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‘Mountain Man’ worked for 22 years: He built a road all by himself, now govt to take rail tracks to his village

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had said that he will explore the possibility of laying a railway line in Manjhi's village.


WRITTEN BY ANAND MISHRA | NEW DELHI |Updated: September 11, 2016 2:28 Am
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The Railway Board is set to sanction a survey next week for bringing rail connectivity to Gehlore, the village of ‘Mountain Man’ Dashrath Manjhi, who had carved out a road from a hillock, working single-handedly with a hammer and crowbar for 22 years.

Manjhi, a Mahadalit belonging to the Musahar community, died in 2007.

Addressing a gathering at “Magadh Mahotsav” organised by Akshar Sansar Foundation on August 29, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had said that he will explore the possibility of laying a railway line in Manjhi’s village.

He had said that he would also examine what can be done to preserve Manjhi’s memory.

The minister last week asked Executive Director (Public Grievance) Anand Swaroop to take the process further, sources said.

It is learnt that Swaroop has now asked Executive Director (Project Monitoring) Anjum Pervez to sanction a survey so that Gehlore can be linked to the nearest railway point.

“The survey will be sanctioned within a week. Once the project is sanctioned, the railway zone concerned will appoint an agency. The agency will carry out location survey and feasibility study to see how the village can be provided railway connectivity. As per the agency’s report, the financial implications will be examined,” a source in Railway Ministry said.

Kundan Kumar, president of Akshar Sansar, said: “The nearest railway point from the village is Jethian station, located 7 km away.”

Arun Kumar, the RLSP MP from Jahanabad constituency, under which Gehlore falls, said Prabhu’s plan to put Manjhi’s village on the rail map is an honour to a man who “sacrificed his life in a bid to ease the woes of people”.

“It is for the first time that the Central government has thought of bringing Gehlore on the railway map. It will go a long way in helping the villagers commute,” he said.

If railway lines reach Gehlore village, it will be nothing short of a twist of irony for Manjhi. It is said that nearly 40 years ago, while he was travelling to Delhi to meet then PM Indira Gandhi and take up Gehlore’s connectivity problems, he was forced out of a train as he did not have a ticket. He then reportedly marched to Delhi on foot.

Manjhi, on whose life a number of documentaries and a Hindi movie have been made, belongs to a community, which was once a strong support base of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and then backed JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar.
http://indianexpress.com/article/in...ve-rail-connectivity-gehlore-village-3024874/
 
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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...and-by-2020-railways/articleshow/54293078.cms

Confirmed seat on demand by 2020: Railways

NEW DELHI: Gearing up to provide confirmed seat on demand, railways is expanding its network to cater to the growing demand of passengers.

"We want to make network in such a way that people should get reservation on demand by 2020. It is not possible in a day," Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha said here today.

Currently, the wait-listed passengers' list is long as there is a wide gap between the availability of berths and number of passengers. Besides railways is facing heavy congestion in main trunk routes as 12,000 trains are run on 66,000 km route daily across the country.

Speaking on the sidelines of a function, Sinha said there is a huge gap between passenger requirement and the existing infrastructure.

"Railway traffic has increased 20 times since Independence and infrastructure has increased by 2.25 times. There is a big gap between passengers and infrastructure," he said.

"Allahabd-Mughal Sarai sector is where there was maximum congestion. There are 67 sectors in the country which face congestion and work has started to decongest them," Sinha said.

Highlighting the NDA government's focus on infrastructure development, the MoS Railways said, "Average investment in Indian Railways was Rs 48,000 crore before May 2014, which has been increased last year to Rs 1 lakh crore. An investment plan worth Rs 8.5 lakh crore has been made (for the next five years)."

Defending the flexi-fare system in Premier service, he said, "Flexi plan has been implemented in 77 trains. Those who are effected from this scheme are less than 0.2 per cent. Railways expense per kilometer is around 70 paise and it is recovering 40 paise only."

He further said, "This is required for working of railways and I feel who are availing better facilities and who can afford to pay should pay for services. We have made no changes in general (jan sadharan) and Garib Rath trains."
 
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Indian Railways: Forget the surge, it’s still cheaper to take the train
Travelling by train even after paying surge prices is cheaper than taking a flight on a low-cost carrier this festive season.
By: Bilal Abdi and Sumit Jha | New Delhi | Published: September 13, 2016 6:43 AM
0
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SpiceJet. If one wants to take an Indigo flight, it would be costlier. Again, taking the Rajdhani from Delhi to Chennai by 2AC costs Rs 3,951 compared with Rs 4,250 on SpiceJet. Moreover, rail fares for Delhi-Patna are available for Rs 2,336 compared to Rs 3,947 being charged by Go Air.

