Naxal-hit areas may get 2,726 towers in the next two years
The Narendra Modi-led NDA government is expected to grant assent to a home ministry demand put out earlier this month and greenlight a telecom department rollout of another 2,726 solar-powered mobile towers in the Naxal-hit areas. The Department of Telecom (DoT) and the state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) are however closely working on a formal request sent by MHA for an urgent deployment of towers in left-wing extremism (LWE) hit areas in next two years, an industry person told ET. BSNL, with homegrown vendors Vihaan Networks Limited (VNL) and Himachal Futuristic Communications Limited (HFCL), has recently concluded the first phase of the world’s largest solar-powered GSM network with a total of 2,199 mobile tower sites. “We are expecting BSNL to float tender for the second phase of the LWE network project rollout within the next six to eight months time,” VNL chairman Rajiv Mehrotra told ET. Gurgaon-based VNL is a principal partner which has installed 1,315 sites, while HFCL deployed 521 solar-powered mobile towers in the Naxal-hit states that include Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. The capital expenditure of each site is estimated to be Rs 70 lakh and is equipped with disaster management system, Mehrotra said. Out of the total telecom tower base, 1,315 would be maintained by VNL and 521 by HFCL for a five-year term which could be extended after a review, while the pre-existing 363 towers were kept out from the ambit of two companies. The entire initiative is fully-Indian and localized in sync with government’s vision of ‘Make in India’ and renewable energy focus, and despite harsh conditions and continuous threat to our staff, we were finally able to deploy the required cell sites in Naxalite areas, Mehrotra said. A top VNL executive said the initiative has generated as many as 6,000 tribal jobs including 200 at senior levels. Conceived by the MHA to combat insurgency in the left-wing extremism affected areas, DoT’s Universal Service Obligation (USO) Fund is bearing the Rs 3,567.58 crore project cost. The project was initially approved by the Cabinet in June 2013. Dmitry Kulikov Womens Jersey
INDO-CHINA AND INDO-NEPAL BORDER ROAD STATUS REVIEWED
To review the progress of ongoing projects located in the vicinity of Indo-Nepal and Indo-China borders, secretary Border Management and Home Sushil Kumar convened a review meeting on Saturday where the chief secretary was present. Secretary Home has instructed to BRO, ITBP and CPWD officials to expedite the execution of the ongoing projects in coordination with the district administrations. Chief secretary asked the DMs to ensure that the works are completed at the earliest. The meeting threw the fact to the fore that the construction of 12 kilometer stretch between Kakrali gate and Thuligaad is facing technical snags. The officials concerned were asked to correct things soon. It was stated during the meeting that the forest clearance would be given for Tanakpur-Jolgivi road by October 10. It was decided at the meeting that 12 kilometer stretch out of the 135 kilometer road will be widened by December this year. Besides, 43 kilometer road between Tanakpur and Rupaligaad has been approved and construction of the remaining 75 kilometer road is being delayed due to proposed Pancheshwar dam. Things would be completed by 2018. Ghatiabagad-Lipulekh road would be constructed by March 2017. For the construction of New Sobla-Sela-Tedhang road on Indo- Nepal border, 10.269 hectare land falling in 10 villages at Dharchula of Pithoragarh district is yet to be acquired. CS asked the DM concerned to complete the acquisition in the next 10 days. It has been told that construction of Niti-Gailung, Sonam-PDA, PDA-Sumla and PDA-Maindy roads in the vicinity of the Indo-China border is running fast and things would be completed by October 2017. Besides, BRO’s Naga-Jadang, Chhastoli-Chatra, Sumna-Timkhim and Munsyari-Badiyaar bagad road are under construction. The BRO secretary was asked to convene regular monitoring and fix monthly targets. The meeting was attended among others by joint secretary Union Government Pradeep Gupt, DGP MA Ganapathy, principal secretary Home Umakant Panwar, secretary home Vinod Sharma, secretary BADP R Meenakshi Sundaram, secretaries PWD DS Garbyal and Arvind Singh Hyanki, IG SSB Shyam Singh, IG ITBP HA Goria and ADGP Intelligence Ashok Kumar. Fozzy Whittaker Authentic Jersey
Decks cleared for Rs 800-cr pilot Metrino project: Gadkari
