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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Slums gone, UT gets rolling with new urban blueprint
1 2 Chandigarh: In the heart of India's most meticulously planned city, a quiet but powerful transformation is underway. Over the past six months, nearly 50 acres of prime government land — once swallowed by slums, unauthorized colonies, and makeshift markets — have been reclaimed by the administration in a sweeping anti-encroachment drive. What was once a patchwork of tin roofs and tangled alleys is now being cleared for a bold new vision: planned development, modern infrastructure, and long-delayed civic projects. From Sanjay Colony's demolition in April to the recent flattening of Adarsh Colony, the city's skyline is shifting—one bulldozer at a time. "For years, critical projects were stuck because the land was simply not available," said a senior UT official. "Now, with these encroachments removed, we can finally move forward with Chandigarh's next phase of growth." "The lands will be used by the department concerned, like UT engineering department, Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB), and municipal corporation," the official added. The administration, in a recent meeting chaired by Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria gave a detailed presentation on how the vacated land would be used. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo In April this year, the administration reclaimed 6 acres of land, worth around Rs 300 crore, by demolishing Sanjay Colony in Industrial Area Phase-1. In the drive, 1,200 hutments were demolished, and around 6,000 people were evicted from the land. "The land in this area will be used for industrial plots, and on a major chunk of it, a railway yard, godown, and railway yard extension are planned," said the UT official. Continuing with the drive to reclaim govt land, in May, the administration demolished Janta Colony, Sector 25. Ten acres, worth around Rs 450 crore, of encroached govt land was reclaimed during the drive. More than 10,000 residents were removed, and 2,500 structures were demolished during the drive. "As the encroachments were majorly within an existing resettlement colony, the long-pending development works in the area will be taken up now. These include parks, shopping areas, a creche, a school, and a community centre. Also, there are plans to develop a sizable portion of the vacated area into a green belt," said the official. On June 19, the administration demolished the Adarsh Colony, located between Sector 53 and 54, resulting in the recovery of approximately 12 acres of prime govt land, estimated to be worth Rs 500 crore. Around 800 hutments were demolished during the anti-encroachment drive. Earlier in Sector 53, ten acres were reclaimed from an unauthorised religious complex. "This land chunk is the most crucial for the city's expansion. The land has been earmarked for the development of the third phase of the city. While the first and second phase development of the city has been completed, the third phase has been held up for several years. Though multiple reasons were behind this slow progress of the third phase, large-scale land encroachments were the main reason. In the area, now the administration and the CHB can come up with planned residential, commercial, and institutional development," said the official. The administration is all set to reclaim another 15 acres in Sector 53-54 after the demolition of the furniture market. This will also be used for the development of the third phase of the city.
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Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Bangladesh signs US wheat-import deal in bid to curb tariff pressure
Bangladesh signed a deal on Sunday to import 700,000 tonnes of wheat annually from the United States over the next five years, in a move aimed at securing tariff relief from the Trump administration amid growing trade tensions, officials said. The agreement formalised through a memorandum of understanding inked in Dhaka between the Ministry of Food and trade group US Wheat Associates comes at a critical moment, with Washington set to impose a 35 per cent tariff on Bangladeshi exports from August 1. Officials in Dhaka hope the pact will help narrow Bangladesh $6 billion trade deficit with the US and pave the way for more-favourable treatment of key export items, particularly garments, which dominate shipments to the United States. Bangladesh's de facto food minister, Ali Imam Majumder, said at the signing ceremony that the agreement would not only ensure a steady supply of high-quality wheat at competitive prices but also strengthen trade ties between the two nations. This step reflects our willingness to build mutual trust and deepen economic cooperation with the United States, he said. The wheat initiative is widely seen as part of a broader diplomatic and trade strategy to soften Washington stance and open the door for further negotiations. Officials from the Ministry of Commerce said talks are ongoing with US counterparts in an effort to lower the duty, arguing that such high tariffs could significantly undermine Bangladesh competitiveness in the American market. Bangladesh imports around 7 million tonnes of wheat each year, with the bulk sourced from the Black Sea region due to its lower cost. Smaller volumes of higher-quality wheat, including some from the United States, are also imported for blending.
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First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Microsoft bars China-based engineers from Pentagon support after US scrutiny
Microsoft, a key contractor for the US government, has previously experienced high-profile breaches by Chinese and Russian hackers. It said that it had disclosed its arrangements with China-based personnel to the government read more Microsoft said it will no longer allow engineers based in China to provide technical assistance for US military cloud computing systems, following a report that raised concerns over potential cybersecurity threats and prompted a high-level review by the Pentagon. The move comes after investigative outlet ProPublica published a report detailing how Chinese engineers had been involved in supporting the Pentagon's cloud infrastructure, under the supervision of American 'digital escorts'. These escorts, employed via subcontractors and holding security clearances, were reportedly often not equipped with the technical expertise to detect cybersecurity risks posed by the Chinese engineers' work. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Microsoft, a key contractor for the US government, has previously experienced high-profile breaches by Chinese and Russian hackers. It told ProPublica that it had disclosed its arrangements with China-based personnel during the government's authorisation process. Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw said on the social media platform X that the company had modified its procedures 'in response to concerns raised earlier this week … to assure that no China-based engineering teams are providing technical assistance' for services supporting the Pentagon. Review launched, senator raises alarm Earlier on Friday, Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas and chair of the Senate intelligence committee, sent a letter to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding clarification on Microsoft's reported practices. Cotton, who also serves on the armed services committee, requested a list of contractors using Chinese personnel and more detail on how digital escorts are trained to identify suspicious activities. 'The US government recognises that China's cyber capabilities pose one of the most aggressive and dangerous threats to the United States, as evidenced by infiltration of our critical infrastructure, telecommunications networks, and supply chains,' Cotton wrote. He added that the military 'must guard against all potential threats within its supply chain, including those from subcontractors'. In a video statement posted on X, Hegseth said he had ordered a two-week review to ensure that no China-based engineers were involved in other Department of Defence cloud contracts. 'I'm announcing that China will no longer have any involvement whatsoever in our cloud services, effective immediately,' Hegseth said. 'We will continue to monitor and counter all threats to our military infrastructure and online networks.'
