Advisory Senior Director - Defence

Mumbai: BMC proposes 12-month IIT Bombay study of Powai Lake ahead of desilting; ₹1.85-Crore promenade plan. The BMC has proposed a 12-month IIT Bombay study to assess Powai Lake's water quality and determine a suitable desilting method before restoration. AECOM has also been appointed to prepare a Rs 1.85-crore promenade master plan, while all 18 sewage outfalls are scheduled to be intercepted from October 1. FPJ News Service Updated: Tuesday, September 29, 2026, 09:58 PM IST Powai Lake is set for scientific water-quality assessment and a master plan for redevelopment of its long-awaited promenade | AI Generated File Image Mumbai, September 29, 2026: The BMC has proposed a 12-month study by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to assess Powai Lake's water quality ahead of ecological restoration and desilting. IIT Bombay researcher Prof. Anurag Garg will conduct the feasibility study, recommend the most suitable desilting method and prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR). Prof. Garg, a researcher with IIT Bombay's Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, has expertise in waste management, wastewater treatment and resource recovery. His expertise will be used to assess the lake's water quality, support biodiversity conservation and plan the desilting process. Garg's appointment will provide scientific and technical inputs for the lake's proposed revival, according to the proposal submitted by the BMC administration to the Standing Committee. FPJ Shorts Water Quality Assessment Planned The study will collect 32 water samples; two each from 12 locations in the lake and six sewage outfalls. The samples will be tested for pH, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, coliform and heavy metals. It will also assess the environmental impact of desilting, including the risk of pollutants being released back into the water. Seasonal variations in water quality, sewage inflows and the most suitable desilting method will be assessed before the restoration plan is finalised. The project will be funded through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), with IIT Bombay seeking an advance payment of Rs 62 lakh. The proposal is currently before the Standing Committee for approval. Spread across 223 hectares, with a 6.61-sq-km catchment area, Powai Lake is one of Mumbai's prominent urban water bodies. Promenade Redevelopment Plan The BMC has appointed AECOM Asia Company Limited to prepare a master plan for the long-awaited redevelopment of the Powai Lake promenade at a consultancy cost of Rs 1.85 crore. The plan envisages holistic redevelopment of the lake and promenade, with scope for future recreational facilities. The lake will stop receiving sewage from October 1, after all 18 sewage outfalls are intercepted. The redevelopment could also introduce ticketed access, as the state government has asked the BMC to develop a financially self-sustaining model for the popular public space, said a civic official. Also Watch: AECOM was selected for its expertise in major infrastructure projects, including the Coastal Road. IIT Bombay and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) will provide technical guidance for the lake's restoration, the official added. To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/ Follow The Free Press Journal on

Prairie Link welcomes referral of Alberta High-Speed Rail to the Major Projects Office. Prairie Link's seven-station proposal would connect downtown Calgary and Edmonton through Airdrie, Red Deer and both international airports. Calgary, AB, Sept. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Prairie Link High Speed Rail Partners welcomes the referral of Alberta's High-Speed Rail transformative strategy to the federal Major Projects Office. The referral regarding the Calgary-Red Deer-Edmonton high-speed rail corridor was announced by the Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, on behalf of Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon, alongside Premier Danielle Smith and Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors. Prairie Link has been developing its proposal since 2021 through engineering, ridership and financial analysis. Its partnership brings together Indigenous equity ownership and the capital, design, engineering, construction, development and operating expertise needed to deliver high-speed rail. The proposal is being advanced with an investment framework designed to attract private capital and align with Alberta's requirement that the project proceed with minimal provincial taxpayer funding. The roughly 295-kilometre route would connect downtown Calgary and downtown Edmonton via Red Deer, with seven stations at downtown Calgary, Calgary International Airport, Airdrie, Red Deer, Edmonton International Airport, south Edmonton and downtown Edmonton. Trains travelling at more than 300 kilometres per hour would make the downtown-to-downtown trip in about 90 minutes, compared with three hours or more by car. The proposed route, stations and commuter services align with Alberta's Passenger Rail Master Plan. "This is great news for Albertans and for Canada," said Joey Comeau, President, EllisDon Capital Services, on behalf of Prairie Link. "Premier Smith and Minister Dreeshen have shown real leadership in moving high-speed rail forward, and with the federal government now working alongside Alberta, this project has the momentum it needs. Prairie Link is ready, and we look forward to working with both governments to bring high-speed rail to Albertans." Premier Smith and Minister Dreeshen's Passenger Rail Master Plan set out a clear, phased vision for passenger rail in Alberta. Federal Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon and Transport Canada are working alongside the province to advance that vision. Prairie Link is co-owned and co-led by CGC Infrastructure Holdings Ltd., an infrastructure holding company of Chiniki First Nation ("CGC Infrastructure"), EllisDon and AECOM. The partners bring nation-leading expertise in capital, design, engineering, construction management, development and operations. CGC Infrastructure, an equity and pre-development partner, supports economic reconciliation through ownership, partnership and participation. EllisDon is an employee-owned global construction services and technology company. AECOM is a global infrastructure leader recognized by ReNew Canada in 2026 for its participation in 38 of the country's Top 100 infrastructure projects. "Yesterday's announcement is an important step forward for high-speed rail in Alberta," said Paul Bassi, SVP, AECOM. "AECOM is proud to be part of the Prairie Link partnership and bring our experience delivering major transportation projects to this effort. We look forward to working with our partners and governments to help move this project forward and bring high-speed rail to Albertans." "This great Province and Nation building initiative holds massive potential to unlock economic opportunities for the Indigenous peoples in Alberta," said Chief Aaron Young, Chair of CGC Infrastructure, on behalf of Prairie Link. "Ensuring equity participation of Indigenous peoples from day one is meaningful and greatly increases the prospects of successful project delivery. Prairie Link looks forward to ensuring participation and maximizing opportunities for Indigenous peoples throughout Alberta." The Calgary-Red Deer-Edmonton corridor is home to about 80 per cent of Alberta's population, which is expected to double over the next six decades. Advancing Prairie Link represents significant direct and indirect investment in the province. High-speed rail would ease pressure on the QEII, Alberta's busiest highway, which carries 80,000 to 90,000 vehicles daily on its busiest stretch. Faster travel would expand access to jobs and talent across the corridor, seven station districts would create room for new homes near fast transit, and electric trains would offer a cleaner way to travel between the two cities. "This is a generational investment that reflects a long-term vision for Albertans. The opportunities created through this project will extend far beyond its immediate economic impact, helping to build prosperity, strengthen our community, and create a lasting legacy for future generations," said Comeau. Prairie Link would extend the benefits of high-speed rail to Western Canada and complement the federal government's national high-speed rail agenda. "Albertans have been talking about high-speed rail between Calgary and Edmonton since the 1980s," added Comeau. "With federal and provincial governments now aligned on the corridor, and a proven team already in place, there has never been a better moment to get it built." About Prairie Link High Speed Rail Prairie Link High Speed Rail Partners is a partnership between CGC Infrastructure Holdings Ltd., an infrastructure holding company of Chiniki First Nation, EllisDon and AECOM, together nation-leading experts in capital, design, engineering, construction management, development and operations. The partnership is developing high-speed passenger rail between Calgary and Edmonton, a project in development since 2021. www.prairielink.ca MEDIA CONTACT Dustin Luchka Vice President, Marketing & Communications EllisDon Corporation

