JICA signs Rs 2,800 cr loan pact for Chennai peripheral ring road project

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a loan agreement amounting to 49,847 million Japanese Yen (Rs 2,809 crore) for the construction of the Chennai Peripheral Ring Road Project (Phase 2) in the state of Tamil Nadu. The Chennai Peripheral Ring Road is placed as one of the priority projects in the “Comprehensive Integrated Master Plan […]

SKM bandh call: Farmers, labourers block Shimla-Kinnaur road in HP

Demanding an adequate compensation for the land acquired for hydro power projects and employment for youths, farmers and labourers of 16 affected panchayats here on Friday blocked the Shimla-Kinnaur road for about two-and-a-half hours. Protestors took out a rally in Nirath Bazaar and later blocked the road, about 110 km from the state capital Shimla. […]

NHAI removes Paytm Payments Bank from FASTag authorised service list

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has taken Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) off its list of authorised banks for FASTag service due to regulatory issues. The NHAI lists 32 payment banks, scheduled commercial and small finance banks, that are authorised for FASTag services, which the Indian Highways Management Company Ltd. manages This includes […]

Gadkari launches 28 national highway projects worth Rs 6,600 cr in Odisha

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 28 national highway (NH) projects worth Rs 6,600 crore in Odisha. Though his visit to Odisha was cancelled at the last minute, Gadkari launched these projects virtually. Among the inaugurated projects were a 79km four-lane road between Baharagora and Singhara […]

How Rs 777 cr Pragati Maidan tunnel turned ‘useless’ in less than 2 years

Tunnel was non-operational last monsoon Notably, the entire project was non-operational for the general public last year during the monsoon season due to repeated water accumulation issues. According to the PWD’s notice, the project’s design and execution were under L&T’s control, and no government agency had any role in it. The latest notice follows after […]

Technical norms for road planners get stricter, to get higher priority

After repeated criticism of project planning in several infrastructure projects, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Friday revised the framework of evaluating bids for project plans prepared by consultants for National Highway projects. Under the new framework, deficiencies in the work done by consultants will feature prominently in the bid evaluation process by […]

Road ministry revises RFP document to include ‘deemed approval’ provision

The road ministry has included the provision of “deemed approval” in the revised document for request for proposal, for timely approval of reports submitted by Detailed Project Report (DPR) consultants. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in a circular said timely approval of various reports submitted by consultants is considered a critical requirement […]

PM GatiShakti: Five road, railway infra projects recommended for approval

Five infrastructure projects of roads and railways have been recommended for approval under the PM GatiShakti initiative, the commerce and industry ministry said on Friday. These projects were assessed in the 65th Network Planning Group (NPG) meeting. “The NPG examined the projects from the perspective of integrated planning based on the PM GatiShakti principles. The […]

RBI to meet NHAI, NPCI to discuss rescue plan for Paytm PB users: Report

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will meet the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), among other stakeholders, next week to discuss the migration of customers and merchants from Paytm Payments Bank, The Economic Times (ET) reported on Friday. The report said that the meetings will be held […]