रत्नागिरी : खराब वातावरणामुळे दाभोळनजीक समुद्रात अडचणीत सापडलेल्या चीनच्या बोटींपैकी आणखी एक बोट मंगळवारी सायंकाळी दाभोळ बंदरात आणून उभी करण्यात यश आले आहे. यामुळे बंदरात आलेल्या बोटींची संख्या 3 वर पोहोचली आहे. उर्वरित 7 बोटी अद्याप समुद्रात असल्याचे बंदर अधिकारी पॅप्टन संजय उगलमुघले यांनी सांगितले.


 चीनच्या बोटी दाभोळ समुद्रकिनारी आल्या असून त्यांची सखोल चौकशी व्हावी, अशी मागणी खासदार विनायक राऊत यांनी केंद्र सरकारकडे केली होती. खराब वातावरणामुळे बोटींची तपासणी खोल समुद्रात होवू शकली नसली तरी आता सुरक्षा यंत्रणा ती तपासणी करणार आहे.

Courtesy: Tarun Bharat
प्रतिनिधी : Parashuram Patil

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India will soon have a coastal highway on the lines of Los Angeles-San Francisco Pacific Coast Highway. The four-lane Mumbai-Goa Highway along the Arabian Sea coastline will be complete within a year, Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has confirmed. 


"Work under the project is in full swing and the work will be complete within a year," Gadkari said.
The project had hit hurdles after Bombay High Court had stopped construction in certain areas following a PIL. However, the Supreme Court in May allowed the contractors of the project to carry on with construction work in existing locations. 

Mumbai-Goa highway work in progress. Amazing technology. You can reach Mumbai to Goa within seven hours by car!!! 👇👍👌👏🙏 pic.twitter.com/FBZGmqKhSH

— Tarun Sareen (@TarunnSarreen) June 9, 2019

Currently, road travel between Mumbai to Goa may take you anything between 10.5 to 13 hours.  This will reduce once the four-lane Mumbai-Goa coastal highway is complete.  Mumbai-Goa coastal highway is likely to bring the travel time to 7 hours. 

Once complete, the Mumbai-Goa coastal highway that is being hailed as Gateway to Konkan is expected to bring a huge boost to the economy of the people in the region. 

Bring it on! 

Courtesy: IndiaTV News

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The Maharashtra government will take strict steps to avoid accidents along the sea coast, Minister of State for Tourism Madan Yerawar said on Monday, and clarified that no permission has been given for adventure sports along the coastline in Ratnagiri and Raigad districts.


He was speaking in the state Assembly during the Question Hour over the issue of death of a 15-year-old boy after falling from a height of 50 feet during para-sailing at Murud-Janjira beach in Raigad last month.

Yerawar said the boy's death would be probed in a month's time and strict action would be taken against those found guilty.
"Four persons were arrested in this connection and they are now out on bail," he said.

The minister admitted that accidents do happen despite security guards and lifeguards along the coastline.

He also told the House that the Maharashtra Maritime Board has not permitted "jeep para-sailing" (with a parachute tied to a jeep) on the sea coast.
Last month, Vedant Pawar (15), hailing from Pune, was para-sailing with his father at the Murud-Janjira beach when the cable of his canopy snapped at 50 feet above the ground, leading to his death.

His father was also injured in the mishap.

Courtesy: DNA

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प्रवाशांच्या आरामदायी प्रवासासाठी म्हणून आणलेल्या नव्या कोऱया LHB गाडीला जे सामान्यश्रेणीचे (जनरल) डबे जोडले आहेत ते चुकीचे असल्याने प्रवाशाला नाहक त्रास होत आह़े मुळात द्वितीय श्रेणी बैठक यान (सेकंड सिटींग) श्रेणीचे डबे कोकण रेल्वेने सामान्य श्रेणीला बसवल्याने अवघ्या 72 तासात या नव्या नवलाईच्या गाडीच्या नावाने ‘शिमगा’ सुरू झाला आह़े

