New Delhi. In a proud moment in the construction of roads in India, 100 km of road was constructed in a record time of 100 hours on the Ghaziabad-Aligarh Expressway. 100 kms of bituminous concrete was laid on the road in 100 hours highlighting the dedication and ingenuity of India’s road infrastructure industry.
Union Minister Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari has extended his congratulations to the teams of Cube Highways, L&T and Ghaziabad Aligarh Expressway Pvt Ltd (GAEPL) for their outstanding achievement, the transport ministry said in a statement.
Speaking at the celebrations of the achievement of the feat, Gadkari said that the Ghaziabad-Aligarh section of NH34 is very important for its role as a transport link between the cities of Ghaziabad and Aligarh. The expressway runs for a length of 118 kms.
“The project runs through various towns and cities in Uttar Pradesh, including Dadri, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Sikandrabad, Bulandshahr and Khurja and serves as a critical trade route facilitating the movement of goods, contributing to regional economic development by connecting industrial areas, agricultural regions and educational institutions,” he said.
“Emphasizing on our commitment to sustainability and cost effectiveness, we have implemented the use of Cold Central Plant Recycling (CCPR) technology in the project,” he added.
He said that the technology involves utilizing 90% of the milled material, which amounts to nearly 20 lakh square meters of road surface.
“Consequently, the consumption of virgin materials has been reduced to a mere 10%. By adopting this approach, we have significantly reduced fuel consumption and the associated greenhouse gas emissions, thereby making a substantial contribution to lowering our carbon footprint,” he said.
Shocking Account of Smuggling in Kerala
Kerala (VSK).
Gold smuggling has been a regular phenomenon in Kerala. Quite often smuggling of gold is reported from all international airports in Kerala. Apparently, there are four international airports in the state, i.e. Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kannur.
Now, the credible information has come from the horse’s mouth itself. Kochi Customs Preventive Commissioner Rajendrakumar stated, addressing a seminar in Kochi, that during the last fiscal year (2022-23) Kerala Customs have seized 630 kgs gold, worth Rs 311cr in connection with 810 cases. Arrest rate is an average of one man per day. During 2021-22, 329 people were arrested.
The seminar was organised by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry) Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying Economy (CASCADE). The seminar was conducted on “Smuggling and Counterfeiting”.
FICCI CASCADE’s recent report states that during 2022, the country lost Rs 58,521cr owing to illegal trade. Cigarettes worth Rs 329 lakhs, in connection with 123 cases, had been seized. Several goods, including, gold, cigarette, narcotic drugs and electronic goods, coming to Bharat’s market. In 2019-20, illegal trade of mobile phone, FMCG, tobacco products and alcohol worth Rs 260,094 had taken place.
Kochi City Police Commissioner K. Sethuraman IPS, said, on the occasion, that modern methodologies applied in illegal activities and smuggling create challenges before the police investigations.
This is an alarming news for the patriots. Kerala is still not relieved from the shock of the giant consignment of narcotics Bharat Navy and Customs seized offshore last week. It weighed 2,525 kgs and worth more than Rs. 25,000 cr. National Narcotics Bureau (NCB) has sought the custody of the Pakistani citizen Subair caught hold during the offshore haul. He is reported to have told, during the interrogation, that he was a carrier for a Pakistani smuggler. No one can rule out the terror links of this drug consignment.
The aforementioned underlines the fact that Kerala Police should give more support to the central agencies to put an end to these anti-national activities.
