Defenseless toll plazas at the mercy of rough customers

September 27, 2011

They handle many thousands of vehicles and lakhs of rupees every day. But rather than being secure gateways that deter criminals fleeing down highways, toll plazas around the city have shown themselves to be quite helpless in the face of crime over the last few days. A gatekeeper’s murder at the Kherki Daula toll plaza in the early hours of Friday, and a robbery at the Dasna toll plaza the same night have raised questions about security arrangements at not only the turnpikes around the capital but also the highways.

TOI did a spot check of five key toll plazas on Monday and found gaping holes in their arrangements, from inadequate manpower to defunct cameras. Keeping the NCR’s gun culture in mind the plazas’ guards, armed with nothing more than old shotguns, live in dread of troublemakers. “We are completely on our own, so anybody can refuse to pay toll,” an employee at the Delhi-Gurgaon toll plaza said.

Delhi-Gurgaon border

At the KM-24 toll plaza, vehicles from 11 neighbouring villages are allowed free passage, provided their drivers show proof of address. However, many drivers try to muscle their way through on this pretext without showing any document. “Drunken drivers are common here, and some even pull a gun on us if we demand the toll. The three armed guards we have are seldom around. There’s nothing that we can do

in self-defence as the management is unwilling to support us,” a toll employee said on the condition of anonymity. The plaza has 32 dome cameras in side booths and 36 still cameras equipped with night vision in lanes outside the booth, said officials. “PCR vans are present ometimes, but our own patrol vehicles keep circulating through the route,” said Manoj Aggarwal, CEO of DCS, the agency in charge of the toll plaza.

Kherki-Daula

Four days after a toll collector was shot dead by a vehicle owner here, there has been no improvement in security at the toll plaza, said employees. “The staff at the plaza has steadily decreased over time, and the management does not bother to hire again. Sometimes, we have only one line assistant at night whereas we started with around 63. There are supposed to be at least eight on duty at a time,” said an employee.

The 18-lane plaza has 16 dome camera booths, 16 cameras mounted on the canopy and 16 more still cameras with night-vision ability in the lanes outside the booths, said officials.The booth staff is not allowed to carry cellophanes and has to rely on the intercom and a panic button to report any emergency.

A fortnight ago, an employee was allegedly hit by a car when he tried flagging it down for going through the bike lane. “The car went over his foot and carried him along for 100 metres until it hit an auto and he slid off the bonnet. We are scared of doing our duty, fearing for our lives,” said an employee.

Badarpur

Three gunmen, six line assistants and six security guards should be present for every 10 lanes of this 32-booth plaza. However, TOI found a lone gunman on the Delhi side, and none on the Faridabad side. “No gunman has been posted on the Faridabad side for six months,” said an employee. The two line assistants on duty said their walkie-talkies had poor range. “We keep losing the signal,” said one. However, S Raghuraman, project manager, said, “We have panic alarms and intercoms inside the booths so that employees can get in touch with the control room when necessary”.

DND

Security at this toll plaza is slightly better, but the guards complain their 12- bore shotguns are no match for criminals’ sophisticated arms. “We have to reload manually after every shot,” said a guard. DND PRO Niranjani Paharia said, “Since we want toll collectors to have minimum communication with vehicle owners, doors and windows are kept closed at all times with only a space to collect money and give the receipt. The panic button is placed at the feet (of the operators).We also keep having mock drills”.

Dasna

Broken barriers, rundown booths and dysfunctional CCTV cameras mark this toll plaza on NH-24. The barrier arms have remained broken for months, so employees have to manually flag down cars. Many vehicles refuse to stop. “We suffer a loss of around Rs 2 lakh daily. Many of those who stop at the toll plaza claim they are locals, and should not be asked to pay. After the armed robbery, the police have agreed to post two armed officers with a bike at the plaza at night,” said ND Shukla, manager. TOI found the entire staff without safety jackets. Not only were some of the cameras broken, the CCTV feed sometimes did not stream from the server. The booths were without intercom and panic buttons.

