Chennai’s Kathipara Flyover to be completed by Mar 30
February 16, 2008
The construction of the Kathipara Flyover in Chennai finally seems to be heading somewhere. Kathipara Junction is one of the busiest points of the city. It could be called the Gateway of Chennai. Almost all the traffic that comes from the airport has to pass through this point. So, in that sense it is the most important part of the city.
There was a flyover which was proposed in 2004 to bring down the congestion of traffic. The completion date was 2007. But it is still not complete and is delayed by almost one year. It is learnt from the National Highway Authority of India that within two months, the flyover will be in place and the traffic would be diverted from the airport to this flyover.
There are controversies surrounding the junction. The Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation was initially given the responsibility of this project. But because of the delay they were pulled out from it. The project also got stuck because of land acquisition problems. Some of the lands were supposed to be acquired from Defence, which they were not ready to vacate.
It is learnt from sources that they have still not vacated the land. That is why NHAI has to go for a complete change in the plan. But officials are saying that March 30 is the deadline and hopefully they will be completing it by then.
Source: moneycontrol.com
Work on ECR project resumes
December 2, 2007
It was suspended due to heavy rain
Project expected to be completed by March 2009 Estimated cost: Rs.2,160 crore
PUDUKOTTAI: Work on the World Bank-funded East Coast Road (ECR) project, which remained suspended for about a month following sharp showers in the coastal parts of the district, resumed recently.
Being a coastal belt with estuaries, rivulets and the Vellar, the major river of the district, the work involves construction of culverts and minor bridges at several places in the 36-km-long stretch. Work on construction of a minor bridge or culvert has been undertaken every couple of km between Kattumavadi and Kottaipattinam, about 70 km from here.
Authorities of the Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project (TNSRP), which is executing the Rs.2,160-crore project of laying the 742-km road from Arcot to Tuticorin, suspended the work as a vast stretch of newly laid and levelled earth on the ECR stretch turned slushy at places such as Kottaipattinam, Kattumavadi and Manamelkudi. The overflowing water from the culverts brought all work to a grinding halt.
The project, which started in February 2004, is expected to be completed by March 2009. Of the total outlay of Rs.2,160 crore, a sum of Rs.1,148 crore will be utilised to upgrade the ECR, TNSRP sources told The Hindu. The upgrading work includes strengthening of the earth and ensuring technical stability of the area to suit the huge volume of heavy vehicles. With the receding of rain water, work resumed last week, the sources said.
The project is being executed through meticulous planning, covering a stretch of 387 km between Arcot and Tiruvarur and 355 km between Nagapattinam and Tuticorin.
Source: hindu.com
Reliance Energy Ltd(REL) to hive off infrastructure projects
November 12, 2007
NEW DELHI: In a bid to separate the power and infrastructure projects, Reliance Energy Ltd. (REL) has now decided to transfer all its infrastructure projects to a separate wholly-owned subsidiary.
The REL board had already given its approval to the proposal.
The move comes hot on the heels of REL deciding to hive off its power generation business as a separate company — Reliance Power Limited (RPL).
RPL has filed a draft red herring prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for an initial public cffering (IPO) of around Rs. 12,000 crore.
The decision to hive off infrastructure portfolio to a new subsidiary comes in view of the increasing portfolio of the company on this account in recent months.
REL is developing highways for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the build-own-transfer (BOT) scheme.
It is involved in five National Highway projects in Tamil Nadu, covering a length of 400 km at a cost of Rs. 3,100 crore. In addition, it is pursuing road projects, including the proposed Rs. 5,000 crore Western Freeway sea-link project connecting Worli and Nariman Point in Mumbai and the Rs. 6,000-crore Jaipur Ring Road project.
On the real estate side, the REL-led consortium had emerged as a winner for developing a business city in Hyderabad with an estimated investment of Rs. 6,500 crore. The city will be built in 77 acres, which will include a 100-storey trade tower. It has also bagged the metro rail project in Mumbai that involved the development and operation of a fully-elevated metro rail.
The total cost of the project is around Rs. 2,500 crore. It has also bid for line 2 of the Mumbai metro elevated track between Mankhurd and Charkop with an estimated investment of Rs. 6,500 crore. The company is also bidding for the Rs. 6,000 crore Mumbai trans-harbour link.
Source : The Hindu