Iran prez to address Friday gathering at Hyd mosque
The city is set to witness a historic event, the first in 325 years, when the President of Iran, Dr Hassan Rouhani, will visit the grand Makkah Masjid to address the weekly congregation. This is perhaps the first time that a head of state will address the Friday congregation (Jumu'ah) at the historic mosque, whose construction was completed in 1694 CE, 78 years after foundation stone was laid by Qutub Shahi ruler Sultan Mohammad in 1616 CE.
NTPC arm wins power deal from B'desh
NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) — the power trading arm of state-run generation utility NTPC — has won a power supply contract from Bangladesh, beating rivals Adani Group, Sembcorp and Power Trading Corporation. NVVN emerged as the lowest bidder for 300MW under both short-term and longterm categories, quoting an estimated tariff of Rs 3.4 per unit. The tender, floated by Bangladesh Power Development Board, is the second instance of an Indian entity supplying electricity under market contracts secured through bidding. In 2013, Power Trading Corporation had won a similar contract. This is perhaps an indication that bilateral energy trade is ready to roll without the two governments as chaperone.
Retaining its position as the state with the highest tree cover, Maharashtra has witnessed a marginal rise in tree cover over the last two years, stated the State of Forest 2017 survey. In 2015, trees covered an area of 9,558 sq km in the state. Last year, the figure was 9,831 sq km. However, environmentalists believe that inclusive efforts need to be taken to ensure a quality tree cover in the state.
Bullet train status: Undersea test for 21km tunnel completed
Land acquisition for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor is set to begin and a host of government agencies are expected to assist in speeding up the project. In Maharashtra, land acquisition will be needed the most in Palghar. The underground section will be beneath the creek outside Mumbai. The official said a seismic resistance test was carried out beneath the sea bed between December 11 and 24.
Contractors short-listed for Metro IV
Work on the Metro IV (Wadala-Thane via Ghatkopar) corridor is likely to begin in April as the MMRDA has shortlisted contractors for the project. The work orders are likely to be issued in March so that preliminary work can begin before the monsoon. "Two consortiums, one led by the Tata projects and another by Reliance, are likely to get the projects. Each of them will execute work on the two packages each on the entire 32-kmlong corridor," an MMRDA source said.