Article attached

Source: timesofindia.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Uncategorized

Nearly $40 million to be poured into highway projects

September 26, 2011

HUNTSVILLE — Huntsville and parts of Walker County will see nearly $40 million in highway improvements over the next few years.

The Texas Department of Transportation has several projects in the works that will improve the safety of Huntsville roadways.

Highway 19 construction has been ongoing for months and is running smoothly, according to David Stephens, area engineer for Walker, Madison, Leon and Freestone counties.

“I’m tickled to death,” he said. “These are a lot of necessary projects.”

TxDOT partnered with the city of Huntsville on the Highway 19 project, with the city giving $150,000 for aesthetics and a signal on Highway 75 and Boettcher Drive. That project is expected to cost $15.3 million.

“Highway 19 is going well,” Stephens said. “The dry weather is causing a lot of people grief, but it’s really improving the production for Smith and Co., the contractor.”

Most of the on and off ramps have been roughed in along Highway 19, except for those entrances and exits that have traffic. Most of the beams have been placed for the Bearkat Boulevard bridge and the Highway 75 bridge.

“Bearkat is going to really be nice,” he said. “We worked with the city on it and tried to make some changes on it so it looks a lot nicer. It’s really kind of the main entrance to the college.”

There will be Texas stars integrated into the bridge columns for aesthetic purposes.

“We’re trying to make things prettier,” Stephens said. “There will be an exit ramp like there is now, but there will also be a frontage road that continues past Bearkat.”

Highway 30 underpass

The next major project residents will notice is a change to the Highway 30, FM 1791 intersection. There’s a red light for the FM 1791 portion and a blinking yellow light for Highway 30 travelers. Starting this month, contractors have bid on building an overpass that will be the new FM 1791.

Highway 30 travelers will no longer have to worry about someone pulling out in front of them from the farm-to-market road.

“We should start in the winter, then it’s about a 24-month project,” Stephens said. “It’s going to improve safety a great deal. What we’ll do is have frontage roads on either side that will be about where the existing lanes are. If you’re driving on Highway 30, you won’t have to cross any traffic. You will still have to stop on 1791.”

Stephens said this project was needed for safety reasons, and as such, was awarded through the TxDOT safety program.

“Projects compete statewide for a limited amount of safety money,” he said. “We did have a fatality where someone went through that stop light and hit another car. It’ll be a really big improvement.”

There will be a U-turn lane so anyone needing to go back into town will have that ability.

Interstate 45 Frontage

A contract is set to be awarded this month for frontage road construction along Interstate 45 in Huntsville. This project is expected to cost $8.7 million and will relocate entrance and exits ramps all along I-45 in the city.

Construction will stretch northbound from in front of Charlie’s Used Cars down to exit 118. There will be a new entrance ramp in front of El Chico Mexican Restaurant. The ramp at La Quinta Inn will be an exit ramp as opposed to an entrance ramp. There will be a new entrance ramp past Wiesner of Huntsville. The current exit 118 will be rebuilt further south.

“The whole goal is now that Huntsville has grown, we’re trying to keep as much traffic out of the signals as we can,” Stephens said. “We’ll have entrance ramps before signals and exits after the signals.”

On the southbound ramps, construction will start at FM 1791 and extend to Bob Luby’s Seafood. The frontage road will remain much the same, but will be reconstructed. The southbound exit 118 (south of the interchange of Highway 75), will be rebuilt further south.

“We’re basically going to modernize it so it’s more of a high speed entrance ramp,” Stephens said. “We will not touch the ramp in front of the Holliday Unit.”

I-45/75/1791 Intersection

A $2.5 million project clustered around the intersection of Highway 75 North, I-45 and FM 1791 will have a major change on traffic backup in the area.

The process is expected to begin in August of 2012. Just after the Texas Department of Public Safety office, there will be a separate U-turn lane that will go between the bridge columns and the abutment on the south side of the existing road.

