Indian Economy-News & Updates

[aimarraul]

mumbai may become"Hong Kong of india" someday,what on earth will anyone consider a country as "hong kong of india".......it's ludicrous......

 

[wtf]

South Asian countries should really respect each other's sovereignity.

Sri Lanka is not a disputed territory and its not part of India. Sri Lanks is its own independent country, and I wish Sri Lanka all the success.

Yes, the author should have called it the Singapore of South Asia. If it was India specific and stock market related, a better term would be "the new Mauritius".

Looks like Sri Lanka may be on a different track though. With high levels of literacy and an end to strife, it has the possibility of becoming the new South Asian tiger. The author was clearly thinking in terms of the Asian tigers (Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan). But I see Sri Lanka as more similar to Korea than Singapore. Sri Lanka is not as small as the other three and will have to develop more than one industry unlike the others.

I think they might actually leave India behind in development for a while (Just like the Asian tigers grew earlier and faster than Mainland China).

 

[TOPGUN]

Sri lanka Benfiting as a trade patner is one thing havign a crazy wet dream about taking over Sri lanka is bad for the health for those who want too seems as these days someone wants to take over somone elses house : i hope it never ever happens live in peace and let live in peace !

 

[wtf]

Sri lanka Benfiting as a trade patner is one thing havign a crazy wet dream about taking over Sri lanka is bad for the health for those who want too seems as these days someone wants to take over somone elses house : i hope it never ever happens live in peace and let live in peace !

Who wants to take over Sri Lanka? The better aim is to over-take Sri Lanka, at least in economic growth.

 

[sob]

Found this very interesting article in Times of india

India-Lanka undersea power cable pact soon

India and Sri Lanka are set to energise their relations. Literally. The two neighbours will soon sign an MoU to study the feasibility of laying an undersea cable — which will be one-ofits-kind in Asia when completed — to connect their power networks. Sources said the MEA has approved the draft agreement which is to be signed shortly.
An interlink between India and Sri Lanka will also firm up the idea of establishing a South Asian energy grid being discussed by the Saarc grouping. India already has a heavy-duty power link with Bhutan and connecting Bangladesh and Pakistan will not pose much of a technical problem. Final touches are being given to a study on the South Asian grid.
An undersea link will allow both countries to manage peak demand or at times when hydel capacities in their respective areas run low just as it is doing now in India. The link will help Sri Lanka reduce use of expensive fuels and import cheaper power from India’s surplus. For India, the link will open up a new market for its projected surplus.
An initial report prepared by the stateowned transmission utility PowerGrid, which will be the implementing agency from India for the subsea link, has pegged the cost at Rs 2,292 crore and said it could be completed within 42 months of getting investment approvals.
The report said the power supply scenario between India and Sri Lanka will allow them to exchange about 500 mw of electricity in the short term.
Once the two sides settle down with this quantity, power flow can be ramped up to 1,000 mw, roughly one-fourth of Delhi’s peak consumption, by 2015-16. These are the time frames when the generation capacities in both countries are projected to improve, with surplus in the Indian southern grid.
PowerGrid and Ceylon Electricity Board will be looking at laying a cable under the Gulf of Mannar between Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu and Talaimannar on the left flank of the Mannar islands in Sri Lanka. On the Indian side, the cable will be connected to the southern grid at Madurai through an overhead transmission line. On the Sri Lankan side, the underwater cable will be linked to that country’s network at Anuradhapura through an overhead line.
The undersea link will be laid on the seabed just as telecom and Internet cables run across ocean beds around the world. It will have safeguards on both sides against electrocution in case of damage from ship anchors or sharks. An optic-fibre cable will also run alongside the main power cable to keep an eye on the link and also provide extra telecom capacity between the two countries.
At present, India is facing a 16% electricity shortage, with a peak demand of 107,000 mw. The government plans to add 78,500 mw capacity by 2012, with more envisaged in the captive and merchant segments by private investors. Many other proposals are in the pipeline, which, after taking into account the projected growth in load, suggests that there will be surplus of 6,000 mw during peak hours and 12,300 mw during lean periods.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...power-cable-pact-soon/articleshow/4718266.cms

This is similar to the Power Cable between Sweden and Denmark which was laid by ABB. During Summers Denmark has higher requirement of power while in winter Sweden due to the extreme cold becomes a purchaser.

