BMC has begun rectification work of the newly-constructed Gokhale bridge with CD Barfiwala flyover in Andheri and indicated that it will look into the reasons which led to the 6 feet gap between the two structures. When an audit is carried out, the administration will have to furnish an explanation for the extra expenditure that is being incurred for the rectification work (around Rs.100 million) so it is imperative to look into the reasons which led to the gap. The work is expected to be completed by June. Mumbai's BEST fleet bounces back with 3,008 buses After being at an all-time low for seven months, the BEST fleet finally crossed the 3,000 mark as new buses arrived in the fleet - taking the fleet to 3,008 buses in Mumbai. The undertaking expects to increase the fleet size to 3,500 in the next three months, catering to demand from 3.5 million daily commuters who now have to wait in long queues for a bus during peak hours. The fleet had gone below 3,000 last year for the first time in the past 15 years, leading to an acute shortage of buses on roads and affecting the frequency on busy routes. With the fleet size now increasing gradually, there should be more buses and better frequency. Activists said contractors should be penalised for any delay every month and incentivised for early deliveries. Versova-Bandra Sea Link: Deadline extended to 2028 The ongoing construction of the Versova-Bandra Sea Link (VBSL) has achieved a major milestone, with 15 percent of the civil work completed. To streamline the construction process, barges have been strategically stationed at 10 different locations in the sea to facilitate the swift transportation of raw materials, machinery, and personnel to the site. A specially designed barge, equipped with a floating concrete factory, a mixing plant, a pump and a separate placing boom has been deployed to accelerate construction further. Originally scheduled for completion by December 2026 the project's deadline has been extended to May 2028. This adjustment allows for the completion of the extensive construction work. Country's widest e-way is a truck parking lot at night Every night between 9 and 11 pm, Delhi-bound commuters on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway find their path blocked by a battery of trucks and goods carriers that line up sometimes single-file and sometimes double before the toll plaza at the UP Gate (Ghazipur) border. The trucks are parked along the length of the flyover, all the way to Khoda underpass nearly a km away and beyond if truck volume is heavy. Trucks take up at least half the lane width available to traffic. Commercial goods vehicles are not allowed to ply in Delhi between 7 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 11 pm so trucks and other goods carriers that reach early simply park on the expressway before the border and wait, their drivers using the time for dinner or to catch a nap. The surge in steel imports is a warning for Atmanirbhar mission: Industry The Indian steel industry has expressed concern over India becoming a net importer of steel in 2023-24, saying it is a warning signal for the country which strives to become Atmanirbhar. As per the steel ministry's Joint Plant Committee, India has registered a 38 per cent surge in imports of finished steel to 8.319 million tonnes (MT) over 6.022 MT imported during the preceding 2022-23 fiscal. Under the National Steel Policy, India aims to scale up its annual steel production capacity to 300 million tonnes by 2030 to cater to its domestic requirement. In fact, steel demand is expected to grow by 7.3 per cent in India. Hitachi will help Sagar Semi set up its semiconductor manufacturing unit Hitachi Power Semiconductor Device (HPSD), a Hitachi group company, and Sagar Semiconductors (Sagar Semi) inked a MoU for high-power devices. The company is planning to set up a manufacturing facility to produce high-voltage semiconductors. The facility will have the capacity to produce 100 million units a year. This will be one of India’s first end-to-end integrated semiconductor factories. The two companies will work in sectors like energy storage solutions and railways. Contact: Hitachi Power Semiconductor Device Website: www.hitachi-power-semiconductor-device.co.jp Sobha prepares to launch 26-acre row housing project in Bengaluru The company (Sobha) is set to unveil a sprawling 26-acre row housing project in Bengaluru, marking a significant addition to the city's real estate landscape. The forthcoming row housing venture is poised to redefine community living in Bengaluru, offering a blend of modern amenities, green spaces and meticulously designed residences. The launch of the project exemplifies its strategic vision and commitment to sustainable urban development. Contact: Sobha Tel: 080 46464500 Email: marketing@sobha.com Website: www.sobha.com GAIL will soon commission its first Green Hydrogen project State-run natural gas company GAIL (India) plans to soon commission its first Green Hydrogen project in Madhya Pradesh. The unit is expected to produce about 4.3 metric tonnes of hydrogen per day, with a purity of about 99.999 percent by volume and it will use renewable power to reduce its carbon footprint. India aims to reach 5 million tonnes of annual green hydrogen production capacity by 2030. Contact: GAIL Tel: 011-26172580 Website: www.gailonline.com Tesla is scouting for its first India showroom locations in these cities US electric carmaker Tesla is looking at potential showroom locations in New Delhi and Mumbai ahead of plans to begin sales in India later this year. The automaker has begun production of right-hand drive cars at its plant in Germany for export to India. Last month, India had cut electric vehicle import taxes to 15 percent from as much as 100 percent for automakers that invest at least $500 million and set up a factory. Demand for electric cars in India - the world's third-largest auto market - is expected to rapidly climb. EVs made up just 2 per cent of India's total car sales in 2023 but the government said it wants 30 percent of all new car sales to be electric from 2030. Contact: Tesla Website: www.tesla.com Allocation of 1,200+ units in three Bhubaneswar affordable housing projects In the second phase of affordable housing projects in the city, over 600 beneficiaries were given keys to their dream homes, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 1,290 since the inauguration of the projects. In the first phase of allotment, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), which executed housing projects for the urban poor at Chandrasekharpur, Satya Nagar and Subuddhipur, handed over the keys of homes to 659 beneficiaries. In the subsequent phase, 631 more beneficiaries received their houses. According to data, the highest allotment in the second phase was made in the Buddha Vihar project in Chandrasekharpur area where 361 beneficiaries received keys to their homes. Shubhashish Homes signs agreement for Premium Villa