Centre puts highway projects on fast track

The seven-year old road map is ready. The Centre is willing to spend around Rs 1700 billion on improving roads and building new ones — all with express speed.

The infrastructure committee on roads, under the chairmanship of prime minister Mr Manmohan Singh, approved mega expansion plan and huge investments for the road sector.

The surface transport ministry has decided to go to cabinet for approval of projects that will cost an additional Rs 1720 billion. To be completed by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan, this would fund next two phases of National Highway Development Project (NHDP), new express highways, 2500 km of road network in the north-east, ring roads and bypasses.

"The detailed plan wiall be chalked out by the NHDP and will brought before the cabinet by April 2005", said Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman, Planning Commission. While the projects are all planned on paper, funding is a major worry. Mr Ahluwalia said that the government was willing to explore all options. "For the development of roads, budgetary support will be there and funding from multilateral aid agencies will be considered," he said, adding that agencies like World Bank and Asian Development Bank were willing to fund some projects.

It is reported that under NHDP, bids for 30 BOT projects will be invited by February and will be awarded by July. The ministry would also come out with a model concession agreement for BOT projects by April.

Under the third phase of NHDP, 10,000 km of highways will be added which will connect state capitals with golden quadrilateral, and north-south east-west corridors. Ports, heritage sites and industrials hubs too will be connected to the golden quadrilateral and the corridors in the third phase.

In the fourth phase, 20,000 km of highways would be two-laned, a part of golden quadrilateral will be six-laned and 10,000 km of express highways will be constructed.

- The Times of India

The Centre today constituted an expert committee for environment impact assessment (EIA) of new construction projects and new industrial estates as required under the EIA Notification of July 2004.

Former Chairman of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Mr Paritosh C. Tyagi, will head the committee that will scrutinise the environmental impacts of new construction projects and new industrial estates. It will also examine the environmental management plan, prepared and submitted by the project authorities.

It is reported that the committee would suggest safeguards to mitigate adverse environmental impact and pollution prevention devices. It would recommend clearance or rejection of the projects from the environmental angle with or without safeguards.

The proposal for environmental clearance will be placed before the committee after preliminary scrutiny in the ministry. If the committee feels additional information is required for considering the proposal, the project authorities would be informed at the first meeting. Based on the additional information received, a final decision shall be taken at the next meeting.

- India News

Hyderabad-based Soma Enterprise Ltd, an infrastructure development company has bagged one of the largest civil construction contract in the hydel sector worth Rs 11,000 million.

The Subansiri lower hydro electric project, located on the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh border, will be the country’s largest hydel power plant generating 2000 MW of power — when it is completed in 2010.

Mr Rajendra Prasad Maganti, chairman and managing director of Soma Enterprise Ltd, said “The project, which has just began will be completed in six years. The work is expected to go on full steam from the beginning of next year. We have formed a joint venture with two Russian companies for the project”.

-- Business Standard

Airport Authority of India has taken up upgradation of infrastructure at Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport at Mumbai. The scheme includes:
• extension and renovation of the international terminal building, 2B, at a cost of Rs 950 million.
• widening of flyover at terminal-II at a cost of Rs 450 million.

- New Projects

Hydel projects update
Pallivasal hydel project, Kerala

Kerala State Electricity Board is proceeding with implementation of 2 ? 30 MW Pallivasal hydel power extension project in Idukki district. The project consists of the following.
• Civil (structural and architectural) works covering construction of leading channel, intake structure, tunnel, surge shaft, pressure shaft, anchors, track cutting, valve house, supply, fabrication and erection of pressure shaft liners and penstocks to the new power house and upto anchor (for existing power house, construction of power house building, switchyard structures, tailrace channel and wires, outlet pipes, access road and allied works).
• Electrical, electro-mechanical and hydro-mechanical package which includes planning, engineering, design, manufacture, erection and commissioning of electrical, electro-mechanical and hydro-mechanical equipment.
The two packages are to be executed in 48 months from zero date

Mini hydel at Korbar West dam

Chhatisgarh State Electricity Board is to set up a 1 ? 1000 kW mini hydel power plant at the seal pit of return canal of Hasdeo thermal power station at Korba West Dam. The power plant will utilise the water from return canal of the thermal power station. Turnkey bids were invited from contractors in December 2004 for design, erection and commissioning of the hydel power plant at a cost of Rs 30 million in 13 months.