 

[Choppers]

TOI Mumbai

 

[Choppers]

Zip Zap Zoom!

IT TOOK US LESS THAN 8 MINUTES TO REACH WORLI FROM BANDRA VIA THE BWSL

Rahul Khilnani


It was quite an exhilarating experience to be able to commute via the Bandra Worli Sea Link for the time. We started off from the MSRDC site office near Bandra Reclamation and halted at Worli, in a matter of less than 8 minutes, using the sea link route as it was gearing up to open to public in less than 48 hours.
The gigantic pylons on the sea link are mesmerizing and the breathtaking view of the city from this bridge will make one fall in love with the city of Mumbai. Undoubtedly, a landmark, the BWSL is one of the finest structures that have been constructed in Mumbai.

As we drove on BWSL we could hear the waves below splash on to the gigantic pillars that have been constructed in the sea with perfection, without damaging the network cables below, the lifeline of Mumbai city.
Look out your car window and you can see the beautiful high rises and the sea on either side, making you feel as if you were on a cruise.
I had obviously assumed that it would take us around 30 to 40 minutes to reach the other end and I kept looking at my fuel tank to ensure that the tank had enough gas to get me back to the MSRDC office as I did not want my car to be the first one to be towed off this beautiful bridge, but to my surprise in less than 8 minutes I was at the other end, taking into account that I halted almost every 2 minutes to take snapshots!

As we approached the end of the sea link the first question that I asked the engineer who was accompanying me was, “That’s it!” and he retorted, “How long do did you expect it would take?”
Shocked and amazed at the time it took me to complete the entire stretch it seemed unbelievable that the entire project had taken so long, until the engineer revealed how difficult it was to construct a sea link in the middle of the sea.

HCC and MSRDC managed to pull off this one despite all the pressures and problems that arose because of environmental issues and issues related to the fishermen as well. Not withstanding political pressures and the fact that they had to work in a not so accommodating environment.

It was only during the time I was shown the presentation at the MSRDC office that I realized what went on behind the scenes.
It was revealed, during the presentation, that one of the largest water cranes in the world, the Hercules, was called in from Singapore to complete the final phase of the project before the monsoons.

Hercules, as the name suggests, is so huge that it can only be used during high tides as it requires a certain depth to be able to tread the high seas.
Apart from that HCC and MSRDC were faced with the problem of network cables below, which would get damaged if the crane was used when the water level was low. So, the crane was called in during high tides, sent back during the low tide and so on and so forth for months at a stretch.
The project was finally complete and the crane was sent back into the high seas. Phew! Never imagined what went on behind the scenes while I zipped past this 5.6 km magnificent structure in less than 8 minutes.

All said and done, now the project has been complete and I think one can sit back and enjoy the ride with an awe-inspiring view of the city, by-passing a major traffic bottleneck with 23 signals thereby saving fuel to the tune of a whopping 260 crore annually. Believe it or not!

 

[Choppers]

“It is a great feeling”

Ajit Gulabchand, CMD of Hindustan Construction Co, contractor for the Bandra Worli Sea Link, speaks to Rahul Khilnani about the project

HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE?

First, it has been a challenging project. It is a great feeling to have produced a fine piece of engineering. I feel proud to be part of an aesthetic structure. It shall improve the lives of the citizens of the country and has given us the privilege of doing so. It is one of the finest independent structures and a fine piece of engineering. It was quite an experience and we are very proud to have been part of this project.

DID YOU FACE ANY PROBLEMS?

Yes we did face a lot of problems and hurdles. There have been frustrations as hindrances because of issues related to the fishermen, environmentalists and changes in the design from time to time and also several changes in cost, but we managed to do it ensuring that the people of this country were benefited.

