'As We Become Third Largest Economy, What About Collapsing Bridges,' Asks Ajit Pawar
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP President Ajit Pawar. Photo: PTI/File.
New Delhi: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who is part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance coalition, has asked who is responsible behind the collapse of buildings and bridges whole India "becomes the third largest economy."
Indian Express reports that Pawar, of the breakaway faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, was speaking at the inauguration of the Professional Structural Engineers Association in Pune, when he said, 'We have said that we will be the third (largest) economy, and that is true. But what about our buildings and bridges collapsing while we become the third largest economy? Who is responsible for that?"
A day before Pawar made these comments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that India is "rapidly moving towards becoming the world's third-largest economy". Many have challenged the notion of measuring the size of an economy through Gross Domestic Product when gigantic inequalities persist.
Pawar's line comes amidst an astounding number of reports on road cave-ins and bridge collapses this monsoon. It also marks rare criticism of the ruling establishment by one of its members.
On July 10, a truck fell into a massive crater which had developed on a Gurugram road after rains. On the same day, in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district, the road connecting Baghwali-Jahaj to NH 52 was washed away by the Katli river.
On July 9, a section of the bridge over the Mahisagar river in Vadodara district collapsed, killing 20 people.
A Rs 250-crore flyover inaugurated in Mumbai on July 4 developed potholes on which bikers skidded.
On June 15, an iron bridge over the Indrayani river in Mahrashtra's Pune collapsed, killing four people.
In Odisha's Sambalpur district, a Rs 60-crore flyover collapsed less than two months after being opened.
Pawar said that that public works department receives notices from British companies, letting them know that certain bridges have completed 100 years and should not be operated for vehicular use anymore.
'We do not see this quality of construction anymore. New construction techniques have come up and they should definitely be used… buildings should be made stronger. PWD officials tell us often, 'this building is 40 years old, let's demolish it and make a new one'. How do they make these statements so casually?," he asked.
The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Road widening projects not helping in reducing traffic congestion in big cities: MLC Tambe
Pune: MLC Satyajeet Tambe on Tuesday urged the urban development and home departments to collaborate on finding solutions to the growing traffic menace in major cities, while highlighting the state's traffic woes in the legislative council, particularly on congested highways like Pune-Nashik and Pune-Nagar, which remain bottlenecked despite widening efforts. Tambe, along with other MLCs, raised the hardships faced by common people because of traffic congestion. "According to the latest report of the TomTom index on traffic, Mumbai and Pune are among the cities with the highest traffic congestion. To resolve this issue, some stringent steps are needed from state govt," Tambe said. While state govt and NHAI have undertaken road widening work on various highways and arterial roads of cities, Tambe said, "Earlier, it would take four to five hours to travel between Pune and Nashik and two hours from Pune to Ahilyanagar. Now, despite the road widening work on sections of these highways, the traffic congestion has increased. It shows that road widening has failed to keep pace with the rising vehicle population. " You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune Replying to Tambe on behalf of govt, cabinet minister Uday Samant admitted that traffic congestion became an acute issue in major cities. "Every day, a large number of vehicles are getting registered in major cities, which is adding to traffic problems. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ingin Tahu Tentang Diagnosis Limfoma? Dapatkan Info Selengkapnya Limfoma Baca Undo State govt is, however, working on promoting the mass transport system. It has a plan of creating a network of Metro service where 393.76km of network is planned in Mumbai, 136.42km in Pune, and 83.82km in Nagpur. Once this network is in place, it will encourage people to use Metro service, reducing the use of private vehicles," Samant said. Tambe said govt was introducing modern technology, but it should be foolproof. "State govt is creating a network of CCTV cameras through which traffic offenders are being caught and challans are being issued. Some misappropriation is, however, happening with the system as several vehicle owners have complained that they are either getting wrong challans or double challans for the same offence. According to the figures of state govt, there are Rs 1,000 crore pending for recovery through challans till 2024," Tambe said. He demanded that state govt should hold a joint meeting of home department and urban development department officials to address the traffic issues. "Instead of working in isolation, these departments should work jointly and review certain projects' success to check if they have helped improve the traffic situation in the state," Tambe said.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
National highways proposed in Kerala now in limbo
