6.2.10
First Figo rolls out of Chennai
Ford India drove out its first small car, Figo, from its Chennai plant on Friday. The new compact car underscores the importance Ford has placed in the burgeoning Indian automotive market as well as throughout the region. It will be a car from India to the rest of the world. The first car was flagged off by Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi. The company on Friday also inaugurated a bigger engine manufacturing unit put up at an investment of $500 million. Boneham said Ford would ramp up production capacity of diesel engines at the new engine plant from 60,000 units per annum to 2.53 lakh per annum. Export of the diesel engines would begin in 2011.
4.2.10
3.2.10
Tejas update
The much-delayed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme will get an additional funding of Rs 8,000 crore. Tejas, India’s effort at building an indigenous trainer — in the making since 1983 — will obtain initial operational clearance by the year-end. The government had spent Rs 4,800 crore on the LCA programme till 2009-end. There has been all-round scepticism of the project over its inordinate delay. Experts have questioned the wisdom of continuing it, and dubbed it a total failure. But defence minister AK Antony on Tuesday strongly defended the LCA programme: “Today I can assure you with confidence... I can declare at last LCA is going to be a reality.’’ Dismissing all criticism about the project taking close to three decades, he said that all agencies involved strongly believed in LCA. Maintaining that LCA had to undergo rigorous trials before it became a complete fighting machine, Antony said the development of a new aircraft was not easy; the gestation period is very long. “Don’t expect miracles. Our expectation is to give a momentum for indigenisation.” Admitting that Tejas still has a long way to go, he expressed confidence it will get final operational clearance by end of 2012. The IAF has already ordered 20 LCAs and expressed interest in ordering another 20 aircraft. Antony said the government is in talks with parties abroad for the development of an engine for Tejas. A Tejas two-seater trainer and a Limited Series Production (LSP) aircraft was displayed on Tuesday. The minister was in the city for the inauguration of System Test and Integration Rig (STIR) Complex at Centre for Air-Borne Systems (CABS), inauguration of Electronic Warfare and Avionics Strategic Business Unit Integration Infrastructure Facility, and handing over of BEL’s fire control system Lynx U1 to the Indian Navy.
LCA programme launched in 1983 .Envisaged as India’s multirole supersonic aircraft Tejas has undergone hotweather trials at Nagpur, cold-weather trials at Leh, and sea trials at Arakkonam and Goa .
Two-seat tandem configuration Air Force trainer derived from the fighter version.
The makers of Tejas see great potential for it in the world market LCA.
Navy programme was sanctioned in March 2003
The War over Mumbai
Whose Mumbai is it any way? The Shiv Sena,MNS, RSS and Congress join the senseless spat !
Maharashtra's UD department plans to relax CRZ rules
In what is being seen as an anti-environment move, the Maharashtra urban development department has proposed to relax Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules. The file was cleared on February 1 by chief minister Ashok Chavan who holds the urban development portfolio. “We will convey our views to the Centre, though our environment department may have some contradictory views,’’ said an urban development department official. The Centre had proposed that the Coastal Management Zone (CMZ) would replace the CRZ but, due to opposition from various quarters, it lapsed. The Centre then said that the CRZ would continue and the state government demanded special concessions for Mumbai. A senior official of the urban development department said, “As such, one is required to maintain a distance of 500 m from the High Tide Line (HTL), but we have proposed that this should not be sacrosanct. The distance can be 25 or 50 metres depending on vulnerability.’’ At present, there are a lot of curbs to develop slum rehabilitation schemes, the urban development (UD) department has asked the Centre to allow SRA schemes and ones under Section 33 (9) of the DC regulations. The UD has also asked for more FSI in CRZ areas. But an official in the environment department said that if such a thing was approved by the Centre, then it would result in mayhem and builders would grab prime sea-facing plots. Environmentalist Rishi Agarwal of Mangrove Society of India said, “Even with laws around to protect coastal areas, I can give many examples where several buildings have come up within 50 metres from the HTL.
Mumbai 2010
If the Maharashtra state government’s assurance is anything to go by, Mumbai’s makeover will be more or less complete by the end of this year. Believe it or not, phase I of the metro rail and monorail projects as well as the Mithi project—which includes the widening, deepening of the river and the beautification of its banks—will be wrapped up by 2010-end. Even the Santa Cruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) will be commissioned at around the same time. Cabinet minister and the suburbs guardian minister Naseem Khan said on Tuesday that December 2010 would mark the commissioning of several infrastructure projects making travel easier in the suburbs. He was speaking after holding a meeting with officials of the MMRDA that is executing most of the projects.
