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The Print
a day ago
- Politics
- The Print
Mind the gap: MP govt's series of U-turns in the aftermath of 90 degree bridge gaffe
On 15 July, P.C. Verma, Chief Engineer (Bridges) at the PWD department first issued an order pointing out that 'ROBs and flyover structures approved and at the General Arrangement Drawing (GAD) and some others at the Detailed Project Report (DPR) were observed to have design issues or needing technical improvements, and thereby their GAD stands cancelled until further review to avoid future complications.' But within 24 hours, Verma issued a clarification stating, 'Old alignments have not been cancelled. An order was mistakenly issued by me, which was later withdrawn. It is clarified here that for bridges and flyovers, the alignment is jointly issued by the Railways and Public Works Department. Therefore, the Chief Engineer does not have the authority to cancel such alignments, nor was there any requirement for changes in the projects.' Speaking to ThePrint, a senior officer from the PWD department requesting anonymity said, 'The state government had instructed the Public Works Department to reinforce the guidelines and take necessary measures to ensure the bridges are being constructed as per the laid down guidelines. However, the Chief Engineer misinterpreted the order and went ahead and issued another order in his capacity, halting the construction of bridges. But considering he does not have the power to issue such orders, nor was it required, the order has been withdrawn.' Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government seems to be taking too many U-turns recently. First it changed its decision to build a Road Over Bridge (ROB) in Bhopal's Aishbagh with a 90 degree turn. Then Chief Engineer (Bridges) P.C. Verma ordered halting and review of all under construction bridges. Then he withdrew his order the next day, clarifying that he did not have the authority to cancel such things, nor was there any requirement for changes in the project. If enforced, Chief Engineer P.C. Verma's order would have impacted 140 under-construction flyovers, and another 355 projects where the General Arrangement Designs were approved. The goof-up occurred at a time when the PWD department is in the process of reinforcing laid-down engineering guidelines and training its engineers to enhance their competence for quality bridge construction. It is doubly embarrassing as it comes after the state government was left red-faced over a rail over bridge in the capital city of Bhopal was left with two 90 degree turns. It was last month in June, when the 648-metre-long rail over bridge (ROB) near Aishbagh stadium was nearing its completion when videos and photos of the sharp nearly 90 degree turn in the inaugurated bridge turn went viral on social media. This led to an inquiry being ordered into the matter. It turned out that the General Arrangement Design (GAD) of the bridge was prepared in 2018 in coordination between the PWD department's Chief Engineer (Bridges) level along with Indian Railways. Owing to paucity of space at the construction site, with ongoing metro work on one side and the railway's high tension line on the other side, the design of the bridge was prepared with a sharp 90 degree turn and finalised at the level of Chief Engineer (Bridges) without it being red-flagged. The design was approved and the construction was carried out. It was when the construction of the bridge was nearly complete, that the design flaw which would have left motorists to navigate two sharp 90 degree turns was noticed and went viral on social media making the state government a subject of ridicule. Soon after, an inquiry was ordered and based on the inquiry report, eight engineers of the PWD department, including two chief engineers, were suspended. Even as the government swung into damage control, another controversy erupted with a Z-shaped bridge being constructed in Indore with similar 90 degree turns. It led to local BJP MLA Shankar Lalwani writing to the PWD Minister Rakesh Singh to rectify the design of the bridge. Taking cognizance of these incidents, the state government set out to reinforce guidelines, train its engineers and set up a high level committee to oversee designs and suggest alternatives where needed. On 15 July, the state government issued a slew of guidelines for its PWD department, ordering the setting up of a five member committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Engineer with a provision to get specialists from relevant governments and the private sector as per need. The state government has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Academy for Highway Engineering (IHAE) to create a training module for quality bridge construction. The state government is also planning a workshop for all its engineers to reinforce the Indian Road Congress Code and Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MORTH) guidelines. Apart from this, officials from the PWD department are also looking at alternative contracting methods such as Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) for major projects to allow quality and design expertise from the private sector. Simultaneously, the Public Works Department is working on improving implementation by utilising more and more information technology. This includes camera-based monitoring for major projects. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: Madhya Pradesh CM's convoy comes to a grinding halt after cars are refuelled with 'water-mixed' diesel
The Hindu
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Hindu
NHAI finalises contract for strengthening of 55-km Thanjavur-Pudukottai highway stretch
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will soon strengthen the national highway stretch from Thanjavur to Pudukottai via Gandarvakottai. With the contract having been awarded, the work is expected to commence in a couple of months. The work has been awarded under the performance-based maintenance contract for the first time in Tamil Nadu under which the contractor would take care of maintenance of the 55-km stretch for five years as a single package. The project is to be executed at a cost of about ₹45 crore, said a senior NHAI official. Preliminary work pertaining to road strengthening had commenced and the project was expected to be completed in one year, the official said. The strengthening work was to be taken up on the highway stretch in view of the wear and tear it had suffered over a period of time. The NHAI had completed a similar work of strengthening the national highway stretch from Thirumayam in Pudukottai district to Manamadurai in Sivaganga district. The 75-km stretch had been strengthened at a cost of ₹35 crore. The work, which commenced in June 2024, was completed last month. Some road furniture work was to be carried out that includes establishment of additional sign boards, the official said. Detailed project report The NHAI is in the process of preparing a Detailed Project Report for four-laning of the Tiruchi - Karaikudi national highway stretch covering Tiruchi, Pudukottai and Sivaganga districts. The DPR is expected to be ready by November-December and would be sent to the NHAI headquarters in New Delhi for sanction of funds.
