Development Watch – Week #4 August ’22
Development News
NBCC to redevelop MEA Housing Complex
NBCC has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of External Affairs for the redevelopment of the old MEA Housing Complex at Kasturba Gandhi Marg. Cost of the project is about INR 175 Crores.
Patna Underground Metro rail works launched
Commencement of construction work on underground metro section Corridor 2 was launched on August 21. Corridor 2 starts from Patna Junction and culminates at Patliputra Bus Terminal in Rajendra Nagar. The work on the elevated (over-ground) section of Corridor-II of Patna Metro is in progress as it is a priority corridor. It will be 6.5 km long with five elevated stations, which will come up at Malahi Pakri, Khemnichak (interchangeable station), Bhoothnath, Zero Mile and Patliputra Bus Terminal. Underground portion of Corridor 2 will have stations at Patna Junction (interchangeable station), Akashvani, Gandhi Maidan, PMCH, Patna University, Moin-ul-Haq Stadium and Rajendra Nagar.
Feasibility Report of Delhi-Varanasi Bullet Train gets rejected
The Railway Board has rejected the feasibility report of the proposed high-speed railway corridor between Delhi and Varanasi. It was prepared and presented by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL). The report proposed the corridor to be built along NH-2, which would have helped in land acquisition at cheaper rates. And thus reducing the cost of construction. The Railway Board cited multiple curves along the route, which will not be suitable for a bullet train to run at 350 km ph. However, a decision on the Detailed Project Report (DPR) is still under consideration. It costs about Rs. 200 Crores per kilometer to build the high-speed bullet train corridor. The Board has suggested to keep the focus on semi-high speed Vande Bharat trains at a speed of 160-200 km ph. Around 400 such trains would be available over next 3 years on different routes.
India to achieve Net-Zero target by 2070
India has begun work on a long-term action plan to achieve net-zero target by 2070. The country is yet to communicate its updated 2030 climate targets, or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Work is under way on formulating Long-Term Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) paper. It is a climate action document that will spell out the country’s roadmap to net-zero.
7-8 sector-specific groups have been set up to devise a targeted low-emission growth trajectory. Adaptation and mitigation measures are proposed across areas such as energy supply, transport, agriculture, industry, waste and buildings, besides carbon capture technology, R&D and finance.
1 Crore Passengers benefitted from UDAN scheme
Regional connectivity scheme “Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik” (UDAN) is the flagship programme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. More than 1 Crore passengers have flown in the last 5 years under this scheme. It was launched in 2016 to enhance air infrastructure and connectivity in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
68 underserved/unserved destinations which include 58 Airports, 8 Heliports and 2 Water Aerodromes have been connected under UDAN scheme. Number of operational airports has now increased from 74 to 141. RCS-UDAN was formulated based on the review of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP)-2016 and it was planned to remain in force for a period of 10 years. It has a self-financing mechanism with the development of Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF). Overall aviation sector expects 40 crore travellers annually in the next few years.
Test run of Super Vasuki: India’s longest, heaviest Freight Train
15th August saw the test run of Super Vasuki by South East Central Railway. The length of the train is 3.5 km. It has been formed by amalgamating five rakes of goods train as one unit. It is 3x the capacity of existing railway rakes and has 6 locomotives, 295 wagons and heaviest gross weight of 25,962 tonnes. Super Vasuki took 11.2 hrs to cover a distance of 267 km, between Korba in Chhattisgarh and Rajnandgaon in Nagpur. The train takes about 4 minutes to cross a station. The amount of coal carried by Super Vasuki is enough to fire 3,000 MW of power plant for one full day.
Aviation Sector fleet size to Double in 5 years
Speaking at Assocham’s CEOs roundtable, aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that in 5 years, India will have a fleet size of 1,200. It would be almost double the current number of 700 aircrafts. India’s aviation sector is growing at a tremendous pace. It will touch 400 million passengers per annum in 7-10 years from the current 200 million. Growth in the aviation sector in terms of CAGR is 10% annually. More than 300 Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) will also be recruited by the end of 2022.
“One Station, One Product” to promote local flavours and products
The Indian Railways aims to promote a local product at each station through “One Station One Product” policy. The Railways will now allow vendors to sell their goods on trains, as part of efforts to boost local businesses. It will also provide carts and kiosks designed by NID Ahmedabad to vendors. Earlier, illegal hawkers who boarded trains caused safety and hygiene concerns, were evicted by the Railways. Presently, only IRCTC-approved vendors are allowed to sell goods on trains and stations. A test run on over 78 stations has seen a per day earning of Rs. 5,000 for vendors under this policy.
Local Feedback
LocalFeedback.org aims to track and document actionable parameters that help improve urban and rural infrastructure. The founder, Susmita, has juggled diverse roles in real estate, project budgeting, valuation and execution on construction sites. Having traveled to more than 20 countries, she has worked across 4 regions in India. Her areas of interest include sustainable buildings, electric mobility and urban development. She visited top-ranking cities on livability indices and has presented published papers at international conferences.