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Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Palava flyover a skidding zone, four days after its inauguration
THANE: The Katai-Nilje flyover, commonly known as Palava flyover, was inaugurated on July 4 at the hands of Shiv Sena MLA Rajesh More, from Dombivli. On the same day, two bikers skidded on its surface and suffered minor injuries. Less than a week after its inauguration, the flyover which was positioned as a crucial link to ease traffic congestion between Shilphata and Kalyan, is being ridiculed by commuters as a 'skidding zone', riddled with loose gravel, muddy patches, cement spills and poorly laid tar. The Palava flyover, meant to ease traffic, has turned out to be a danger zone leaving commuters outraged and demanding accountability from authorities. Photo by Pramod Tambe/HT Photo The 562-meter flyover was built at a cost of ₹250 crore; and four days since it was opened to public, 450 meters of the stretch has shown up its poor shape, evidenced by Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation's (MSRDC) contractors seen on-site through the day busy patching up the hazardous sections. Ashwini Pawar, an office assistant, who commutes from Shilphata to Kalyan, said, 'We were excited to finally be able to use the flyover thinking it would save time. However, what was envisioned as a symbol of infrastructural progress has now become a glaring example of poor planning, delayed execution and administrative negligence.' Having navigated the deep grooves on the stretch, Amit Yadav, who works in a bank, and travels from Airoli to Badlapur daily, said, 'Even someone with cataract can spot the flaws, to which authorities seemed to have turned a blind eye. I have to ride my bike very slowly over the loose granules and to lessen the constant jerks.' Another frequent traveller, Vaishnav Vinod, observed, 'The flyover was supposed to ease our travel but it looks like a trial track. It's shocking that a newly opened bridge is in such poor condition. If this is the quality after years of delay, what were authorities even working on?' The construction of the flyover began in December 2018. At the time, the plan was to build two parallel flyovers – one from Shilphata (Desai Naka) to Kalyan (Katai Naka), and the other in the reverse direction. However, work was halted in 2020 due to the proposed Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) of Indian Railways. The railways wished to widen the corridor with two extra lines dedicated for freight trains and as the pillars of the flyover were designed to be constructed on these spaces, it requested MSRDC to revise it to accommodate the corridor. The plan was revised in 2020, and following approvals from all stakeholders, construction resumed. The flyover, supported by 45 foundations or pillars, stretches from Desai Creek to Katai toll naka, and is situated on the vital Kalyan-Shilphata corridor, which connects Kalyan-Dombivli to Thane and Navi Mumbai—an area infamous for chronic traffic congestion. When work began, MP Shrikant Shinde had stated the new flyover will help reduce travel time from Katai naka to Navi Mumbai from 45 minutes to just 10 minutes. While he blamed 'technical issues' for the delays, he assured the project would be completed by February 2024. Shinde's empty promise led to protests and public anger. Former Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) MLA from Dombivli Raju Patil had raised the matter of the incomplete flyover twice in the legislative assembly, and also wrote to MSRDC questioning the delay over clearance of encroachments on the route and completion of the reverse side of the flyover. At the time, all he could elicit from authorities was 'the project will be completed soon'. Present MLA More visited the site earlier this year and announced that the deadline of May 31 would be met, which also turned out to be a false claim. The delay led to joint protests by MNS and the Shiv Sena (UBT) who gathered near the flyover questioning the seven-year wait. He was unavailable for comment on the issue on Tuesday. After its inauguration on Friday, Patil returned to the site after reports of multiple two-wheelers skidding surfaced. 'The flyover is completely in bad shape. We spoke to the workers and found that there is no proper mastic asphalt layer, leaving the surface full of granules and uneven patches. The surface coat has vanished, exposing iron rods within,' said Patil, adding that he has demanded a structural audit of the flyover. 'Strict action must be taken against authorities responsible for such state of affairs. The bridge, approved and sanctioned seven years ago, has seen its budget balloon at every MSRDC meeting. Now that the flyover is under scrutiny, officials are avoiding disclosure of the spends,' said Patil. Meanwhile, putting up a defense of its work, MSRDC blamed the flaw on the oil from asphalt. An MSRDC official, who did not wish to be named, said, 'The newly laid asphalt had become slippery in some locations. Hence, as a precautionary measure grit was spread on the surface. After that no slippery incidence was observed.' He added, pictures of the rough surface being shared on social media are not that 'of potholes but accumulation of grit which was removed later'. The state of the newly-opened flyover led retired government officer Raju Gokhale to say, 'It takes real talent to spend crores and still deliver a bridge that feels like a disaster zone from day one. It's not just poor execution but an insult on efforts towards public safety.