DID YOU THINK THAT THE PROJECT WOULD GET COMPLETED BEFORE THE MONSOONS THIS YEAR?

We were skeptical for many reasons and there were fears of how this would be completed on time, but I was 100 percent sure that it would be completed this time. A lot of processes and people were involved and I had faith in each one of them. We have been in this field for almost 100 years now. We ensure that the people are benefited and we have proved time and again that we never compromise on quality. After all, we are about serious engineering. It is our DNA to do that and that is why we get contracts. It did cost us but we saved on time. MSRDC and our company gained here. I can say, with humility, that only a qualified company can think of it and we are special. I can say with pride that we are happy now. I would also like to add that my engineers are the finest in the world and that is one of the reasons that this project was handled so well.

WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER PART OF THE PROJECT?

The other lanes will be ready after monsoons within 2 months. However, it will not affect the traffic at large. From the public point of view the government should speed up the Haji Ali and Nariman point link work soon so that all the lanes are ready and traffic is decongested along all the routes. In fact we think that an underground link be made as this will reduce pollution, will not affect the aesthetic design of the link and will be much better to work on.

All said and done, the government should quickly embark upon the other phase of this project.

 

[Incredible India]

The bridge is named as ”Rajiv Gandhi Sethu”.
Mumbai sea bridge to be named after Rajiv Gandhi

 

[xebex]

 

[xebex]

The bridge is named as ”Rajiv Gandhi Sethu”.
Mumbai sea bridge to be named after Rajiv Gandhi

Bandra-worli sea link is the best name ever. nothing against Rajiv gandhi, dont we have enough Rajiv Gandhi mameorials already??

 

[xebex]

 

[xebex]

 

[sob]

Bandra-worli sea link is the best name ever. nothing against Rajiv gandhi, dont we have enough Rajiv Gandhi mameorials already??

I completely agree with you. Enough of this sycophancy naming every other thing after the Gandhi's is too much.

Bandra Worli Sea Link or some other nice name would be enough. When will our crappy politicians grow up.

In Delhi after so many years people still call Connaught Place rather than Rajeev Chowk.

 

[sob]

looks like a typical mess up in the planning stage. this is something which plagues all the projects in our country

Bandra-Worli Sea Link: A hi-tech incompetence

Many people celebrated the opening of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai, India’s first cable-stayed road bridge across the sea. In fact, it is a classic example of how not to do city or project planning. What was supposed to be a Rs 300-crore project completed in 2004 actually cost Rs 1,600 crore and was completed five years late.

Supposedly it will reduce the 40-minute car journey from Bandra to Worli to seven minutes, but in practice it will lead to traffic bunching at both ends of the link, and become a nightmare during rush hour. Mumbai needs at least one and preferably two ring roads, partly elevated and partly offshore, be linked by a trans-harbour bridge to Navi Mumbai, and have no traffic signals so that traffic can move at high speed, getting off at various exit ramps into different sections of the city. Beijing has seven such ring roads, but India has none.

The Bandra-Worli link is a short stretch that does not even cover the western shore, as envisaged two decades ago. It took ages because of design changes and payment disputes. The trans-harbour bridge creek has been bid for twice yet not awarded to anybody. Nobody takes a holistic view of the city’s traffic needs because of the politics and money involved in alignments, land acquisition and contract placements.

Nevertheless, some people celebrate the Sea Link saying something is better than nothing: “Why expect too much, we are like that only.” Yet plenty of things in India are world class. Infosys and TCS could not have got where they are today by doing projects five years late and at five times the estimated cost. We have world class manufacturing companies like Tata Steel and Bharat Forge.

It is simply not true that Indians cannot do things well. The first step towards holistic town planning may be legislative change that gives cities strong mayors with substantial budgetary resources, who can carry through major initiatives. We do not have to be quite as good as China, which has built seven sea links in the last six years. But we can surely do better than the Bandra-Worli project.

Bandra-Worli Sea Link: A hi-tech incompetence- Infrastructure-Economy-News-The Economic Times