Rajasthan high court stays toll hike on Jaipur-Delhi highway

September 10, 2014

Rajasthan high court stays toll hike on Jaipur-Delhi highway
The order came during the hearing of a writ petition challenging the collection of toll on Jaipur-Delhi portion of NH-8 despite the poor condition of the road.
JAIPUR: The Rajasthan high court on Monday stayed the hike in toll on the Jaipur-Delhi national highway — made effective from midnight of September 1 — till the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the contractor file an affidavit saying that the road is in good condition.

Justice MN Bhandari has directed the NHAI and the contractor to file an affidavit within seven days. The next hearing of the case is on September 10.

The order came during the hearing of a writ petition filed by Lalit Kumar Sharma challenging the collection of toll on Jaipur-Delhi portion of NH-8 despite the poor condition of the road.

The court expressed its disappointment and came down heavily on NHAI and the lending bank, IDBI. It observed in unequivocal terms that as per the clause of the agreement, substitution can never mean reinstating the earlier contractor. The court expressed unhappiness over the careless approach of NHAI and the bank in this matter. The court also asked how the toll could be increased when the default continued. The NHAI stated that the increase in toll was due to the maintenance work of the existing four lanes. On this, the court expressed its displeasure and stayed the increase in toll till an affidavit is filed by the NHAI and the contractor saying that there exist a proper and maintained four-lane highway.

NHAI could not answer a question as to by what authority the bank was taking such decisions against the provisions of the agreement. If any inquiry is conducted and the fault of bank comes to light, it can be made a party and prosecuted by the court.

Source:Times of India

Road development, a major achievement in Rajasthan

June 28, 2012

Roads make a vital contribution to India’s economy and to infrastrutural development overall, and, the state of Rajasthan has not lagged behind in this endeavor, implementing various development projects worth Rs.4549 crore to improve over 30,000-kilometers of roads.

The Rajasthan Government’s commitment towards infrastructure development took shape with the setting up of the Road Infrastructure Development Company of Rajasthan (RIDCOR).

This project involves improvement and maintenance of 1053 kilometers of road across 13 districts of the state, at an investment of Rs.12 billon.

Under the Ashok Gehlot regime, road connectivity in Rajasthan has improved considerably.

In the last 36 months, the state government has activated projects of road repair, renewal and re-carpeting. It has upgraded and strengthened highways and other main district roads at a cost of Rs.750 crores.

The state government has also sanctioned the construction of 2420 km of roads at a cost of Rs.517 crores.

Under the Mahanarega Scheme, more than 2900 villages with population of 250 to 500 will be developed and get their roads connected to the nearest roadways bus service.

In first phase (2012-13), 3302 kilometers of road will be developed. A sum of Rs.832 crores has been given to NABARD for the completion of this work.

Roads of the remaining 1400 villages will also be developed with the help of the World Bank.

At least 16 mega highway projects are under construction, the objective being to connect important roads in the state.

Under this scheme, 2631 kilometers of roads will be developed and re carpeting at a cost of Rs.3590 crore. About 28 main roads are to be developed under PPP/BOT/BGF scheme.

Plans include developing roads between Jaipur and Falodi via the Jobner-Kuchaman-Nagore stretch (a distance of 360 kilometers).

Work on the Kotputli-Neem ka Thana-Sikar-Kuchman road corridor of 193 km is also expected to be developed soon at a cost of Rs.285 crores.

The Bharatpur-Alwar-Bahrod-Narnoul road corridor of 167 km will be developed at a cost of 249 crore rupees.

The state government also plans to connect 610 important religious places with the main roads (1156 km).

Development of these identified corridors will also include development and support environmental, community, social, educational and tourism initiatives along the road projects. Improvement works of these corridors have been divided into many packages for implementation.

Having good road infrastructure can make the roadways better and transport system would become faster, because roads and transport are interrelated for the development.

A massive development plan has been undertaken by the department of the transport to strengthen its infrastructure in the state.

The government has also been trying to raise public awareness about safe road travel.

Road development in the state is expected to highlight the Gehlot regime’s move to the high growth path. (ANI)

SOURCE:http://www.newstrackindia.com

CCI approval for 561.89 km of highways in five states

January 11, 2010

On 9 January 2010, the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) approved road projects worth Rs 6,151.94 crore for upgrading nearly 561.89 km of highways in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Goa and Rajasthan.

The projects include expanding existing four-lane section roads into six-lanes of the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) scheme in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan (totalling 439.02 km). The projects include the 140.35-km Pune-Satara section on NH-4 in Maharashtra; the 56.16-km Samakhiali-Gandhidham section on NH-8A in Gujarat; and the 242.51-km Udaipur-Ahmedabad section on NH-8 in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The GQ projects to be implemented on DBFOT basis are estimated to cost Rs 4,279.94 crore. While the concession period for the NH-4 and NH-8A projects is 24 years, the NH-8 project’s concession period is 30 years. All these projects have the construction period of 912 days.

