Dhruvaksh Saha &Amp;Amp; Aneesh Phadnis

Stories by Dhruvaksh Saha &Amp;Amp; Aneesh Phadnis

Coming Soon! The Bullet Train!

Coming Soon! The Bullet Train!

Rediff.com   5 Mar 2024

With land acquisition completed and infrastructure work streamlined, India's bullet train dreams are slowly, but finally, inching closer to reality.

'Should construct 13,000 km of national highways in FY24'

'Should construct 13,000 km of national highways in FY24'

Rediff.com   21 Feb 2024

'The vision now is not just to look at national highways as a number of kilometres, but quality as well.'

Private, state ports' growth outpaces central counterparts till Q3 FY24

Private, state ports' growth outpaces central counterparts till Q3 FY24

Rediff.com   29 Jan 2024

India's private and state government-owned ports (non-major ports) continued to grow faster than those owned by the Centre (major ports) through the first three quarters of 2023-24 (FY24), cargo handling data shows. At 604 million metric tonnes (mmt), cargo at major ports grew by 5 per cent between April and December, while non-major ports' cargo traffic growth was 11 per cent at 531 mmt. During December 2023, central government-owned ports in India handled cargo volumes of 69.9 mmt, a tepid year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth of 0.7 per cent.

'Railways plans to carry 10 billon passengers every year by 2030'

'Railways plans to carry 10 billon passengers every year by 2030'

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2024

'We carry 6.5 billion passengers every year. We have crossed seven billion this year, and are targeting 10 billion by 2030.'

'Public AI infrastructure we create would help startups'

'Public AI infrastructure we create would help startups'

Rediff.com   9 Jan 2024

'Similar to the case of the digital payment system where the government created a public platform and others joined in, we are exploring a similar structure to create a PPP platform where the compute required for AI could be accessed by the small player.'

Centre Assesses Threats As Sea Piracy Surges

Centre Assesses Threats As Sea Piracy Surges

Rediff.com   29 Dec 2023

'Due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, a faction operating in the Red Sea -- which is a typically safe area - has been firing projectiles arbitrarily.' 'Additionally, there have been two incidents involving Somali pirates, and one vessel has been hijacked.'

Will attacks on ships in Red Sea affect India?

Will attacks on ships in Red Sea affect India?

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2023

'Given that the situation is quickly escalating, such attacks will affect the flow of crude in the short term from West Asia' Subhayan Chakraborty and Dhruvaksh Saha report.

Shippers Are Worried About Red Sea Attacks

Shippers Are Worried About Red Sea Attacks

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2023

'If attacks escalate, there is a risk the Suez Canal may be closed.'

168,491 Lives Lost In Road Mishaps

168,491 Lives Lost In Road Mishaps

Rediff.com   13 Nov 2023

33 per cent of all road accidents and 35 per cent of fatal accidents took place on national highways and expressways.

Gadkari unveils prototype of world's first BS-VI-compliant flex-fuel car

Gadkari unveils prototype of world's first BS-VI-compliant flex-fuel car

Rediff.com   30 Aug 2023

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday unveiled the prototype of the world's first Bharat Stage (BS)-VI-compliant electrified flex-fuel car, developed by Toyota Kirloskar Motor. The car, which runs on 100 per cent ethanol (E100), is based on the Toyota Innova HyCross. It can cover 40 per cent of its distance on ethanol and the remaining 60 per cent on electric, with the petrol engine shut off.

India's first public InvIT for road, highway projects in the works

India's first public InvIT for road, highway projects in the works

Rediff.com   8 Aug 2023

After the success of the National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI's) first infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) with foreign institutional investors, the Centre is working on a proposal to launch a fresh InvIT for national highways, where domestic retail investors can hold units of the trust

Export preparedness: Tamil Nadu takes top spot, Gujarat slips to 4th

Export preparedness: Tamil Nadu takes top spot, Gujarat slips to 4th

Rediff.com   18 Jul 2023

After topping it for two consecutive years, Gujarat slipped three places on the NITI Aayog's Export Preparedness Index (EPI) for 2022, as Tamil Nadu emerged as the most export-ready state, the central think tank said in its report released on Monday. In a continuing trend, coastal states were found to have the most robust export infrastructure, which officials attributed to the integration of maritime trade into the core of their economies. Maharashtra and Karnataka retained their positions -- second and third, respectively; Haryana was ranked first among landlocked states and fifth overall.

