Pune: MahaMetro to ready modified DPR for extension routes

The MahaMetro will ready a modified Detailed Project Report considering Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s DPR for extension of Metro line from Shivajinagar to Hadapsar-Lonikalbhor with spur line towards Saswad Road station. This was put forth in Pune Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority's meeting.

PMRDA’s DPR prepared by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had proposed the extension of the elevated Metro line from the ongoing work of Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar Metro Line-3 further to Hadapsar-Lonikalbhor with Saswad Road and Racecourse-Swargate spur, which is proposed to be connected to MahaMetro’s lines of Khadakwasla to Swargate and SNDT to Warje as well, said officials with Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority.

According to the recommendation of the joint technical group of the PMRDA and MahaMetro, in the meeting held under the chairmanship of Pune divisional commissioner, Saurabh Rao it has been decided that the DPR be readied for Khadakwasla-Swargate-Race Course-Hadapsar-Lonikalbhor with spur line to Saswad Road station, with SNDT to Khadakwasla line connection be considered as a single project with an approximate length of 45km in total.

The meeting discussed the possibility of Kharadi to Hadapsar to be taken up by MahaMetro as a part of extension of the Wagholi line. While the DPR for PMRDA’s elevated Metro line readied by the DMRC is available for the elevated Metro from Shivajinagar to Hadapsar and Lonikalbhor, MahaMetro will have to ready a single DPR that will incorporate the PMRDA’s DPR of Shivajinagar-Hadapsar and the MahaMetro extensions.

Kerala embarks on big drive to push caravan tourism

Caravan tourism, the Kerala government’s pathbreaking initiative that aims to provide a novel experience to tourists and encourages active participation of local communities, has evoked an enthusiastic response. Following successful roadshows in Europe and the Middle East, and various partnership meets in four major metro cities in India, Kerala Tourism is aggressively promoting the project across the country. “The caravan policy marks a strategic shift to present the entire state before the global audience based on the concept of ‘exploring the unexplored’ round the year,” Kerala’s tourism minister P A Mohammed Riyas said, adding that the government has announced a comprehensive stakeholder-friendly policy to encourage this segment.

While caravans are specially-built vehicles for travel and leisure, caravan parks are designated areas to park the vehicles and facilitate the visitors to spend a night or a day or for an extended period to explore a destination. In its caravan policy announced in September last year, the Kerala government has ensured the concept is environment-friendly. For example, one of the norms set for vehicles being used as caravans is that they should comply with the BS-VI norms of emission.

While 10 caravans operated by six operators including the state-run Kerala Tourism Development Corporation have begun operations, as many as 500 caravans are waiting to hit the road soon. “The reason for a buoyant response is that, unlike in other states, instead of operating the caravans or caravan parks, the government is a facilitator and has created the right ecosystem for the project,” Kerala tourism director V R Krishna Teja said. 

Somewhere in Mumbai....

BEST announced that it had commenced work on creating green spaces on the rooftops of 350 bus stops across the island city and suburbs. This is being funded by the environment ministry, for which minister Aaditya Thackeray has taken the initiative to convert 6,000 bus stops with green spaces in eight months. After 350 stops, BEST will undertake 1,000  more stops on a public-private partnership model. A few stops near the racecourse have roofs with plants and flowers, such as Zebrina, Asparagus, Morning Glory and Jasmine, and other flowers which attract butterflies and other pollinating agents. Also, plants atop the ribbon grass will help purify air, officials said. 

Mawsynram: World’s wettest place, sees its rainiest day

Mawsynram, the wettest spot on earth, received 1003.6mm of rain in 24 hours, the highest single day downpour ever recorded at the station, while neighbouring Cherrapunjee logged its third highest 24-hour rainfall.

The amount of rain recorded at Mawsynram from 8.30am on Thursday to 8.30am Friday, is 16 times higher than the average weighted rainfall in India in June so far. In the 17 days of monsoon so far (June 1 to 17), India has received an average of 61.1mm of rain. Cherrapunjee, the second wettest place on earth, got 972mm, its third-highest single-day rainfall. Mawsynram and Cherrapunjee (locally known as Sohra) are in the southern fringes of Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district and overlook the plains of Bangladesh.

The typical shape of the catchment area, together with its orography (topographic relief of mountains), contributes to the enhancement of convergence of moisture coming from the Bay of Bengal, resulting in such extremely heavy rainfall in these two places.

The contributions from these two places have pushed the east and northeast regions to the top of the monsoon rainfall list. With a cumulative average rain- fall of 220.3 mm in the last 17 days, this is the only region getting excess rainfall. The rainfall deficit is 63% in the northwest region, 57% in central India and 24% in southern peninsula region. The SW monsoon hit the country in Kerala on May 29 and entered the northeastern region on June 2. According to the Guwahati regional weather forecasting centre, Cherrapunjee’s wettest day was recorded on June 16, 1995, when it received 1563.3mm of rainfall. As per the World Meteorological Organization, Cherrapunjee holds the world record for maximum two-day (48-hour) rainfall at any  station, with 2,493mm recorded on June 15-16m, 1995. Mawsynram’s previous highest 24-hour rainfall was 945.4mm on June 7, 1966. Based on the average annual rainfall it receives, Mawsynram (11,873mm) is known to be the wettest place in the world.

