Modi’s Urjaa Ganga to bring cooking gas flow in Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today visit his parliamentary constituency Varanasi and lay the foundation stone for the ‘Urja Ganga’ project, aimed at providing piped natural gas (PNG) to all the households in the city. He will also lay the foundation stone for the doubling of Varanasi-Allahabad rail track and electrification of the Varanasi-Allahabad rail section. Modi will also dedicate to the nation a dual rail engine that runs on both electricity as well as diesel. The special engine has been manufactured in Diesel Locomotives Works (DLW), Varanasi. As part of the Urjaa Ganga project, a 1,500 Kilometer long pipeline will also be set up to ramp up availability of cooking gas for households in the region at an estimated cost of Rs 51,000 crore. Ahead of the PM’s visit, BJP workers in the region had launched a cleanliness drive in the city. Among those overseeing the preparedness of the event for Modi’s visit are Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha and Minister of State for Human Resource and Development Mahendra Nath Pandey. As part of the programme, Modi is expected to launch a stamp dedicated to the city of Varanasi and also lay the foundation for a road project. Officials informed Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav have been invited for the foundation laying ceremony of ‘Urja Ganga’ project. The PM will fly from Mahoba by a special Indian Army helicopter which will land at the Dereka helipad around 3:55 PM. From there, he is expected to head to the main venue at Dereka Inter college ground to lay the foundation stone for the various projects. Later, he will leave for Delhi by a special aircraft from the Lal Bahadur Shastri International airport at Babatpur. Vernon Hargreaves III Jersey
Singapore awards two new LNG import licences to meet future demand
Pavilion Gas and Shell Eastern Petroleum have been appointed as importers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) into Singapore, the city-state’s trade minister said on Monday. “These two companies were selected on the basis of the reliability, flexibility and competitve-pricing of their LNG supplies,” S. Iswaran, Singapore’s minister for trade and industry, said at the opening of Singapore’s International Energy Week (SIEW). The two firms beat Sembcorp Industries and BG Singapore Gas Marketing for the contracts to supply Singapore with 1 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG. The exclusive franchises awarded on Monday will last for three years or when the firms reach imports of 1 mtpa, depending on which comes first. The Energy Market Authority’s (EMA) first called for proposals in June 2014. Eric Berry Authentic Jersey
Connectivity scheme will turn India into third largest aviation market: PM Modi
Accusing previous governments of having “no vision” for aviation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, said his government is working in a “mission mode” for expansion of the sector and has put in place the country’s first integrated policy to tap the potential of small cities. He was speaking after dedicating the new integrated terminal building of the airport here, which is now the second green airport of the country after Kochi. PM Modi noted that India in the near future would probably become the third country in the world in terms of airport activity benchmarks with more middle-class families aspiring to travel by air. The Prime Minister said the country is very huge and “if you think only 80 to 100 airports not enough, then we are trying to create hurdles in the country’s growth”. He said the the country’s development can take new dimensions if the tier-2 and tier-3 cities are bought on the aviation map and noted that government was making efforts to revive the large number of non-functional airstrips and airports in the country. “That is why to promote this, the government brought out a new regional connectivity scheme under which people can travel with airfares of only Rs 2,500 for up to 500 kms distance,” he said. Attacking the previous governments, he said, “Earlier airports were set up, planes would fly but the country did not have an aviation policy. “How to take the sector forward in next five or ten years and take care of its and passengers’ needs, what should be done for common people, there was no vision in place earlier. It was just moving,” he said. “After the new NDA government came to power, for the first time since independence it formulated a new aviation policy for the country… we are working in a mission mode for expansion,” he said. The PM said the new aviation policy will take care of the consumers’ needs and the growth of the sector. Ray Lewis Jersey
Thanjavur could soon be on the air map
Thanjavur airport could soon be on the air map under the Regional Air Connectivity Scheme which the Government unveiled on Friday. RN Choubey, Secretary, Civil Aviation, said Thanjavur airport is part of the eligible list of airports which will be covered under the RCS scheme. “I had a discussion with the Chief of Air Staff on certain matters, including Thanjavur where we needed certain land to be exchanged. There is considerable cooperation and support which is forthcoming from the IAF for making commercial flying possible from Thanjavur. I expect that to happen along with certain unused airports in Tamil Nadu,” Choubey said. Chennai airport On the issue of glass falling from the ceiling at Chennai airport, Choubey said a study through IIT Chennai had confirmed that the glass panes which are falling, as a percentage of total glass that has been used, were not beyond what is the global average. “It is just that the number of glass panes which have been used is more. Even then we are taking all precautions,” the Secretary said. Study commissioned Meanwhile, the Government has also commissioned an internationally well-known agency, NATS of UK, to look at two aspects — designing of the air space bubble over Chennai and Delhi and ways to improve air navigational services which will be on par with the best in the world at these two airports as they have air space management issues. “They have assured to give us the report in 3-4 months’ time. Based on NATs’ report we will also be able to create more slots at Mumbai airport,” Choubey said. Phillip Lindsay Authentic Jersey
UDAN takes off: Government invites airlines to kickstart regional flights
