| Transport Update
Airports
Kolkata Airport to get Doppler device
Doppler Very High Frequency Omni Range, new equipment designed
to help safe navigation of aircraft, will be installed shortly
at the Kolkata Airport. The Rs 70-lakh equipment manufactured
by Thales, a foreign firm, will provide information about
the distance and the exact direction in which they can fly
by sending radial signals to both over-flying and landing
aircraft flying up to 200 nautical miles around the airport.
UP to build Taj International Airport
Uttar Pradesh Government plans to build the Taj International
Airport near Noida in the National Capital Region. The airport
will be built in the PPP mode over 1,500 hectare. It will
involve an investment of Rs 3,500 crore and handle 4 mn passengers
annually. The project, comprising two runways for offering
cargo and transit facilities for international connecting
flights and a periphery for commercial, residential, shopping
and recreational activities, is expected to be complete in
18 months.
Contact: Uttar Pradesh Government.
Website: www.upgov.nic.in
Navi Mumbai Airport project gets environmental clearance
The Navi Mumbai International Airport recently received the
environmental clearance from Mumbai High Court. The order
will enable the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests
(MoEF) to issue notification exempting construction of the
airport from the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) norms. The
airport being developed by the state government’s town
and industrial infrastructure arm CIDCO in Navi Mumbai, is
expected to come up on 2,000 hectare at an investment of around
Rs 10,000 crore.
Ports
HSL delivers vessel to Vizag Port
Hindusthan Shipyard Ltd (HSL) recenty delivered m v Jal Sudhak
- the oil recovery pollution control vessel to the Visakhapatnam
Port Trust. The 18.5 m long, 5-m wide and 2.5 m deep vessel
has a free running speed of six knots. It has a gross tonnage
of the 57 tonne with three men manning it. It is equipped
with some of the special machinery systems like dispersant
system for spraying onto the polluted water surface and transferring
the recovered oil to storage tanks. It is also fitted with
a debris recovery system which improves the waters in the
harbour. It is the shipyard’s 149th vessel since its
inception.
Contact: Hindusthan Shipyard Ltd.
Tel: 011-2573 7425. Fax: 0891-257 7502.
Website: www.hsl.nic.in
PPT to increase capacity
The Paradip Port Trust (PPT) plans to increase capacity by
handling 126 mn tonne of cargo by 2011-12 as against from
71 mn tonne at present. It also targets to handle 100 mn tonne
traffic by 2016-17, thus making it the third largest port
in the country in terms of cargo handled and cargo handling
capacity. The port is currently constructing a oil berth with
an investment of Rs 172.97 crore and two multi-purpose berths
with an investment of Rs 359 crore. It is also deepening the
channel with an investment of Rs 253.36 crore. It further
plans to add five berths and also construct a deep drought
iron ore berth with an investment of about Rs 505 crore and
a coal berth with an investment of Rs 387 crore.
Contact: Paradip Port Trust.
Tel: 06722-222 046. Telefax: 06722-222 256.
E-mail: chmppt@paradipport.gov.in
Website: www.paradipport.gov.in
ABG consortium to form new company for Haldia dock project
A consortium of ABG Infralogistics and ABG Kolkata Container
Terminal Pvt Ltd, which recently won the Rs 667-crore contract
for equipping and operating two berths, 2 and 8, of the Haldia
dock, will form a new company to execute the project, which
will invest around Rs 200-crore for equipping the berths.
Vizag Port Trust to double cargo capacity
Visakhapatnam Port Trust is planning to double its cargo capacity
from the present 52 mn tonne with an investment of Rs 2,600
crore. The expansion will include developing of two berths
on BOT basis, mechanisation of coal handling at General Cargo
Berth and mechanised fertiliser handling at EQ-7 berth, upgrading
Outer Harbour to handle 2 lakh DWT ships, phase-II deepening
of Inner Harbour entrance channel to cater to 12.5 m draft
vessels and strengthening of five berths in the inner harbour.
The expansion will be complete by 2012. Besides, VPT also
plans to handle a throughput of atleast 85 mn tonne by taking
up eight projects under Public Private Partnership mode.
Contact: Visakhapatnam Port Trust.
Tel: 0891-287 6001. Fax: 0891-256 5023.
E-mail: info@vizagport.com
Website: www.vizagport.com
Mundra SEZ invests in handling equipment
Mundra Port and SEZ Ltd is investing in handling equipment
which will allow faster turnover of ships as well as trucks.
The SEZ recently enhanced its handling capabilities by procuring
two rail-mounted quay cranes in addition to its existing four.
