Dr. R K Chadha

A distinguished scientist and one of India’s leading seismologists, Dr. Chadha is admired for his dedication to advancing national scientific research. He retired as Chief Scientist from CSIR–National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), leaving behind a legacy of excellence in earth sciences.

Columnist-Dr. R K Chadha

Retracting 2025 Seismic Zoning Map: Not a Wise Step

The Union government withdrew the recently revised Seismic Zoning Map of India, which provides earthquake design codes for buildings and other infrastructure projects across the country’s seismic zones. This map was prepared based on seismic data accrued from state-of-the-art digital instruments over the last three decades. The 1993 Latur earthquake, which claimed more than 10,000…

Read More
Columnist-Dr. R K Chadha

India’s advance in S & T @77

With a rich cultural heritage, intellectual achievements, and a deep spiritual tradition, India has consistently produced stalwarts in various fields of science and technology.  The contributions of ancient India in the field of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, philosophy, religion, and literature have a lasting impact on the world and continue to be studied and revered today….

Read More
Columnist-Dr. R K Chadha

Bullet Train: India shifts gear in land transportation

In the last seven decades, Indian Railways has been synonymous with slowness, ticketless travel, poor value for money, dirty environment, security problems, and corruption. Introduction of the first indigenous state-of-the-art Vande Bharat train in 2019 marked the completion of Modi’s mantra cycle of Reform, Perform, and Transform in land transportation. In the last half-decade,164 Vande…

Read More
Columnist-Dr. R K Chadha

Indigo: The Indian aviation whale

The Indigo fiasco that unfolded on 2 December 2025 was inevitable as it became an aviation whale enjoying a monopoly on Indian airspace with 64% of the market share in terms of passenger traffic.  Lakhs of passengers were left stranded due to the cancellation of thousands of flights.  Tempers flared, the media went berserk, asking…

Read More