Building Safe Highways, The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways Under Nitin Gadkari
The year 2016 has been a significant one for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, when road safety emerged as the central theme of almost its entire range of activities. While the Ministry pushed ahead to expand the National Highways network in the country, it was not enough to just build highways! It was equally important to ensure that the highways were safe for the commuters. As a signatory to Brasilia Declaration, India is committed to reducing the number of road accidents and fatalities by 50 % by 2020. Although efforts in this direction had started earlier, the year 2016 saw the Ministry taking major steps towards fulfilling this commitment. These steps include overhauling the institutional and statutory framework, employing engineering solutions to build safer roads, laying down standards for safer vehicles, building an environment for better enforcement of traffic regulations and improving emergency care. The major steps taken by the Ministry towards ensuring safety on roads are as follows: · A National Road Safety Policy had been approved earlier, outlining various policy measures like promoting awareness, establishing road safety information data base, encouraging safer road infrastructure, enforcement of safety laws etc. The Ministry has evolved a multi-pronged strategy to tackle the problem based on the 4 E’s viz Education, Engineering (both of roads and vehicles) Enforcement and Emergency Care. A National Road Safety Council had also been constituted as the apex body to take policy decisions in the matter of road safety. · Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016 – The Ministry constituted a Group of Ministers from across states to deliberate upon and propose strategies for reducing road fatalities and to suggest actionable measures for implementation. On the basis of recommendations of the GoM , MoRTH introduced the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016 in Parliament (Lok Sabha) on 9th August, 2016. The Bill addresses road safety issues by providing for stiffer penalties, permitting electronic enforcement, improving fitness certification and licensing regime, statutory provisions for protection of good Samaritans and recognition of IT enabled enforcement systems. The Bill also paves way for reforms in public transport which in turn will help in improving road safety. The Bill contains provisions for treatment of accident victims during golden hour which will help in saving precious lives. The Bill has been referred to the Department- related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture for examination and report. · Top priority has been accorded to correction of black spots on National Highways and adopting regulatory measures for improving automobile safety. Ministry has requested the States to send proposals for correction of black spots and 10% of the Central Road Fund (CRF) have been permitted to be used for undertaking road safety measures.Road safety has been made an integral part of road designing, safety audits are being taken up for selected stretches of National Highways. As Short-term measures rumble strips, reflective stickers at junctions, fixing signboard/ cautionary board, providing signage and speed restrictions are being used. As long-term measuresconstruction of vehicular under-pass, By-pass, flyover and 4-laning are being taken up. * An amount of Rs.1100 crore has been made available for the road safety purposes during the years 2015-16 and 2016-17. Of this, Rs.600 crores were earmarked for the years 2016-17. This amount is to be spent on rectification of black spots, installation of crash barriers in hilly areas, carrying out road safety audits and other road safety works included in Annual plan 2016-17. The power of technical sanction for rectification of black spots has been delegated to Regional officers, MoRTH. Proposals amounting to Rs 12 crore have been sanctioned and proposals amounting to Rs 124 crore are under sanction. Stretches have been identified for installation of crash barriers and proposals and estimates have been invited. Regarding other works of road safety, proposals of about Rs 39 crore have been finalized and are under sanction while other proposals are in different stages of investigations/preparation. · The Ministry has stressed upon States / UTs to set up State Road Safety Councils, formulate an action plan for improving road safety, implement it in a concerted manner, fix a definite, time bound target for fatality reduction and identify and allocate adequate manpower, financial and other resources for implementing the strategy to achieve the targets set. The status of implementation by the states is as follows: 22 States have notified a road safety policy. The states of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Rajasthan and Tripura are in the process of notifying. State Road Safety Council (SRSC) has been constituted in all States and meetings are also being held by these councils. 24 states have submitted Draft Action Plans for reducing accidents and fatalities based on the six pillars of road safety recommended by the United Nations. All states except Bihar, Punjab and Mizoram have designated lead agencies for dealing with road safety issues. 11 States have created Dedicated Road Safety Funds.The states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Goa, Haryana, J&K, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telagana, Tripura, Uttrakhand and West Bengal are in process of establishment of Road Safety Fund by making available a portion of the fines collected from traffic offences Most states have started Road Safety Audits of all roads as per the guidelines of Ministry. Traffic calming measures are also being adopted. Most of the States have identified black spots. Rectification of Black Spots is in progress in the states. The Ministry has also written to the States to send proposals for correction of black spots. Most states have formulated the protocol and calendar for identification and rectification of Black Spots or have adopted the guidelines issued by the Road Safety Engineering Cell of the Ministry. The progress would be monitored by the Ministry on regular basis. Most of the states have issued necessary directions to the concerned agencies to undertake construction of road beyond Rs.10 crores only after Design Audit is completed and its recommendations implemented. Most States have started suspending Driving Licence