These cranes are capable of loading and unloading containers
on super Post Panamax vessels and have an outreach of 22 containers
across with a capability of lifting two containers at a time.
It has also procured four rubber tyre gantry cranes that will
be commissioned in the coming weeks.
Contact: Mundra Port & SEZ Ltd.
Tel: 02838-289 248. Fax: 02838-289 200.
E-mail: mktg@mundraport.com
Website: www.portofmundra.com
Kandla Port to develop Vadinar facility
Kandla Port is planning to develop its Vadinar facility into
a full-fledged port to handle various types of cargoes, such
as dry bulk, break bulk and containers. The project will include
construction of four cargo berths on BOT basis within the
present port area, mainly for handling dry bulk traffic. Vadinar
currently has three single-point moorings, two of Indian Oil’s
and one of Essar’s, with an annual traffic throughput
of
over 50 mn tonne, both crude and petroleum products.
Contact: Kandla Port Trust.
Tel: 02836-238 055. Fax: 02836-239 055.
E-mail: bdc@kandlaport.com
Website: www.kandlaport.gov.in
Paradip Port approves Rs 591-crore iron ore berth
The Paradip Port Trust has approved the building of Rs 591-crore
iron ore berth at the port. The project will be implemented
by a consortium comprising the Noble Group, Gammon Infrastructure
and MMTC. The berth will be built on a design-build-finance-operate-transfer
basis and will have a handling capacity of 10 mtpa. It will
be the first port project to be implemented based on the new
model concession agreement (MCA), which was recently finalised
by the Shipping Ministry. It will have a concession period
of 30 years including 36 months of construction.
Contact: Paradip Port Trust.
Tel: 06722-222 046. Telefax: 06722-222 256.
E-mail: chmppt@paradipport.gov.in
Website: www.paradipport.gov.in
Tuticorin Port to expand capacity
Tuticorin Port is planning to expand its capacity from the
current 20.75 mn tonne to 84 mn tonne through construction
of an inner harbour at an estimated cost of Rs 1,051 crore
and an outer harbour at a cost of Rs 4,350 crore. It is also
planning to increase its depth to achieve a draft of 12.8
m to handle large vessels and convert one of
the berths (No 8) into a second full-fledged container terminal.
The port in 2008-09 handled a throughput of 438,548 TEUs and
was ranked third among the country’s major ports.
Contact: Tuticorin Port Trust.
Tel: 0461-235 2290. Fax: 0461-235 2301.
E-mail: info@tuticorinport.gov.in
Website: www.tuticorinport.gov.in
Railways
DMRC to increase capacity
Delhi Metro Rail Corpotation Ltd (DMRC) has decided to increase
the carrying capacity of some of its trains by attaching extra
coaches to it. These coaches will be added to four of its
existing trains to make them into six-coach trains. They will
increase the carrying capacity of these trains by 780 per
train. Besides, DMRC will also increase the length of its
trains to eight coaches. It has also ordered another 131 train
sets comprising 48 trains of six cars and 83 trains of four
cars.
Contact: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.
Tel: 011-2436 5202?. Fax: 011-2436 5370?.
Website: www.delhimetrorail.com
Railway Board approves new projects for Uttarakhand
The Railway Board recently approved a series of new projects
in Uttarakhand. These include the Rs 160.01-crore Muzaffar
Nagar-Roorkee line, the Tanakpur Bage-shwar line in the Kumaon
region, 49-km long Muzaffar Nagar-Roorkee line, Dehra Dun-Kalsi
line and construction of 15 road over bridges (ROBs) and additional
loop lines for the Kansro railway station.
Contact: India Railways.
Website: www.indianrail.gov.in
MMRDA plans monorail network in Mumbai
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)
is planning a 100-km network of monorail in the Mumbai metropolitan
area in next seven years. The project is likely to cost about
Rs 12,000 crore. The Rs 2,460-crore first phase will comprise
laying of 19.54 km line for connecting Gadge Maharaj Chowk
in central Mumbai with Chembur Station in the eastern suburb.
It will be developed by a consortium led by Larsen & Toubro
and Malaysia-based Scomi Engineering Bhd.MMRDA is keen to
set up the monorail system as it can be easily built and takes
much less time in comparison to other mass transport systems
like metro rail.
Contact: MMRDA .
Tel: 022-2659 0001. Fax: 022-2659 1264.
