Latest news with #JawaharlalNehruPortAuthority
News18
08-07-2025
- News18
What Is Hydro Ganja? Why The New Variety Of Marijuana Has Become A Challenge For Maharashtra
Hydro ganja: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said even terminally ill cancer patients are being used as drug carriers for hydroponic ganja (marijuana or cannabis) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently said that 'hydro ganja' or hydroponic ganja (marijuana) has emerged as a new challenge with drug syndicates finding newer ways to transport it across borders. Speaking in the legislative council, Fadnavis said that two Indonesian nationals were arrested with 21kg of hydroponic ganja valued at Rs 21.55 crore in Mumbai. The police have also got custody of Navin Chichkar, a Navi Mumbai resident from Malaysia who was a major supplier of hydro ganja to India from the US and Thailand. What is it? Why is it a challenge? What is hydroponic or hydro ganja? Hydroponic ganja refers to cannabis plants grown without soil. This method gives growers precise control over the plant's environment, which can result in quicker growth and higher yields. Hydroponics is a method of cultivation without soil, where plants are grown in a nutrient-rich water solution, often supported by an inert medium like coco coir, perlite, clay pellets, or rockwool How is hydroponic ganja grown? How is hydroponic or hydro ganja sold and transported? It is mostly smuggled through the northeast and sold on the dark web. The CM said messages are exchanged on social media to sell the substance and to make payments. Dealers are also shipping it via courier services, and conceal it in cargo consignments coming in via the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and ports in Gujarat. Even terminally ill cancer patients are being used as drug carriers, the CM said. Maharashtra crackdown on hydroponic or hydro ganja Fadnavis said police have instructed all postal and courier companies to inspect consignments, to avoid being named as accused in case of a lapse. Task forces will monitor social media and the dark net. Is hydro ganja legal in any country? Canada United States (where cannabis is legal (recreational or medical) Uruguay Thailand South Africa Germany Apart from India hydroponic ganja is illegal in Singapore, UAE, Indonesia, Japan, China and Russia. With Agency Inputs
The Hindu
07-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Close to year after commissioning, Vizhinjam leads in south, east zones, ranks third at national level
Close to a year after the Vizhinjam International Seaport began commercial operations, the port has handled a record volume of over 8 lakh twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) containers by facilitating the berthing of around 385 ships. The port is ranked third at the national level after Mundra Port, the flagship port of Adani Ports & SEZ Ltd. and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) in Mumbai. However, the port is ranked first compared to the private ports in the south and east zones this fiscal year in terms of handling cargo volume. The port, which began limited-scale commercial operations during the five-month trial period that began on July 12, 2024 and subsequently the full-fledged commercial operations on December 3, has been redefining the maritime business from the south shortly after its commissioning. According to the closing volume of Indian private ports in the south and east zones in June, Vizhinjam Port is way ahead of other ports, although closely followed by Chennai International Port with 82,829 TEU and Cochin Port with 81,007. According to sources in the port, the full-fledged commercial operation of the Vizhinjam port also benefited the Cochin port due to the spillover effect. The port, which recently received environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, will scale up its capacity by setting up additional infrastructure facilities as part of the second and third phases of development. The port concessionaire, Adani Vizhinjam Ports Private Ltd. (AVPPL), will invest around ₹10,000 crore as part of the expansion of the transshipment port. Upon completion of the second and third phases, the port will see the container handling capacity increased to 30 lakh TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) from the 10 lakh TEUs in Phase I. Through the use of automated systems, the capacity of the port can also be increased to 45 lakhs TEUs containers per year.
Hindustan Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘Hydro ganja' a major challenge: CM
MUMBAI: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said 'hydro ganja' or hydroponic ganja (marijuana) is a big challenge as drug syndicates have found new ways to transport it across borders, while some countries have legalised it. Mumbai, India - July 3, 2025:CM Devendra Fadnavis, during monsoon assembly session at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times) Speaking in the legislative council on Thursday, Fadnavis said, five days ago, two Indonesian nationals were arrested with 21kg of hydroponic ganja valued at ₹21.55 crore in Mumbai. Hydroponic ganja refers to cannabis plants grown without soil. This method gives growers precise control over the plant's environment, which can result in quicker growth and higher yields. While the drug is being sold on the dark web, dealers are also shipping it via courier services, and concealing it in cargo consignments coming in via the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and ports in Gujarat. Even terminal cancer patients are being used as drug carriers, he said. Fadnavis said police have instructed all postal and courier companies to closely inspect consignments, to avoid being named as accused in case of a lapse. Joint task forces will monitor social media and the dark net. Fadnavis said the FDA could play a big role in controlling the drug. 'In rural areas, Codeine is consumed. We have instructed all pharmacies to install CCTVs. Also, the drug must be sold only against prescriptions,'' he said. Highlighting the role of social media in trafficking hydro ganja, the chief minister said messages are exchanged to sell the substance and to make payments. 'Our cyber cell has pinpointed 15 places on the dark web and arrested people.' Fadnavis also shared details on drug kingpin Naveen Chichkar, who was deported from Malaysia to India in May. He said Chichkar, who had bought an island in Australia, had sent drugs from Thailand to India via courier.