Oil & Gas year-ender: Petroleum sector set for a major fillip in 2017
The Indian oil and gas sector is set for a major fillip in the new year with the government in advanced stages of awarding oil and gas blocks under the new Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP). The upcoming launch of the national sedimentary data repository will provide the new exploration policy an additional thrust and help ramp up output. “We expect to auction oil and gas blocks in a few basins next year under the HELP regime. The national repository data will also be functional by next year,” a senior oil ministry official said. A major highlight of the year gone by was the commissioning of India’s largest public sector refinery – Paradip in Odisha set up by state-run refiner Indian Oil Corp (IOC) – at a cost of Rs 34,555 crore in January 2016. The mega refinery is currently operating at 65 percent capacity and is expected to work at an excess of 90 percent capacity utilization beginning 2017, according to IOC. In the new year, the oil refining sector will also witness activity on the front of the planned 60 MTPA refinery being built by the three PSU oil firms – IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) — on the West coast. The companies signed an initial pact last month to construct the refinery at a cost of $30 billion. The project will be undertaken by a consortium of IOC, BPCL and HPCL with a 50, 25 and 25 percent stake, respectively. The detailed feasibility report of the project will be in works over the next year, according to an IOC executive. The past year will also be remembered for the Cabinet approval for the HELP policy that came in March replacing the earlier NELP regime. The differentiator for the new policy would be easing of E&P norms including — single license for exploration and production of conventional as well as non-conventional hydrocarbon resources, option to select blocks without waiting for formal bid rounds, revenue sharing model with no micro-management by the government as opposed to profit sharing model under the previous policy and pricing and marketing freedom. The oil ministry concluded the auction of 67 Discovered Small Fields in November where a bulk of the participation came from new entrants. The auctions witnessed 134 e-bids from 42 companies. Officials said the contracts for development of the blocks are likely to be awarded in the beginning of the year 2017. Analysts say the biggest highlight of 2016 was the OPEC decision to cut output by 1.2 million barrels per day to rein in global glut and prop up prices. The decision may force the government to cut excise duty on fuel, impact the petroleum subsidy budget for the next fiscal year and disrupt oil companies’ balance sheets. The rising oil price scenario will not translate into good news for the downstream refining and marketing companies, said Salil Garg, Director-Corporates at research agency India Ratings. “An upward movement in crude will also impact natural gas prices which will increase the cost of production for the downstream segment as many of the crude derivates are used for their own industrial use,” he said. The oil and gas sector also witnessed one of the biggest acquisitions in 2016 when Russia’s oil major Rosneft announced its decision to acquire Essar Oil and its Vadinar refinery in October in a deal pegged at over Rs 72,000 crore. The deal is likely to be closed in the first quarter of 2017. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also launched Ujjwala Yojana in May 2016 aimed at providing 5 crore LPG connections to BPL families with a support of Rs 1,600 crore per connection in the next three years. The government has allocated Rs 8000 crore for the scheme. The ministry managed to provide 14.5 million LPG connections in the first six months since the launch of scheme prompting them to revise their targets. Mirco Mueller Jersey
102 Villages Electrified Last Week; 11,429 Villages Electrified till date under DDUGJY
102 villages have been electrified across the country during last week (from 19thto 25thDecember 2016) under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna (DDUGJY). Out of these electrified villages, 17 villages belong to Assam, 9to Bihar, 10 to Chhattisgarh, 29to Jharkhand, 5 to Manipur, 30to Odisha and1 each to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.The progress of ongoing electrification process can be tracked on http://garv.gov.in/dashboard An update on ongoing electrification process: – In view of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s address to nation, on Independence Day, Government of India has decided to electrify remaining 18,452 un-electrified villages within 1000 days i.e. by 01stMay, 2018. The project has been taken on mission mode and strategy for electrification consists of squeezing the implementation schedule to 12 months and also dividing village electrification process in 12 Stage milestones with defined timelines for monitoring. 