BMC invites bids for clearing hyacinths from Powai Lake

15 Jul 2021 CW Team

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has floated a Rs 16.45 crore tender to remove hyacinths from Powai Lake in Mumbai.

Powai Lake is an artificial lake in Mumbai, in the Powai valley. Water hyacinth plants grow in water bodies that have a high occupancy of sewage waste. It covers the surface of the waterbody and makes it hard for sun rays to reach marine life. Hyacinths drain oxygen from water bodies and result in the deaths of fishes and other aquatic animals.

Currently water hyacinths cover about 25% of the lake, and it has to come down to 10%. Other floating vegetation, materials, and garbage would be cleared up with the hyacinths using an amphibious machine or harvester and disposed of at a site told by BMC. Ajay Rathod, BMC Chief Engineer, Hydraulics Department, told the media that they issued the tender and the cleaning process has to be done within six months. The previous tender was assigned four years back by them.

Pramod Salaskar, who has been studying the Powai lake, said the BMC is taking measures to stop the untreated water from draining into the lake. However, people should also stop doing dashkriya vidhi (10th-day rituals for the dead) at the lake.

Image Source

Also read: Marathwada water grid: Maharashtra govt approves project in phases

Infrastructure Transport

13 Oct 2025

Tata, Airbus to Build India’s First Private Helicopter Line

In a landmark development for India’s aerospace sector, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus will establish the country’s first private-sector helicopter assembly line in Vemagal, Karnataka. The facility will manufacture the Airbus H125 and H125M, marking a significant milestone in India’s push for self-reliance in aviation and defence manufacturing. The new Final Assembly Line (FAL) will produce the H125, the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter, known for its versatility and performance in extreme environments. The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected to ro..

NeGD to Support Bharat Taxi in Building Cooperative Ride Platform

In a significant move for India’s digital and mobility transformation, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Digital India Corporation, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has entered into an advisory partnership with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, the company behind Bharat Taxi — a first-of-its-kind, cooperative-led national ride-hailing platform. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between NeGD and Sahakar Taxi to provide strategic advisory and technical support covering key areas such as platform integration, cybersecurity..

MeitY Hosts Pre-Summit for India–AI Impact Summit 2026

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted a series of Pre-Summit events for the upcoming India–AI Impact Summit 2026 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi. These sessions mark a key milestone ahead of the main summit, scheduled for 19–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Delivering the inaugural address, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, highlighted India’s innovative and frugal approach to AI development. “We have adopted innovative means by learning from others’ experiences to build projects and products that..