India and Bhutan officially brought the 1,020 MW Punatsangchhu II Hydroelectric Project (PHEP II) into full operation. The project is located in Bhutan's Wangdue Phodrang district and was implemented under a bilateral pact between the two countries. India provided funding with 30% as grant and 70% as loan, and the plant will export all surplus power to India. The completed facility boosts Bhutan's installed hydropower capacity by around 40% and continues a long-standing energy partnership.Read more

Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde recently carried out an unannounced inspection of road repair and improvement works across Seawoods. The inspection was conducted alongside City Engineer Shirish Aradwad and Executive Engineer Madan Waghchaude. Following persistent rainfall since May, several roads had developed potholes and remained unrestored due to utility excavations. Dr Shinde instructed engineering officials to accelerate all pending works while maintaining high-quality standards and ensuring asphalt layering was carried out under proper technical supervision and temperature conditions.Read more

The Central Government has approved 1,000 electric buses for Pune under the PM E-DRIVE initiative, aimed at improving the city's public transport network and cutting emissions. Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd. (PMPML), which currently operates about 2,000 buses 750 owned directly and the rest through contractors had submitted the proposal. Officials note that a fleet of at least 3,000 buses is needed to meet the city's growing demand. The approval follows persistent coordination between state and central authorities and complements the ongoing Pune Metro expansion.Read more

The Bhuj railway station redevelopment project under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme has achieved 75% completion. With an investment of INR 180 crore, the project is being executed through the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) model and is expected to be completed by April 2026. The redevelopment includes new passenger amenities such as lifts, escalators, underground parking, solar panels, and rainwater harvesting systems. The station's design reflects the Rann of Kutch's local culture and will improve accessibility, sustainability, and regional rail connectivity once completed.Read more

Google is planning to invest around USD 5.8 billion in Germany to expand its data centre and technology infrastructure. The investment includes a new data centre in Dietzenbach near Frankfurt and an expansion in Hanau. While the exact details remain undisclosed, the company has emphasized its focus on innovations, artificial intelligence, and climate-neutral transformation. A press conference later this week, with German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil attending, is expected to provide further insights into Google's strategic plans in Europe's largest economy.Read more

The state government of Kerala recently approved an allocation of INR 1.2 crore to upgrade the water supply infrastructure at Kozhikode Medical College under the AMRUT urban-infrastructure programme. During its 38th high-powered steering committee meeting, the government also sanctioned additional funds for several major projects focused on water supply, sewage treatment, and utility mapping across Kerala. With central assistance for AMRUT 1.0 scheduled to end on 31 December 2025, officials emphasised the need to accelerate completion of ongoing and pending works.Read more

A new study by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) projects that by 2031, the Delhi Metro will help remove nearly 10.9 lakh vehicles from the roads of the National Capital Region every day. The metro has already reduced road traffic significantly keeping 4.74 lakh vehicles off the roads in 2019 and 5.16 lakh in 2021. The study also notes rising fuel and pollution savings, with fuel conservation expected to reach 5.34 lakh tonnes and pollutant reduction up to 16.3 lakh tonnes annually by 2031, alongside major commuter time savings.Read more

The Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) has introduced three new luxury inter-state bus routes connecting Goa to Ballari and Indi in Karnataka, and Admapur near Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Many users of these routes are migrant workers travelling between Goa and neighbouring states. One service runs from Panaji to Admapur, while another connects Mapusa and Panaji to Ballari, restoring the Hubballi-Hospet link after nearly a decade. A third route serves Indi from Panaji. The expansion supports rising demand for affordable, comfortable travel and follows KTC's addition of 50 new buses to its fleet. With fewer stops and upgraded buses, the services aim to offer more reliable, convenient inter-state connectivity.Read more

Google has initiated plans to establish an artificial intelligence data centre on Australia's remote Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, following its earlier cloud services agreement with the Australian Department of Defence. The project, which remains largely confidential, is reportedly part of a broader effort to enhance digital resilience and defence capabilities across the Indo-Pacific. While Google has played down the scale of the project, officials confirmed discussions over energy supply and subsea cable connectivity. Local authorities and residents are now evaluating the centre's environmental and economic impact on the island community.Read more

The first operational section of the Patna Metro, covering a 3.45-km elevated stretch from Pataliputra Bus Terminal to Bhoothnath, began services last month. Developed at a total project cost of INR 13,925.5 crore, the metro is jointly funded by JICA, the central, and the state governments. Managed by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), this launch precedes full operations planned for 2027. While the opening has created public excitement, several residents have pointed out incomplete civil work and slower train speeds compared to metros in larger cities.Read more