MILAN FLYOVER : The prolonged problem of flooding and disruption of traffic in the Milan subway will finally come to an end. The road over the bridge on the subway will be ready by July 2010. Once commissioned, the subway, which was originally a culvert and later converted into a road, may enjoy its original status if commuters prefer the ROB over the subway.
FREEWAY DELAYED : The road which promises a smooth ride right from Shahid Bhagat Singh Road in south Mumbai to the Eastern Express Highway at Anik Panjrapole without a single traffic signal,will,however,be delayed. Gaikwad said the project was behind schedule by 6 months.
METRO RAIL: Phase I of the metro rail from Versova to Ghatkopar, a distance of 11 km, will be ready by December 2010. The Rs 2,364-crore project will carry 40,000 to 50,000 passengers per hour during peak hours. “It is hoped that this transport system will radically reduce the number of vehicles on the road with citizens more likely to use it for the east-west commute,’’ an official said. The minimum cost of a metro rail ticket will be Rs 8. Incidentally, the issue of parking lots is yet to be resolved. However, MMRDA commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad insisted that the BMC was looking at ways to create parking lots along the metro route.
MONORAIL: The first section of the monorail between Wadala to Chembur will also be ready during the same time. The Rs 2,460-crore project will carry around 20,000 passengers during peak hours. There will be a service every four minutes. According to project specifications, the peak hour passenger traffic in each direction for metro rail is 22,500 and for monorail it is 7,000. MITHI BEAUTIFICATION: The widening and deepening of the 6-km-long river that flows through the BKC will be completed by December 2010, albeit with a significant alteration in width. The width of the river along Kapadia Nagar will not be more than 60 m. The Madhav Chitale Fact-Finding Committee on the Mumbai floods as well as the Central Water and Power Research Station had recommended a width of 100-200 m in the BKC area. According to Gaikwad, there were problems of widening in two areas: the Valmiki Nagar near Vakola nullah and in the Kapadia Nagar area. “We are planning to shift the residents of Valmiki Nagar taking care to see that their livelihoods are not affected,’’ he said. The project cost will touch Rs 400 crore.
MILAN FLYOVER : The prolonged problem of flooding and disruption of traffic in the Milan subway will finally come to an end. The road over the bridge on the subway will be ready by July 2010. Once commissioned, the subway, which was originally a culvert and later converted into a road, may enjoy its original status if commuters prefer the ROB over the subway.
FREEWAY DELAYED : The road which promises a smooth ride right from Shahid Bhagat Singh Road in south Mumbai to the Eastern Express Highway at Anik Panjrapole without a single traffic signal,will,however,be delayed. Gaikwad said the project was behind schedule by 6 months.
METRO RAIL: Phase I of the metro rail from Versova to Ghatkopar, a distance of 11 km, will be ready by December 2010. The Rs 2,364-crore project will carry 40,000 to 50,000 passengers per hour during peak hours. “It is hoped that this transport system will radically reduce the number of vehicles on the road with citizens more likely to use it for the east-west commute,’’ an official said. The minimum cost of a metro rail ticket will be Rs 8. Incidentally, the issue of parking lots is yet to be resolved. However, MMRDA commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad insisted that the BMC was looking at ways to create parking lots along the metro route.
MONORAIL: The first section of the monorail between Wadala to Chembur will also be ready during the same time. The Rs 2,460-crore project will carry around 20,000 passengers during peak hours. There will be a service every four minutes. According to project specifications, the peak hour passenger traffic in each direction for metro rail is 22,500 and for monorail it is 7,000. MITHI BEAUTIFICATION: The widening and deepening of the 6-km-long river that flows through the BKC will be completed by December 2010, albeit with a significant alteration in width. The width of the river along Kapadia Nagar will not be more than 60 m. The Madhav Chitale Fact-Finding Committee on the Mumbai floods as well as the Central Water and Power Research Station had recommended a width of 100-200 m in the BKC area. According to Gaikwad, there were problems of widening in two areas: the Valmiki Nagar near Vakola nullah and in the Kapadia Nagar area. “We are planning to shift the residents of Valmiki Nagar taking care to see that their livelihoods are not affected,’’ he said. The project cost will touch Rs 400 crore.
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