The ambitious pod taxi project is all set to move into the fast lane, with the government deciding to execute it under NHAI and four global firms qualifying in initial bids. The project — also known as Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) or Metrino — is one of its kind globally. “We are going to implement the Rs. 800-crore pilot project under NHAI. I had a meeting with Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu and it was finally decided that we can execute it under the NHAI Act. Previously, it was being explored whether to do it under the Tramways Act or the NHAI Act,” Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari told PTI. The minister said four initial tenders have been received and the government will soon invite financial bids for the Metrino project that will let passengers travel in driverless pods suspended on a ropeway in the national capital region. The pilot project will be for about Rs. 800 crore for a 12.3-km stretch from the Delhi-Haryana border on NH 8 (near Ambience Mall) to Badshahpur via Rajiv Chowk, IFFCO and Sohna Road. “Four global companies — one from London which has done work in this regard at the Heathrow airport, one from the UAE, one from the US and one from Poland have qualified in the initial technical bids. Once the road transport and highways ministry approves it, we will float financial bids,” an official told PTI. The official said there will be 13 stations on the 12.3-km stretch and five people would be able to travel in one pod. “Initially, we are planning 1,100 pods and the system will be such that if one has to travel from station 1 to 12th, on a specific command that particular pod would reach the 12th station without any halt,” the official explained. The Rs. 4,000-crore public transport project provides for travel in driver-less pods suspended on a ropeway in the NCR. Jarred Tinordi Authentic Jersey
Industry bears cost of keeping power tariffs low for households; here’s why regulators want to stop that
Several state electricity regulators have sought an overhaul of the current subsidy regime in the power sector where industrial consumers bear the cost of keeping tariffs low for households and the farm sector. Regulators point out that in any market, bulk consumers get higher discounts than others and what’s being followed in the power sector is a distorted system that needs to be corrected. They also want the state governments and discoms to inform them of the subsidy levels they need to maintain for chosen consumers in time for the tariff revisions. “The government needs to introduce direct benefit transfer for underprivileged consumers rather than cross-subsidising their tariff,” Desh Deepak Verma, chairman of Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC), said. He added that discoms often find it futile to install meters for consumers where the tariff is fixed irrespective of consumptions. This creates an opaque system where point of theft or pilferage and its quantum is never known, he said. power Existing and former state power regulators who FE spoke to also picked holes in the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY), which is being implemented at the behest of the Centre to improve discoms’ financial health. Admitting that the scheme was better than the ones in 2012 and in early 2000s, the regulators reckon that it would end up rescuing banks rather than solve problems faced by discoms. In November last year, the Union government unveiled the UDAY scheme to revive discoms’ financial health by reducing debt and mandating strict efficiency improvements milestones. Under the scheme, the states are supposed to progressively take over three-quarters of the debt and issue bonds against it. This is intended to bring down the interest cost of the discoms by 3-4 percentage points. So far, 16 states have signed up for the scheme. “The scheme is aimed mostly at ensuring that banks that have lent to discoms get their money back, but doesn’t address the root cause of discoms’ continued dismal performance,” Verma said. His sentiments were echoed by West Bengal electricity regulatory commission chairman Rabindra Nath Sen and former chairman of CERC Pramod Deo. “Although West Bengal is not a signatory to UDAY, the scheme is only marginally better than previous such schemes where discoms were subjected to financial restructuring, but didn’t yield desired results,” Sen said. He added that introducing competition into the working of discoms was the only reform that can ensure operational efficiency. “West Bengal’s distribution companies are in a relatively better shape because of the presence of private operators and competition even among state-owned ones,” Sen said. UPERC’s Verma also lamented the lack of competition among discoms. He said while complete privatisation wasn’t an ideal solution politically, even franchisee model of power distribution has had limited success because of discoms’ interference out of fear of losing their turf. “Electricity Act, 2003, mandates unbundling of state-owned power companies to bring about accountability to different arms of the sector and also to introduce competition. However, many states have worked to defeat the purpose by creating an umbrella organisation like UP Power Corp, in case of Uttar Pradesh, which takes all the decision of various discoms,” Verma added. Sean Kuraly Womens Jersey
Indian carriers struggle to find talent inside cockpit