Indeed, 2AC fares on most routes except Delhi-Bengaluru and Delhi-Mumbai are a shade lower than the corresponding air fares.

Airlines have been hoping to wean away passengers from railways after surge pricing was introduced last week. While the train fares so far appear to be lower than airfares — as obtained from the IRCTC website — they could change in the coming days as occupancies rise. However, travel agents say airlines too are likely to up their fares closer to the key festivals — Durga Puja and Diwali.

However, those who fail to get confirmed train tickets can try their luck with Air India. The national carrier has introduced special discounted “spot” air fares on select routes close to the revised 2AC and 1AC fares. Spot fares can be availed of only four hours prior to departure. Price comparison for bookings done for October 6, between air fares of Air India and prevalent rail fares under the “flexi system”, indicate Air India’s air fares are lower compared to 2AC by Rs 5-50 on mostly trunk routes like Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Chennai, Delhi-Patna and Delhi-Ranchi.

Manish Rathi, CEO & Co-founder RailYatri.in, points out the biggest beneficiary of the boom in travel and tourism has been roadways which could pose some stiff competition for railways. “Train passengers are not as price sensitive as those who travel by air given there is no direct alternative to the railways. Nevertheless, they too are becoming more price conscious,” Rathi observed.

Domestic air traffic has seen double digit growth in the last two years; July saw the highest ever monthly growth in passengers of 26% year-on-year on the back of a drop in airfares. On the other hand, IR has seen a 3.2% y-o-y growth in the five months to August, in the non-suburban segment the highest revenue generating segment under passenger receipts.
 
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हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण,कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे
हरे राम हरे राम, राम राम हरे हरे
13-09-2016

#Economy:A committee has been formed to look into various pay related anomalies arising out of the implementation of the Seventh Central Pay Commission's recommendations. The 22-member panel will be headed by Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training and it will have members from both the official and staff side.

#Finance:FM will launch on Wednesday a web portal for pensioners which will serve as a one-stop destination with regard to providing necessary information and speedy redressal of grievances.

#CBDT said assessees taking advantage of the Direct Tax Dispute Resolution Scheme, 2016, will be required to pay the taxes within the stipulated period to avail the relief under the scheme.The CBDT clarified that declaration cannot be filed under the scheme, in case where the appeal was pending before CIT (Appeals) as on February 29, 2016 and the CIT (Appeals) has already disposed of the same before making the declaration, the declaration under the Scheme cannot be filed.

#Mera Bharat Mahaan:CBSE Board has suggested that textbooks for classes I to VIII should be light weighted. Schools should not prescribe too many additional and supplementary textbooks which are at times voluminous, costly and designed in a pedagogically unsound manner.

भारत माता की जय
 
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Nitin Gadkari wants Elon Musk to test-run supersonic train in Pune

MUMBAI: If Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has his way with high-tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, the American billionaire's company SpaceX may test-run its futuristic high speed train, the Hyperloop, in Pune.

Speaking about his recent visit to the American west coast, which is the global hub of hi-tech innovations, Gadkari said he spent quality time with the officials of Tesla, which is also founded by Musk, who is known for his futuristic ideas.

"I just offered them ... they want some road for experimental purpose. I offered them the westerly bypass of Pune connected to the Express Highway. The idea is they can take an experiment between Mumbai and Pune as a pilot project," he said, without naming SpaceX.

He said the Hyperloop, whose idea was first presented in 2013, runs faster than an aircraft at a speed of 1,120 kmph and can cut the distance between his hometown Nagpur and Mumbai in 35 minutes.

Among other things, SpaceX is also working on commercialising space travel.

Speaking about the futuristic concept which is yet to be commercialised, the minister said the Hyperloop "is a tube" which uses air for propulsion.

The company's website says SpaceX is "interested in helping to accelerate development of a functional Hyperloop prototype".

Speaking to reporters later on the sidelines of an infrastructure summit organised by Marathi daily Lokmat, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also confirmed that there indeed have been some discussions between the governments on such a proposal but was quick to add that Maharashtra has asked the company to develop the productfirst before making test-runs in the state.

Gadkari said the government has invited Tesla to invest in the country as he expressed interest in clean energy like solar and battery storage, areas in which the American company is focused on.

He said he also encouraged Musk to set up a manufacturing base here. Tesla has been offered land free of cost near some ports.
 