There will be a connector road for I-45 stretching from just in front of Kate Barr Ross Park and cutting across Texas Department of Criminal Justice property.

“That’ll be a big improvement there,” Stephens said. “We’ll move the signal near the DPS office up to where 75 is now. We’ll do away with the (cross through street). If you’re wanting to go to the TDCJ BOT complex, you will be able to do that without going through a signal on the west side of the Interstate.”

Stephens said traffic studies were conducted of the area to determine the best way to alleviate traffic during mornings and afternoon rush hour.

“We’re really hopeful that it’ll be a great improvement,” he said. “One of the big things – if you’re going north and you want to go to the BOT, there will be a dual left turn movement. That should improve things a great deal there.”

City Projects

City Manager Bill Baine said the city is looking into ways to connect Spur 59 with FM 1791, creating a cross street that would help travelers heading to the TDCJ BOT complex.

“The idea would be to provide a safe way for local citizens to bypass the head-on truck traffic,” Baine said. “We want to facilitate people commuting to TDCJ headquarters.”

Source: http://itemonline.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Uncategorized

The India Infrastructure Dialogue

September 21, 2011

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Expo & Events, Further events

18th World Congress on Intelligent Transportation systems

September 19, 2011

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America, ERTICO-ITS Europe, and ITS Asia-Pacific invite you to join the world’s leading transportation policy makers, technology, and business professionals in Orlando, Florida, from October 16-20, 2011 for the 18th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, which will also feature ITS America’s Annual Meeting & Exposition.

Under the theme of Keeping the Economy Moving, it is sure to be the most exciting and innovative event to date with interactive technology showcases, more than 250 sessions, a 400,000 square-foot exhibit hall, and countless networking events with ITS industry leaders from across the world. Exhibitors and attendees will experience state-of-the-art demonstrations and dynamic sessions with a focus on cost-effective, practical deployment and innovation that provides users with new levels of safety, reliability, convenience, accessibility, and choice.

World Congress

The World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems is an international meeting and exhibition that rotates among three major geographic regions (Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific) annually. Only held in the United States once every three years, the 18th World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems will come to Orlando, Florida on October 16-20, 2011, and the world’s leading transportation policy makers, technology, and business professionals will gather in Orlando with a goal of bringing greater levels of safety, reliability and accessibility to transportation systems worldwide.

Co-sponsored by ITS America, ITS Asia-Pacific, and ERTICO-ITS Europe, the 18th World Congress is expected to draw over 10,000 delegates from more than 65 countries, including legislators, ministers of transportation, transportation officials, international standards experts, engineers, manufacturers, and other ITS stakeholders. The 18th World Congress, which will also feature ITS America’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, will host interactive technology showcases, more than 250 sessions, a 350,000 square-foot exhibit hall, and countless networking events with ITS industry leaders from across the world.

Source:itsworldcongress.org

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Expo & Events

Intertraffic India 2011

September 19, 2011

6th IRF Conference on Road Safety and Intertraffic India Exhibition

New Delhi, India, 03 October 2011 – 05 October 2011

This conference will be the sixth edition of the highly successful IRF Regional Conference on Road Safety since 2006. The Conference will bring together a unique set of international and local researchers, policy makers and practitioners to address Road Safety issues and engage for a Safer Road System.

SAVE THE DATE – Intertraffic India, 3.4.5 October 2011

Intertraffic will make its debut in India with the Intertraffic India exhibition to be held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 3rd to 5th October 2011. Jointly organized by Amsterdam RAI and the IRF, the three day event will showcase products and services pertaining to infrastructure, ITS traffic management, parking, road safety and allied subjects. The 6th IRF Regional Conference on Road Safety will be held alongside Intertraffic India.

Improving infrastructure to international standards

With 3.3 million km, the Indian road network is the second largest in the world.The Indian government plans to spend US $10 billion on road development over the next five years which will mostly go towards improving about 33,000 km arterial routes of National Highways to international standards.