11,429 villages have been electrified till date. Out of remaining 7,023 villages, 698 villages are uninhabited. 3,775 villages are to be electrified through grid, 2,502 villages to be electrified through off-grid where grid solutions are out of reach due to geographical barriers and 48 villages are to be electrified by State Government. Total 1654 villages were electrified during April 2015 to 14thAug 2015 and after taking initiative by Government of India for taking it on mission mode, 9,775 additional villages have been electrified from 15thAugust 2015 to 25thDecember, 2016. In order to expedite the progress further, a close monitoring is being done through Gram Vidyut Abhiyanta (GVA) and various actions are also being taken on regular basis like reviewing the progress on monthly basis during the RPM meeting, sharing of list of villages which are at the stage of under energization with the state DISCOM, identifying the villages where milestone progress are delayed. Jason Witten Authentic Jersey
Welcome 2017. A Sneak Peek Into The Priorities Set By Minister Piyush Goyal For The New Year
Union Minister Piyush Goyal is holding charge of four important economic ministries including Power, RE, Coal and Mines. After de-monetisation move, Goyal has also been helping the government on this front but his performance in the four sectors has clearly given him an edge over many others in the Modi government. This article give you a quick sneak peek into the priority areas set by the minister for his four ministries during 2017. Ministry Wise Priority Areas for 2017 Power: Electrification – From Villages to Households: After the remaining villages are electrified, ensuring every house is electrified Customer First: Focus on quality of power supply – Monitoring hours and quality of power supply and ensuring that consumers are empowered with information Replacement of old power capacity: Replacement of more than 25 years old power plants of NTPC to help the environment and deliver affordable power Bringing all States under the ambit of distribution reform, UDAY and focus on loss reduction Safe and clean cities: Expansion of underground power cabling programme across multiple States Empowered Farmer – Rollout of mobile operated energy efficient pumps programme across States Energy Efficient Households: Expanded rollout of energy efficient electricals from LED bulbs to efficient fans and LED tube lights New & Renewable Energy: Affordable Wind Power: Wind auctions to transparently reduce prices Electric Vehicles: Mobility scheme to achieve the vision of promoting EV based transportation for India Taking the message of clean energy across the world: Founding conference of International Solar Alliance planned Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet: World’s largest renewable energy Investors Meet “RE-Invest” to be organized Solar Energy from every Roof: Expansion of rooftop solar programmes Make In India for Solar: Domestic manufacturing scheme for solar to be launched Prosperous Farmer – Pollution Free India: Scheme for Bio-mass like rice husk utilization Renewable Energy Fund: Launch of renewable energy fund under National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) Mines: Rapid Exploration to bring back “Sone Ki Chidiya”: Rapid exploration especially in all areas including precious metals like Gold and Diamond to make India self-sufficient. This will include expanded exploration auctions and subcontracting and aero-geophysical reconnaissance. Technology for Transparency: Wide usage of systems like Satellite Surveillance System, Mining Tenement System and Online Core Business Integrated System to bring in transparency and accountability in the Mining Sector Rapid Mining Expansion to utilise wealth of India: Create jobs and wealth through rapid expansion of mining activity Sustainable Mining: Star rating of mines for their environmental performance and incentivise compliance Coal: Mine in India – Import Substitution: Remove import dependence by substituting imported coal usage with domestic coal Quality Coal: Control grade slippage through enhanced third party sampling and expanded coal washing Green Mining: Ensure mines exist in harmony with nature and communities through world class initiatives for water usage through recycling and dust control Welfare of Workers: Physical and financial safety for workmen through strict monitoring and enforcement of mine safety standards and transparent payment of dues. J.R. Sweezy Jersey
India’s Power Sector Under Minister Piyush Goyal Achieves Major Milestones During 2016
India is moving fast on the power capacity generation front and from a power deficit nation, it is presently a power surplus region. Just a day back on December 26, state-owned NTPC Ltd inked an agreement to import 160 mw to India’s strategic neighbour Nepal. With 2016 coming to an end, the Modi government has completed its half term. India’s power sector is moving well on the Government’s promise to provide 24×7 power across the country by 2019. Amidst power surpluses, major initiatives by the government have seen the power tariffs dropping substantially and any state can freely purchase power to tide away shortages through the Vidyut Pravah Mobile App. At any given time of the day, anywhere between 1500-3000 mw is available to be bought by the states at a cost ranging between Rs 1.5 to 3 a unit. Power Availability Position in India Increase in electricity generation from 967 BU in 2013-14 to 1048 BU in 2014-15 and 1107 BU in 2015-16 resulting in lowest ever energy deficit of 2.1% in 2015-16, which has further lowered to 0.7% (April-Oct, 2016) from 2.1% (2015-16). The National Peak Power Deficit is down to half at 1.6% in the same period as compared to 