Urban News

Source : The Hindu Date : 20.06.2009

German firm to help State tackle water crisis

Staff Correspondent

HOSPET (BELLARY DT.): To help new mega and medium industries overcome water crisis, the State Government will ask a German-based company to submit a detailed project report on harvesting rainwater and making the best use of various water resources.

This was revealed by Murgesh Nirani, Minister for Large and Medium Industries, here on Friday.

He said the Government was aware of water scarcity faced by industries, especially in Bellary district, which had been proposed to be developed as a steel hub. It was thinking of harvesting rainwater and making the best use of existing sources of water.

Mr. Nirani said that Chief Minister B.S. Yeddurappa and he had a detailed discussion with the German-based company on harvesting rainwater and making the best use of various water sources in the State to overcome water scarcity faced by the industrial sector.

“We will entrust the task of preparing a detailed project report to the German-based company. We hope that in six months, the project report would be ready. Steps will be taken to implement the recommendations made in the report,” he said.

Mr. Nirani said that after the new industrial policy was announced, it had been proposed to acquire 5,000 acres of land in first phase and 5,000 acres more in second phase to be developed and allotted for setting up of industries.

“A global investors’ meet is likely to be held in November or December this year with a hope of attracting investments amounting to Rs. three lakh crore and generating 75,000 jobs,” he said.

He said that the Government had received five applications from various companies for establishing steel units near Almatti in Bagalkot, Haveri and Koppal districts.

Mr. Nirani was here to inaugurate the Gulbarga-divisional level “Kaigarika Adalat”.

Source : The Hindu Date : 18.06.2009

Delhi Metro achieves another first

Staff Reporter

Photo: V. V. Krishnan

Inside the tunnel: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation workers and engineers after the final breakthrough of tunnelling on its Qutub Minar-Saket stretch in New Delhi on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on Wednesday achieved the final breakthrough in tunnelling work on the Qutub Minar-Saket stretch using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) on Phase II of its upcoming new Central Secretariat-Gurgaon line.

This is the first time that the new technology has been used on “soft” soil.

According to a senior DMRC official, so far NATM was used in hard rock conditions at the Chawri Bazar station and the Ridge area near Talkatora Garden.

NATM is a technology that is used for tunnelling in rocky areas. The surface is first broken with the help of controlled blasting, the pieces are then removed using machinery, and then concrete lining is done.

“Tunnel construction in soft soil is very tricky as the soil has to be immediately cemented and strengthened to prevent collapse. The Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) was not used here as the distance was small and lowering the TBM near the Archaeological Survey of India-protected monument could have been difficult and very expensive,” said the DMRC official.

The 185-metre NATM tunnel breakthrough achieved at the South end of the Saket metro railway station is a part of the 1.85-km Qutub Minar-Saket stretch which also covers a cut-and-cover underground tunnel of 1,020 metres and 645 metres elevated section.

Work in this area was difficult as DMRC had to divert an old 247-metre-long, six-metre-wide and five-metre-deep natural storm-water drain which was flowing over the alignment of the NATM tunnel. “All precautions prescribed by the Archaeological Survey of India had to be observed as construction activity was done close to Petheora Rai Ka Kila, a historic monument situated in the vicinity of the Saket metro station,” the official said.