Download Brochure

Source: india.intertraffic.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Expo & Events

Guest Editorial: Mr. Greg Bartlett

September 14, 2011

Dear Readers,

I am glad to introduce you with Mr. Greg who is the guest editor of Indian Tollways for the month of September.

Mr. Bartlett has been involved in the North American transportation sector since 1987, starting in traffic signal and control systems, then in emergency pre-emption systems, and from the early days of ITS onward, the design, production and deployment of highway variable message signs.

Mr. Bartlett has written many specifications on VMS products, has been the author of numerous technical industry papers, and is the author of two novels.

From the pen of Mr . Bartlett

When I was asked to write something for IndianTollways, my immediate thought was to share some facts and figures, some statistics and trends, and perhaps make a few comparisons between worlds of the awakening giant of Indian ITS and North America. Interesting on some levels, exciting from a business opportunity view, but pretty dry stuff for the most part. After all, when we are not at the office, or preparing for some work-related event, how many of us in the transportation biz really look forward to sitting down with a riveting piece on road construction for a good read? Did you inwardly shake your head and say “not me”? I know, I did too.

My chosen topic, something along the lines of “A Passage through India: Tollroads and Technology” sounded pretty catchy. Perhaps the ITS pros in the emerging Indian market might find my perspective interesting. Having been in the transportation business for almost a quarter-century, I watched the birth of the ITS movement in here in Canada and the United States. Not easy going, I can tell you.

So I began my research, looking at the best-practices models, the lessons-learned white papers, hoping that I’d see something that was a little different – something that didn’t appear already on the program list of every ITS conference everywhere.

Then a strange and wonderful thing happened. I was talking with a very good friend of mine (an Indian professional with a successful business in ITS), and we found ourselves discussing some issues with getting a project done and making it really work for the long run. And I realized that although the content was completely different, I was having the same kind of conversation that I had in 1988 while trying to figure out the deployment strategy for the first Variable Message Signs in Canada. Or in 1993 when the U.S. Interagency Group was formulating the specifications for the EZPass semi-active transponder based toll system. Or in 1997 while discussing the safety concerns on Canada’s highway 407, the first fully automated open-tolling highway in the world. Or in fact, just last week, during a meeting on a nagging site issue that could threaten an otherwise well-planned delivery in the U.S.

The common thread spanning time and continents, it turns out, has less to do with experience and technology and more to do with the timeless nature of people interacting with people. Like so many things in life, it turns out, our problems and issues, tragedies and triumphs, are similar – not only across geography but across time.

For example, India’s Grand Trunk Road, dating back to around 300 BCE, was in many respects a model ITS deployment in its day. Chandragupta Maurya had a staggering number of officials employed specifically to maintain the road, collect fees for use, and manage its traffic and usage. In fact, the road worked so well that eventually invaders marveled at how fast they could cover ground. In addition to the logistical difficulties of managing the far-reaching roadway without the benefit of modern communications, constant threat of invasion and political turmoil must have made the enterprise difficult indeed.

If we go back even further, to the era of the ancient Silk Road more than 3,000 years ago, what do we see? Well, let’s put aside the materials, technology, and conveyances for a moment: What do we see then? We see many places where locals charged a fee for use of sections of the road in exchange for its upkeep (and sometimes even for safe passage). The voluntary exchange between road operators and users kept the problems of the day (bandits, invasions, road deterioration) under reasonable enough control that all manner of villages, towns and communities grew along the way. The end result, of course, was that technology, knowledge, human and monetary capital were spread across great distances more efficiently and contributed significantly to overall production and human advancement. The net gain in wealth creation is incalculable.

I realized that while our present-day version of ITS is relatively new to India, the true concepts of ITS have been in practice in this great country for millennia. Intelligent transportation in 2400 BCE meant the understanding of wealth creation through efficiency of trade by people of Lothal, where they built what today is the oldest known commercial seaport in the world.