Dotted Line: How construction is dealing with cybersecurity in the age of AI. Contractors rank cybersecurity low on their priority lists. But lawyers say being prepared is critical when the inevitable breach occurs. Published Sept. 29, 2026 There's an accepted aphorism in the cybersecurity space: It's not if your systems will be breached, it's when. That "when" came for three leading construction contractors recently. Turner Construction, Kiewit and AECOM have all garnered attention since July for reportedly unauthorized access into their systems, according to public notices and lawsuits. In the case of Turner, the breach may have compromised social security numbers, bank accounts and passport information. Bad actors may have also accessed sensitive government data. A hacker group called Payouts King claimed it had accessed documents in Turner's system protected by International Traffic in Arms Regulations, a set of U.S. government rules covering the export and import of military items. In a statement to Construction Dive at the time, Turner declined to address the assertion, saying it "does not comment on claims made by criminal organizations." Construction lawyers say the incidents illustrate why cybersecurity attacks in 2026 are different in the construction sector. Namely, the major contractors building government projects across the U.S. house not only personal information within their tech stacks, but also what amounts to state secrets. "If you're a contractor working in the governmental sector, particularly for the Department of Defense, you will be introduced to plans and specifications for governmental and or military installations," said Richard Volack, a partner at New York City-based construction law firm Peckar & Abramson who chairs the firm's cyber security and data privacy practice. "If that information were to get out, it would be worth a lot of money on the black market, particularly to terrorists, non-governmental actors or foreign governments hostile to the U.S." Construction's blasé attitude Although that possibility is alarming in itself, these breaches are also happening in an industry that to date has been somewhat blasé on the cybersecurity front. U.S. businesses ranked cyber threats as the top overall concern in 2026, according to insurer Travelers. Among construction companies, however, those issues ranked just 10th. The 2026 Travelers Risk Index found construction execs' cybersecurity worries landed behind other concerns such as energy costs, supply chain and medical cost inflation, according to details of the report shared with Construction Dive. Moreover, 48% of all construction firms surveyed said they consider themselves not big or complex enough to be the victim of a major cyber-attack. That can be a typical attitude among contractors, Volack said. "Particularly for smaller companies, they might think, 'Who am I? What do I have that they want?'" Volack said. "You may think you have nothing that the hackers want, but you have a whole bunch." Indeed, small shops are often the weakest link in the cyber chain, attorneys say, especially when they're doing work for prime contractors with billions of dollars in revenue. "The problem is, the more you go down the food chain, the less sophisticated" contractors' systems usually are, said Trent Cotney, partner and construction team leader in the Tampa, Florida, office of law firm Adams & Reese. "As you become a sub, or a sub of a sub, your net revenue is less. And as a result, your risk mitigation is probably less as well." Email scams. That's particularly true when it comes to business email compromise scams, where hackers take control of a particular user's account, such as accounts payable, and send out invoices on their behalf. For a contractor down the chain, the email and invoice may look like a routine request for payment from a known sender, with the one difference being the pay-to account number. If a fraudulent payment is made to the bad actor via wire, for example, things can go south fast. "You have to be careful with wires, because that's the whole idea: they move the money quickly," Volack said. "If you're past say 24 or 48 hours, then it's harder, if not impossible, to put a hold on the bank." Beyond the lost funds, the costs of a breach can grow exponentially, particularly when notification, compliance, legal and forensics costs are taken into account. "It's the amount of money that you parted with and whether or not you can recover any of those funds," John Menefee, vice president and enterprise cyber lead at Travelers, told Construction Dive. "But it's also the cost to investigate." For a mid-sized company, "we have claims where those costs can be upwards of hundreds of thousands" of dollars, Menefee said. Artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. All of these concerns have only been exacerbated by the surging growth of artificial intelligence, which has helped cybercriminals accelerate attempts to gain unauthorized access to systems. "With AI now, it's basically automated," Cotney said. "Hackers can use agents to basically engage in these hostile attacks without even doing anything. They're constantly probing and looking for potential issues."