Work on Rs 50-crore market complex begins in Aluva
KOCHI: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday inaugurated the work of setting up a new hitech multi-storey market complex at Aluva, which was first mooted over a decade ago.
The Rs 50 crore market project is a joint venture between the Central and state governments who will share the expense in the ratio of 60:40. Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) is carrying out the construction works.
The demolition of the old market, which was once among the most prominent marketplaces in central Kerala, started back in 2013, but the work dragged on due to various reasons, including legal challenges.
Though the then chief minister Oommen Chandy laid the foundation stone in 2015, there was no progress in the works. The market, located in the heart of the town, deteriorated literally into a dumpyard. It was fully demolished only recently.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Ranchi vendor markets sinking under choked drains, unhygienic surroundings, & poor infra
1 2 Ranchi: The city's main vendor markets, especially Naga Baba Khatal and Kokar, are characterised by choked drains, unhygienic surroundings, and poor infrastructure. These public spaces remain on the margins of municipal attention in spite of being important areas in a civilised society. A vendor at Rs 10.86-crore valued Naga Baba Khatal Vendor Market, Rekha Devi, said, "Overflowing drains, stagnant water, and heaps of rotting vegetables have turned the area unbearable. Even a small shower turns this place into a filthy swamp. The stink is terrible. Customers avoid coming here." Echoing the statement, customer Neha Kumari said, "The area lacks drainage system. We have to walk in muck mixed with vegetable waste. Toilets are barely usable, especially for women." At Kokar Vendor Market, vendors operate beside garbage piles and blocked drains. "The waste isn't picked up regularly, turning into heaps and lying scattered with rainwater," said Imran, a fruit seller. The Atal Vendor Market, built at a cost of Rs 54 crore with 478 shops, is structurally better but overcrowded. Vendors and customers struggle to navigate narrow congested passages. "There's no space to walk during rush hours, especially when shopkeepers display goods outside their stalls," said Arun Kumar, a vendor. Though these markets were constructed to decongest roads and fight encroachments, their neglected condition is forcing vendors back onto roads and footpaths. "The markets helped control encroachment to some extent. However, the vendors prefer doing their business from the roadside, where footfall is higher and conditions are manageable," said Shabnam Ansari, a vendor at Naga Baba Market. Assistant municipal commissioner Nikesh Kumar said, "Each market has four to five cleaning staff. Restoration files have been submitted to the authorities. Upgradation of infrastructure would begin based on approval." "For hundreds of vendors and thousands of customers, restoring hygiene and functionality in these markets isn't about comfortbut survival," said Ritu Sinha, another customer at the Atal Vendor Market.
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
After SC order, MMRDA seeks price bids from L&T on projects
Mumbai: Nearly two weeks after MMRDA informed Supreme Court that it had "in public interest" scrapped its tenders for the Thane-Ghodbunder-Bhayander twin tunnel and elevated road projects—collectively estimated at Rs 14,000 crore—the planning authority has sought detailed financial estimates from infrastructure giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The projects include an underground road tunnel from Gaimukh to Fountain Hotel Junction on Ghodbunder Road and an elevated road from Fountain Hotel Junction to Bhayander. Sources said MMRDA sent a letter on June 10 asking L&T to submit detailed financial estimates/price bids, rate analysis and justification and related documents in seven working days "to ensure completeness of the bid records" and "further transparency and public interest". The tender process for the projects had landed in court after MMRDA disqualified L&T from the technical bids round by declaring it non-responsive, saying it had failed to submit a mandatory affidavit. The affidavit required bidders to declare that none of their bridges had collapsed within two years of completion. Megha Engineering and Infrastructure, a prominent purchaser of electoral bonds prior to being scrapped by the apex court, was declared the successful bidder. L&T then moved Bombay HC, alleging lack of clarity over the rejection and the decision not to open its financial bids. HC granted a temporary stay on the opening of price bids on May 13 but dismissed L&T's petitions on May 20, observing "material suppression" by the company. The court upheld MMRDA's tendering process. L&T approached SC, which expressed surprise that technical bids of a firm that had built Central Vista and Atal Setu had been rejected. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The company disclosed during the proceedings that its quoted prices were significantly lower—Rs 6,498 crore for the tunnel and Rs 5,554 crore for the elevated road. SC was informed that the difference was over Rs 3,100 crore between the lowest bidder and L&T. The bench asked MMRDA how L&T could be technically disqualified from the projects in that case and directed it to check with the state govt if it was willing to re-tender the projects. SC disposed of L&T's petition after MMRDA agreed to re-tender the projects. MMRDA has since maintained that both SC and HC had upheld its submission, but that in deference to the courts and in line with its institutional commitment to transparency, it was decided that both tenders would be scrapped and a fresh tender process would be initiated. In its June 10 letter, it said it had decided to voluntarily scrap the tenders and revise cost estimates in the "spirit of transparency and larger public interest. "
India Today
41 minutes ago
- India Today
Crippled by Op Sindoor strikes, Pak eyeing Germany for air defence upgrades
Rattled by the devastating impact of BrahMos missile strikes during India's Operation Sindoor, Pakistan is now exploring the procurement of a new air defence system to counter future to sources, Islamabad is actively considering the purchase of the IRIS-T SLM air defence system from Germany in a bid to strengthen its aerial shield against India's supersonic cruise missiles, particularly the move comes after Pakistan's existing Chinese-origin air defence systems, including the HQ-9 and HQ-16, failed to detect or intercept Indian missile attacks during the operation. In contrast, the IRIS-T SLM system has demonstrated significant effectiveness in recent combat situations. In Ukraine, where several units were redirected from Egypt due to the ongoing war, the German-made system has reportedly shot down over 60 aerial targets since its deployment last it was said to have successfully intercepted Russian Oniks missiles, which are similar in profile to India's by Diehl Defence, the IRIS-T SLM is known for its modular and compact architecture. Each unit, estimated to cost around USD 200 million, includes radar, an operations centre, and launchers, all mounted on a 20-foot interest in the system highlights its urgent push to rebuild and upgrade its air defence network, particularly after key air bases were damaged by Indian missiles during Operation grappling with a severe economic crisis, Pakistan has raised its defence budget by 18 per cent this year while simultaneously scrapping domestic development projects valued at 1,000 billion Pakistani the past month, the country has secured financial assistance totalling USD 1.8 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to address its fiscal Germany's Diehl Defence, the maker of the IRIS-T SLM, is also involved in a major Indian defence initiative. The company is collaborating with Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems on Project 75I, a Rs 70,000 crore programme to build six submarines for the Indian Indian-German collaboration also includes the development of the Interactive Defence and Attack System (IDAS), which will be integrated into the India's Reliance Defence has announced a partnership to manufacture Vulcano 155mm precision-guided artillery shells domestically. The initiative is expected to generate revenues of approximately Rs 10,000 crore, with over 50 per cent of the components to be produced indigenously.