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Business Standard
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Business Standard
Uttar Pradesh govt plans ₹700 crore EV park near freight corridor
Spanning 500 acres, the project will be anchored by the UP State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) as part of the Kanpur Metropolitan Development Vision 2030 Virendra Singh Rawat Lucknow Listen to This Article Uttar Pradesh has planned to develop an EV Park in Kanpur flanking the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) to leverage its pan-India position in the sales of Electric Vehicles (EV). The EV Park project, encompassing an investment of Rs 700 crore, will materialise under the public private partnership (PPP) model. Spanning 500 acres, the project will be anchored by the UP State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) as part of the Kanpur Metropolitan Development Vision 2030. 'The ambitious project aligns with the grand vision of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath to establish Kanpur as a major EV hub in India,' a senior
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Railways to tweak rules for Gati Shakti cargo terminal bidding
New Delhi: Indian Railays is set to revise its guidelines for award of Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals (GCTs), a measure aimed at revenue maximisation by the national transporter, officials said. It will allow bidders for the terminals to offer a higher premium for bagging rights to operate, said an official, who did not wish to be identified. The move has been prompted by robust demand from logistics companies for some of the terminals being auctioned. The railways is also looking to double the number of terminals. Bids for GCTs are traditionally called on share of terminal charge and terminal access charges (TC/TAC) that companies are willing to part with India Railways. But there have been instances where logistics players have been willing to fully accede the TC/TAC and even offer additional revenue to the railways. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why Walgreens Hides This Cheap 87¢ Generic Cialis Health Alliance by Friday Plans Undo New Sakhun, New Gothangam and New Bhaupur are GCTs on the Dedicated Freight Corridor where bidders have offered a premium to bag the projects. "Bid criteria have now been changed to formalise such interest," said another official. Now, a GCT operator can also place negative bids, the official said. Live Events "The associated land is available free of cost in such projects, allowing bidders to monetise them and offer a premium to the railways," the official said. The change in the criteria come as a build-up to the new GCT policy which is expected to be unveiled later this year.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
IRFC Loan Agreement: IRFC Expands Financial Horizons with ₹5,000 Crore Loan to NTPC for Infrastructure Development, ET Infra
Advt Advt By & , ETInfra State-owned Indian Railway Finance Corporation Ltd (IRFC), the financing arm of the Indian Railways, has signed a ₹5,000 crore loan agreement with NTPC Ltd to support the energy giant's capacity expansion, in a first such deal outside the traditional railway rolling stock financing as it diversifies into other areas of infrastructure scope of work of IRFC is "much broader now than just financing the railway rolling stock" following a fresh interpretation of the Articles of Association, said a Articles of Association outline the rules and regulations governing a company's internal operations and management and define how various tasks are carried out within the organisation.'Funding backward and forward linkages related to Indian Railways will be the focus for IRFC,' he added.'IRFC will finance forward linkages such as ports, power plants, coal mines, rail lines linking a port to the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) etc,' the source IRFC, a navratna public sector enterprise, started to look at diversifying into other areas of infrastructure financing after the Indian Railways began getting majority of the funds for rolling stock procurement through Gross Budgetary Support or GBS some 2-3 years ago, which was previously funded through IRFC.'So, IRFC had to look for diversification,' the source deal with NTPC is 'just the beginning', there are many more such transactions in the offing, he he said, will not finance assets that are rated below AA.'That's the main criteria. We don't have any problem in financing assets which are being constructed by Maharatna PSU's like NTPC. But, we will not fund less rated assets; that's the stand we'll take generally,' the source deal with NTPC is the kind of backward linkage that IRFC is looking is building renewable power plants from which power will be supplied to Indian Railways to meet its target of reaching net zero by 2030.'Those power projects of NTPC which are into renewables are being funded by IRFC because it is having a backward linkage with railways. Because railways' energy is coming from NTPC, so NTPC's project is now eligible for being funded through IRFC,' the source will likely price loans for funding forward and backward linkages below the rates offered by PFC and REC, the source said.'IRFC is trying to mobilise funds as cheap as possible and pump it into the infrastructure sector with the least margins as well because at the end of the day, infrastructure investment has to be made cheaper by reducing the financing rates,' the source May, IRFC raised ₹3,000 crore from the domestic debt market through bonds maturing in five years at a record low rate of 6.65 per cent.