2015-16. Power Generation During the 12th Plan period (2012-17), a capacity addition of about 88928.2 MW against the target of 88537 MW from conventional sources have been achieved till 31st October, 2016 and about 21,128 MW against the target of 30000 MW from renewable sources have been achieved till 30th September, 2016. Due to large generation capacity addition, the electricity energy shortage in the country has reduced to 0.7% during the current year 2016-17 (up to October, 2016) from 8.7% during the year 2012-13. Adequate supply of the domestic coal to power plants has been ensured. The growth of domestic coal supply to power plants has been around 6.2% during 2015-16. Power Generation during 2016-17 (April-November, 2016) is 777.506 Billion Units, showing a growth rate of 4.99% over the same period in previous year. Coal based power generation during the current year is 595.124 BU, showing a growth rate of 5.92% over the same period in the previous year. Till September, 2016, a total of 3000 MW of inefficient thermal generating capacity has been retired. Measures initiated for reducing the generation cost of coal based power projects: Increasing supply of domestic coal; Coal usage flexibility; Rationalisation of coal linkages. During the year 2016-17, 29 thermal stations, having total installed capacity of 13440.5 MW, are likely to be commissioned, out of which 9 projects with installed capacity of 3608.5 MW have already been commissioned till 31.10.2016. In-principle has been clearance given to replace 11000 MW Thermal Power Plants, older than 25 years, with Energy Efficient Super Critical Plants in about five years, with an investment of around Rs. 50,000 crores. In Hydro power sector, 13 hydro stations, having total installed capacity of 1949 MW, are likely to be commissioned, out of which 5 projects with installed capacity of 320 MW have already been commissioned till 31.10.2016. Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of 12 Hydroelectric Projects, with an aggregate installed capacity of 7,165 MW are under examination in CEA. The total power generated by hydro power projects in the country from 1st April, 2016 to 31st October, 2016 is 88306.78 MU (excluding power imported from Bhutan which is 4908.67 MU). Transmission During the 12th Plan period (2012-17), 1,00,468 ckm against the target of 1,07,440 ckm of transmission lines and 2,88,458 MVA against the target of 2,82,750 MVA of transformation capacity have been completed till 31st October, 2016. “24×7 Power for All”: State specific Plans for 34 States/UTs under implementation; National Energy Shortage reduces to 0.7%; 3.5% in North East National Peak Power Deficit halved at 1.6%; 0.5% in North East Free Electricity Connections to 2.5 crore (62%) BPL households released Several landmark decisions have already been taken in thermal power generation, hydel and more importantly in solar, wind and other green energy, besides strengthening of transmission and distribution, separation of feeder and metering of power to consumers. These also include not only achievements in capacity addition but also important reforms being undertaken on increasing energy efficiency of the present infrastructure and thereby reducing power losses. The government has launched a scheme by providing support from Power System Development Fund (PSDF) for operationalization of stranded gas based generation. The outlay for the support from PSDF has been fixed at Rs. 3500 crores and Rs. 4000 crores for FY 2015-16 and FY 2016-17 respectively. Power Situation of North East Regions As per information given by States / UTs to Central Electricity Authority (CEA), during the current year 2016-17 (April, 2016 to Oct., 2016), the peak power shortage in North Eastern Region (NER) has reduced to 0.5% from 8.4% during the corresponding period last year. Similarly, the energy shortage during current year has reduced to 3.5% from 6.9% during the corresponding period last year. Six thermal power units/modules aggregating to 1103.1 MW have been commissioned during the 12th Plan period in the North-Eastern States. Further, five thermal units/modules aggregating to 625.5 MW are presently under construction in the North-Eastern States for benefits during 12th Plan period and beyond. Under the ‘24×7 Power for All’ initiative, State specific Plans for 34 out of 36 States/UTs, have already been prepared and are under implementation. In these documents, an assessment of energy required to provide ‘24×7 Power for All’ for connected and unconnected consumers, adequacy of power to the State from various generating sources, inter-state transmission system, intra-state transmission system and distribution to ensure 24X7 power supply has been made. The concurrence for the signing ‘24×7 Power for All’ documents for 2 States viz., Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh is awaited. Detailed Progress under Specific Schemes Of the MoP is given as under: Rural Electrification Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) Under DDUGJY, projects with total cost of Rs. 42392.46 Crore for 29 States/UTs have been sanctioned. Status of implementation of RE Component Cumulatively
OMCs to open trading desks in Singapore