The Government kick-started the regional air connectivity (RCS) scheme on Friday by inviting initial proposals from operators to fly to airports which do not have regular flights. Operators have a six-week window (till December 2) to submit their initial proposals. The Government will take two-three days to scrutinise the proposals and the entire process is likely to take 10 weeks to complete. “We hope to have the first flight (under RCS) by January. I am cautiously optimistic about it,” Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Minister for Civil Aviation, said at the launch of the scheme. Under the Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme , two weeks after the initial scrutiny, the Government will invite counter proposals from various operators keen to operate on RCS routes and announce the winner within 14 days. The scheme, which provides Viability Gap Funding for operators who cap fares on these flights at ?2,500, allows only one operator to fly on a RCS route for three years. “The idea of the scheme is to get those who wear Hawai chappals on to hawai jahaj (aeroplane),” said Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation. Tepid response However, the industry’s response to the proposals was tepid. While Ashwani Lohani, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India, said his airline will “definitely” participate, Phee Teik, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara Airlines, said the airline will be able to make a comment on whether the policy was good or bad only after going through it. Issues to be resolved “The scheme is a step in the right direction to promote the movement of people within the country,” he said. Vistara is the brand name of the joint venture domestic airlines between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines. Ajay Singh, Chairman, SpiceJet, while welcoming the Government’s initiative felt that there were some issues with the scheme which he will raise with the Government and hoped that they would be resolved. “One of the major issues is slot availability because small towns must connect with large towns. At the big airports like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad slots must be available for RCS. Private operators (of airports) have traditionally been reluctant to give such slots. We will see whether they provide them or not. Besides, it is not clear if the concessions are provided at the smaller and larger airports. That impacts economic viability of the whole project,” he added. Singh was also of the opinion that the Government should fund such a scheme from its own budget rather than imposing more of a tax on consumers. “We oppose it from the perspective that there could surely be other ways to fund a scheme which is nationally so important,” he said. Funding RCS In fact, in what could be bad news for flyers between major cities, the Government will notify its proposal on a levy or the quantum of fee on a per departure basis on flights between the major cities by the end of the month, to fund the regional connectivity scheme. The airlines are likely to pass on this marginal increase in their operating costs to passengers which will see domestic airfares increase again. Jordan Willis Jersey
PM: New aviation policy will help unleash potential of smaller towns
India’s aviation sector has huge possibilities of growth with smaller towns unleashing their true potential with middle-class increasingly aspiring to fly, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after inaugurating the integrated international terminal building at Vadodara airport on Saturday. Emphasising on better connectivity between smaller towns and distant locations, Modi said the country’s aviation sector is growing rapidly and required attention. He said that for the first time since independence, the government has come out with a dedicated policy for the aviation sector. “There used to be planes, there were flights and there were fliers. But never before have we had a policy for this sector with a clear vision about its future growth.” Green airport Modi also stated that after Kochi, Vadodara has become India’s second airport to be recognised as a green airport. The airport has been developed at a cost of ?160 crore and has a capacity to handle 700 passengers per hour. “As per an estimate, in the next five years, the annual number of fliers in India will be equal to the population of the US. You can imagine the extent of potential this sector has,” the Prime Minister said, adding that the capping of fares of one-hour flights at ?2,500 will further encourage airlines to connect distant pockets. “This policy will help in reviving airports and increase employment opportunity in this sector. Air traffic in these places will have multiple economic effect on these regions.” Railway University Modi said the Centre will set up the country’s first Railway University in Vadodara to boost innovation in railway technology. “Our Railways continue to operate in the old structure. With technology and innovation we can change the face of the Railways in India. This university will play an important role towards encouraging innovation.” Bryan Bulaga Authentic Jersey
Aviation watchdog DGCA to soon get powers to slap penalties
Regulator DGCA and aviation security agency BCAS are all set to get powers to impose fines on violators, with the government preparing to amend the legislation in this regard. The move would give more teeth and leeway to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) in dealing with instances of violations amid the domestic sector witnessing over 20 per cent sustained growth in passenger traffic. For providing penal powers to DGCA and BCAS, the government plans to amend the Aircraft Act, 1934 and it is likely to be taken up during the winter session of Parliament starting next month. “Today, there is no provision for levying penalties. That enablement should happen,” Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey told PTI. Currently, there are stringent provisions in place for DGCA to deal with violations at various levels, including those related to airlines, pilots, crew members and other entities. The watchdog can debar, suspend and even cancel the permission to fly for the carriers as well as individual pilots and engineers but cannot impose any monetary penalty. “Today, if there is any irregularity then the licence has to be suspended of the entire airline for a certain time. That is the extreme punishment. There is no provision for anything in between. “We are saying that unless something is very severe, there should be some provision for levying fine,” Choubey said. The powers of BCAS —— which primarily has the mandate to ensure security at airports —— would also be strengthened with new provisions. The Civil Aviation Ministry has already floated the draft amendments to Aircraft Act. Asked whether the ministry would be pushing the amendments in the upcoming Parliament session, Choubey replied in the affirmative. “Yes, it will come in the next session of Parliament,” he said, adding that similar provisions for penalties are there in other countries. In the draft Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2016, the ministry has also proposed various other changes such as increasing the quantum of fine that can be imposed under this law to up to Rs 1 crore from existing level of Rs 10 lakh. Among others, a new sub—section is proposed to be included stating that DGCA or any other officers specially empowered by the central government shall perform the safety oversight functions in respect of matters specified in the Act. Oscar Lindberg Authentic Jersey