Latest news with #DLP
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
BMC to spend 154cr to fill potholes; lags in desilting
Mumbai: This monsoon, the BMC will spend nearly Rs 154 crore on pothole repairs. BMC officials said this sum is allocated for roads which are yet to be concretised and are under asphalt or paver blocks. Large-scale road concretisation works have been going on in the city for the past two years to make roads pothole-free. Civic officials have justified the allocation by pointing out the amount is significantly lower than last year's Rs 205 crore. Advocate and activist Godfrey Pimenta said while immediate pothole repairs are essential for ensuring road safety during heavy rain, the recurring nature of these fixes highlights systemic inefficiencies. "Temporary solutions should never be prioritised over durable, long-term infrastructure improvements," he said. BMC officials, though, said the allocation is necessary as several roads are still not under the defect liability period (DLP). "The contractor is required to maintain roads under DLP," said an official. Every monsoon, the BMC allocates a certain amount for filling potholes. Residents have questioned the rationale, arguing if road works improve conditions, the need for such a large pothole-filling budget should have reduced further. "As the BMC is spending thousands of crores on road concretisation, one would expect the works to be of superior quality. The BMC plan to spend another Rs 150 crore on filling potholes is completely unjustified. As citizens, we want to know how much has been recovered so far from road concretisation contractors for shoddy work and not completing works on time," said Mandeep Singh Makkar from Chandivali Citizens Forum. Dhaval Shah from the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association said the issue is pothole filling doesn't last one monsoon season. "The expenses made for pothole filling should be audited so that taxpayers' funds are used wisely, and the defect liability period should be introduced for a longer period in the contract so that any reappearance makes the contractor liable to refill it at his expense," he said. Meanwhile, even as May has ended, the BMC is yet to complete 100% of its pre-monsoon desilting work. Its own public dashboard states as of June 3 (Tuesday), only 76.96% of the desilting target was achieved, with 7.46 lakh metric tonne of silt removed of the total estimated 9.69 lakh MT. In case of Mithi river, desilting stood at 55.57%. Officials blame the delay on a probe into Mithi desilting contracts.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Warisan vows to have DLP in all Sabah schools if elected to power
Sabah recorded the second-lowest score among Malaysian states in the EF English Proficiency Index. PETALING JAYA : Warisan has pledged to implement the dual language programme (DLP) so that Mathematics and Science are taught in English throughout Sabah if it is elected to form the state government. Kota Kinabalu Warisan secretary Loi Kok Liang said the party would make the DLP a core education policy and implement it comprehensively if it is returned to power. 'In today's globalised world, we cannot let the next generation of Sabahans to be left behind. 'English is not just about personal development. It is a cornerstone of national competitiveness,' Loi said in a statement. He noted that Perak had made visible progress in English proficiency, emerging as the most English-proficient state in the country, according to the 2024 EF English Proficiency Index. The EF English Proficiency Index evaluates the skills of adults in the language in over 100 countries. Perak had the highest score of 585 among Malaysian states, followed by Kedah and Penang, with 583 points each. Sabah recorded the second-lowest score among Malaysian states with 553, while Melaka ranked last with 550. Loi said Sabah must not be content with merely observing others but must act decisively to move forward. The party also intends to regularly monitor the implementation of the DLP programme. It also wants to integrate English use into the workplace in the tourism and services sectors. Loi said for real educational reforms to take place, Sabah must reclaim authority over its education policies. 'Warisan therefore pledges to re-establish the Sabah education ministry, empowering local experts to craft policies that reflect Sabah's unique context and multicultural needs.' The state education ministry was abolished in 2020, when the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government took over the administration of the state. Since then, education matters in Sabah have been subject to federal jurisdiction. In May 2023, deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof said granting Sabah and Sarawak administrative authority in education and health was one of the important matters discussed by Putrajaya's Malaysia Agreement 1963 secretariat.
