UP CM Mayawati will lay the foundation stone for the project on
Monday.

A senior official of a company which had bid for the project said that JP
bid was very aggressive as they quoted around 50% lower than Reliance
Energy, the second lowest bidder. The entire stretch is devided into four
sectors - Greater Noida to Fatehgarh of 253 Km, Fatehgarh to Dalmau (305
km), Dalmau to Aurai of

211 (km) and Aurai to Balia 278 (km).

JP was not the lowest bidder in all the sectors separately. But, it also had
submitted a combined bid at Rs 293 crore for all the four sectors, which
turned out to be the lowest and enabled it to win the contract. Reliance
Energy also had submitted the combined bid at Rs 590 crore, which was the
second lowest.

According to a source, while in the first sector between Greter Noida and
Fatehgarh, JP was the lowest bidder at Rs 63 crore, Unitech was the second
lowest at Rs 304 crore. Reliance Energy had bid for Rs 306 crore the same
sector. But, for the second sector betweed Fatehgarh and Dalmau, Zoom
developer was the lowest bidder at Rs 24 crore. JP had bid the same sector
for Rs 70 crore.

But, JP had also submitted a combined bid for Rs 293 crore, which was lower
than its sector-wise bid, which totalled at Rs 410 crore.

The government has earmarked around 63,110 hectare land for the project.
But, because of the aggressive bidding, the source said that the project
could be implemented for 10% of the land earmarked for the purpose.

Most of the political parties including Samajwadi Party, BJP, Congress and
political organization like Jan Morcha led by former PM Vishwanath Pratap
Singh are opposing the project as it will lead to acquisition of the fertile
land along the river Ganga.
bala
BRFite
Posts: 1993
Joined: 02 Sep 1999 11:31
Location: Office Lounge

Post by bala »

Blore Chennai highway is good, the traffic discipline of Trucks & Buses is horrible. You encounter low powered trucks and buses hogging both lanes and not allowing fast moving car traffic. Left lane discipline is yet to come about. Many towns and little places have barricaded center divider to discourage people traffic, but I saw a lot of places where the barricade was broken and people casually sauntering. Local Traffic also sometimes goes in opposite lane and throws you of completely, if not used to such shenanigans. No massa style rest areas either, which is rather sad since all you want is to stretch out, take a leak, munch on some light snack. Many wayside places like a Punjabi Dabha or tea stall exist but the quality, cleanliness is suspect. Near major towns like Hosur there are some truck stop hotels run by enterprising Kerala Muslims, with hot roti/dhal/chicken/naan staple food. Time for private enterprise to start building such 24 hr rest areas which have food courts, clean bathrooms, fuel pumps, a mini shopping arcade. Also needed are roadside Motels to take a well deserved break if driving late.

Two connections are horrible, the eternal Kathipara Junction project in Chennai and the bottleneck road via MGR's medical college to the NH. Another is Blore. I take the Athibele exit after hosur. This exit road goes via Sarjapur all the way to Varthur lake and Whitefield area. Sections of the road were hardly paved earlier but recently a good two lane tar exists. The next step for the worthy state govts is to have multiple entry/exit roads of golden quad quality. Truck pile up at the interstate boundary is horrible since each of these govts fancies their own Octroi taxes and inspection. Some of the Blore roads are multi laned but have poor exist/entries, like the ring roads. Some heavy traffic areas have prompted the myopic planners to add overhead passes. The moment you take the exit the place is clogged with a bus stop, more road side hawkers, auto stands and what not. The police need to manage these places which are the biggest impediment to traffic flow.
Rohit_K
BRFite
Posts: 630
Joined: 09 Nov 2006 22:53
Location: atop Sukkur Barage

Post by Rohit_K »

Some shots of the recently opened Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway from SSC -

ImageImage
ImageImage



Singha ji - any recent shots of BETL, BMIC-NICE that you can update us with? :D
Post Reply