Several families shifted to hotel after formation of cavity on road during Surat metro rail work
Surat (PTI): Around 20-25 families were evacuated and shifted to a hotel after a 10-11 feet deep cavity was formed on the road along the metro rail corridor in Shahpore area of Gujarat's Surat district, officials said on Thursday.
Experts from Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT) and Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) are monitoring the site along with metro rail personnel, they added.
The cavity was reported on Wednesday while metro rail construction was underway.
Officials said 20-25 families of nearby buildings were temporarily evacuated and accommodated in a hotel as a precautionary measure.
"There are a lot of underground pipes and cables in this cavity area, and the backfilled soil in this area is found to be left out very loose during the execution of the utility work by agencies. This loose soil has settled, resulting in cavities. The TBM has already passed through this area and is presently 20 m away from this location," said an official release.
The cavity is mainly on the road, and there is no settlement or distress found in the nearby buildings as of now, but as a precautionary measure, these nearby buildings are vacated temporarily, the release added.
"The building settlement is being regularly monitored round the clock. The Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation Limited (GMRCL) has also called experts from SVNIT to assess the situation as an additional precaution. The loose soil surrounding the cavity was excavated, following which concrete filling was carried out to stabilise the area," the release informed.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