The flood situation in Assam turned critical on Friday with nine more people, including two kids, losing their lives, taking the toll in this year’s floods and landslides in the state to 55, a bulletin issued by Assam state disaster management authority said. The deaths were reported in Hojai, Nalbari, Bajali, Dhubri, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, and Sonitpur. Two people were reported missing in Hojai and Sonitpur. A total of 18.9 lakh people remained affected in the state, it said. 

Tamil Nadu: Government begins work to establish textile city near Ambattur

The handlooms and textiles department has commenced the process of identifying and acquiring a land parcel measuring between 50 acres and 100 acres in Chenna’s Ambattur area to establish a one-stop marketing facility encompassing the entire textile value chain. This textile city would come up along the Chennai Outer Ring Road to promote the sector.

The project, according to senior officials, would be implemented under public private partnership. The department held a couple of meetings with Chennai apparel association and other stakeholders regarding the project and received an overwhelming response. “At present, we are in the process of identifying suitable land along the outer ring road,” said a senior officer, seeking anonymity.

Handlooms and textiles minister R Gandhi said work on the textile city has begun. “We will soon implement the project to establish the textile park in Chennai,” he said. The department has allocated ₹1 crore for conducting feasibility study and preparation of DPR for the textile park. Once the department acquires suitable land, the department would prepare a master plan and invite investors to establish their facilities.

The project is aimed at creating marketing networks and networking infrastructure, both physical and virtual, by establishing robust IT and network initiatives and creation of large-scale marketplaces. “The upcoming textile city will have research and development facilities, wholesale-cum-export facilities, GST and customs tables to facilitate the investors for ease of doing business and enhance exports multifold. The upcoming facility will be superior in all ways than the existing textile valley in Karur, which has limited facilities,” the official added. At present, there is no proper marketing facility for the textile and clothing industry in the state, he said.

The department had a couple of informal meetings with Chennai Apparels Association and other  stakeholders and the response was overwhelming. “We will have formal meetings with the apparel and knitwear associations based in Chennai, Tirupur, Karur and other regions. As of now, we are receiving good response from them and they are keen on having such (one-stop marketing) facilities,” the official added.

After centuries, ‘dhwaja’ to be unfurled at Pavagadh temple

When the trustees of Pavagadh-based Mahakali temple announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unfurl a ‘dhwaja’ atop the shrine, many wondered why this took so many centuries to happen?

It was only after the trust put forward explanations that the matter turned clearer. “The ‘dhwaja’is unfurled on a mast on the ‘shikhar’ of the temple,” said trustee of the temple Ashok Pandya. However, the temple’s ‘shikhar’ was damaged when Pavagadh was conquered by Sultan Mohammed Begada in in 15th century, he said, adding that there was also a dargah over it making it unfit for unfurling a ‘dhwaja’. He further said that the dargah may have also come up around the same time. “It is called the Sadanshah Pir’s dargah. There are various stories, but I have no concrete information regarding it,” Pandya added. Ghanshyam Joshi, a retired college professor, who stays in Pavagadh and has keen interest in Champaner-Pavagadh history said that there were reasons to believe that the temple was damaged and the dargah came up after 1484, when Begada attacked Pavagadh.

Both Pandya and Joshi pointed out that the temple trust and the caretakers of the dargah had reached an understanding regarding the issue and the dargah was shifted to a location near the temple. “It is more visible now and more persons are visiting it,” said Joshi.

PM is scheduled to visit Pavagadh on Saturday morning. He will first visit the Bhairav temple before going to the Mahakali temple where he will perform prayers including worshipping the ‘dhwaja’ which will then be unfurled on the temple.

Modi is then scheduled to visit the Virasat Van developed by the forest department. State revenue minister Rajendra Trivedi called the event historic while addressing the media in Vadodara. He said that such an event will be held for the first time in 500 years.

Gujarat: Dahej gets ₹881cr desalination plant

Chief minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the 100 MLD (million litres per day) desalination plant at Dahej in Bharuch district, which was built by Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation  at a cost of Rs 881 crore.

The plant will purify salt water and make it usable by industry in the region. This plant for industrial use is the first of its kind and largest in the country, a state government statement said. Of the total four PCPIR (petroleum, chemicals and petrochemicals investment regions) in the country, Dahej PCPIR is the only functional one. Spread over 453 square kilometres, the region is growing fast, the release said.

M Thennarasan, vice chairman and managing director of GIDC, said at present 454 MLD of water is being sourced from the Narmada river and Narmada canal. About 200 MLD is currently being used by industrial units. “Due to the limited availability of water and salinity, especially from January to June, water scarcities are likely to affect production. The desalination plant has been built as an alternative source of water for industrial units to meet demand of the existing and upcoming units in the region,” he said.

Construction work was awarded to the joint venture company of Larsen & Toubro and Tecton. Total construction cost is Rs 881. 19 crore. A special purpose vehicle, Dahej Desal Foundation, has been constituted by GIDC and the beneficiary industrial units for operation and maintenance of the plant.