Project in Jaipur Jaipur’s leading real estate developer, Shubhashish Homes, has signed a development agreement with the Gurnani Group to construct a residential group housing project in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It is poised to be a landmark project in Rajasthan. Sprawling across an anticipated 10.6 acres of land parcel, the group housing project will have a saleable area of approximately 0.7 million sq ft. Contact: Shubhashish Homes Tel: 7413993399 Email: sales@shubhashishhomes.com Website: www.shubhashishhomes.com Raptee Energy rolls out its first e-motorcycle from Chennai plant Chennai-based electric vehicle start-up Raptee Energy has rolled out its first production-ready e-motorcycle from its manufacturing plant. The start-up states its assembly line in Chennai is now fully operational. The first batch of motorcycles will undergo rigorous testing including ARAI certification and on-road safety checks to ensure they meet the highest standards of quality and performance. Furthermore, Raptee plans to open its first store in its Chennai facility. With its manufacturing facility capable of producing 100,000 units annually, it claims its e-motorcycles boast a portfolio of patented technologies and innovations. Contact: Raptee Energy Website: www.raptee.com Govt to develop plant for recycling lithium-ion batteries and e-waste The Technology Development Board (TDB) has partnered with startup Remine India to build a plant to recycle lithium-ion batteries and e-waste in Uttarakhand. India is third in the world in terms of e-waste generation. The lithium-ion battery recycling market size is projected to reach $14.89 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.6 percent up from $3.79 billion in 2021. Despite this, a significant 95 per cent of Li-ion batteries currently end up in landfills while only 5 percent undergo recycling and reuse. THDC aims to make coal-based thermal project operational by September 2024 THDC India aims to make its coal-based power plant operational by September 2024, marking an entry into the domestic thermal energy sector. THDC is setting up a 1,320 megawatt (2x660 MW) super thermal power project (STPP) at Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh (UP). At present, the Uttarakhand-based entity has an installed power generation capacity of around 1,587 MW of which 1,424 MW is hydro, 113 MW wind and 50 MW solar. Work is going on in full swing and the second unit will be operational by March 2025. It is a project of around `120 billion. Till January 2024, a sum of `94.28 billion has been spent on the Khurja super thermal power plant (KSTPP) and around 85 per cent work has been completed. Contact: THDC India Website: www.thdc.co.in Confederation of trade associations calls for reversal of MSME payment rule The Confederation of West Bengal Trade Associations has issued an urgent call demanding the removal of a newly introduced subsection 43(b) in India's Income Tax Act related to payments made to Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs). The contentious provision, which came into force on April 1, 2024, restricts businesses from claiming tax deductions on payments to MSMEs unless made within 15 days of accepting supplies, or 45 days if a longer credit period was mutually agreed upon, reported TT. However, the confederation argues the new rules run counter to existing business practices where credit cycles routinely exceed 45 days. This has made purchasing from MSMEs while claiming tax deductions an unviable proposition. Japan pours billions into world’s largest hydrogen fuel cell for aviation The Japanese government has promised a combined ¥17.3bn ($110m) to two hydrogen research projects, one of which aims to build and demonstrate a prototype of a massive 4MW fuel cell propulsion system for use in aviation — the biggest known to be under development in the world — within five years. This is more than three times as large as the 1.2 MW fuel cell system currently being developed by French aircraft maker Airbus, which it plans to test in flight on its giant A380 aircraft in 2026. The second Japanese research project, which will receive ¥4.1bn, aims to enable the use of hydrogen fuel cell propulsion systems in aircraft with 80 seats or more by 2031. Dubai to launch its futuristic solar-powered transport system Dubai has ventured into the realm of futuristic, solar-powered transit systems. Partnering with innovative trailblazers, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai has embarked on a ground-breaking journey toward the development of next-generation transport networks. Railbus, renowned for spearheading the creation of the world’s premier 100 percent solar-powered mass transit system, has sealed a MOU with Dubai’s RTA. Indian workers urged not to travel to Iran or Israel Construction workers scheduled to depart from India received messages from the Centre to cancel their plans to go to Israel because of escalating tension in the country. Workers who are already in Israel, meanwhile, claimed that they are safe and do not feel the tensions coming their way for now. According to them, even locals there do not feel any threat due to the war at this time. The Centre issued an advisory urging citizens not to travel to Iran or Israel, highlighting the potential risks it poses to Indian nationals — particularly those working or residing in these countries. The advisory was issued against the backdrop of a growing number of reports about an Iranian attack on Israel. Maldives signs deal with China to redevelop airport The Maldives has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China to redevelop an airport, days after it reached out to India for ensuring daily supplies. Maldives signed the MoU with China CAMC Engineering for redevelopment of Maldives Kadhdhoo Airport. Redevelopment of Kadhdhoo airport into an international airport entails a 2.45-km runway with a terminal capable of handling 300 passengers during peak hours. Chinese presence in the Maldives has been expanding within days of President Mohamed Muizzu entering office in the last quarter of 2023, much to India's discomfort. This March, China signed a defence agreement with Maldives. Vietnam to start work on rail lines to China by 2030 Vietnam aims to start building two high-speed railway lines linking its capital Hanoi with China before 2030, another sign of a recent warming of ties between the two Communist-ruled neighbours. China is Vietnam's largest trading partner and a vital source of imports for its manufacturing sector. The two countries are already connected via a system of highways and two railway lines that are old and need upgrading on the Vietnam side. Trade between Vietnam and China in the first quarter of this year rose 22 percent from a year earlier to $43.6 billion, according to Vietnamese government data. A massive high-speed railway line linking capital Hanoi with business hub Ho Chi Minh City is also being planned in the country.