मुंबई-पुणे मार्गावर पहाटे पुश-पुल पद्धतीने धावणाऱया इंटरसिटी एक्सप्रेससाठी बनवलेले द्वितीय श्रेणी कुर्सीयान (सेकंड सिटींग) डबे कोकणकन्या/मांडवी एक्सप्रेसमध्ये जनरल श्रेणीचे करण्यात आले आहेत़ या डब्यात 3×2 पद्धतीच्या खुर्च्यांची बैठक व्यवस्था असून मध्यभागी टेबल सदृष्य फळी आह़े 49 ते 60 या क्रमांकाची आसने या टेबलाभोवती समोरासमोर असून अर्धी आसने एका दिशेने व उरलेली विरूद्ध दिशेने आहेत़ टॉयलेट ब्लॉकच्या 4 जागांपैकी 1 जागा ही खानपान सेवेच्या खाद्यपदार्थ साठवणे, गरम करणे यासाठी असत़े

हे डबे मुळात 4 तासापर्यंत प्रवास असणाऱया जलद गाडय़ांसाठी बनवले आहेत़ पण कोकण रेल्वेवर हेच डबे जनरल म्हणून वापरले आहेत़ परिणामी जुन्या निळ्या रंगाच्या जनरल डब्यातील समोरासमोर बाकसदृष्य बैठक व्यवस्था मोडीत निघाली आह़े जुन्या निळ्या डब्यात 108 च्या जागी 144-150 जण बसत असत आणि जवळपास 130 जण पॅसेज, टॉयलेट जवळची जागा, 2 बाकडय़ातील जागा या ठिकाणी उभे राहत असत़ म्हणजे कोकणकन्या/मांडवीच्या 4 जनरल आणि 2 SLR डब्यातून मिळून 1100 प्रवासी गर्दीच्या काळात प्रवास करत़

सामानाच्या रॅकवरून प्रवास

नव्या LHB  कोचमध्ये बैठक व्यवस्थेत 108 खुर्च्यांवर फक्त 108 जणच बसत असल्याने आणि मधल्या पॅसेजमध्ये 100 जणच उभे राहू शकत असल्याने जनरल तिकीटावरील प्रवाशांनी डोक्यावरील रॅकचा उपयोग बसायला सुरू केला आह़े
(फोटो पहावा) तसेच मधल्या सर्व्हिस टेबलवर 10 जण बसतात़ सामान ठेवणे अडचणीचे झाले आह़े या जनरल डब्यातील पंखे हे फक्त खुर्च्यांच्या रांगांवर केंद्रीत असल्याने मधल्या पॅसेजमधील उभ्या प्रवाशांना हवा लागत नाह़ी तसेच स्लायडींग खिडक्या असल्याने गाडीत विशेष वायुवीजन न झाल्याने गार्ड शेजारील 21 व्या डब्यात धूर कोंडण्याच्या घटना लांब बोगद्यात घडत आहेत़ नातूवाडी, कामथे, रानपाट, करबुडे, टिके, आडवली, बोर्डवे या बोगद्यात धूर कोंडल्याने प्रवाशांना खोकल्याचा त्रास होत़ो

जनरलमध्ये जनरेटरचा त्रास

नव्या रूपातील LHB गाडीची ब्रेक यंत्रणा ही दोन्ही टोकाच्या ब्रेक कम जनरेटर व्हॅनवर अवलंबून असल्याने इंजिनापासून दुसरा आणि एकविसावा जनरल डबा यामधील प्रवाशांना जनरेटरच्या धडधड आवाजाचा त्रास होत़ो कोकणकन्या रात्रीच्या वेळेत 7 तास धावते आणि एकूण 12 तास प्रवास करत़े तीच अवस्था मांडवीची असून मांडवी मुंबईकडे जाताना 14 तास तर मडगावला येताना 13 तास धावत़े सध्या जे जनरल म्हणून लावलेले सेकंड सिटींग डबे आहेत ते इतक्या वेळेच्या प्रवासासाठी बनवलेलेच नाहीत़ 3-4 तास अंतराच्या प्रवासाचे डबे जर 12/13 तासांसाठी वापरले तर प्रवासी हैराण होणारच़