Arav Joshi, 26, completed his flying course from New Zealand-based training academy in 2012. After that did not translate into a job, he topped it with a type rating course from a Pune-based facility in 2014. The total expenditure came to around Rs 50 lakhs. He is still without a job. He is part of the 7,000 odd who despite holding a commercial pilots license (CPL) is awaiting a job. Despite available manpower, Indian carriers are finding it difficult to find suitable people as they are hesitant to recruit fresher to man their cockpit. National carrier Air India in July advertised to recruit 415 pilots for manning its Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline has a requirement of more than 500 pilots as it plans to expand its fleet rapidly. But the hiring plan has gone awry with the airline now struggling to find suitable candidates. Other private airlines are looking to expat pilots even though the cost of hiring an expat is significantly higher for an airline. Air Asia India- the joint venture between the Tata Sons and Tony Fernandes-owned Air Asia Bhd is looking to hire at least 30 expat pilots as it looks at fleet expansion following fund infusion from the promoters. Sources, say that despite multiple rounds of roadshows conducted across cities, the airline failed to find enough local pilots. An AirAsia spokesperson declined to comment. Jet Airways, sources say is looking to hire around 30 type-rated foreigners to fly its Boeing 737 planes. Having an expat on board is a financial burden for an airline. “The salaries of the expats are higher, the airline has to provide them accommodation and also bear expense for his journey to his home country,” a pilot with a domestic carrier said. In addition to that there are several safety approvals required which takes around six months. “Effectively during that period, you have to pay them without flying,” the pilot said. “While there are thousands of CPL holders in the country, getting type rated Indian pilots becomes difficult, you have to give them additional training, no airlines want to recruit simple CPL holders and bear that cost,” an executive of a private airline said. Brian Leetch Authentic Jersey
Guruvayoor lagislator calls for airstrip for the temple town
With more VIPs from far and wide visiting the famed Guruvayoor Sree Krishna temple, the temple town is in need of an airstrip, and with various investment options available, this could soon become a reality, according to a local legislator. Speaking to IANS, Guruvayoor legislator K.V. Abdul Khader said a few years ago a team of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials had visited a few places in the area. “Land is a problem here for an airport and it has now dawned that only an airstrip can be a viable proposition. For that, around 15 to 20 acres of land is all that’s required,” said Khader, a three-time CPI-M legislator from Guruvayoor. Over the years, the name and fame of the temple has spread far and it has become one of the most important places of worship for Hindus. Among those who now frequently visit the temple are national leaders as also top political personalities from Sri Lanka. “Today with more and more VIP visits, traffic gets choked as most of them either fly to Kochi airport and then arrive to the temple town by road. A 14 acres’ plot of land belonging to the temple is at present lying unused… This could be ideal for the air strip,” said Khader. Joe Flacco Womens Jersey
Passenger traffic at Mumbai airport increased 30% in 3 years
In the last three years, the number of flight arrivals and departures at Mumbai airport went up by 35,500 even as the fast-growing airport saw a 30% increase in passenger volumes, taking the number of passengers handled in 2015-16 to 4.15 crore. In the 2013-14 fiscal, the airport handled 2.18 crore domestic and 1.03 crore international passengers, with a total of 3.2 crore passengers, according to data released on Saturday by Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) in its sustainability report 2016. Three years later, the number of domestic passengers had gone up to 3 crore, while international passenger traffic was 1.16 crore. “Indian aviation is set for transformational growth. Foreseeing this scenario, MIAL has taken sustained efforts to expand and modernize airport infrastructure,” said the report. Among major modernization projects undertaken are refurbishment of domestic passenger terminals 1A and 1B, upgradation of runways and allied airside infrastructure, expansion of additional apron areas and parking bays on the airside, construction of new airline support facilities like aircraft run-up bays, maintenance hangars, and ground support equipment storage, expansion, upgradation and construction of new taxiways and rapid exit taxiways. Development apart, the airport addressed environmental concerns too. In the recently held Paris Conference of the Parties (COP), India committed to reduce its carbon emissions intensity by 33-35% by 2030, from its 2005 levels. MIAL has planned a 25% reduction in carbon emissions from direct fuel consumption and indirect energy purchase by 2020, the report said. The total green house gas emissions during 2014-15 and 2015-16 were 109,516 tCO e (tonnes of carbon equivalent) and 109,006 tCO e respectively. Shilique Calhoun Jersey
Puducherry government inks MoU with civil aviation ministry, AAI
