Good morning. A critical delay in constructing a mere 87-kilometre stretch of road in Gujarat has thrown a spanner in the works of one of India's most ambitious infrastructure projects—the 1,386-km Delhi–Mumbai Expressway. Conceived to connect the two megacities in just 12 hours, the Rs 1.04 lakh crore project, which began construction in 2019, remains incomplete four years later.
The Contractor Conundrum: Awarded, Scrapped, and Re-awarded
The bottleneck centres around a contract awarded to Pune-based firm Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd (RSIIL). In 2021, the government entrusted RSIIL with building three small road stretches in Gujarat. However, due to chronic delays, the contract was terminated in March 2023.
In a surprising turn of events, just seven months later in October 2023, the same company won the contract again by emerging as the lowest bidder. The outcome, however, has been a case of history repeating itself. As of today, barely 20% of the work on this crucial 87-km section is complete, significantly hampering the progress of the entire expressway.
Gujarat Stretch Becomes Liquor Smuggling Route
Interestingly, a 426-km portion of the expressway that passes through Gujarat became partially operational in August. Reports now indicate that this open stretch is being exploited as a safe route for smuggling liquor into the dry state. This unintended consequence adds another layer of complexity to the project's challenges in the region.
Bondi Beach Attack: Suspect Charged, India Link Revealed
In international news, one of the suspected gunmen in the Bondi Beach terror attack in Australia has been formally charged. Naveed Akram, 24, who recently woke from a coma in a Sydney hospital, faces 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder. Australian Prime Minister stated the targeted antisemitic attack was likely inspired by ISIS.
Investigations have revealed a connection to India. The second suspected shooter, Sajid (Naveed's father), who was killed during the incident, originally hailed from Hyderabad, India. He left the country in 1998 but returned for visits, including in 2001 for his nikah ceremony and later to introduce his son to family. Australian officials also found that the father-son duo travelled to the Philippines for "military-style training" weeks before the attack.
Delhi's Air Emergency Triggers Work-From-Home Order
Back in India, the national capital is grappling with a severe air quality crisis. In response, the Delhi government has mandated that all government and private institutes must ask 50% of their employees to work from home. This drastic measure is part of a series of steps to combat the toxic air. Additionally, a ban on the entry of private vehicles registered outside Delhi and non-compliant with the cleanest emission norms has come into effect.
India Tops Global Doping Charts for Third Year
In a disheartening development for Indian sports, the country has earned a dubious distinction. For the third consecutive year, India recorded the highest number of doping violations globally. The World Anti-Doping Agency's 2024 report, published recently, revealed that a staggering 260 Indian athletes tested positive for prohibited substances last year. Notably, no other country reported violations in triple digits.
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Bangladesh Politics: Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League has been barred from participating in the upcoming February elections. In an interview, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy warned that the security situation in Bangladesh poses a threat to India.
Maharashtra Kumbh Plans: The Devendra Fadnavis government's ambitious Rs 25,055 crore plan for the 12-year Kumbh in Nashik faces protests over the proposed clearing of 54 acres of land with 1,800 trees for a shelter for sadhus.
BJP Leadership Shift: The appointment of relatively unknown Bihar MLA Nitin Nabin as the BJP's national working president signals a move towards promoting lesser-known party workers, a shift analysts term "karyakartaisation."