The Silk Road, the port of Lothal, the GT Road – all ancient examples of ITS in action. They shared attributes of using the best of what they had to maximize the efficiency of movement of people and goods – and a fair exchange of fee for use. Likewise, they shared many of the same attributes we encounter today, from contract problems, delays, weather, conflicting interests (of course in those days conflicting interests were settled by the sword, and today we prefer meetings and lawyers). But to a large extent, their issues were analogous to our issues, and the end goals have not changed much, either: To facilitate the movement of people, ideas, goods and services; to expand trade, to facilitate the advancement that is the engine of wealth creation. This is the tide that lifts all boats, the road that connects us all.

Greg Bartlett,

VP Business Development

Ledstar Inc.

Ontario, Canada

Sharing Few Queries with Mr. Bartlett

Ques: Where do you see the future of ITS (Intelligent Transportation System ) in India?

Ans: Very interesting question, because I think ITS will look different here. India has a wonderful, frustrating, and eclectic way of being a bit different than the rest of the world no matter what the application and I believe India’s approach to ITS will fit that description too. In terms of deployment and use of ITS, I think the two main areas in the near-term will be toll roads and intermodal commercial transport. I see more of a macro ITS approach in India. I don’t see, for example, as much emphasis on micro-ITS such as red light cameras, license plate readers, active-variable speed systems, which I realize is somewhat of a contrarian view, since India’s urban centers are some of the most chaotic and congested in the world. I just happen to think that we will see more success in a macro approach over the first decade or so.

Ques: When do you feel ITS will be common in daily traveling in India ?

Ans : My observation is that Indians have been using forms of ITS for 3,000 years – just not in the way we think when we use the term “ITS”. Every time I stand at an intersection in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi – you name it – I am amazed at the ITS going on. How else to explain four lanes of traffic in each direction (on a two-lane road) making u-turns and cross-overs, and pedestrians in the middle of it all making their way here and there! Yet it is quite rare that one sees an accident of any consequence. Seriously though, the rate of projects incorporating ITS components is unlike anywhere in the world right now, so as these projects come on line, now and in the near term, they will touch more and more people in their daily travels. People will eventually have well-defined expectations and reliance on ITS, what I have termed “ITS Symbiosis”. But that’s a whole discussion in itself.

Ques: How is your product going to benefit common people ?

Ans:- Variable message signs (VMS) are kind of a unique aspect of ITS. Engineering-wise, a VMS is a rather complex system with a bunch of subsystems whose whole purpose in life is to be as non-complex as possible. In other words, an event or condition arises somewhere that may affect the motorist, and a clear message warns or advises them in advance. Simple as that. But the benefit to the common people is beyond enormous and highly complex. The causal relationship may be as simple as saving the motorist a bit of time getting from A to B, or as profound as saving his life by warning of road blockage, fog, or other destructive event just ahead. In aggregate, the benefit is an increase in efficiency (thus carrying capacity as well) of the roadway, saved time, saved fuel, and increased safety.

Ques: What are the new technologies LEDSTAR is planning to launch in the coming year ?

Ans : If I was certain that my competitors were not hanging on every word of this interview, I would amaze you with all sorts of breathtaking announcements. Suffice to say (wink wink) we are looking to give clients more flexibility in VMS application, more information & telematics. And we never forget our commitment to legendary durability.

Ques:-The main Challenge that you feel ITS is facing today and any suggestion for it.

Ans:- I see the main Challenge as a heavy, slippery ball consisting of three ingredients. The first is Legacy: It is a huge and complex effort to upgrade, change, make new, build on, etc., existing infrastructure. When I say “infrastructure”, by the way, I mean both physical and mental varieties. The second ingredient is Inertia: As Newton said, a body will remain in its given state unless acted upon by an external force. When you consider the billions/trillions of day-to-day interactions & routines that are based on doing the same thing in the same way today as was done yesterday, making changes to the overall system takes a relentless, Herculean effort. The third ingredient is Commitment: This is not just put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is kind of commitment. That type of commitment is actually not too difficult. The amount of funding flowing to ITS programs all over the world is increasing from both private and public sectors. What is more difficult is shifting commitment on the part of government (ITS priorities sometimes only last as long as election cycles). The problem of commitment is evident in the private sector also, where many products have been long on promises and short on quality and lifespan. What are the solutions for handling this heavy, slippery ball? No-one has all the answers. But I think we get on the right path with properly balanced partnerships between public and private enterprises, high standards, and being relentless. We just keep at it, and time will do the rest.