Indian Express
09-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
11 years of Modi government: The transformation and the road ahead
India, today at $4.2 trillion GDP, is on the threshold of becoming the fourth-largest economy, surpassing Japan and expected to overtake Germany to be the third-largest in the next few years. This is underpinned by a significant transformation across various dimensions under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last 11 years (2014-25). Average growth since 2014 has been 6.4 per cent, accelerating to 7.4 per cent in the latest quarter. This demonstrates resilience and sustained momentum in the Indian economy. Inflation management improved markedly, coming down from 9.4 per cent in 2013-14 to 4.6 per cent today, providing much-needed stability for households and businesses alike. Infrastructure Expansion India's infrastructure development has been one of the most visible symbols of this transformation. National highways expanded from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,204 km in 2024, and construction speed has increased from 12 km/day to 34 km/day. The emphasis on last-mile connectivity has resulted in nearly four lakh km of rural roads being built, bringing 99 per cent of rural India into the national network, supporting rural mobility and economic inclusion. India's railway network has seen unprecedented expansion over the past decade. A total of 25,871 route kilometres (RKM) of new tracks were laid, significantly higher than the 14,985 RKM added in the previous decade. India now leads the world in locomotive manufacturing, producing 1,681 locomotives in 2024-25. This is more than the combined output of the US, Europe, and Japan. Freight movement has also surged, with Indian Railways becoming the world's second-largest cargo transporter, handling 1,617 million tonnes annually. Notably, railway connectivity has now reached the northeastern states, enhancing regional integration. Its wider reach now enables Indian Railways to serve over 30 million passengers daily — a testament to its scale and efficiency. The ongoing development of the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) is another transformative step and is expected to significantly boost efficiency in cargo movement and reduce congestion on passenger routes. Similarly, air travel has seen rapid democratisation. Operational airports have grown from 74 to 160 between 2014 and 2025, with the UDAN scheme bringing air connectivity to remote towns. The government's vision of expanding to 300 airports by 2047 underlines its continued focus on logistics and accessibility. Urban Growth and Clean Energy: Towards a Sustainable Future Urban transformation has continued through the Smart Cities Mission, with over 8,000 projects and investments worth Rs 1.64 lakh crore. Urban transport has also advanced, with the Delhi Metro expanding into one of the largest and most efficient metro systems globally, setting benchmarks for mass rapid transit in the country, which now reaches 15 Indian cities. India's clean energy progress is equally commendable. Solar capacity has grown from 2.82 GW in 2014 to over 105.65 GW, with total clean energy capacity now at 228.28 GW. This positions India as the third-largest solar and fourth-largest wind energy producer globally. Digital Infrastructure and Governance Reforms One of the major success stories of the past decade has been the exponential growth of India's public digital infrastructure. Led by platforms like UPI and Aadhaar, this public-first approach has enabled real-time payments, direct transfers, and expanded rural banking through Jan Dhan and digital access points. DPI infrastructure contributed about 1 per cent of GDP and is projected to reach about 3-4 per cent by 2030. As the World Bank has recognised, DPI has accomplished in six years what would typically take decades. India's DPI has now been adopted in over 12 countries. This has led to social development as well as significant poverty reduction. Official data shows that 17.1 crore people have been lifted out of poverty during this decade. The poverty rate has fallen from 29.17 per cent in 2013-14 to 11.28 per cent in 2022-23, and further declines are now being reported. The Road Ahead: India @ 2047 As India approaches the centenary of its independence, it is now setting an agenda for global development. India's progress and resilience are evident through key reforms like GST, simplification of regulations, and removal of legal redundancies. Yet, more needs to be done to improve ease of doing business, reduce compliance burdens, enhance competitiveness, and integrate more deeply into global supply chains. Strategic investments, governance reforms, and inclusive growth have built a strong foundation. Going forward, agility in policymaking, focus on sustainability, and deeper integration into global supply chains through improved manufacturing and skilling will be key. India's development journey, rooted in economic strength, digital progress, is now aiming for resilience and long-term impact. The writer is Chairman and Managing Director, JK Paper Limited and Director, J K Organisaton