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हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण,कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे
हरे राम हरे राम, राम राम हरे हरे
14-09-2016

#Economy:Implementation of GST will lead to increased tax compliance and attract more foreign direct investments across sectors due to tax transparency and ease of doing business.

#Finance:As the Centre and states kick off consultations to decide the crucial rate for the GST, the Govt is all set to back a pocket-friendly rate, amid indications that a standard rate of 18-19% might receive the Govt's backing.

#More than half of the homebuyers may not get delivery of the apartments they were promised this year, spelling continuation of the malady that has beset India's real estate market for about a decade. Across India's top seven cities, only 180,716 apartments were completed by June, according to data from property research firm PropEquity, while 674,834 apartments were expected to be completed by the end of 2016.

#Mera Bharat Mahaan:India on Tuesday congratulated Mauritius for revising the bilateral Double Taxation Avoidance Convention, which had been a source of stress in their mutual ties. To help Mauritius tide over the immediate loss to its economy, New Delhi committed to assist it in implementing key infrastructure projects.

भारत माता की जय
 
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NEW DELHI: The government will make 44 highway stretches totalling 27,000 km to be developed as "economic corridors" for seamless movement of cargo vehicles, cut delays, deepen economic activities and create jobs. It will help in decongesting 30 top cities in the country by building ring roads and logistics hubs along these corridors.

This will be the biggest highway expansion plan since the rolling out of Golden Quadrilateral and North South East West Corridor, totalling 13,000 km during the Vajpayee regime.

These stretches pass through and connect major hubs of economic activities such as manufacturing clusters and ports, and have been identified as "economic corridors". The new plan is expected to be completed in six years. The government is exploring several funding options, including road development cess, loans from agencies and also private investment.

Another 15,000 km will be developed as feeder routes to these economic corridors.Sources said that 40 interconnecting corridors will also be developed to link 44 economic corridors and the Golden Quadrilateral.This network will carry 80% of the country's freight. The government will also rebrand national highways as national corridors, economic corridors and feeder roads, a move aimed at helping in navigation and identify ing the roads. The corridors have been identified using satellite imagery .

TOI has learnt that the work of expanding these stretches will be carried out under the ' Bharat Mala+ ' programme, a highway project that will link ports, logistic hubs, border areas to boost cargo movement, exports and their overall growth.
The Union highways ministry is preparing a proposal to seek the cabinet approval for the ambitious programme. TOI on June 13 had first reported the government's plan to develop a grid of national highways for smooth traffic movement. NHAI officials said some of the identi fied corridors are Mumbai to Kolkata, Pune to Vijayawada, Jaipur to Indore, Tuticorin to Kochi and Bengaluru to Nellore.


"Most of these identified stretches are already part of the national highway network... We need to provide seamless connectivity. The main aim is to provide wider roads for cargo vehicles and necessary facilities and also to equip them with 100% electronic tolling system," a ministry official said.

All these identified stretches will be made into four to six lanes with facilities such as truck lay-by , parking lots and logistics parks."There will be no congestion point throughout the stretches," the official said.

These packages are likely to require at least Rs 6 lakh crore investment, according to NHAI sources

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...m-economic-corridors/articleshow/54320384.cms
 
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India expected to post first current account surplus in nine years

MUMBAI: India is likely to post its first current account surplus in nine years in the latest quarter, which should bolster the rupee though it is not a good sign for the economy as it reflects weak investment demand at home and subdued exports, analysts said. Forecasts given by investment houses' research notes and from analysts that Reuters spoke to showed expectations centering on a surplus of $4 billion, or 0.8 per cent of GDP, in AprilJune quarter. That compared with a deficit of $6.2 billion, equivalent to 1.2 per cent of GDP, in the same quarter a year ago. And, if the forecasts prove correct it will be the first surplus since JanuaryMarch 2007, though India is unlikely to keep the surpluses coming. For the full year ending in March 2017, India is likely to post a deficit even lower than last year's 1.1 per cent of GDP, as foreign investment inflows remain steady and that should be broadly supportive for the rupee. Analysts have revised down their forecasts for the 2016/17 deficit to below 1.0 per cent from earlier projections of between 1.21.5 per cent. The Reserve Bank of India is expected to release the June quarter data this month. For a developing economy like India slow import growth is a negative sign, as it reflects weak investment demand because Indian firms need to buy capital goods and machinery from abroad. That weakness in the economy, analysts say, could persuade the Reserve Bank of India to keep liquidity easy for now. RBI is also unlikely to let the rupee strengthen too much, and any central bank action to take dollars out of the market will add to rupee liquidity. "The improvement in current account deficit is definitely positive for the rupee..." said A Prasanna, economist at ICICI Securities Primary Dealership Ltd. "But it is not a cause for celebration, so far as the RBI is concerned, as it is a reflection of weak investment demand which is impacting the pick up in imports." Trade data released last month showed imports fell 16.33 per cent to $114 billion in the four months through July thanks to lower gold and oil import bills, while exports fell 3.62 per cent to $87 billion.
 