News18
a day ago
- Automotive
- News18
NH-65 To Get Six Lanes All The Way To Vijayawada West Bypass, Details Inside
Last Updated: The original plan to expand the NH-65 only up to Amaravati Outer Ring Road (ORR) has now been changed. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has given the green signal to extend six-laning works on NH-65 all the way up to the Vijayawada West Bypass near Gollapudi. This decision comes as a change from the earlier plan which only proposed widening the road up to Amaravati Outer Ring Road (ORR). Why Was the Plan Changed? As per TOI, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, confirmed the update in a letter to Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni). He stated that while the initial proposal was to avoid extra land acquisition, a public meeting held on 13 June pushed for full expansion. Stakeholders strongly demanded the road be widened further till the West Bypass to improve connectivity and avoid traffic bottlenecks. Taking note of this, NHAI directed its Detailed Project Report (DPR) consultant to revise the alignment and prepare a new report for the full stretch. The DPR is expected to be ready by the end of August. What's Next for the Project? RK Singh, Regional Manager, NHAI Andhra Pradesh, confirmed that the project is now firmly on track. Why Is This Important? The six-laning of NH-65 is set to drastically cut down travel time between Hyderabad and Vijayawada. It will not only ease traffic but also improve road safety, making the commute between the two Telugu capitals faster and more comfortable than ever. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
BJP leader dares DK Shivakumar to open debate on Bengaluru tunnel road project
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya dared Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to an open debate on the controversial tunnel road project in Bengaluru, calling it an 'unscientific' and 'elitist' initiative that will worsen the city's traffic woes. Surya's challenge comes in response to the Karnataka Congress's post on X on July 16, in which the party defended the Rs 18,500 crore project and dismissed Surya's earlier criticism as 'misleading, political pandering and short-sighted.'advertisementThe back-and-forth between the Karnataka Congress and Surya began after the Bengaluru South MP posted a statement on X on July 14, calling the 18-kilometre tunnel between Hebbal and Central Silk Board as a 'vanity project' for the rich. 'When the Deputy Chief Minister himself says that even God can't fix Bengaluru traffic, he's revealing his own incompetence rather than working on solutions. We don't need divine intervention — we need competent governance,' he claimed the tunnel road would primarily serve 'the crorepatis of Sadashivanagar and the millionaires and billionaires of Koramangala fourth block', with the proposed toll of Rs 660 pricing out the common man. He argued that the Congress-led state government was undermining public transport and prioritising private vehicle infrastructure, despite studies warning of increased congestion. The Bengaluru South MP also questioned the project's economic rationale, saying it demanded a viability gap funding of Rs 7,100 crore and cost more than major national infrastructure like the Atal Tunnel, Mumbai Coastal Road, and the 655-kilometre Trivandrum–Kasargod highway. 'Why is this tunnel road so expensive? At whose cost is the Congress, the Deputy Chief Minister and the Chief Minister trying to loot the state?' he alleged the project would benefit contractors and the Congress party, not the public. 'We will fight this by exploring every possible means at our disposal. We will fight inside the courts, the Vidhana Soudha, and the Parliament. We will build public momentum so that this project, which is going to be a disaster for the city, will never see its daylight,' he also flagged irregularities in the Rs 9.5 crore Detailed Project Report (DPR), alleging it contained references to Malegaon and Nashik and was partly copied from the Metro DPR, which cost only Rs 1.6 crore. He claimed one of the consultants involved was debarred in a National Highways Authority of India project in Madhya Pradesh and linked the authors to a Rs 500 crore scam in Jammu and pointed out that the project had not been cleared by the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA), which is mandatory under Section 19 of the BMLTA Act. 