oleh admin | Apr 7, 2025 | government, highways, infrastructure, road construction, transportation
New Delhi [India], April 5 (ANI): Cabinet Minister for Road Transportation and
Highway
s
Nitin Gadkari
On Saturday, they approved a 15.34-kilometer-long, six-lane controlled-access road.
Vrindavan
The bypass initiative in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh has been approved with a budget of Rs 1,645.72 crores. This project aims to notably reduce journey times and alleviate traffic congestion surrounding the religious site.
Vrindavan
.
On X, Gadkari mentioned that the project would be carried out using the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM). This approach combines both public and private funding to speed up implementation while minimizing the government’s fiscal exposure. The bypass will ensure uninterrupted connection to three key highways: National
Highway
44 (NH-44), the
Yamuna Expressway
, and NH-530B.
The construction involves a 15.34-kilometer-long, six-lane access-controlled roadway.
Vrindavan
The bypass project for the Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh has received approval at a cost of Rs 1,645.72 crores. This includes preliminary actions such as land acquisition under the Hybrid Annuity Model, according to Gadkari’s statement on X.
“The construction of the
Vrindavan
The bypass will offer straight access to NH-44.
Yamuna Expressway
Additionally, with NH-530B, the journey time will be shortened from 1.5 hours to just 15 minutes. This alternate route aims to decrease traffic congestion within the area.
Vrindavan
and enhance effortless access to
Vrindavan
By offering connection to the parking facilities suggested by the state government, ”
Nitin Gadkari
said.
The initiative will ease entry into sacred sites located in Mathura.
Vrindavan
Additionally, this will improve connections across the industrial corridors, he mentioned.
Earlier on March 25,
Nitin Gadkari
mentioned that within the coming two years, India’s road conditions will surpass those of the United States.
“I believe the road sector doesn’t have any issues at all. This year and next year will bring such substantial improvements that previously I mentioned how we aimed for our highways to rival those of the United States; however, now I can confidently state that within just two years, our highway system will surpass that of the U.S.,” he stated additionally.
Gadkari expressed certainty that India will overtake the US in both electric vehicle adoption and production within the next half-decade.
The Union Minister outlined the activities of the ministry and mentioned that the distances between cities like Delhi, Dehradun, Jaipur, or Bangalore would significantly decrease. (ANI)
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. (
Syndigate.info
).
oleh admin | Apr 7, 2025 | General
On Thursday, foreign amateur athletes departed from Beijing to participate in the inaugural Pyongyang Marathon in North Korea after a hiatus of six years, according to an official travel agency.
The marathon is included in the festivities commemorating the birth of North Korea’s founding leader, Kim Il Sung, who was born in 1912. It stands as the biggest international sports event held within the isolated nation.
The event is set for Sunday, providing a unique chance to race through the streets of this normally highly regulated city.
The most recent edition of the Pyongyang Marathon took place in 2019 before being halted due to the pandemic. This led North Korea, a nuclear-weapon-state, to close its borders as part of measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
As North Korea cautiously reopened, foreign attendees concluded their six-day trip arranged by Koryo Tours as they left Beijing, the Chinese capital.
The travel agency focuses on journeys to North Korea and bills itself as the sole travel collaborator for the marathon.
An agency representative stated that participants left earlier today.
AFP
.
A clip shared on Air Koryo’s Instagram page showed several non-residents getting onboard a commercial flight operated by the airline, traveling from Beijing to Pyongyang.
“As it offers a chance to engage with local residents, the Pyongyang Marathon presents an exceptionally distinctive experience,” stated the Beijing-based company on their website.
A completely unparalleled experience.
The marathon is featured on the Global Governing Body World Athletics’ website.
In 2019, approximately 950 people from the West participated in the event, an increase from around 450 participants noted the prior year.
Earlier this year, around 200 international athletes were anticipated to participate alongside over 200 North Korean participants, according to Simon Cockerell, the general manager at Koryo Tours, who spoke recently with an Australian media outlet.
SBS
.
“North Korea is a intriguing and multifaceted destination that captivates numerous individuals. Although it might not be appealing to all, it undoubtedly attracts those who are eager to explore and understand the experience of traveling through such a nation and witnessing its uniqueness firsthand,” he stated.
oleh admin | Apr 7, 2025 | economics, economy of china, energy consumption, energy sector, hong kong
The supplier anticipates that this trend will continue, whereas economists link reduced consumption to evolving lifestyles, such as greater travel to the mainland.
