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India's longest railway tunnel excavated in J-K

The Kashmir rail link project took a significant leap today with the completion of excavation work of a 11km-long tunnel, the longest in the country, underneath the rugged Pir Panjal mountains.


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The Pir Panjal tunnel, which constitutes a vital link between Udhampur and Qazigund of the national project, runs below the existing Jawahar road tunnel and promises to reduce the travelling distance between Banihal and Qazigund from 35 km to only 11 km.
"It is one of the modern tunnels of the world, which also has provision for a 10-feet wide parallel road running adjacent to the rail track for carrying out rescue work," said Member (Engineering), Railway Board, A P Mishra this afternoon.

Given its length, proper ventilation has been provided and measures will be taken to provide mobile connectivity for seamless communication even while travelling through it, he said, adding the entire tunneling work will be completed within six to seven months.
Considered a major engineering achievement for railways, the tunnel, which is the second longest tunnel in Asia after China's Wushaoling tunnel (20 km) in Gansu, was executed by Hindustan Construction Company at a cost running close to Rs 1,100 crore.
"In other words, Rs 100 crore was spent for constructing a km of the tunnel," Mishra said.

The total excavated quantity from the tunnel is equal to a mountain, said officials of the construction firm.

"There were several challenges like the unpredictable nature of the rock, the strain and ingress of water and harsh weather but we overcame them through careful planning and efficient use of technology," said project manager of the construction firm, Sharanappa Yalal. Due to the changing geological strata of the young Himalayan rock, new Austrian tunnelling methodology was adopted for construction, he said.

Ingenious technologies have also been adopted to create a membrane to ensure zero water seepage. The tunnel is also earthquake-resistant and has a life span of 100 years, he noted.

The alignment of the tunnel crosses national highway 1A at three locations, and runs just about 440 metres below the existing Jawahar road tunnel connecting the Kashmir valley to Jammu.

Mishra expressed the hope that some portions of the rail project in the Valley will be commissioned by the end of next year.

They include the stretch between Udhampur and Katra and Qazigund and Banihal.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had dedicated the first phase of the project between Jammu and Udhampur (53 km) to the nation in April 2005 while the 119 km-long Qazigund-Srinagar-Baramula stretch was commissioned in 2009.

The entire rail link running over 300 km is likely to be completed by 2017, Mishra hoped.He said during construction of the project, railways also constructed about 240 km of roads to get access to the inhospitable terrains for track laying.

"These roads will be handed over to the Jammu and Kashmir government for the use of the public and their maintenance," he said.

The Katra-Quazigund section, on which the new tunnel falls, is considered the toughest section of the entire project, comprising a series of tunnels and bridges, dotting the famed landscape that the Kashmir Valley is known for, he said.

The stretch between river Chenab and Banihal passes through a virgin territory, requiring construction of about 235 km of access roads.

Out of them, 180 km of access roads have already been completed in this section, railway officials said.

The Chenab bridge, 359 metre above river bed, will be the highest bridge in the world when completed.He said during construction of the project, railways also constructed about 240 km of roads to get access to the inhospitable terrains for track laying.
"These roads will be handed over to Jammu and Kashmir government for the use of the public and their maintenance," he said.

The Katra-Quazigund section, on which the new tunnel falls, is considered the toughest section of the entire project, comprising a series of tunnels and bridges dotting the famed landscape the Kashmir Valley is known for, he said.

The stretch between river Chenab and Banihal passes through a virgin territory, requiring construction of about 235 km of access roads.

Out of them, 180 km of access roads have already been completed in this section, railway officials said.

The Chenab bridge, 359 metre above river bed, will be the highest bridge in the world when completed.

India's longest railway tunnel opens to traffic
 
World’s largest solar park to change face of arid north Gujarat region, Gujarat set to be the Solar Capital of the World

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Even as Gujarat Government has decided to harness renewable sources of energy to maximum possible extent to solve the nation’s power shortage, Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said the State is set to become the ‘Solar Capital of the World’.

He was inaugurating the 30 MW solar power project in near Gunthawada village in Kankrej taluka in Banaskantha district, bordering the Rann of Kutch. The plant set up by Mozer Baer Green Energy Company on 320- acre at a cost of Rs.465-crore in the private sector was commissioned in four months.

While the Centre could not start any solar plant even after announcing its solar power policy, Mr. Modi said, Gujarat has set up four such projects, including one at Charnaka.

Mr. Modi said the world’s largest solar park combining the vast stretches of land with ample supply of sunrays is also coming up in the region. The initiative should go a long way in solving the coal shortage. He said that Gujarat has already succeeded converting disasters into opportunities, as Kutch became the fastest growing district in the country during the last decade. Gujarat’s 1,600-km long coastline is humming with a number of seaports. And now it is converting the arid Kutch, Banaskantha and Patan districts into prosperous power producing regions.

He recalled that Gujarat was a power deficient state but today distributing 24-hour electricity to all the 18,000-odd villages in the state. With proper conservation and management of water and electricity, he said, Jyoti Gram Yojna has changed the socio-economic conditions of Gujarat, creating a mass awareness too.

While the Centre has been reduced to a power-corrupt government amidst zero development, Mr. Modi said, Gujarat has shown how power could be utilized for all all round growth. The state is undertaken new initiatives in recycling biomass and agro-waste.

Mozer Baer Company’s president Dipak Puri and project chairman Ratul Puri said the project should provide electricity to 50,000 villagers. They praised the Gujarat Government’s proactive policies.

Others present on the occasion included Social Justice Minister Fakirbhai Vaghela, Ministers of State Liladhar Vaghela and Parbat Patel, ex-MP Haribhai Chaudhry, MLAs and office-bearers.

News Blog|Chief Minister inaugurates Asia?s biggest solar power plant in Kankrej | [url]www.narendramodi.in :[/url]
 
Bangalore Metro will go live at 4pm October 20. The inaugural function of Reach 1 (MG Road to Byappanahalli) will start at 10.30am at Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground, and is expected to last till 2pm.

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Services will begin at the following stations:

Mahatma Gandhi Road Station towards Byappanahalli

Byappanahalli Station towards Mahatma Gandhi Road Station

Passenger entry to stations and purchase of tickets at the stations will start from 3pm onwards. The trains will stop at Trinity, Halasuru, Indiranagar and Swami Vivekananda Road stations for 30 seconds each. The frequency will be 10 minutes.

The trains are scheduled to run up to 10pm, and tickets will be on sale up to 9.50pm. If need be, services will be extended by an hour to 11pm.

From October 21 onwards, regular Metro train services will start from Byappanahalli (BYPH) and MG Road (MAGR) at 6am in each direction. The frequency of trains will be 15 minutes between 6am and 8am, 10 minutes between 8am and 8pm, and 15 minutes between 8pm and 10pm.

The last service will run at 10pm from both directions: Byappanahalli Station to MG Road, and vice-versa.

Union minister for urban development Kamal Nath will inaugurate the first line from MG Road to Byappanahalli and flag off the first Namma Metro train. Dignitaries invited will inaugurate the stations and operational control centre.

Chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda will preside over the function. The other dignitaries who have confirmed their participation are Union railways minister Dinesh Trivedi, Union minister of state for railways KH Muniyappa, Union minister for corporate affairs M Veerappa Moily, Union minister for labour and employment Mallikarjuna Kharge, former chief minister of Karnataka Dharam Singh and Japanese ambassador Akitaka Saiki.

Bangalore Metro opens to public at 4pm on Thursday - The Economic Times
 

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