How Air India Got Funds To Buy Planes

How Air India Got Funds To Buy Planes

Rediff.com   8 Jul 2023

'The funds were arranged from multiple banks at a very competitive rate and converted into dollars at the best rates.'

Lenders set to clear Rs 400 crore to give wings to Go First

Lenders set to clear Rs 400 crore to give wings to Go First

Rediff.com   26 Jun 2023

Go First's lenders have agreed in principle to support the airline's request for Rs 400 crore interim funding to restart its operations. The airline temporarily halted operations on May 2, and its insolvency plea was admitted by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on May 10. On Wednesday, the airline's resolution professional Shailendra Ajmera submitted a business plan and a request for over Rs 400 crore funding to airline's committee of creditors (CoC).

IndiGo has flexibility to decide 2035 size, says CEO Pieter Elbers

IndiGo has flexibility to decide 2035 size, says CEO Pieter Elbers

Rediff.com   20 Jun 2023

IndiGo has the flexibility to decide what would be the precise size of its aircraft fleet by 2035, its chief executive officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers said on Monday. IndiGo - the country's largest airline - has 312 aircraft in its fleet. Elbers said the airline will double in size by 2030, indicating the airline will have a fleet of about 625 by 2030.

Air India upgrading crew rostering, customer notification system: Wilson

Air India upgrading crew rostering, customer notification system: Wilson

Rediff.com   19 Jun 2023

Air India has been a subject of its passengers' ire this week as more than half of its flights have been delayed, primarily because of an old crew rostering system. Due to the existing system, the airline has not been able to handle the disruption created by cyclone 'Biparjoy' on India's western coast. The sudden grounding of two planes also added to the carrier's woes.

Jettwings, new regional airline for Northeast states, plans takeoff in Oct

Jettwings, new regional airline for Northeast states, plans takeoff in Oct

Rediff.com   15 Jun 2023

Sanjive Narain, owner of Assam's oldest news channel, and Sanjay Aditya Singh, promoter of a cabin crew training academy, are coming together to launch a regional airline providing business and premium economy services in the Northeast. Jettwings Airways will be based in Guwahati and will connect places with twin-class Embraer E175 aircraft. The airline has secured an initial no-objection clearance from the civil aviation ministry and plans to launch services in October.

Rail Accidents Surged By 37% In 2022-2023

Rail Accidents Surged By 37% In 2022-2023

Rediff.com   13 Jun 2023

In 2021, the Railways boasted of a historic feat -- no passenger deaths in train accidents in two years. However, the derailment of the Bikaner-Guwahati Express in 2022 brought the Railways back to its forgetful past.

New flights based on flyer-handling capacity at security checks: BCAS

New flights based on flyer-handling capacity at security checks: BCAS

Rediff.com   30 May 2023

The addition of new flights at airports will now be based on passenger-handling capacity at security checkpoints, according to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). The civil aviation security regulator issued directions in this regard on May 22 in a move to reduce congestion and delays inside airport terminals. Following this, airports will have to check passenger-handling capacity at security checkpoints before allotting slots.

As Go First seeks to plug exit, 200 pilots accept Air India's job offer

As Go First seeks to plug exit, 200 pilots accept Air India's job offer

Rediff.com   30 May 2023

Around 200 pilots of Go First, the cash-strapped airline that suspended operations on May 2, have joined Air India. As many as 75 of them started training with the Tata-owned airline on Monday. As Go First tries to salvage its operations, it has announced additional pay or retention allowance of Rs 100,000 and Rs 50,000 for captains and first officers, respectively, with effect from June 1.