Further, the CCI has accorded its approval for the implementation of the 122.87-km-long section of four/six-laning of Maharashtra/Goa border to Goa/Karnataka section of NH-17 in Goa on a DBFOT and BOT basis. The project cost is Rs 1,872 crore with a concession period of 23 years and construction period of 1,095 days.

Ashoka Buildcon Ltd. becomes the first Indian infra company to get the prestigious IMS international certification

November 1, 2007

Ashoka Buildcon Limited (ABL), a renowned infrastructure developer with a track record of over 25 years, has achieved the distinction of becoming the first Indian infrastructure construction firm to receive the prestigious Integrated Management Systems (ISO 9001:2001, ISO 14001:2004 & 18001-1999) certificate (IMS) from International Standards Certification Pty., Australia, covering all business operations, which includes all BOT (build-operate-transfer), EPC (engineering procurement construction) projects, RMC (ready mixed concrete) plants and Toll operations.

This certification is in recognition of the Company’s commitment to continuing improvement of quality, environmental and occupational health and safety management system performance and complying with all applicable legal and contractual requirements while adopting state-of-the-art technology in project execution.

Mr. Ashok M. Katariya, Chairman, ABL, said, “Our technological superiority, rapid progress, quality and construction management skills are guiding us towards our dream of building India 2020. The principal objective of our organisation is to offer the latest technology in civil construction and structural engineering, besides maintaining a quality oriented economy. We have now steadily progressed towards being one of the country’s most experienced infrastructural developers.”

Mr. Satish D. Parakh, Managing Director, ABL, said, “The initiative of acquiring this prestigious international certification was taken in June 2007. Subsequently, we launched a campaign through training reviews, documentation and internal audits, covering all our divisions including operations and maintenances of road infrastructure.” Mr. Parakh added, “This is an endorsement of our ability to conduct operations in a manner wherein we protect people, property and the environment. We do this by identifying, controlling and reducing all associated risks to a level as Low as ReasonablyPracticable.”

Ashoka Buildcon Ltd. had earlier adopted quality management system (QMS) current standard ISO 9001-2000 during the year 1998. In view of the emerging scenario of globalisation of the Indian infrastructure industry and the increasing need for compliance to the requirements of the stakeholders and also for continual business improvement based on sustainable development, the Company went for IMS certification to include EMS (ISO14001) and OHSAS 18001.

This IMS certification will benefit the Company in areas such as reducing multiple assessments; improving legal statutory and regulatory compliance; enhancing employee related safety and good housekeeping, making it more socially responsible; and being perceived as a quality player with a competitive edge for better customer satisfaction.

The Nashik-based Ashoka Buildcon Ltd. is among the first few companies in India to get the ISO 9000 certification, keeping in kind the need of the times to prevent global warming and to preserve the environment. It has received recognition from United Nations for its contribution towards the “billion tree” plantation campaign.

Starting off as an industrial contractor, the Company has now steadily progressed towards being one of the country’s most experienced infrastructural developers spanning across a plethora of mega-infrastructural assignments. It received the Limca Book Awards from completing the bridge across the Mandve river, Maharashtra, within 38 days as against the allotted time period of 12 months.

Over the years, the Company has completed several major bridges and 94 minor bridges. In addition, it has also completed 4 railway-over bridges, 5 flyovers and 7 foot-over bridges. In terms of road length, the Company has completed 1,888 lane kms of road and 988 lane kms of road work is in progress. It has also an established track record of commissioning 13 BOT road projects — the largest in the country. The Company is committed to become an icon in infrastructure development,through innovation, professionalism, active leadership in product quality and sustained growth by delivering value to its customers.

Since its inception in the early 1980s, Ashoka Buildcon Ltd. has successfully completed projects in several states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and the NCR region. It has emerged as a major BOT toll road operator in the country. It was the first infrastructure Company to complete the work among the seven corridors of Phase I of RIDCOR (Road Infrastructure Development Company of Rajasthan) much ahead of the schedule. It has executed several prestigious projects including the BOT project of Indore Edlabad Road and the East Coast Road from Chennai to Pondicherry, which is reputed as a world class road. The prestigious projects executed by the Company in the western region also include the Pune Shirur Road Project and the Nagar-Karmala road project. It has also executed various projects including the construction of a five star Hotel Sun-N-Sand at Shirdi, Railway overbridge at Nashirabad, Yashvantrao Chavan Open University Building at Nashik. The Company is a responsible corporate citizen engaging in philanthropic activities committed to environment protection, education and agriculture.

Source: indiaprwire.com