Ques: Would you like to be the guest editor for Indian Tollways for the month of September ?

Ans: Absolutely, it would be an honor.

Ques: Your views on “Role of Indian Tollways as a web magazine for ITS” .

Ans: It’s far reaching, topical, well-written, has fascinating and timely articles, and it’s free. What’s not to like?

Thanks for all the Answers ,ending with a positive note that LEDSTAR brings new and new technologies in coming year and shapes the future of ITS.

Best wishes from Indian Tollways

Regards,

Ritu Oswal

Assistant Editor

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Guest Editorial

Ramky Infra Bags Orders Orders Worth Rs.1,006 Cr.

September 12, 2011

(RTTNews) – Ramky Infrastructure Ltd. said it had secured new orders aggregating to Rs.1,006 crore across buildings, industrial, water and waste water, road and power sectors.

Some of the notable projects are given below

Buildings Sector

In Tamil Nadu, the company bagged an order for Rs.207.35 crore from Purvankara Projects Ltd. for residential project PURVA WINDERMERE, Chennai, with a completion period of 21 months.

In Maharashtra, it has been awarded a project for Rs.74.41 crore from River View Properties Pvt. Ltd. for constructing residential township project at Nande-Mahalunge Road, Mahalunge, Pune. The tenure of completion is 2 months.

In Karnataka, the company secured a project for Rs.45.12 crore from National Mantri Dwelling Pvt. Ltd. for main contract works, Mantri Glades-Bengaluru. The tenure of completion is 25 months.

In Haryana, it bagged an order for Rs.31.08 crore from Indiabulls Infra Constructions Ltd. for construction of residential premises.

Industrial Sector

In Madhya Pradesh, the company secured an order for Rs.109.12 crore from Reliance Infrastructure Ltd. for construction of general civil work for coal handling plant at Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project, Sasan, Madhya Pradesh, with a completion period of 20 months.

In Orissa, it has been awarded a project for Rs.59.92 crore from Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd., for general, civil and arch. work for auxiliary buildings, pipe racks, misc. pump houses including CW Pump House and Forebay structure at Lapanga.

In the Gujarat, it had secured a project for Rs.28.83 crore from National Dairy Development Board for civil, structural, water supply, sanitary, internal electrification and street lighting works of 100MTPD dairy whitener powder plant project at Banas Dairy, Palanpur. The completion 18 months.

Water and Waste Water

In Rajasthan, it has secured orders for Rs.219.33 crore for water supply projects in Rajasthan. The completion period is 24 months.

Roads segment

In Madhya Pradesh, the company bagged an order for Rs.91.06 crore from Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation Ltd. for strengthening, widening, maintaining and operating of Sehore-Icchawar-Kosmi Road on BOT (Toll + Annuity) basis, with a completion period of 24 months.

In Power segment, the company secured a project for Rs.37.81 crore from M.P. Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Co. Ltd., for survey, supply of materials, installation, testing and commissioning of new 33/11kV substations and new 33kv and 11kV lines under are of central Discom Bhopal at Guna, Shivpuri, Sheopur and Hind circle. The completion period is 18 months.

(RTTNews) – At the BSE, Ramky Infrastructure shares are being traded at Rs.231.60, up by 0.46 percent from the previous close.

Source: http://www.rttnews.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Ramky Infrastructure Ltd.

