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Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
‘Betrayed the people': Naveen Patnaik on Odisha government's decision to scrap Bhubaneshwar metro project
BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik expressed concern over the Odisha government's decision to cancel the Bhubaneswar Metro Rail project initiated during his tenure, saying the move will push the city 10 years back in terms of urban mobility and development. BJD president and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik said that the metro project, with Mo Bus and other last-mile connectivity, would have reshaped the way the state capital moves.(PTI file) Patnaik's reaction came hours after it was reported that the state's BJP government had scrapped the Metro rail project contract with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Taking to social media on Saturday, Patnaik said, "Shocked to know that Bhubaneswar Metro Rail contracts have been cancelled by BJP led #Odisha Govt. It has always been our dream to develop #Bhubaneswar into a world-class city. We have been focusing on world-class sports infrastructure, organising marquee international events, providing seamless modern transport and developing IT ecosystem to transform the temple city into a world-class city." Stating that the project would have reshaped the way the state capital moves with Mo Bus and other last-mile connectivity, complementing the city transport, Patnaik said that apart from alleviating congestion inside the city significantly, it would have been a huge catalyst for the expansion of the city. "Realising the urgent need of a Metro System for enhanced mobility, we had set a watertight timeline of 2027 for Phase 1 of the project," Patnaik said. The former chief minister said it has now been learned from the notice by DMRC to contractors that Odisha government has scrapped the Bhubaneswar Metro project. "The double-engine government has betrayed the people of Odisha by cancelling an important project like Metro Rail. The shocking decision will push the city 10 years back," he said. Odisha's Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, however, said the state government is earnestly planning a feasible Metro project for the state capital. He said the previous BJD government did not seek central assistance as it had planned a fully state-funded ₹5,000-crore project connecting Biju Patnaik International Airport with Trisulia Square. The minister said the BJP government wanted to execute the project in a joint venture with the Centre's help. "We will have the Metro rail project differently from the past government's plan, which was not feasible. A new DRP will be prepared and sent to the Centre for approval," the minister said.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Telangana's Congress MPs to raise Hyderabad Metro Rail expansion & BC quota issues in Parliament
HYDERABAD: Congress MPs from Telangana will raise the issue of Hyderabad Metro Rail expansion project in the monsoon session of Parliament starting Monday. They were given a PowerPoint presentation on Saturday on the proposed new routes, how it would benefit poor students among other sections of society, and that the detailed project reports (DPRs) were already submitted to the central govt. Hyderabad Metro Rail MD NVS Reddy gave the presentation, which was also attended by BJP MPs Eatala Rajender, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, and M Raghunandan Rao. The presentation was given following directions from chief minister A Revanth Reddy, so that the MPs from the state would have all information about the project when the issue comes up for discussion in Parliament. Besides seeking central funding and cabinet approvals for the Metro rail expansion project, the Congress MPs from the state would also seek cabinet approval and funding for the Regional Ring Road (RRR), a dedicated corridor from the dry port in Telangana to the sea port at Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad Discuss other key projects Congress MP from Bhongir Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy told TOI that in addition to the Metro rail, RRR, and dedicated corridor, other projects like Musi rejuvenation and inclusion of enhanced BC reservations in the IX Schedule of the Constitution were crucial. "Chief minister A Revanth Reddy is expected to come to Delhi soon. He will meet AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and seek their support to raise these issues. The CM will also meet INDIA bloc MPs, their party presidents, and other like-minded parties and seek support for BC reservations inclusion in the IX schedule. There is a likelihood of the CM addressing a meeting of INDIA bloc MPs at the Constitutional Club in Delhi," Bhongir MP said. The Congress MPs said urbanisation would go up to 60% of Telangana if the RRR and dedicated corridor were developed. Industries and investments would also come. "We will raise the issues through question format during question hour, during zero hour, and under other rules of the Lok Sabha," Mahabubabad MP Balram Naik said.