The Puducherry government has signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding with the Union aviation ministry and Airports authority of India (AAI) to resume regular flights connecting the Union territory to other destinations under the regional connectivity service. The Puducherry government extended concessions to make flying affordable. The government proposes to connect Puducherry with cities lying within a distance of 500km by air. The cost of airfare will be around 2,500, which is certainly affordable, said a release. “The move is expected to give a big boost not only to the tourist inflow but also to industrial investments. The process to operationalise flights is likely to be completed and operations may be started by January, 2017,” said the release. Geoff Cameron Authentic Jersey
Carriers stay away from India’s first private greenfield airport
The road to India’s first private greenfield airport now wears a desolate look, with three unmanned check-posts and overgrown bushes and shrubs lining the road leading to its entrance. The police have barricaded vehicle entry into the immediate connecting lane in the arrival and departure sections as no vehicles can be seen plying near it. In line with the closed booking counters, Buggie – a prepaid taxi start-up that started an airport counter has also closed shops. Only an Oriental Bank of Commerce ATM, just outside the airport can be seen in an operational state. The security guard manning the ATM says it is now used by the airport’s employees only to withdraw cash or avail other services. “Previously, passengers used to withdraw money but now it is used by the few airport staff only,” the guard says. The land adjoining to the airport is now used by the localities to graze cattle. Ten years after this airport, christened Kazi Nazrul Islam airport (KNIA), was first conceived on the fringes of West Bengal’s steel city, Durgapur, the project is yet to see full-scale scheduled flights operating out of the airport after state-owned carrier Air India pulled out citing operational issues last year. Back in May last year, Air India commenced regular flight schedules with a 48-seater ATR aircraft between Kolkata and Durgapur that got upgraded to a 122-seater Airbus 319 (with an extended route – Kolkata-Durgapur-New Delhi) in December 2015. However, after six months of operations, the carrier discontinued the flight. Trevor Siemian Jersey
A ‘larger’ oil cartel may emerge
For oil importing countries, OPEC’s decision to cut its oil production on assurance that influential non-OPEC producers (Russia) would also join in, seems like a collusive tactic to force oil prices up. Oil prices, which have fallen by over 70% in the past two years, have dramatically reduced the exports earnings of all OPEC members, thereby “putting strains on their fiscal position”, as OPEC puts it. Before Russia and others join in formally (though many feel that Russia is already in), the OPEC has reached a rare consensus among its 14 members to cut the group’s production by about half-a-million barrels per day. It is the first ever commitment by OPEC to collectively cut its production since oil prices started falling in early 2014. The proposed move has upped oil prices by 5%, sent global energy stocks soaring but has left oil importing countries sulking. “I see this understanding (among OPEC) with a lot of suspicion,” says R.S. Sharma, head of FICCI’s hydrocarbon committee and former chairman, ONGC. “There are a lot of sectarian differences among OPEC members — most notably between Iran and Saudi Arabia — which might scuttle the success of this agreement. How individual members respond to this collective agreement (to cut production) is something to be seen. Who would be producing what quantum of oil is yet to be decided and that is where individual calculations might differ,” says the Delhi-based energy expert. Many, especially the poorer members of the cartel, would still insist that the Saudis make a bigger sacrifice (cut) to keep the consensus going. Higher oil prices, resulting from the OPEC’s decision to cut back production, is ‘likely to have a cascading impact on India’s fiscal scene and inflation dynamics.’ Oil earnings have been the lifeline of OPEC and Russia that together produce about half of the global oil. Traditionally, both having been fierce rivals, are eying the same global oil market. “Russia joining hands with OPEC is a big news which may take oil up to $60 a barrel. Any further escalation in oil prices would depend on global oil demand which looks quite weak at the moment,” feels Sharma. The global oil market remains oversupplied by 1.5 million barrel/day, and therefore someone (other than OPEC) has to cut more to “balance’ the market. Lower oil prices have greatly benefited India that imports over 80% of its crude oil requirements, mainly from the OPEC. Cheaper energy imports have helped it to keep inflation under control. This may change now. Higher oil prices, resulting from the OPEC’s decision to cut back production, is “likely to have a cascading impact on India’s fiscal scene and inflation dynamics”, says Abnish Kumar, Director & research head, Amrapali Aadya Trading & Investment.