Chhattisgarh HC seeks affidavits on drain desilting, monsoon readiness, and water supply
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Simultaneously, the Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Raipur, has been asked to file a personal affidavit addressing monsoon preparedness and water supply issues. These directives were issued during the ongoing hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning civic infrastructure.
During the court proceedings, the counsel representing the Bilaspur civic body stated that a recent news report, which highlighted water scarcity despite pipeline installation in a village, pertained to a rural area.
This area, the counsel clarified, falls outside the territorial jurisdiction of the Bilaspur Municipal Corporation, and thus, the Corporation is neither the executing nor the supervisory agency for such rural infrastructure projects.
Yashwant Singh Thakur, Additional Advocate General for the State, informed the court that the Public Health Engineering Department holds jurisdiction over the area in question.
As the PHED was not an initial party to the PIL, the Registry has been instructed to include the Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department, Raipur, as an additional respondent in the petition.
The Commissioner, Bilaspur Municipal Corporation, has already filed an affidavit outlining monsoon preparedness measures. The affidavit confirms that 137 drains have been identified within the Corporation's limits.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
A comprehensive desilting and cleanliness drive, which began on 1 May 2025, is scheduled to continue until 30 June 2025, to ensure full readiness for the monsoon season.
As per the affidavit, 59 drains have been desilted and cleaned, while work is actively progressing on the remaining 78. For this drive, the Corporation has deployed 8 JCBs, 8 mini Poclain machines, and 2 large Poclain excavators. Additionally, 80 labourers have been mobilised for monsoon preparedness.
A dedicated Flood Control Room is set to become operational from 15 June, providing round-the-clock response to waterlogging incidents across the city.
The Municipal Corporation also clarified that desilting and cleaning operations have commenced with full machinery in Gokane Nala and Yadunandan Nagar Nala. The Corporation reaffirmed its commitment to prioritising public health, sanitation, and flood prevention.
The High Court has slated the matter for further monitoring and compliance on 18 July 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Bungalow to serve as guest house for Ministers, senior officials to come up in Tiruchi
The Tiruchi Corporation has finalised the Detailed Project Report (DPR) to construct a bungalow to serve as a guest house for senior government officials and dignitaries, at Kambarasampettai in the city. The project is aimed at addressing the lack of adequate infrastructure in the city for the visiting dignitaries. The facility, which is to come up near the Kambarasampettai headworks station at an estimated cost of ₹4.65 crore, will have modern amenities and infrastructure. The bungalow would provide accommodation for the higher officials and Unon and State ministers visiting Tiruchi. As per the plan, the two-storey building will feature two suite rooms, a conference hall, a lounge, a waiting lobby, a common dining hall, a kitchen, a portico, sanitation complexes, office room on the ground floor spread over 5,340 square metres. The first floor will house two suites, a waiting lobby and a balcony at 4,240 square metres. A parking area to accommodate two-wheelers and four-wheelers will be developed. After a feasibility study, the Corporation has finalised the DPR and submitted the report to the State government seeking approval to execute the project at a cost of ₹4.65 crore. The Corporation has requested the government to release special funds for taking up the construction. 'The civic body expects the State government to accord the administrative and technical sanctions soon. A relevant scheme is yet to be decided to fund the project. The facility is expected to be constructed within a year from the date of commencement of work,' said a senior Corporation official.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
New 19.20 MW solar power plant to come up at Panjapur
In a bid to support upcoming infrastructure and generate green energy, the Tiruchi Corporation has planned to establish a 19.20 megawatt (MW) solar power plant in Panjapur near the Tiruchi-Madurai National Highway. According to official sources, the plant will have eight solar power generation units having 2.4 MW capacity each. The plant would be developed at a cost of ₹115 crore under the Corporation's General Funds. At present, the civic body is identifying land to install power panels. Officials said that around 50 acres of land would be needed for the project. The civic body plans to install rooftop panels at the integrated bus terminus, market complex, TIDEL park and other upcoming projects in Panjapur. Electricity produced by the plant will be adequate to compensate for the major power consumption and infrastructure developments in the city. Once commissioned, the civic body can save a substantial amount from its annual electricity bill by feeding the electricity generated from the plant to the electricity board's grid, said a senior Corporation official. Following the installation, a private agency would be appointed to operate and maintain the solar plant. The lifetime of solar panels is around 25 to 30 years. Last year, a 9.6 MW solar power plant was installed on a 33-acre land in Panjapur at a cost of ₹39 crore, sanctioned under the Smart Cities Mission. Four solar power generation units, each having a capacity to generate 2.4 MW of electricity, were installed to save about ₹9 crore per year in the Corporation's electricity expense. Earlier, rooftop solar panels were installed at over 160 Corporation-owned buildings, including schools, office buildings, health centres, anganwadis, toilet complexes and pumping stations, to reduce power consumption.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Xiaomi made a cheap Ferrari EV. Who needs Porsche?
