Mumbai masterplan for roads
Mumbai’s development authority has drafted a Rs 58,000 masterplan to build a network of ring roads that are supposed to connect all corners of the city by 2029, cutting travel time significantly.
Mumbai’s Ring Road masterplan prepared by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) outlines mega road connectivity across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) — from Vadodara, Gujarat border in the north to Alibaug in the Konkan belt of Maharashtra down South, and towards Navi Mumbai/Thane. It will set up a complex network of roads, flyovers, reclaimed coastal roads, bridges and underwater tunnels, planning to declutter and decongest MMR and ease public transport.
The MMRDA has approved building an additional 90.18 kilometres of network roads at Rs 58,517 crore. Outer as well as inner Ring Roads will be linked, so that there can be unhindered travel in all directions. The total project cost of all infrastructure projects, including metro, new roads, bridges, flyovers and slum development could be Rs 3 lakh crore.
The road development is in various stages of tendering and development and will bring together various authorities, such as MMRDA, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), to provide for signal-free, or minimal-interruption travel.
The focus would shift to improving east-west connectivity, in order to boost economic activity. While Mumbai accounts for about 4% of GDP, a Niti Aayog report projected that its GDP will double by 2030 from $140 billion to $300 billion.
Source: The Indian Express, Business Standard
Read more: Navi Mumbai is making public transport more enjoyable for travellers
AI records 5,687 traffic violations every hour in Bengaluru
The Bengaluru traffic police recorded 5,687 traffic violations every hour from May to September this year, through AI-based enforcement cameras. There were 80 lakh traffic violations, or 57,942 violations per day and 789 violations per junction on average. The maximum violations were in the morning peak hours between 8 am and 9 am. Wrong-way driving topped the violation list, with an average of 2,300 cases flagged, followed by red light violations, stop line violations and driving without helmets and seat belts.
More than 50 junctions were monitored by AI-based cameras and violators were sent challans through the Smart Enforcement Centre. The AI-based cameras used advanced traffic enforcement technology to monitor and record violations.
Contactless enforcement involved using Field Traffic Violations Report (FTVR) machines to record violations. Till August, 1.43 crore traffic violations were recorded, the highest of 50 lakh violations being in January. An average of 67,335 violations per day were through FTVR machines.
Source: The Indian Express
5G covers 97% of cities: Telecom minister
The national 5G network, launched on October 2, 2022, has covered 97% of cities and 80% of the population, said Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. He added that 7,258 mobile towers, about 27% of the planned 27,648 towers, have been installed in the first 100 days of the current government.
India is among the few countries with four strong telecom operators, he said.
Source: The Indian Express, The New Indian Express
18 mn sq-ft more mall space for eight cities by 2027
About 18 million sq ft will be available as retail space in shopping malls for eight major cities by 2027, according to real estate consultant, Cushman & Wakefield (C&W). Incidentally, this is one-third of the projected requirement or demand, according to the consultant.
India lags behind other South Asian countries in terms of Retail Space Per Capita (RSPC), highlighting the vast potential for retail space expansion. However, in the first half of 2024, no new mall became operational.
Representative image. DLF Mall in Delhi. Wikipedia/Shiva345
The top cities covered in the report included Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. There is a rapid expansion of malls in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. But the demand for quality retail spaces will rise particularly in cities such as Gurugram. Customers increasingly prefer a one-stop solution, offering a combination of shopping experience, entertainment, ambience and community engagement.
Source: Business Standard, rediff.com
Read More: Open shopping centres in Chennai can be a city-friendly alternative to malls
Bengaluru top hub for GCCs
Bengaluru emerges as the leading city for Global Capability Centres (GCCs), with 36% of the GCC workforce residing here in the first two quarters of FY25, according to a report by tech staffing and learning solutions firm TeamLease Digital. Its high-tech sector comprises 37% of the total workforce, followed by professional services, such as banking, financial services, insurance (BFSI) and consulting firms that contribute 21%. The manufacturing sector, focused mainly on automotive and electronics, adds another 10%.
Hyderabad is also a high-tech sector leader, representing 14% of TeamLease Digital’s GCC clients. It contributes 45% to its GCC workforce. it is also a leading city in digital transformation, leveraging technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, blockchain and data analytics to power global operations.
It is followed by Mumbai and Pune, which account for 31% of TeamLease Digital’s GCC partnerships, driven mostly by the high-tech sector, contributing 33% and the automotive industry, accounting for 22%. Meanwhile, the Delhi-NCR region contributes 22% to the overall GCC workforce, with the software and platform and high-tech sectors representing 20% of GCC headcount. It oil and gas industry contribute 6.5%, to the workforce.
While the broader IT industry experienced a downturn, the GCC Software and Internet sector showed steady growth and would reach a CAGR of 6.2% by 2027.
Source: Business Standard, Economic Times
Slow progress in legacy waste management reclaim
Three years following the huge launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 on October 1, 2021, the legacy waste management project has seen slow progress. The mission was launched to achieve Garbage-Free Status for all cities through 100% source segregation, door-to-door collection, and scientific management of all fractions of waste, including safe disposal in scientific landfills.
Only 470 of 2,424 dumpsites have been remediated and 16% of the land has been reclaimed. Sources from the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry reveal that about 15,000 acres of prime real estate is buried under almost 16 crore tonnes of legacy waste.
So far, action plans totalling ₹3,226 crore of Central Share (CS) assistance to remedy legacy waste dumpsites have been approved. States and Union Territory administrations have been sent directives on landfill reclamation. Local governments are asked to contribute matching finances for the project.
Tamil Nadu has the maximum area reclaimed from dumpsites at 837 acres (42%). Gujarat is the best performing State with 75% area (698 of 938 acres) of landfills reclaimed.
Indian companies top in global emission control
India followed China and Brazil in being among the top three countries to report, target-set and reduce carbon emissions, says a survey by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and CO2 AI, released on September 24. The survey in over 26 countries involved companies in 16 major industries, which had annual revenues from $100 million to more than $20 billion, accounting for approximately 45% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Titled ‘Boosting Your Bottom Line Through Decarbonisation,’ the report showed that 12% of Indian companies reported emissions, against the global average of 9%. While 16% companies globally had set emissions control targets, India’s figures were 24%. In sync with the Paris Agreement, aiming to limit global average temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, 15% of Indian companies reduced their carbon emissions, higher than 11% globally.
The study said that companies reaped “substantial rewards” from decarbonisation, including significant financial gains, enhanced reputations and operational efficiencies.
Source: The Indian Express
[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]