The Star
4 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Sarawak approves effort to boost bilingual proficiency
KUCHING: The Sarawak Government will begin implementing a standardised assessment for the Dual Language Programme (DLP) based on international standards of Cambridge University Press and Assessment (CUP&A) for Year Six students in October. Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg announced that the Education Ministry has granted approval for the Sarawak education, innovation and talent development ministry (MEITD) to collaborate with Cambridge University to roll out the initiative. 'This DLP programme will be reviewed and validated by Cambridge University Press and Assessment to ensure its implementation aligns with international standards,' he said in a statement issued by the Sarawak Public Communications Unit yesterday. The announcement follows the signing of a service contract between CUP&A and Swinburne Innovation Malaysia (SWIM) in Cambridge on Wednesday. The event was part of the premier's working visit to the United Kingdom, which began on Tuesday. Jane Mann, managing director of Partnerships for Education at CUP&A, represented the Cambridge side, while SWIM was represented by its chief executive officer George Ngui, Bernama reported. According to Abang Johari, the programme would follow the national curriculum utilising Bahasa Malaysia as the primary medium, while English would serve as the secondary medium for assessment based on Cambridge's international syllabus. Swinburne University, a strategic partner in the initiative, would work alongside Cambridge to implement the assessments in Sarawak. 'This initiative aims to produce students proficient in both languages, thereby equipping them to pursue higher education in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics,' he added. The premier also noted that MEITD is collaborating with Cambridge University to develop a range of high-quality bilingual programmes and scholarship opportunities to allow Sarawakian students to pursue studies in emerging strategic economic sectors. He added that both parties had agreed to facilitate the placement of qualified Sarawakian students from international school systems in world-renowned institutions, including the University of Cambridge, Oxford and the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom, as well as Harvard University in the United States. 'Sarawak is targeting a special quota of 10 placements for outstanding students in selected fields,' Abang Johari added.
The Hindu
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Gas project provides 13,480 PNG connections across Thiruvananthapuram city
The piped natural gas (PNG) network being laid as part of the ongoing city gas project has so far provided 13,480 PNG connections. THINK Gas (formerly known as AG&P Pratham), the company which undertakes the city gas distribution (CGD) project here, said they are planning to strengthen their presence in the capital by providing 6,000 additional connections by September. As part of the project, areas under active development include Sreekaryam, Edavacode, Ulloor, Akkulam, Anamugham, Kadakampally, Attipra and Kulathoor. There was a delay in providing 2,000 connections in areas like Sreevaraham, Palkulangara, and Perunthanni due to delays in road-cutting permissions of the Defects Liability Period (DLP) roads. Pipeline laying work along the national highway 66 will be completed by May 31 to avoid monsoon disruptions. Thonnakkal plant The recently set-up Thonnakkal plant has higher capacity than the Kochuveli facility, which will support gas distribution to Murukkumpuzha and Pallipuram. Already, 500 households in Mangalapuram panchayat (including the Pallipuram CRPF camp) are connected, where the completion of household connections is expected by July. Also, new CNG stations are being developed at Vizhinjam, Kamaleswaram, and Nalanchira. There are a total of 20 CNG outlets in Thiruvananthapuram district. Varkala CNG station became operational on May 16. The upcoming Vizhinjam station is expected to support port-based truck container movement once cargo operations begin, said company officials. The company has so far spent a sum of ₹700 crore for laying 584 km of MDPE (Medium Density Polyethylene) pipelines and 48 km of steel pipelines in Thiruvananthapuram district as part of transporting the gas. It has also been employing horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to reduce road damage and traffic disruptions, said the officials.
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Detroit Lions Podcast: Previewing OTAs and breaking down the Zach Cunningham signing
Detroit Lions Podcast: Previewing OTAs and breaking down the Zach Cunningham signing The Lions are holding voluntary offseason workouts, better known as OTAs, and the Detroit Lions Podcast will be on-site for the session open to the media. It's our first look at the 2025 Lions with both veterans and rookies on the field at the team's training facility in Allen Park. Among the focuses for the coming week of OTAs: How do the RB reps shake out? Ennis Rakestraw's role going forward Can Trevor Nowaske take a step forward at SAM? Avonte Maddox and the crowded battle for the reserve safety roles The Lions also made some news by signing veteran LB Zach Cunningham. What was the motivation for that move, and what does Cunningham bring to Detroit? As someone who covered Cunningham in his Texans prime, it's a very intriguing development. Note that the show was recorded before the Lions made the transaction official. As always, an audio-only version of the DLP is available from your favorite podcast provider.