Thiruvananthapuram: Two of Kerala's most significant road development plans, including the proposed Kozhikode-Mysore greenfield corridor and the declaration of 12 key road stretches as national highways (NHs), have hit a wall with Centre either stalling or quietly stepping back from earlier commitments. In a fresh representation to Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), state urged urgent revival of both. Govt asked MPs from the state to take up the matter in Parliament. The Kozhikode-Mysore economic corridor, envisioned as a seamless 24-hour greenfield highway bypassing ecologically sensitive areas, was initially backed by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which engaged with forest department to finalise an alignment that would skirt major wildlife sanctuaries. However, the state flagged that NHAI was no longer pursuing the project actively—a development it described as "a matter of serious concern. " The proposed corridor was designed to offer uninterrupted interstate connectivity between Bengaluru and north Kerala, particularly vital in light of the night traffic ban on NH-766 and other roads passing through Bandipur and Wayanad forests. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan personally raised the issue with Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari during a meeting on Dec 6, 2024 but no follow-up commitments materialised. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo Equally troubling is Centre's failure to act on its earlier in-principle approval to declare 12 important road stretches in Kerala, totalling 484.6km, as NHs. While the directive to foreclose the preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs) came in July 2020, state is now pushing for these road stretches to be revived under the NH network, given that formal notification never followed despite the initial green light. The state's latest appeal underscores that these roads are strategically critical and their upgradation is even more urgent, considering Kerala's overburdened road infrastructure. State currently has just about 580km of NHs under PWD's purview. With one of the highest vehicle and population densities in the country, capacity expansion through centrally funded corridors is being projected as a non-negotiable priority. As these proposals under Bharatmala Pariyojana are being discontinued, state has submitted a fresh set of 17 road stretches covering 1,054km for inclusion in Vision 2047 Master Plan, which MoRTH is currently finalising. These corridors have been identified after a new assessment and reflect the evolving transport and logistics needs of the region, Kerala argues. Adding to its case, govt highlighted that no new major project has been sanctioned for Kerala through PWD's NH wing in the last four years. It urged Centre to include 14 proposed projects amounting to Rs 6,700 crore in MoRTH's current year annual plan, warning that worsening congestion and infrastructure fatigue would continue unless the pipeline was urgently revived. As Centre maintains silence despite multiple submissions, state has now shifted gears politically, urging its MPs to escalate the issue in Parliament in a coordinated push. While the projects themselves may have seen bureaucratic limbo for years, state's current campaign signals that the fight for them is anything but over.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
UP allows 14-year zero period waiver for Sunworld City
Noida: UP govt has asked Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) to grant a 14-year 'zero period' waiver to Sunworld City's stalled township project in Sector 22D. The relief came after it emerged that about 20 acres allotted for the project weren't even acquired when YEIDA handed the land over to the developer in 2011. The state government's industrial development department — which heard a revision petition filed by Sunworld City Pvt Ltd — directed YEIDA to waive not only penal interest but also extension charges and related dues for the 20 acres of land for the period from 2011 until now. The order also criticised YEIDA for failing to ensure complete possession of land that it had advertised as 'acquired' in its scheme brochure. The case dates back to 2011, when YEIDA set aside 103 acres for the township project. While the Authority claimed it had full possession of the land, lease deeds could only be executed for 65 acres in 2012. The remaining 38 acres were mired in court cases and stay orders. Complicating matters further, nearly 20 acres of the leased land turned out to be gram sabha property, which YEIDA didn't formally acquire till Dec 2017. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Brownfield: Here's The Average Price of a 6-Hour Gutter Upgrade Read More Undo You Can Also Check: Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida Unacquired land wasn't the developer's only problems. The portion of land allotted by YEIDA was scattered across multiple parcels instead of being contiguous, making it practically impossible to develop a cohesive township. Most homebuyers withdrew from the project for the delay and received refunds as well, though some cases are still pending in various forums. Under the govt's recent order, YEIDA must recalculate Sunworld's outstanding dues considering the zero-period benefit and issue a fresh demand notice within a month. Sunworld City has also applied for the state govt's rehabilitation package for stalled projects and paid 25% of the earlier calculated dues under a special policy introduced in Dec 2023. The case's timeline reveals multiple administrative lapses. After winning the bid in 2011, Sunworld Infrastructure Ltd established Sunworld City Pvt Ltd for implementing the township. While YEIDA executed a lease deed for 65 acres in Sept 2012 and issued a possession certificate, the project's layout approval came only in March 2014. Following the introduction of the rehabilitation package, YEIDA initially calculated Sunworld's total dues at around Rs 660 crore, which required the developer to pay 25% (around Rs 165 crore) by Feb 29, 2024. After developer's review request, YEIDA revised the demand to Rs 103 crore, payable by Dec 31 last year. The developer's petition to the govt highlighted its inability to proceed with construction because of scattered, un-demarcated land and resistance from local farmers. "The company sought zero period benefits from the allotment date till the time of receiving complete physical possession, along with waiver of all related charges and penalties," an official said.