गर्दीमुळे टीसी गायब

जनरल डब्यात जागा उपलब्ध नसल्याने प्रवासी सरळ बाजूच्या शयनयानात घुसतात तसेच एसी डब्यात शिरता येत नसल्यामुळे पॅण्ट्रीकार शेजारील 5-1 पासून जागा शोधतात़ रात्री मुंबईकडे जाणाऱया ‘कोकणकन्या’चे 2 जनरल डबे कुडाळ स्टेशनवरच ओव्हरपॅक झाल्याने कणकवलीपासून जनरल तिकिटवाले स्लीपरमध्ये आक्रमण करतात़ त्याना आवरणे हे एकटय़ा टीसीचे काम नसल्याने सध्या कोकणकन्या (अप) मधून टीसी गायब असतात़ रत्नागिरी-चिपळूण-खेड ही तोबा गर्दीची स्थानके असल्याने प्रवाशांत भांडणे होत आहेत़ स्लीपर क्लास आरामदायी असला तर प्रशस्त जागेमुळे जनरल तिकिटवाले किमान 30-40 जण हे स्लीपरमधील पॅसेजमधील जागा व्यापतात आणि झोपलेल्या रिझर्व्हेशन धारकांना प्रचंड मनस्ताप होत आह़े

इंदूर-कोचुवेली, बिकानेर- कोचुवेली आणि 17 मे 2019 पर्यंत धावलेली LTT कोचुवेली या गाडय़ांचे जनरल डबे हे LHB असून वेगळ्या पद्धतीने त्या डब्यात बाक सदृष्य बैठक व्यवस्था असल्याने जनरल तिकिटधारक प्रवाशाला कोणताच त्रास होत नाह़ी कोकण रेल्वे प्रशासनाने त्वरित यात लक्ष घालून जनरल डब्यात बदल करावा, अशी मागणी प्रवाशांकडून होत आह़े

मडगाव-बांद्रा नव्या गाडीची मागणी

जुन्या निळ्या रंगाच्या ICF 3 गाडय़ा आता सेवेतनू काढल्या आहेत़ त्या 3 गाडय़ांचे 69 डबे अधीक 3 पॅण्ट्रीकार सायडींगला टाकल्या आहेत़ त्या गाडय़ांची फेरजुळणी करून मडगाव-बांद्रा टर्मिनस अशी दोन्ही बाजूने रात्री सुटणारी गाडी वसई-बोरीवली मार्गे सुरू केल्यास पश्चिम उपनगरातील प्रवाशांची सोय होईल आणि कोकणकन्या वरील ताण कमी होईल असे प्रवाशांचे म्हणणे आह़े नव्या गाडीची नवलाई 9 दिवस सुद्धा न राहता 72 तासात त्या गाडी विरूद्ध नाराजी आली आह़े याची रेल्वे प्रशासनाने त्वरीत दखल घेणे, गरजेचे आह़े.

Courtesy : Tarun Bharat
Editor : Parashuram Patil

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The mega refinery project at Ratnagiri could be in cold storage for now but the script could change after the national elections in May.

“Politics has prevailed for now but this is only a temporary setback,” said an industry source familiar with the project.
Earlier this week, the feuding BJP and Shiva Sena had agreed to scrap the refinery’s originally planned location at Nanar in coastal Maharashtra as one of the conditions for coming together in the elections.
This was not entirely unexpected. The site has been in the eye of a storm for over a year now with locals opposed to the idea of a refinery coming up in an environmentally-sensitive region.
This is also not the first time that such a project has been conceived in Ratnagiri. Over two decades earlier, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and Oman Oil Company had explored the idea of setting up a refinery in this belt but shelved the proposal eventually.

More recently, HPCL toyed with the idea of relocating its Mumbai refinery to Ratnagiri since it was in the middle of a residential area. But, this was put on hold since it was quite apparent that there would be delays associated with environmental clearances.

In the case of this 60 million tonne refinery, where Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) are the lead promoters with 25 per cent equity each, the intent is to make it a reality given the energy needs of the country and the challenges ahead with Bharat Stage-VI emission norms in 2020. The public sector trio of IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and HPCL will account for the balance 50 per cent stake. The project is scheduled to be commissioned by 2025.

The election results will clearly have a bearing on the pace of completion. Assuming that there is no change in the political equations, a coastal location in Maharashtra will be persevered with as top priority.

Whether Nanar can still be reclaimed is a million dollar question though this will need a lot of persuasive skills and generous compensation payouts.

The biggest challenge is the size of the refinery which will kick off with 40 mt in the first phase before reaching its optimal capacity of 60 mt. This means that there needs to be enough land available to accommodate such a gigantic project.