In 2024, gas consumption in Hong Kong remained under the pre-pandemic levels for an uninterrupted six years. The provider anticipates this trend will continue, as economists attribute this phenomenon to a “structural reduction” in use attributed to shifts in living habits, such as more frequent trips to mainland China.
The city’s only gas provider, the Hong Kong and China Gas Company, commonly referred to as Towngas, connected their prediction with the anticipated mild temperatures for this year.
Professor Lee Shu-kam, who leads the Department of Economics and Finance at Shue Yan University, highlighted a “structural decrease in gasoline sales” within the city.
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An essential aspect is the weak economy. With a decrease in tourism, stores will utilize less fuel,” Lee explained. “However, what matters most is that following the pandemic, numerous individuals have started spending more within their own country.
For example, individuals who are 60 years old or older can use railway services for free in Shenzhen by showing their Home Return Permits, passports, or other identification documents provided by the local government, as stated on a site from the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau.
The free transportation rates were “highly appealing,” according to Lee. “However, once you’re there, having meals is essential.”
In 2024, gas sales in Hong Kong amounted to 27,159 terajoules, which represents an 8.1 percent decrease compared to the figures from 2018. This outcome comes after a 0.1 percent yearly growth managed to reverse a continuous decline over the past five years, as reported by Towngas.
The firm projected that natural gas sales were expected to increase marginally to 27,200 terajoules in 2025, which represents an 8 percent decrease from the 29,550 terajoules sold in 2018 prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A representative from the gas firm stated to the Post that they anticipate the gas usage in 2025 to stay steady at approximately 27,200 terajoules, assuming there’s no major shift in how residents of Hong Kong live and considering the mild climate projected for 2025,
The gas firm highlighted several elements impacting gas sales in Hong Kong throughout recent years, encompassing periods of pandemic, post-pandemic challenges, along with subsequent recovery phases.
“Overall, we are witnessing severe effects of climate change, with temperature records in Hong Kong showing increases compared to earlier years from 2021 through 2023,” stated the spokesperson.
Consequently, the usage of gas dropped because lesser amounts of hot water were consumed.
Home gas consumption has decreased continuously over the past four years, dropping to 14,437 terajoules in 2024. This figure represents 53 percent of overall usage, as reported by the gas firm and highlighted in their investment briefing for fiscal year-end 2024 results.
The spokesperson stated that residential gas usage was impacted by “unprecedented worldwide temperature records” in the previous year and the tendency of residents of Hong Kong traveling to Mainland China, resulting in a “minor reduction of 1.4 percent.”
The spokesperson pointed out that gas usage in homes rose by 11 percent compared to the previous year, totaling 16,685 terajoules in 2020 because of pandemic-related limitations.
However, by 2023, once these restrictions had been eased and individuals could resume their international trips, natural gas consumption within households dropped by 8.4 percent compared to the previous year, totaling 14,648 terajoules.
Professor Lee from Shue Yan University further noted that the increase in food delivery services and the prevalence of smaller households, often consisting of only two individuals, who may opt for dining out rather than cooking at home, has led to persistently reduced consumption of gas.
Lee further pointed out that the migration of numerous households with children, significant consumers of natural gas for culinary purposes and personal hygiene, has also contributed to this decrease.
In the meantime, Vera Yuen Wing-han, an economics lecturer at the University of Hong Kong, noted that there has been “a move toward electrical devices.”
“As modern housing designs evolve with features like open kitchens and studio apartments, there has been an increase in the use of electric heaters and stoves,” Yuen explained.
Such designs usually comply with fire safety rules that restrict or prohibit the usage of open flames.
In 2024, industrial consumption represented 7 percent of the overall usage, marking a significant increase of 107 terajoules attributed to heightened activity in aviation catering and laundry facilities, as reported by the gas company.
Significantly, the commercial utilization of gas varied alongside the nominal GDP, increasing in 2021, 2023, and 2024, whereas it declined in 2020 and 2022.
In 2024, commercial gas usage represented 40 percent of the overall consumption and kept increasing.
This improvement was due to a rebound in tourism-associated industries, marked by hikes of 66 terajoules and 20 terajoules in natural gas consumption for hotels and amusement parks, along with hospitals and social service organizations experiencing an upsurge of 137 terajoules.
The spokesperson stated that the increase in usage observed in 2021 was associated with the city’s voucher program implemented during the pandemic, aimed at boosting local expenditures.
However, in 2020, commercial use declined by 17.7 percent to reach 11,262 terajoules.
“The catering sector was considerably impacted during the pandemic era and throughout the recovery phase,” stated the spokesperson from the gas company.
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The article initially appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), which serves as the premier source for news coverage of China and Asia.
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