The Herald
17-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald
Prasa Rail to implement fare increase in August
After holding fares steady for the past 10 years, the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) has announced that fare adjustments will be implemented across the Metrorail network on August 1. This marks the first increase since 2015, and the group said the fare adjustment will contribute to the network's long-term sustainability. Prasa spokesperson Andiswa Makanda said single tickets will increase by R2.50, while return tickets will increase by between R5.50 and R6 depending on the zone or distance travelled. 'Even with this fare adjustment, Prasa Rail fares remain the most affordable across all modes of transport. We are committed to providing affordable, safe and efficient commuter services,' said Prasa Rail CEO Nwabisa Gqamane-Ntiyane. Makanda said the department of transport had approved the fare adjustment after comprehensive stakeholder consultations in 2023. The additional revenue will fund critical operational needs, including energy and maintenance costs, as well as enhanced safety and security measures at stations and on trains. Prasa Rail has also announced the reintroduction of weekly and monthly tickets, offering bigger discounts. 'Prasa Rail's off-peak discounts remain in place, offering even more affordable fares for those travelling between 9am and 2pm, with fares discounted by 50%-40% during this period. Commuters can find detailed information about the new fares, seasonal tickets, and station-specific details by visiting their nearest Metrorail station,' Makanda said. TimesLIVE
Miami Herald
11-07-2025
- Climate
- Miami Herald
Hurricane Wilma did THAT to South Florida? Take a look at the 2005 storm
No one expected Hurricane Wilma to be the bully that it was. But Wilma gave South Florida a good beat-down in October 2005. High-rise windows blew out. Roofs caved. Streets went under water. Hurricane Wilma, which swept across South Florida on Oct. 24, 2005, caused more than $20 billion in damage. The storm led to weeks of electrical outages and long lines for gas — and a lot of cleanup and rebuilding. MORE: Are you ready for hurricane season? Use this guide on how to prepare for a storm Let's take a look at what the storm and its aftermath looked like in South Florida with photos and reports from the Miami Herald archives: Hurricane Wilma strikes South Florida Published Oct. 25-25, 2005 On the day after Hurricane Wilma, damage reports confirmed that the storm left South Florida a ravaged landscape. Nearly every square foot of it. Mile after mile of the region's precious tree canopy was badly frayed or destroyed. From Key West to Belle Glade and Jupiter, roadways were blocked by felled trees and littered with tree limbs, roof tiles and other debris. Few traffic lights were working in either Miami-Dade or Broward counties. 'Heart-rending' is how Broward Mayor Kristen Jacobs described damage across her county after a helicopter flyover Tuesday. MORE: See how the 'Big One' in Miami, Hurricane Andrew, changed our lives Wilma has also caused at least seven deaths, including that of a 1-year-old Miami-Dade boy fatally injured Monday when the car he was riding in was hit by a falling utility pole. There were pockets of severe damage: Blown-out windows on glass-sheathed skyscrapers in downtown Fort Lauderdale and Miami, mobile-home parks left in heaps of twisted metal, a stretch of Metrorail track nearly 2,000 feet long collapsed near Miami's Civic Center. In Miami's poorer communities, such as Allapattah and Liberty City, a helicopter inspection suggested extensive roof damage to homes, businesses and churches. Gaping holes in roofs and large sections of missing shingles with the plywood and paper exposed were evident. But what was perhaps most striking about the storm was the breadth and scope of damage, which left virtually no one in South Florida unscathed. For South Florida, normal is a long way away, Gov. Jeb Bush warned Tuesday. 'People are frustrated,' Bush said during a visit to Miami-Dade's Emergency Operations Center. 'Tomorrow will be better than today. There will be a full-blown recovery effort and people will start getting their lives will back together.' Local authorities, concerned about their ability to ensure general security, imposed curfews across the region and promised to arrest violators. There have been scattered arrests for looting and curfew violations. In an unprecedented move, Miami Beach officials closed access to nonresidents at three access points - the MacArthur, Tuttle and Venetian causeways - and waits for ID checks were long. Preliminary damage estimates, based on a series of computer models, put the damage from Hurricane Wilma at $6 billion to $10 billion, said Sam Miller of the Florida Insurance Council. That makes Wilma the most damaging storm to hit the state this year. The storm come ashore south of Naples on Monday morning as a Category 3 hurricane. Wilma lost little of its intensity as it rapidly cut across the Florida peninsula in a wide and destructive swath