Latest news with #Sreedharan
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
SilverLine or alternative? Kerala's wait for semi-high-speed rail to continue
Kochi: It seems the state's dream of having a semi-high-speed rail line is unlikely to become a reality soon, with neither Centre nor the state govt taking any concrete steps to take any of the two proposals forward. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The discussion chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan held with Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw earlier this week did not cover either the SilverLine proposal or the alternative semi-high-speed rail project proposed by Metroman E Sreedharan. As railways is yet to take a favourable stand on Sreedharan's proposal even after four months, the state govt's special representative in Delhi, K V Thomas, has requested Sreedharan to meet both Vaishnaw and railway officials. However, Sreedharan's stand is that he cannot approach Centre unless the state govt officially entrusts him to do so, demanding that the project proposal be taken up for further action. It seems the state govt is not planning to hold any further discussions with Sreedharan regarding the alternative proposal. The state govt submitted a draft of the semi-high-speed rail line proposal, prepared by Sreedharan, to the Union govt on Feb 10. The alternative proposal was submitted after the railway ministry informed that it could not approve the SilverLine project proposed by K-Rail. "It's been four months since the state govt submitted Sreedharan's proposal to Centre. But during the meeting, the proposal wasn't even mentioned or taken up for discussion. The only way to revive the project now is through pressure from Sreedharan himself. I've requested him to meet Vaishnav or railway officials directly to explain the project's benefits," said Thomas, who was present alongside Vijayan during the meeting with the railway minister. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But Sreedharan says he cannot take any further initiative regarding his proposal unless the state govt asks him to do so. He also expressed unhappiness over Vijayan's recent statement expressing hope over SilverLine. "The chief minister's recent statement that SilverLine will become a reality indicates that the govt is still focused on that project. State govt representatives have not held any discussions with me before or after their recent meeting with the railway minister. I cannot approach Centre directly regarding my proposal unless the state govt officially requests me to take the initiative. If they do, I am ready to hold discussions with Centre," Sreedharan told TOI. Minister V Abdurahman, who is in charge of railways, said the govt was not opposed to considering Sreedharan's proposal. He, however, did not give a clear answer when asked whether the state would request Sreedharan to hold further discussions with Centre. "Kerala is open to implementing either the SilverLine or Sreedharan's alternative project. SilverLine is not a closed chapter," he said.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Sreedharan flags design flaws, safety concerns in NH project
Kochi: Metro Man E Sreedharan has highlighted serious defects in the design of the under-construction NH 66, saying that constructing a six-lane highway in 45 metre width itself was unscientific. His comments came amidst various defects found in the ongoing six-laning works of the highway, which triggered protests. Sreedharan told TOI that the excessive number of flyovers with large embankments and deep cuttings in the hilly terrain was a serious lapse. Agencies responsible for designing the highways bear the primary responsibility, as these structural choices significantly compromised the safety of the road, he said. National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on Thursday debarred the project concessionaire, KNR Constructions, and the project consultant, Highway Engineering Consultants, from participating in ongoing and future biddings for projects, following the collapse of the reinforced wall and service road in a section of the highway in Kuriyad, Malappuram. Additionally, cracks appeared in various NH stretches in Kannur and Thrissur districts, leading to a political blame game. "It's simply impractical to accommodate six lanes within a 45-metre-wide corridor. If only 45 metres of land were available in Kerala, the project should have been limited to a four-lane road. In attempting to fit six lanes into the available space, many essential facilities were compromised. The service roads have been significantly narrowed; where they should typically include two lanes and a footpath, in many sections they consist of just a single lane that includes the drainage slab, with no pedestrian walkway at all. This is not a scientifically sound approach to highway construction," he said. Sreedharan also said the decision to build numerous flyovers, even for minor road crossings, led contractors to construct massive embankments, which are unsuitable for Kerala's terrain. "Instead of building flyovers on the main highway, they should have constructed them on the smaller intersecting roads," he said. The Metro Man said contractors were also compelled to carry out deep cuttings in hilly areas to source red soil for these embankments, an approach that should have been avoided altogether. "These deep excavations are a result of poor planning and should have been eliminated during the design phase," he said, adding that while contractors are often blamed, the real responsibility lies with the DPR and design consultants whose flawed planning led to these problems. Sreedharan also criticised the ruling gradient of the highway. "A gradient of 1 in 30 to 40 would have been sufficient, while the present figure is much more than that," he said. The ruling gradient defines how steep or sloped a road can be. The Indian Road Congress recommends different ruling gradient values for different terrains, and for a plain terrain, it says the gradient should be 1 in 30. He said he wrote two letters to public works minister P A Mohammed Riyas, pointing out various issues in the highway construction in Malappuram, but there was no response. "Public works department has a special wing for handling the works of national highways in the state. If it is not supervising the NH works, then why is such a wing working?" he asked. Sreedharan said he was willing to submit his opinions regarding the highway works if the govt or any legal body sought them. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
M.P. High Court slams police over contents of FIR against Vijay Shah; to monitor probe
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday (May 15, 2025) slammed the State Police over the contents of the FIR filed against Cabinet Minister Vijay Shah on its directions after his inflammatory remarks about Colonel Sofia Qureshi. Taking it up as the first matter of the day, a Division Bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Anuradha Malik ask why the viral speech made by the Minister on May 12 was not part of the FIR, and said that it will monitor the police investigation in the case. Also read: Supreme Court agrees to hear on May 16 M.P. Minister Vijay Shah's plea against High Court order An FIR was filed against Mr. Shah right before midnight on Wednesday (May 14, 2025) at Manpur police station in Indore Rural district under BNS Sections 152, 196 (1)(b), and 197 (1)(c), in compliance with the High Court's directions of lodging the FIR within four hours. Justice Sreedharan, however, expressed the court's dissatisfaction on the contents of the FIR and said that it was 'vulnerable to being quashed' in the absence of the description of the speech. 'The FIR is brief. However the briefness of FIR is not the problem. Having gone through the FIR in its entirety there is not a single mention of the actions of the suspect which would satisfy the ingredients of offences registered which have been registered against him,' the court noted. As Advocate General Prashant Singh argued that the entire May 14 order of the court had been annexed with the FIR, the court said that it did not suffice. 'It has been drafted in such a way that it can be quashed. Where are the ingredients? Who drafted this? The content must be in the FIR. If the Court order is annexed, can it be read as a part of FIR?' Justice Sreedharan observed. The court further directed that entire of its May 14 order be read as part of the FIR to ensure that a 'subterfuge' does not take place. 'In order to ensure said subterfuge does not take place this court directs that entire order of May 14 shall be read as part of para 12 of FIR. In view of the nature of the case and the manner in which the FIR has been registered which does not inspire confidence in this circumstances the court feels compelled to ensure that it monitors the investigation without interfering with independence of the investigating agency,' the court said, while listing the matter for after the vacations. The High Court had taken a sum moto cognizance of the matter on Wednesday (May 14, 2025) after Mr. Shah's remarks at a public event at a village near Mhow in Indore district went viral on social media. Coming down heavily on the Minister, Justice Sreedharan had termed his remarks as 'language of gutters'. Mr. Shah, who has since issued a public apology for his statements, has been facing flak from various political fronts with the Opposition mounting pressure on the BJP for his dismissal from the Cabinet.
Al Etihad
30-04-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
flydubai Holidays continues to grow its product offering
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