Hindustan Times
21-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
JNPA's ex-chief manager, 4 others booked for causing losses over ₹800 cr
MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked the former chief manager, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), and four others, including three firms, for cheating, conspiracy, corruption and causing losses of over ₹ 800 crore to JNPA. The alleged irregularities are linked to the dredging of navigational channels between 2003 to 2019. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (HT Photo) The JNPA had dredged its navigational channel so that larger container vessels could access the port. The dredging project was meant to facilitate higher parcel size of cargo, higher productivity at terminals and higher economies of scale. CBI conducted searches at the residential premises of certain officers of the JNPA and the consulting company and offices of accused private companies at five places in Mumbai and Chennai, which led to the recovery of a number of documents relating to the Capital Dredging Project, digital devices and documents showing alleged investments made by public servants. The documents recovered are being examined, according to CBI officials. The CBI registered the case on Wednesday on the basis of the findings of a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) that began in June 2022. The accused include JNPA's then chief manager S Madabhavi, Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE), Mumbai, its then project director, Boskalis Smit India LLP, Mumbai, Jan De Nul Dredging India Private Limited, Chennai, and certain unknown public servants and private persons. Despite several attempts, HT could not reach either the persons or the firms named in the FIR for their comment. The PE was initiated to look into allegations of complicity between port officials of JNPA and the private companies that CBI says led to inflated estimates, restriction of competition in order to extend undue favour to some international bidders, and suppression of reports of independent experts/organisations. The PE also examined allegations of pecuniary advantage obtained by the named private companies as a result of JNPA officials' connivance, resulting in wrongful loss to the exchequer from the period between 2003 to 2014 (phase-l of the project) and 2013 to 2019 (phase-2 of project). 'During the course of the PE, the criminal conspiracy between JNPA officials and private parties that caused wrongful losses to JNPA amounting to ₹ 365.90 crore in phase-1 and ₹ 438 crore in phase-2 also surfaced,' says the FIR. JNPA is one of the 12 major ports in India and shares a common navigational channel with the Mumbai port for a substantial part of its length. In order to handle large-sized cargo ships, JNPA had asked a private company to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) in May 2003 on increasing the depth of the navigational channel. Pursuant to the DPR, dredging work was executed in two phases—the first from 2010 to 2014, and the second from 2012 to 2019, according to the officials. For phase 1, TCE in association with a separate entity allegedly prepared a final report on planning the dredging activity in December 2010. TCE was also allegedly awarded the work of Project Management Consultant (PMC) for the said project including preparation of the tender documents and the work of supervising execution of the work. The tender for dredging in phase 2 to accommodate 15-metre draft vessels was allegedly awarded to a joint venture of Boskalis Smit India LLP and Jan De Nul lndia Pvt Ltd in March 2017 for ₹ 1,963.17 crore and the project was completed in March 2019. The said contract was made allegedly with the provision of progressive payment on the basis of a verified progress report to be submitted by Tata Consulting Engineers. For the executed work, payments of around ₹ 1,522.33 crore were made through 11 bills raised by the contractor, according to the CBI. Madabhavi and other suspects, including TCE's then project director, are under the scanner over the project's commencement only from 2010 following a significant delay of 7 years from the time of the preparation of the DPR in May 2003, without proper assessment of prevailing dredging requirements. The FIR further alleged that prior to the approval of the phase l by the Project Investment Board, a note was put up to the JNPT board on December 21, 2010, saying that phase 1 and phase 2 would be taken up separately. But, in fact, the planning and implementation of the two phases overlapped each other, violating guidelines of the Competition Commission of India. In order to favour certain foreign bidders, JNPA officials along with the PMC kept the 'continuous dredging condition' in the tender document for phase 2 and allegedly did not permit demobilisation and remobilisation of dredging vessels in monsoon period. 'However, soil dredging was actually made with delay after the passing of the monsoon period. Thus, such deliberate acts were committed to extend undue favours to the foreign contractor,' the FIR said. 'It was alleged that during the maintenance of dredged channels in phase I of the project, JNPA made excess payments aggregating ₹ 365.90 crore to the contractors against claims raised for over dredging of channels,' said a CBI official. 'However, in phase 2, which overlapped with the maintenance period of phase I, JNPA made an additional excess payment of ₹ 438 crore to the contractor, showing that no over dredging was done in phase I or maintenance period thereof,' the official said.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
India's largest port in the making to raise Rs 30,000 crore debt
The firm building what will become the largest port in India plans to raise as much as 300 billion rupees ($3.5 billion) of debt, giving lenders an opportunity to invest in one of the cornerstones of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's infrastructure overhaul. Owners of the Vadhvan Port Project Ltd., located a few hours north of Mumbai, are looking to raise debt with tenors in the range of 15 to 20 years. They're considering onshore and offshore markets to raise the funds, according to a top official. 'We have started the process of raising debt which will happen in two phases,' said Unmesh Sharad Wagh, chairman at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority , or JNPA, which holds a 74% stake. The Maharashtra Maritime Board owns the remaining 26%. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Audiologists Furious About New £80 Device That Makes Hearing Crystal Clear Again Top Trending News Today Learn More Undo The $9 billion port project is a major undertaking for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who laid the port's foundation stone last year. Upon completion, which is expected toward the end of the decade, Vadhvan will have the capacity to handle some 23 million container units, making it one of the 10 largest ports in the world, according to its backers. IDBI Capital was appointed as advisor to help lineup long term lenders for the first round of funding, with a target of at least 220 billion rupees, Wagh said. The funds will be disbursed over the next five years, and the request for proposals from lenders will be floated during the October to December quarter. Live Events JNPA and MMB will jointly infuse about 130 billion rupees worth of equity into the project, said Wagh, who is also chairman and managing director of Vadhvan Port Project. The firm is in talks with multilateral agencies, and is working on reclaiming 1,200 hectares of land, he added. Bolstering the country's maritime infrastructure is a priority for Modi's administration. Through the country's annual budget in February, the government proposed a Maritime Development Fund to support the sector through financial assistance via equity or debt securities. Some of the largest container ships have been forced to skip India because none of its existing ports are deep enough to receive them. Vadhvan's natural depth of 20 meters would allow some of the largest ships to dock. It would also serve as a starting point for the so-called India-Middle East-Europe Corridor , a planned economic link aimed at developing new trade routes between the regions.