'Bengaluru is not just a city, it's the beating heart of modern India, and it deserves infrastructure that matches its global stature,' Surya said, calling for investment in Metro, Suburban Rail and BMTC buses Karnataka Congress, responding on July 16, accused Surya of 'misleading' the public and dismissed his criticism as 'political pandering'. It defended the tunnel as a vital, signal-free, high-capacity corridor forming part of a larger multimodal mobility vision, alongside Metro expansion (over 70 km under construction), Suburban Rail (148 km), BMTC upgrades, ring roads, and arterial road from being elitist, the party claimed the project would reduce surface congestion and indirectly help the 90 per cent of commuters who rely on public or non-motorised transport. 'You've rightly stressed the importance of public transport, but progress is not a zero-sum game. Roads and rail must co-exist,' it cited its urban transport investments under the United Progressive Alliance government and said Shivakumar was continuing that legacy with 'bold multimodal interventions'. 'We welcome public audits, technical scrutiny, and open debate. But don't stall progress by labelling every transformative project as wasteful. Citizens deserve efficient execution, not polarised discourse,' it July 17, Surya replied on X: 'Good Morning. If you truly welcome technical scrutiny and public debate on this tunnel road project, I propose an open discussion with Hon. DCM Sri @DKShivakumar who is spearheading this project. Let the time and place be of your choosing Am waiting to hear back from you.'- Ends advertisementIN THIS STORY#Bengaluru#Karnataka
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Tunnel project row: BJP MP Tejasvi Surya challenges Dy CM Shivakumar to public debate
Bengaluru: National President of the BJP Yuva Morcha and MP Tejasvi Surya on Thursday challenged Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru Development Minister for an open talk and public debate regarding the Bengaluru tunnel project. Tejasvi Surya claimed that the project only helps elite car owners and won't reduce the traffic jams in Bengaluru. Responding to the attacks by Surya, Karnataka Congress had stated on its social media handle X, "This isn't about political credit. It's about 'Brand Bengaluru', a city that needs the state and Centre to work together. We welcome public audits, technical scrutiny, and open debate. But don't stall progress by labelling every transformative project as wasteful. Citizens deserve efficient execution, not polarised discourse." Surya refering to this, stated on Thursday, "If you truly welcome technical scrutiny and public debate on this tunnel road project, I propose an open discussion with Dy CM Shivakumar who is spearheading this project. Let the time and place be of your choosing." "It will definitely be beneficial to discuss the merits and demerits in a healthy way. Am waiting to hear back from you. Thanks," he said. "When we oppose Bengaluru's tunnel road project, some cite Singapore as a model. But even Singapore scrapped similar mega tunnel plans after realising they were costly, unsustainable and ineffective at decongestion. Don't cherry-pick examples. Learn from Singapore's correction too," Surya stated. He further asked Dy CM Shivakumar, "Why should we repeat mistakes others have walked away from?" "BJP will strongly oppose the tunnel road project, which is nothing but a loot of public money under the guise of development," the Bengaluru South MP claimed. "This 18-km tunnel road project for Bengaluru, costing Rs 18,500 crore, is planned exclusively for cars from Hebbal to Dairy Circle. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) and feasibility report are riddled with inconsistencies and irregularities," Surya claimed. According to the report, the tunnel can carry 600–1,600 people per hour and if bikes and two-wheelers are allowed, it could handle about 7,500 people per hour. However, as of now, the plan allows no access for buses, autos or two-wheelers. The BJP MP has raised objections to the project stating that if a Metro were built instead, it could carry 25,000 people per hour. 'Do we want a project that helps only car owners or a metro project that benefits 25,000 people per hour?' Surya asked. The Deputy Chief Minister himself said a toll would be levied on the tunnel. The DPR mentions one way toll fee of Rs 660. 'How many people in Bengaluru can afford to pay Rs 660 daily to commute?' he asked. 'This is a tunnel for the millionaires of Sadashivanagar, Dollar's Colony, and 4th Block Koramangala. It seems tailor-made to help D.K. Shivakumar and his close relatives travel to their homes in Koramangala,' Surya alleged. Surya stated, 'BJP opposes the tunnel road project. We will fight to ensure that every single rupee of the people is protected.'
