India's first vertical lift sea bridge to be completed soon

07 Dec 2022 CW Team

The Ministry of Railways announced on Saturday that the first vertical lift sea bridge in India is nearly 84 per cent complete and scheduled to open in March 2023. The sanctified Rameswaram island is connected to Tamil Nadu's mainland by the new Pamban Bridge.

The Indian Railways is building the cutting-edge bridge, which will be the first of its kind in the nation. The 2.05 km new Pamban railway bridge is currently undergoing reconstruction, according to a statement from the railway ministry.

The work on 101 pile caps and substructures, as well as all 333 piles, has been finished, claims the ministry. Additionally, all 99 approach spans—of which 76 girders have been launched—have been constructed. The vertical lift span girder is almost finished with fabrication.

On the Rameswaram end of the bridge, preparations are being made for the assembly platform for the vertical lift span. Work on laying the tracks is ongoing.

The current Pamban Rail Bridge, which connects Rameswaram to Tamil Nadu's mainland, is 105 years old. To connect Mandapam with the Rameswaram island, which is located in the Gulf of Mannar, the original bridge was constructed in 1914. Up until 1988, when a new road bridge was constructed running parallel to the sea link, it was the only connection between the two locations.

Coal Ministry Achieves Milestones under Special Campaign 5.0

The Ministry of Coal and its Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) have achieved notable milestones under the Special Campaign 5.0, focusing on cleanliness, operational efficiency, and sustainability across the coal sector. During the implementation phase from 2–31 October 2025, over 1,205 sites were cleaned, covering 68,04,087 sq ft, nearing the target of 82,51,511 sq ft. Scrap disposal of 5,813 MT against a target of 8,678 MT generated Rs 228.7 million in revenue. In addition, 1,11,248 physical and 30,331 electronic files were reviewed, with 74,123 weeded out or closed. Key initiatives showc..

Vesting Orders Issued for Three Coal Blocks under Commercial Auctions

The Ministry of Coal’s Nominated Authority has issued vesting orders for three coal blocks under commercial coal block auctions on 23 October 2025. The Coal Mine Development and Production Agreements (CMDPAs) for these mines were earlier signed on 21 August 2025. The three blocks include Rajgamar Dipside (Deavnara), Tangardihi North, and Mahuagarhi. Of these, two are partially explored while one is fully explored, with a combined peak rated capacity of around 1 MTPA and geological reserves of approximately 1,484.41 million tonnes. These mines are expected to generate annual revenue of abou..

TEC, IIT-Hyderabad Partner to Boost 6G and Telecom Standards

The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT Hyderabad) for joint research and technical collaboration in advanced telecom technologies and standardisation. The partnership focuses on developing India-specific standards and test frameworks for next-generation networks, including 6G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs). It also aims to enhance India’s participation in international standardisation f..