that took in virtually all of Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach counties. Although Miami International Airport reopened, still-shuttered Hollywood-Fort Lauderdale International Airport had no water pressure and no electricity, as well as extensive roof damage to several terminals. Schools are expected to remain closed the rest of the week in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties, in part because of lack of power and widespread damage. John Winn, the state education commissioner, said hundreds of portable classrooms were rendered unusable and many schools had sections blown off their roofs and standing water in classrooms and hallways. In neighborhood after neighborhood there was plenty of more-mundane damage - tiles torn off roofs, crumpled and scattered screened patio enclosures, twisted street signs and downed streetlights and dangling traffic lights, trees blocking roadways and driveways - only so much that it seemed unreal. In Plantation, Paulo Llanus said the landscape was so changed he didn't recognize his mobile home when he and his mother, Lucera, returned from a shelter on Monday. 'The screened patio is down, the aluminum holding the roof is gone and the garage is gone,' said Lucera Lora, recounting the devastation at her home. In Hallandale Beach, Plantation and North Miami, there were reports of damage to apartment towers, including shattered windows, soaked carpeting and hallways littered with debris and insulation. Sunny Isles Beach Police Lt. Rick Feisthammel reported about a dozen storm-related injuries such as cuts from broken glass and punctured feet from boards with nails sticking out. But like others, Feisthammel found a little something to be grateful for. 'The weather is beautiful so at least we aren't sweating to death,' he said. Meantime, more help is on the way. The Salvation Army and American Red Cross will be setting up food kitchens in coming days, Gov. Bush said. Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne has also asked for the National Guard to be deployed to relieve deputies. State officials, meanwhile, were pushing hard to have federal funds flow to individual homeowners in South Florida hit by Wilma. 'We're not going to have [what happened] in the last hurricane,' said U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. 'The governor is on top of it.' What Hurricane Wilma looked like in South Florida
The Hindu
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
CUMTA to come up with comprehensive mobility plan for city next month
A mammoth comprehensive mobility plan, packed with plans to push public transit in the city — be it Phase III and phase IV Chennai Metro Rail lines, bus priority lanes or Light Rail Transit —is set to be rolled out next month. The extensive document will chalk out sustainable plans on how to enhance mobility, shift people into using public transport, and introduce multi-modal integration and land-use planning for the next two decades. While the first executive committee meeting will be held between the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) and various government departments, the second meeting is slated to be held next week. If the executive committee approves the plan, it will be presented to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for the final approval, sources said. 'The document focuses on the Chennai Metro Rail's phase III and phase IV networks. To feed into the main network, we are also exploring the Light Rail Transit network for one or two corridors. We are also considering bus priority lanes, a concept similar to Bus Rapid Transit. With dedicated bus lanes and the existing fleets, we can establish this system,' a source said. According to CUMTA, the existing MTC bus fleet is around 3,300, but the current requirement is nearly 6,000. By next year, the fleet size will increase to 4,500. It has estimated the fleet for the next 25 years. 'We have been giving a lot of impetus to increasing the share of public transport in the city — be it bus, Metrorail and suburban rail — which faced a significant decline post pandemic. However, the share of two-wheelers has risen from 29.6% in 2018 to 36.6% in 2023 in the overall Chennai Metropolitan Area,' an official of CUMTA said. If there is increased emphasis on public transport such as bus priority lanes, Chennai Metro Rail, and suburban rail, the footpath needs to be accessible and free of encroachments. CUMTA has identified 1,500 km for footpath improvement. Of this, work to improve 200 km will be taken up every year. 'Only 16% of the city roads have footpaths. Out of this, 12% have encroachments. The CUMTA has recommended separate operation and maintenance contracts for their upkeep for better accountability. So, whether it is the Greater Chennai Corporation or the Highways, we recommend that they float separate contracts. Our priority is to develop accessible footpaths on bus route roads,' the official said. Moreover, the CUMTA is looking to decongest East Coast Road and Rajiv Gandhi Salai by enhancing their connectivity, the official added.