Multiple financing for Mumbai infra projects

September 12, 2011

While agencies look at diverse sources to meet huge fund demand, experts say more innovation needed to attract investment

In order to improve the growing transport needs of India’s financial capital, the authorities are looking at various ways, sources and methods to fund infrastructure projects

The third phase of the Rs 47,000-crore Mumbai metro rail project is now proposed to be a fully underground stretch, from Colaba to Bandra and the airport. The cost has escalated to Rs 18,000 crore. Says Dilip Kawathkar, spokesperson of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA): “Japan International Cooperation Agency is likely to provide 40 per cent of the funds.” He says the World Bank had also shown interest, though no formal proposal or presentation had been made to their officials.

The Rs 10,000-crore Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) project, to connect Sewri in Mumbai and Nhava Sheva in Raigad district, is likely to see some new incentives for prospective bidders. Metropolitan commissioner Rahul Asthana said MMRDA planned to compensate the build-operate-transfer (BOT) operator of the MTHL project in case the toll collection is lower than projected (in case of higher toll collection, the operator would have to share the benefit with MMRDA).

A long-tenure soft loan is proposed for the BOT operator; in addition, to encourage more bids (earlier tenders had to be called off due to lack of enough parties), it is proposed to compensate the second and third-lowest bidders for the costs they incurred in doing so.

Phase-II of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project is underway, to improve suburban railway services. This is being jointly implemented by MMRDA and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation. The phase has 11 projects worth Rs 5,300 crore, with a World Bank loan for Rs 1,910 crore.

Says Sudip Mozumder, advisor, World Bank: “The Bank remains committed to support the (state) government’s efforts to reduce some of Mumbai’s infrastructure gaps.”

He noted that the funds required for Mumbai’s infrastructure were huge, but Bank funds are limited. “It is critical, therefore, that the Bank funds are deployed in projects that have a transformative role, and can help leverage more funds. The government of India, government of Maharashtra and the Bank are currently exploring such opportunities. Discussions are underway but no decision has been taken,” he said.

Says Arvind Mahajan of consultancy major KPMG: “The basic formula for financing complex infrastructure projects is a mix of government and private funds. Also, several projects are linked with each other. . The Navi Mumbai International Airport project, for example, is closely linked to MTHL. A public-private partnership (PPP) is the best method for funding, (so) the project should be structured in a way that the private sector can participate.”

Says consulting economist Sunil Bhandare, “Long-term financing of projects by the private sector needs a viable corporate debt market. This is not so in India and the major corporates are struggling to manage investment, battling with global uncertainty, inflation and high interest rates. This might dissuade financiers from investing further in such projects. What is needed is finality in scope, content and policy, so that the prospective investors are encouraged to fund the projects.”

Arun Mokashi, a transport specialist, says, “In transport infrastructure projects, unanimity is required among all the institutions. There are several instruments —PPP, BOT, viability gap funding, etc. What is needed is the will to harness this sort of a financial arrangement into the system for infrastructure projects.”

Source: http://www.business-standard.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Uncategorized

Transport Department seeks control of CNG bus project

September 12, 2011

The Sindh Transport Department wants a say in major transport infrastructure issues of the metropolis following the disbandment of local government, according to official sources and documents obtained by The News on Wednesday. It seeks control over the CNG bus project on the pattern of other provinces while lamenting that the City District Government Karachi had never consulted it on the transport sector projects.

The Transport Department has floated a summary to the chief minister Sindh regarding the CNG buses and a host of transport sector projects. Subsequently, a high-level meeting was held at Sindh Secretariat to deliberate on these issues in detail and take decisions.

About CNG bus project, the meeting was informed that this project was taken up at a cost of Rs 5,000 million under the federal government-funded scheme for 10 mega cities including Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur of the Sindh province. The meeting was told that since the funds had been released for the purpose of purchasing buses, the operators of CNG buses be entertained as per the approved credit policy.

Informed sources said that the Transport Department wanted to take over the project implementation unit for launching the CNG bus scheme in true spirit and in line with the other provinces.

The meeting was informed that the Karachi Mass Transit Project was being managed by the CDGK but the Sindh Transport Department was never involved or consulted in any aspect of the project. The participants were told that since the CDGK now stands abolished, it would be advisable that this important project concerning major transport infrastructure issues of Karachi should be entrusted to the Transport Department.