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Transplantation and Communication today probably the most important thing for growth today.And as India looks to provide the basics to all , it becomes even more important.

I am opening this dedicated thread for discussing every thing related to Roads, Waterways and Airways in India.

@PARIKRAMA @Abingdonboy @anant_s @Nilgiri @proud_indian @nair @Levina @ranjeet @Robinhood Pandey @hellfire @jbgt90 @litefire @migflug Request you all to give a contribution here.

Special Focus here will be

1. Sagarmala
It looks towards transforming the existing Ports into modern world class Ports and integrate the development of the Ports, the Industrial clusters and hinterland and efficient evacuation systems through road, rail, inland and coastal waterways resulting in Ports becoming the drivers of economic activity in coastal areas.

2. Inland Water Transport

Plans to develop Ganga a Bulk Transport Highway from Allahabad to Haldia. Also about creating 101 inland water bodies as National Highways.

3. Economic Corridors through BharatMala, Trade Corridor with North East India and South East Asia , and BBIN.

4.Improvements / Addition of Expressways in Industrial Belts.

5. Creation and improvement of Air Services in smaller cities and towns.

6. Rural Road Networks.

NOTE:- Please note that no Railways here, we have a dedicated thread for it already.
Every thing other than Railways ,related to Transportantion in India welcome.
 
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PM to lay foundation stone in October for Mumbai's two elevated railway corridors costing Rs 44,000 cr

The 48.3 km long CST Panvel corridor along the central line will be elevated for 31.6 km of the route and will be at grade for 12.4 km, where it will run parallel to existing lines. On the other hand, Churchgate-Vivar stretch entailed 63.27 km along the western line, approximately 42 km of elevated stretch and 8 km underground, and 12 km grad.

http://www.business-standard.com/ar...dors-costing-rs-44-000-cr-116091400321_1.html



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Government plans 27,000km economic corridors

The government will make 44 highway stretches totalling 27,000 km to be developed as "economic corridors" for seamless movement of cargo vehicles, cut delays, deepen economic activities and create jobs. It will help in decongesting 30 top cities in the country by building ring roads and logistics hubs along these corridors.

This will be the biggest highway expansion plan since the rolling out of Golden Quadrilateral and North South East West Corridor, totalling 13,000 km during the Vajpayee regime.

These stretches pass through and connect major hubs of economic activities such as manufacturing clusters and ports, and have been identified as "economic corridors". The new plan is expected to be completed in six years. The government is exploring several funding options, including road development cess, loans from agencies and also private investment.

Another 15,000 km will be developed as feeder routes to these economic corridors.Sources said that 40 interconnecting corridors will also be developed to link 44 economic corridors and the Golden Quadrilateral.This network will carry 80% of the country's freight. The government will also rebrand national highways as national corridors, economic corridors and feeder roads, a move aimed at helping in navigation and identify ing the roads. The corridors have been identified using satellite imagery .

TOI has learnt that the work of expanding these stretches will be carried out under the ' Bharat Mala+ ' programme, a highway project that will link ports, logistic hubs, border areas to boost cargo movement, exports and their overall growth.

The Union highways ministry is preparing a proposal to seek the cabinet approval for the ambitious programme. TOI on June 13 had first reported the government's plan to develop a grid of national highways for smooth traffic movement. NHAI officials said some of the identi fied corridors are Mumbai to Kolkata, Pune to Vijayawada, Jaipur to Indore, Tuticorin to Kochi and Bengaluru to Nellore.

"Most of these identified stretches are already part of the national highway network... We need to provide seamless connectivity. The main aim is to provide wider roads for cargo vehicles and necessary facilities and also to equip them with 100% electronic tolling system," a ministry official said.

All these identified stretches will be made into four to six lanes with facilities such as truck lay-by , parking lots and logistics parks."There will be no congestion point throughout the stretches," the official said.

These packages are likely to require at least Rs 6 lakh crore investment, according to NHAI sources.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...m-economic-corridors/articleshow/54320384.cms
 
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