- New Projects

NCB “Road testing laboratory”

Mr Oscar Fernandes, minister of state (independent charge) for statistics and programme implementation, was the chief guest at the inauguration of "Road Testing Laboratory" set up recently at the Ballabgarh complex of National Council for Cement and other Building Materials (NCB). This could become possible due to availability of the vast infrastructure, state-of-the-art equipment and dedicated team of civil engineers working under the overall direction of the NCB director general, Mr Shiban Raina, said the minister.

Mr Raina also informed about aggregate-free rural road (AFRR) technology. AFRR technology does away with the use of aggregates and helps conservation of precious natural resources. The technology involves stabilising the soil in-situ and allows use of any type of soil available at the rural road construction site.

An innovative material known as Fujibeton, developed in Japan, is mixed in cement in proportions of 1 to 3 percent by weight. The resulting product, which is predominantly cement is used as a stabiliser. The effect of Fujibeton on soil is widely recognised and has been extensively adopted. The AFRR technology offers many advantages, making it particularly suitable for the construction of rural roads. It is resistant to water logging and develops the required strength within eight hours. Roads can be opened to traffic in a comparatively short time.

- NCBM press release

Professor Manfred Hirt is IABSE new president

Elected president of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering in August 2003, Prof Manfred A. Hirt, assumed office on November 1, 2004 for a period of three years. He succeeds Prof Manabu Ito, Japan.

Member of IABSE since 1972, Prof Hirt has held numerous functions within the association that of member, then technical secretary of Working Commission 2 ‘Steel, Timber and Composite Structures’, member of the publications committee and member of several scientific committees of IABSE conferences — most recently being Vice-Chair of the Scientific Committee of the Shanghai Symposium 2004. He was President of the technical committee from 1999 through 2001 and has been Vice President of IABSE from 2001 until October 31, 2004. He is a member of the administrative committee since 1999.

One of the projects Prof. Hirt especially wishes to accomplish during his presidency is the development of the "Young Engineers Programme", which he helped to create in 2002. The programme aims at motivating young engineers to participate actively and innovatively in the association. He is also Director of Steel Structures Laboratory (ICOM) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL).

- IABSE press release

New ACI publication on concrete repair

The American Concrete Institute announces the availability of new publication 546R-04: Concrete Repair Guide.

This document provides guidance on the selection and application of materials and methods for the repair, protection, and strengthening of concrete structures. An overview of materials and methods is presented as a guide for making a selection for a particular application. References are provided for obtaining in-depth information on the selected materials or methods. Major topics include: concrete removal, preparation, and repair techniques; repair materials; protective systems, strengthening techniques.

- ACI press release

CIRIA to research intelligent monitoring

CIRIA (in partnership with Imperial College) has been awarded a 30-month contract to research the “Development of intelligent monitoring of concrete structures”. The work is part of the DTI’s materials metrology programme of work and will guide the direction of future research activity.

The DTI has set out a number of project objectives, including assessing existing intelligent corrosion and damage monitoring technologies and life prediction models for concrete structures. The project will also define critical measurement parameters and look at the most suitable technologies to use, design protocols for data collection to be fed into prediction models to enable effective intervention and repairs and the identification of metrology-related developments needed to improve the design and operation of concrete structures.

The project team will produce guides on, “Intelligent monitoring of the deterioration of concrete structures” and “Models for predicting the life of concrete structures”. The guides will aim to help UK practitioners, particularly with respect to managing structures in a more formal manner, using life prediction techniques in appropriate situations and improving knowledge and skills in the use of intelligent monitoring.

-CIRIA press release