It remains to be seen if alternative locations can also fit the bill. Clearly, the lead promoters are willing to wait but what if there is no progress even after many months? After all, the case of HPCL’s Rajasthan project being in limbo for five years now is largely due to a result of changes in the State government.

The silver lining in the cloud is that oil companies from West Asia are clearly bullish on India. There have been reports of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation keen on participating in BPCL’s Bina refinery where Oman Oil is already a partner. Likewise, both Aramco and Adnoc would like to make the most of what India’s energy economy has to offer in the coming years.

Courtesy: thehindubusinessline

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Zee Marathi’s suspense thriller Marathi show “Ratris Khel Chale” went off air on 22nd November 2016.
Based in Konkan, the story revolved round one Naik family with a lot of mystery. What kept the audience glued to the Television screens is the puzzling tale.


The Naik bungalow located at Akeri, near Kudal was always an attraction spot for people travelling via Mumbai-Goa Highway. But since almost two years, the bungalow was missed as the Naik family bid us good bye in 2016.
But, there’s good news for all Ratris Khel Chale fans!
The shoot for part 2 of Maharshtra’s favourite series has already commenced.
There’s no revelation with respect to the cast of the show. Whether the cast is same or different is kept a secret though according to the reports, the timing is the same i.e. 10:30 pm.
The artists in Ratris Khel Chale managed to impress the audience with their acting skills.
The official date of airing the first episode of part 2 is not yet declared but we assume the show will go on air by December.
Are you excited to witness the horror drama once again?
Stay tuned as we bring to you more about this show. 

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Religious monuments in the Konkan region on the western coastline of the country do not fall under the protection list of the Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI), Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said today.

He was replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha on whether the government planned to include religious places like Ganapati temple in Konkan, Keshavraj temple and Vyagreshawar temples, among others in the central list of ASI, which conserves over 3,500 monuments across the country.


The Minister said that as per Maharashtra government, the temples date back to late medieval period, but due to frequent changes and repairs by trusts and religious organisations, they have lost relevance.

He said there was a process for bringing monuments under the ASI list, which includes notification of more than 100- year old monuments in the Gazette of India and objections are sought from people. These are notified after two months in the protected monuments category.

Sharma said currently, there were 22 such monuments which were ready to be brought under conserved list.

In reply to another query, he said the historic Pandharpur temple in Maharashtra was of much religious importance and if the state government forwarded any proposal, the Centre could take a call on it.

He also said that spiritual tourism was an important segment of tourism and Pandharpur was of much significance.

Courtesy: Business Standard

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Beach-hopping could soon become a trend across Konkan as the government of Maharashtra has decided to develop tourist jetties in order to boost the development of coastal tourism infrastructure. Some of the locations identified for the project include — Kashid; Diveagar, (Raigad district); Underi (in the Mumbai harbour); Vengurla; Vijaydurg (Sindhudurg); Suvarnadurg; Bhatye; Purnagad, (Ratnagiri), Durgadi (near Kalyan) and Belapur in Navi Mumbai.

The project will also boost the hospitality industry and tourism development in nearby areas. "This can be used for boat cruises and water transport. We are collaborating with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). The MMB will construct these jetties with funding from the Sagarmala Project," said Vikram Kumar, CEO, Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB). Kumar said that with timely approvals, work on the project was likely to begin in October.

"Each jetty is expected to cost between Rs 8 to 10 crore and each site will get a jetty and terminal building. Some sites have been approved while permissions for remaining locations is under consideration," said an official. "These locations could also be used for water sports, docking houseboats, boating and passenger transport."

The project also covers areas around forts like Vijaydurg and locations like Diveagar, — popular tourist destinations. Private operators can also use these jetties to launch water-based tourist services.

Maharashtra has a 720-km coastline, including 114 km in Mumbai, 127 km in Thane and Palghar, 122 km in Raigad, 237 km in Ratnagiri and 120 km in Sindhudurg. The state also has two major ports namely — Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).

However, it has not explored the potential of its coastline in terms of developing facilities like passenger water transport ports, marinas and captive jetties. It has only a few operational RoRo services like Dabhol-Dhopawe in the Dabhol creek, Dighi-Agardanda (Rajpuri creek), Jaigad- Tavsal (Jaigad creek) and Vesavi-Bangmandla (Bankot creek).

Courtesy: DNA

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