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has directed that all detailed project reports (DPRs) for highway developments must now include a mandatory analysis using datasets from the National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM). This requirement aims to enhance the disaster resilience of infrastructure projects by incorporating risk data into the planning and design stages. The directive also mandates that proposals submitted for alignment approval must demonstrate the use of NDEM data and present their analysis before the relevant committees.Read more

A consortium of nearly 20 banks has reportedly agreed to provide a project finance loan of around USD 18 billion to fund the construction of a data centre campus associated with Oracle in New Mexico. The facility forms part of the Stargate initiative a USD 500 billion programme focused on expanding AI infrastructure across the United States. The financing, led by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, is expected to be syndicated among institutional investors later this month.Read more

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Chennai) Ltd. (MTC) received 'City with the Best Public Transport System' award at the Urban Mobility India Conference 2025 in Gurugram for its achievements in connectivity, digital integration, and inclusivity. The recognition highlights MTC's wide network of over 660 routes, the Vidiyal Payanam free travel scheme for women, the school bus service scheme, electric bus introduction, and app-based journey planning through Chennai One. It also acknowledges efforts toward safety, sustainability, and improved accessibility across Chennai's public transport system.Read more

The Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio, has appealed to the Central government for enhanced support in infrastructure, education and connectivity across the state. He reminded that the establishment of an Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Nagaland had been announced in the Union Budget for 2015-16 and that the state has allotted 200 acres of land for it. He also underlined that with only eight km of rail line currently in Nagaland, the proposed 250 km Dimapur-Tizit rail link and the proposed Ciethu Greenfield Airport in Kohima need to be prioritised. Rio further highlighted the state's mineral potential, the absence of national-level institutions like an IIT or National Law University, and the impact of the re-imposition of the Protected Area Permit regime in December 2024.Read more

Delhi has stepped up pollution controls as air quality fell into the severe category, prompting the enforcement of stage three of the Graded Response Action Plan. This includes halting non-essential construction and curbing industrial emissions. The measures follow public protests demanding cleaner air and a rise in crop stubble fires, though these incidents are fewer than in previous years. Dense winter air often traps pollutants from vehicles, industries, and fires, exposing the city's 30 million residents to high respiratory risks. Authorities aim to prevent further deterioration.Read more

Sembcorp Green Infra, a subsidiary of Singapore-based Sembcorp Industries, has been awarded a 150 MW firm and dispatchable renewable energy project by SJVN. The initiative combines solar, wind, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) to ensure steady power delivery during high-demand hours. This project forms part of SJVN's 1,500 MW tender for assured peak power through renewable energy sources connected to the Inter-State Transmission System. Once completed, it will further strengthen Sembcorp's position in India's renewable energy market, where it now holds over 7.6 GW of capacity.Read more

The Maharashtra government has instructed all municipal corporations to allocate at least one per cent of their annual budget towards road-safety and pedestrian-awareness measures. The directive requires creation of a separate budget head and encompasses 14 detailed actions such as bi-annual footpath audits, removal of encroachments, install of tactile paving at transport hubs and setting up an online grievance portal with a 15-day resolution timeline. The move follows a Supreme Court of India order and comes ahead of the state's civic-body elections.Read more

Highway Infrastructure Ltd announced a sharp increase in its net profit for the September quarter, reporting INR 9.7 crore compared with INR 1.6 crore during the same period last year. The company expressed confidence in executing EPC projects worth INR 150-200 crore over the next two years while actively bidding for fresh contracts valued around INR 250 crore. With new orders in toll operations and greenfield expressways across several states, the company achieved its highest-ever order book of INR 775 crore, indicating sustained revenue visibility.Read more

Andhra Pradesh CM Shri Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated an MSME park in Kanigiri and virtually launched and laid the foundation for 50 more parks across 17 districts. The second phase of the project includes 15 parks over 329 acres and 35 government and private parks covering 587 acres, alongside 25 new industries with a total investment of INR 25,256 crore. Naidu highlighted the state's investor-friendly environment, future technology initiatives like quantum computing in Amaravati, and the drone city in Orvakal, emphasizing Andhra Pradesh's growing industrial and technological ambitions.Read more

The Maharashtra government has formed a high-level committee to bring all metro rail operations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) under one unified authority. Led by Sanjay Mukherjee, Metropolitan Commissioner of MMRDA, the panel will draft a plan for merging multiple metro agencies, assess asset transfer and valuation, and study models such as Transport for London and Singapore's Land Transport Authority. The committee, which includes officials from Maha Metro, MMRCL, MMMOCL, CIDCO, and the Urban Development Department, will submit its report within three months.Read more