10-Jan-2019: Six States to Sign Agreement for Renukaji Multipurpose Dam Project
An agreement for Renukaji Dam Multipurpose Project will be signed among six states - Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand in the presence of Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari. All the six Chief Ministers will also be present on the occasion.
In addition to this a concession agreement will also be signed for Namami Gange projects for the city of Prayagraj, under Hybrid Annuity Mode and One City One Operator Concept. The Prayagraj Agreement will be signed between U.P. Jal Nigam, NMCG and Prayagraj Water Pvt. Ltd.
Renukaji Multi-Purpose Project: Three storage projects are proposed to be constructed on the river Yamuna and two of its tributaries - Tons and Giri in the hilly regions of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh of Upper Yamuna Basin. These include Lakhwar project on river Yamuna in Uttarakhand , Kishau on river Tons in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and Renukaji on river Giri in Himachal Pradesh.
These three projects were identified as National Projects in 2008 under which 90% funding of the cost of irrigation & drinking water component will be provided by the Govt. of India as central assistance and the rest 10% cost of the irrigation and drinking water component will be borne by the beneficiary states.
In continuation to it, an agreement in respect of sharing of cost and benefits of Lakhwar MPP amongst basin States viz. Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and NCT of Delhi was signed by the Chief Ministers of these states in the presence of Union Minister, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation at New Delhi on 28th August, 2018. A similar agreement is scheduled to be signed for the implementation of Renukaji Dam Project.
Renukaji Dam project has been conceived as a storage project on Giri River (tributary of river Yamuna) in Sirmour District of Himachal Pradesh. The project envisages construction of 148 M high rock filled dam for supply of 23 cumec water to Delhi and other basin states. The project will also generate 40 MW of power during peak flow. The project is proposed to be executed by Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd. (HPPCL). The live storage of Renukaji MPP is 0.404 MAF and total submergence area is about 1508 hectares in the territory of HP.
After the construction of the said dam, the flow of river Giri will increase about 110% which will meet the drinking water needs of Delhi & other basin states up to some extent in lean period. Stored water of Renukaji Dam will be used by UP, Haryana & NCT of Delhi from Hathnikund Barrage, by NCT of Delhi from Wazirabad Barrage and by UP, Haryana and Rajasthan from Okhla Barrage.
Investigation works in respect of Renukaji dam project was started in 1976. But, due to some unavoidable reasons, the construction works could not be started. The total cost of the project was estimated on Price Level 2015 is Rs. 4596.76 Crores out of which the cost of irrigation/drinking water component is Rs. 4325.43 crores and the cost of power component is Rs. 277.33 crore. The 90% cost of irrigation/drinking water component of the project i.e. Rs. 3892.83 crore will be provided by the Central Govt. and rest 10% of the above cost i.e. Rs. 432.54 crore will be provided by the basin States of Haryana, UP/UK, HP, Rajasthan & NCT of Delhi in the proportion as allocated in MoU dated 12.05.1994 signed by the CMs of the basin states for the allocation of surface water of river Yamuna up to Okhla Barrage. The shares of these states viz. Haryana, UP/UK, HP, Rajasthan and NCT of Delhi are 47.82%, 33.65%, 3.15%, 9.34% and 6.04% respectively. Govt. of NCT of Delhi has agreed to fund 90% of the cost of power component of the said project.
For the investigation and land acquisition of the project, Central government has released Rs. 446.96 crore, Govt. of Delhi has released Rs. 214.84 crore & Govt. of Haryana has released Rs. 25 crore till date. All the mandatory clearances in respect of Renukaji dam project except Stage-II forest clearance, invest clearance and approval from CCEA have been obtained.
Projects for Concession Agreement: The trans-Ganga/Yamuna areas in Prayagraj (namely Naini, Phaphamau & Jhunsi) currently do not have any sewage treatment facility and thereby pollute rivers Ganga and Yamuna.
Prayagraj town already has a comprehensive sewerage network and sewage treatment facilities. However, these are with different operators and without long term sustainable mechanism for Operation and Maintenance (O&M).
Accordingly, two projects have been sanctioned for sewage management in the trans-Ganga/Yamuna areas and O&M of existing sewerage assets costing Rs. 908.16 crore. These projects will lead to creation of I&D network and 3 STPs of total capacity 72 MLD (Naini - 42 MLD, Phaphamau - 14 MLD and Jhunsi - 16 MLD) and O&M of all the sewerage assets for 15 years. These two projects are under One City One Operator concept for implementation on Hybrid Annuity based PPP mode for the sewerage management of the town in sustainable and accountable manner and improve governance.
These projects would lead to creation of new capacity of 72 MLD, rehabilitation of 80 MLD, operation & maintenance of existing STPs of 254 MLD capacity and 10 Sewage Pumping Stations.
3-Jan-2019: India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway
The 1360 kms long India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway is an initiative pertaining to India, Myanmar and Thailand. India is undertaking construction of two sections of the Trilateral Highway in Myanmar namely,
- construction of 120.74 km Kalewa-Yagyi road section, and
- construction of 69 bridges along with the approach road on the 149.70 km Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa (TKK) road section.
The work on both these sections were awarded on Engineering, Procurement and Construction mode in May 2018 for Kalewa-Yagyi section and November 2017 for the TKK section. The scheduled time for completion of both the projects are three years from the date of commencement at the project site by the executing agency.
The funds released by this Ministry is Rs. 188.32 crore out of the approved cost of Rs. 1459.29 crore for the Kalewa-Yagyi road section and Rs. 4.84 crore out of the approved cost of Rs. 371.58 crore for the 69 bridges along with approach road on the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa (TKK) road section.
The above mentioned both the projects are being funded by Government of India under grant assistance to the Government of Myanmar.
A Motor Vehicles Agreement along with protocols for regulating and facilitating movement of cargo and passenger vehicular traffic is under inter-governmental negotiations between India, Myanmar and Thailand.
25-Sep-2018: PM dedicates Bogibeel bridge to the nation; flags off first passenger train
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, dedicated the Bogibeel bridge in Assam to the nation. The bridge, which spans the River Brahmaputra between Dibrugarh and Dhemaji districts of Assam, is of immense economic and strategic significance for the nation. At a massive public meeting in Kareng Chapori, on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, the Prime Minister also flagged off the first passenger train passing through the bridge.
For the last four and a half years, the Union Government has pursued the objective of good governance. The dedication of the historic Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge, is a symbol of this objective. He said this bridge is a marvel of engineering and technology, and is of immense strategic significance. He said this bridge reduces distances between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. He said it would greatly enhance "ease of living" in this region. This bridge had been a dream for the people of this region for generations, and is now a reality. Dibrugarh is an important centre of healthcare, education and commerce in the region, and the people living north of the Brahmaputra, can now access this city, more conveniently.
The Prime Minister appreciated all those involved in the construction of the bridge.
He recalled that in May 2017, he had also dedicated the country's longest road bridge, the Bhupen Hazarika Bridge at Sadia in Assam, to the nation.
The Prime Minister noted that while only three bridges were built over the Brahmaputra river in 60-70 years, three more have been completed in the last four and a half years alone. Another five are in progress. This enhanced connectivity between the northern and southern banks of the Brahmaputra, is an element of good governance. This pace of development will transform the North-East.
The Prime Minister said that the Government is making efforts to build infrastructure for India's future needs.