Website: www.mmrdamumbai.org
Roadways
NHAI to restructure projects
National Highways Authority of India has decided to restructure
six projects worth over Rs 8,000 crore and totalling about
650 km to reduce their costs. These projects include four-laning
of Amritsar-Pathankot section (about 94 km stretch, with an
estimated cost of Rs 851 crore, 20 years concession period);
four laning of Vijayawada-Machilipatnam section (65 km, Rs
550 crore, 25 years); Maharashtra border-Nagpur (95 km, Rs
1,205 crore, 27 years); four laning of Goa-Karnataka border
to Panaji-Goa (about 70 km); six-laning of Eastern peripheral
expressway (135 km, Rs 2,676 crore, 30 years) and six laning
of Chilkaluripet-Nellore section (183.7 km, Rs 2,433.9 crore,
30 years).
Contact: NHAI. Tel: 011-2507 4100.
Fax: 011-2509 3507. Website: www.nhai.org
Contractors to withdraw from the East-West corridor project
The contractors of the East-West Corridor Project; Gammon
India, Valecha Engineering, TBL and Continental Engineering
Corporation, are planning to withdraw from the project due
to unabated insurgency in the North Cachar Hills area of south-central
Assam. The centrally-sponsored project, commissioned by the
National Highways Authority of India comprises construction
of a 150-km long highway from Maibong to Lumding. It aims
to connect Silchar in South Assam with Porbandar in Gujarat
and was commissioned 30 months earlier. Work on the project
has been suspended for almost a year now, though machinery
and manpower are still stationed there.
Contact: Gammon India Ltd.
Tel: 022-6744 4000. Fax: 022-2430 0221.
E-mail: gammon@gammonindia.com
Website: www.gammonindia.com
Govt to raise viability funding for NHDP 5
The Government of India has decided to raise the viability
gap funding (VGF) for certain projects under the fifth phase
of the National Highway Development Project (NHDP V), owing
to poor response to the first few projects put up for bids
in December last year. NHDP V aims at six-laning 6,500 km
of highways, and projects for 3,700 km were to have been awarded
in 2008-09. The government has also decided to restructure
the projects to lower costs like reducing the number of new
bridges, converting the construction of costly underpasses
to overbridges and reducing the design parameters for which
the highway has to be sustained from 20 to 10-15 years. This,
it is hoped, would reduce the project cost by 5 to 15 per
cent and encourage more players to bid. The move is seen as
yet another effort by the government to kick-start large infrastructure
projects to sustain economic growth, which is expected to
slow this year after several years of 9 per cent growth or
more.
Contact: Government of India.
Website: www.india.gov.in
Mundra Port is first to
receive container train
Mundra Port recently became the first Indian port to receive
a hi-cube (9’6") double-stack container train.
The train comprising 180 TEUs was loaded in one rake at Kisangarh
inland container depot of Adani Logistics Ltd for its transportation
to the port. India is the third country in the world after
Canada and America to start commercial operations of trains
loaded with hi-cube ISO containers.
Puri Port to develop 10 mn tonne captive port
Puri Port Ltd, a joint venture between Century Ply and Shyam
Group, plans to develop a captive deep water port near Puri
with an investment of Rs 856 crore. The port will have three
berths, each with 3 mn tonne cargo handling capacity. It will
also have a cargo handling capacity of 10 mtpa. The port will
be complete within four years.
NMP performance up in 2008-09
At a time when the global slowdown has affected every sector,
including ports, the New Mangalore Port (NMP) has managed
to perform well. During 2008-09, the port handled 36.69 mn
tonne of traffic as against 36.02 mn tonne in the previous
fiscal. It also witnessed a 33 per cent growth in container
cargo handling during the year and handled 28,555 TEUs of
containers as against 21,460 TEUs in the previous fiscal.
The total handling of iron ore cargo also increased to 9.29
mn tonne. However, the share of iron ore pellets in the total
iron ore cargo came down to 1.17 mn tonne. The handling of
iron ore fines was better with the port handling 8.12 mn tonne
during the fiscal. The iron ore hinterland of the port, such
as Bellary-Hospet and Chitradurga regions, contributed to
the growth in the handling of iron ore fine cargo at the port.
Contact: New Mangalore Port Trust. Tel: 0824-240 7341. Fax:
0824-240 8390. E-mail: nmptchairman@sify.com Website: www.newmangalore-port.com
Madhucon’s Agra-Jaipur Expressway commences operations
The 57-km portion of Rs 300-crore Agra-Jaipur Expressway project
of Madhucon Projects Ltd between the Bharatpur-Mahua section
in Rajasthan became operational recently. The project is being
implemented by Matheson Agra-Jaipur Expressways Ltd on
BOT basis.
Contact: Madhucon Projects Ltd.
Tel: 040 2355 6001. Fax: 040-2355 6005.
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