Regarding the shifting of oil terminals from Shirin Jinnah Colony to Zulfikarabad on National Highway, the meeting was informed that the Sindh government had decided on June 30, 2008 to establish truck terminals at three gateways i.e. Super Highway, National Highway and RCD Highway in order to reform and promote an integrated and sustainable modernization of the trucking sector through efficient management of road freight sector. It was decided to entrust two out of three terminals to the Transport Department which was directed to make a request for the land allotment to Member (Land Utilization), Board of Revenue.

Subsequently, a committee constituted by the chief minister for resolving the transport-related problems held a meeting on July 27 and decided that in pursuance of the orders passed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in suo moto case (No. 10-K) the oil terminal having modern facilities should be established at Zulfikarabad.

The committee also supported the proposals of the Transport Department contained in the summary that was submitted to the chief minister.

The Transport Department had proposed that in order to establish the facility for trucks, buses and tankers on 250 acres at two separate sites, it should be allowed to commence construction activity at Zulfikarabad and Hub River Road at the cost of Rs 313 million. However, the land could be insufficient for the purpose and the committee may also consider this aspect in view of the increasing number of oil tankers.

It was suggested in the summary that 200 acres land on each site may be allotted to the Transport Department along with the funds of Rs 150 million for each site for land levelling/earth filling and providing electricity, water, sewerage and roads etc. The sheds and other facilities will be arranged by the stake holders on BOT basis.

Regarding the construction of truck terminal at Hawksbay, the meeting was informed that 500 acres land was proposed in the year 2003 for the establishment of truck terminal. Although the payment challans for 150 acres land were issued, the establishment of the terminal could not materialize.

This matter was also referred to the said committee which decided that the terminals should be established on BOT basis under public/private partnership. It was also decided that such terminals should be established/administered by the Transport Department following the disbandment of the CDGK. The committee supported the allotment of land to Transport Department free of cost for the construction of the said terminals.

About the conversion of two-stroke rickshaws into four-stroke/CNG-dedicated vehicles, it was told that the Supreme Court had directed in its order of June 30, 2009 that “we would make it clear to concerned authorities that they should not adopt a procedure/measures which will render rickshaw drivers unemployed because they have to support their families”.

In compliance with the above orders, the chief secretary held a high-level meeting on October 12, 2009 wherein it was decided that in order to convert 500 two-stroke rickshaws of not beyond five years old a subsidy of Rs 30,000 would be given per rickshaw under a pilot project. The said decision of the meeting, however, could not be implemented as the schemes were held up owing to the devastating floods of last year.

The committee decided to move a summary on the subject to the chief minister for approval as well as preparing and submitting PC-I for the allocation of funds.

With regard to paying compensation for damaged/burnt vehicles, the meeting was informed that this mater has been taken up by the Home Department and it was under process with the Relief Commissioner. The transport associations had been approaching the Transport Department for the compensation of the losses that they sustained during the last one-and-a-half years.

Informed sources said that Chief Secretary Sindh Raja Muhammad Abbas had recently directed DCO Karachi Syed Muhammad Hussain to present a detailed report on these matters.

Source: http://www.thenews.com.pk

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Default

Gayatri Projects to form 100% arm for Orissa road project

September 12, 2011

The project is to be executed on a BOT (Toll) basis on DBFO Pattern under NHDP Phase III as per the Letter of Award sanctioned by the NHAI, Gayatri Projects said.

Gayatri Projects Ltd. said on Tuesday that its Board of Directors has accorded its consent for incorporation a Wholly Owned Subsidiary called Sai Maatarani Tollways Ltd. for executing the four-laning of Panikoili— Rimull section of NH-215 in Orissa.

The project is to be executed on a BOT (Toll) basis on DBFO Pattern under NHDP Phase III as per the Letter of Award sanctioned by the NHAI, Gayatri Projects said.

Source: http://www.indiainfoline.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under Uncategorized