HighlightsXiaomi Corporation's luxury electric sport utility vehicle, the YU7, boasts an impressive driving range of up to 835 kilometers (519 miles) and received nearly 300,000 orders within the first hour of its launch, posing a significant threat to Western luxury automakers. The rapid innovation cycle and advanced technology offered by Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers like Xiaomi and Huawei Technologies Company challenge traditional Western brands, which may struggle to maintain their premium pricing and market position as consumer preferences shift toward advanced software and digital features. As luxury electric vehicle sales in China continue to rise, Western manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Porsche AG are facing difficulties due to high prices and limited product appeal, leading to significant dealership closures and a potential reassessment of their strategies in the Chinese market. Watching the launch last week of Xiaomi Corp.'s luxury electric sport utility vehicle, the YU7, stirred up two strong emotions: wonder at its impressive technology, and deep foreboding for the future of Western automakers. The YU7 is the complete package — a stylish and tech-laden SUV with up to 835 kilometers (519 miles) of driving range, all for an affordable price. The entry-level version costs just RMB 253,500 ($35,400). Xiaomi scores few points for design originality — the YU7 looks like a cross between a Ferrari Purosangue and a McLaren, while its first model, the sporty SU7 sedan, bears a striking resemblance to the Porsche Taycan. Even so, these are astonishing achievements for a smartphone company that entered the automotive industry just four years ago. I was not in the least surprised the YU7 received almost 300,000 orders within one hour. While the YU7 directly competes with Tesla Inc.'s Model Y in China and isn't available in the US or Europe for now, Western premium and luxury automakers with far higher sticker prices should fear the increasingly sophisticated EVs China is churning out. How will they compete once the growling combustion engines that define their brands disappear? Investors appear confident Ferrari will retain its cache. Indeed, it's fortunate that China accounts for less than 10% of the Prancing Horse's global sales, because the V12 Purosangue starts at around $430,000 and once customized costs far more. Porsche and Germany's other premium automakers don't appear as resilient. Offering a fake V8 engine noise as Mercedes-Benz Group does on the electric hypercar concept it teased last week won't suffice. Electrification, automated driving and digital connectivity are turning autos into cellphones on wheels. Hence consumer electrics companies like Xiaomi and Huawei Technologies Co. are pushing into the EV marketand thereby offering seamless digital ecosystems, making Apple Inc.'s failure to develop a car appear like an even bigger omission. The danger for luxury automakers is their products become commoditized. Rapid acceleration, a chief selling point of Western sportscar brands, is now commonplace in EVs: Xiaomi's cars have achieved some blistering lap times at the Nürburgring (the industry's benchmark). Meanwhile, China's faster innovation and product development cycles threaten to make manufacturers that can't iterate as quickly appear old hat. Consumer perceptions are also changing. In China at least, luxury is increasingly about offering advanced software, voice recognition and artificial intelligence. However, customers aren't necessarily willing to fork out a lot for these features. 'An Apple Watch can do everything better: It can do a thousand more things; it's a lot more precise; it can measure your heart rate. But nobody would pay $200,000 for an Apple Watch,' Bugatti-Rimac Chief Executive Officer Mate Rimac said last year, explaining why sales of the more than $2 million electric Nevera hypercar have been disappointing and why Bugatti's new $4.5 million hypercar, the Tourbillon , offers analogue instruments and a hybrid powertrain to retain exclusivity. Although EV sales are booming in China, the very top segment of the market remains comparatively small, in part because consumers can get good quality tech and interior comforts at much lower price points. (Geely's high-end EV brand Lotus Technology Inc. has been forced to pivot to hybrids rather than remain in its small niche, while Nio Inc. has moved downmarket with its Firefly and Onvo sub-brands.) I've been impressed by some of BMW AG's EVs, and it's expected to build on that foundation with its upcoming Neue Klasse technology. But other Western manufacturers' products often aren't good enough considering how much they cost. Mercedes-Benz Group AG is reportedly struggling to sell the $160,000 electric version of its iconic G-Class SUV, the G580, due in part to the 3085-kilogram (6,800-pound) vehicle's limited range and towing capacity; this has added to the German manufacturer's lengthening roster of EV flops. Eye-watering depreciation of luxury EVs like the Porsche Taycan is also deterring customers. No wonder Lamborghini doesn't plan to launch its first EV until the end of the decade, while Ferrari NV is reportedly delaying its second EV until at least 2028 (the first will go on sale next year after a protracted launch). But there are risks in feet-dragging: Imagine what Xiaomi, Aito, Maextro, BYD Co.'s Yangwang and their ilk will be capable of in five years? Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has said he doesn't consider Xiaomi to be a competitor and claims to be 'very relaxed' about its achievements on the racetrack. 'Customers who love the sportiness, the driving dynamics of Porsche stick to the brand,' he told analysts in March. Nevertheless, the Stuttgart-based automaker seems to have accepted its best days in China are over. Rather than cut prices, it's closing around one-third of its local dealers after the comparatively expensive electric Taycan and Macan failed to sell well. And Blume isn't ruling out giving up on selling EVs in China entirely. For now, the US is essentially off-limits to Chinese EVs due to a combination of import duties and cybersecurity rules. And while European tariffs aren't as high, Chinese luxury brands have made only limited inroads here so far. Consumer loyalty to long-established brands, the slower pace of electrification, and the difficulties of establishing sales and service networks offer Western automakers some protection at home. But in emerging markets — which Chinese automakers are now aggressively targeting — it's a different story. Ultimately, the only way for luxury automakers to sustainably defend their premium pricing in the era of electric and software-defined vehicles is to show they can exceed the best that China can offer. From what I saw last week, that'll be a very tall order.