State-run oil marketing companies Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp are setting up offices in Singapore that will hunt for bargain crude oil deals, executives from the companies have told. Singapore is the trading hub for the world’s biggest consumer region and an office there will help these firms have better access to information and speedier decision making. “We have approval for setting up this office for a long time but we have not been able to do so because the policy was fluid,” said Dipti Sanzgiri, executive director-international trade at BPCL. “Now, we hope to do it soon as it will help us have multiple options for buying crude oil and improve our sourcing strategy.” Until recently, public sector oil companies would often lose out on opportunities to buy cheaper crude from the international spot markets as their sourcing policies required them to float a tender and obtain approvals from the oil ministry before they could place an order. The process used to take up to two months. While these companies had board approvals to set up offices abroad, they could not go ahead due to policy constraints and concerns over transparency in the public procurement policy. But earlier this year, the government approved the plan to change the crude procurement process for government-owned refiners to put them on a par with their private sector peers like RIL and Essar Oil. This made way for them to buy cheaper crude in spot market. Jack Lambert Jersey
PM Modi lays foundation for Rs 12,000-crore Char Dham highway project
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for Char Dham highway project in Uttarakhand, dedicating it to the victims of the 2013 flash floods in the state. Addressing a rally here after laying the foundation, Modi said the Rs 12,000-crore project will not just ease travel to the four pilgrimage sites of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, but will also give a big boost to the state’s economy. “This Char Dham project is a tribute to those who lost their lives during the Uttarakhand flash floods,” he said. Over 5,000 people, including pilgrims, were killed in the flash floods that hit the Kedarnath Valley in June 2013. “Earlier, pilgrims had to worry about getting stranded due to landslides and they would be anxious about the uncertainties. But, with this project, all the uncertainties will be gone and the pilgrims’ mind will be free from all worries,” he said. “This project will provide livelihood to the people, boost tourism and thus jack up the economy of the state,” said Modi of the project, which entails creation of over 900 km of roads. He also said that of the Rs 12,000 crore, around Rs 3,000-crore project has already been sanctioned and tenders awarded. The project involves building tunnels, viaducts, bridges and bypasses in the entire state, along with way-side amenities that will include helipad for emergency evacuation and parking facilities, among others. Jarran Reed Womens Jersey
MMRDA initiated Rs 80,000 crore worth projects in 2016
With a view to decongest the megapolis, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) undertook around Rs 80,000 crore worth projects including 124 km metro corridor and 22 km MTHL in 2016. The Authority launched five metro projects including 18.5km Dahisar-W to D N Nagar Metro-2A corridor, 23.5 km D N Nagar to BKC to Mankhurd Metro-2B corridor, 33.5-km Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro-3 corridor, 32-km Wadala-Ghatkopar-Mulund-Thane-Kasarvadavli Metro-4 corridor and 16.5-km Andheri (East) to Dahisar (East) Metro-7 corridor with a total cost of Rs 61,289 crore. While three metros including Dahisar-W to DN Nagar, Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ corridor and Andheri (East) to Dahisar (East)corridor – have been taken up for implementation this, the Authority has undertaken two new Metro corridors – 23.5-km DN Nagar to BKC to Mankhurd Metro-2B corridor and the 32-km Wadala-Ghatkopar-Mulund-Thane-Kasarvadavli Metro-4 corridor – and will be taken up for implementation in the next year. The five corridors will dot areas right from Dahisar to Bandra (West) to BKC to Mankhurd and Thane connecting eastern and western areas such as Andheri (East and West), Ghatkopar, Mulund including Wadala. “These five corridors will be used by more than five million (50 lakh) commuters from the 114 stations that will be constructed on this 124-km Metro network. The network will be inter-connected with each other as also provide interchanges at Mono corridor and suburban rail system,” MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner UPS Madan said in a statement. He further said the reduction in congestion will reduce the number of accidents significantly; vehicular traffic on roads will be reduced by 35-40 per cent, travel time will be reduced by 30-50 minutes, on an average depending on route and there will be notable reduction in noise and air pollution. MMRDA has also taken up projects like the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project worth Rs 17,843 crore, two flyovers at Kalanagar worth Rs 227 crore and an elevated road from Kurla to Vakola Junction of Rs 155.70 crore. “The 6-lane and 22-km long crucial MTHL project will establish connectivity between south Mumbai and main land and will help develop main land and parts of Raigad District,” Additional Metropolitan Commissioner Sanjay Khandare said. Doug Flutie Jersey
GST, demonetisation may impact aviation market growth: CAPA
The Goods and Services Tax which is expected to be rolled out in 2017 and the on-going demonetisation drive could impact the growth prospects of the domestic aviation industry in the next fiscal, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has warned. “The Government’s demonetisation move could impact the growth of the domestic civil aviation market by as much as 3-5 per cent in 2017 though the next fiscal is expected to be the third consecutive year of domestic growth above 20 per cent,” CAPA Aviation Outlook for Fiscal 2018 says. The report states that the effect of the Government’s demonetisation move “were still unclear although there is no visible impact as yet,” but cautions that the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax next year may have a “ short term negative impact” on economic growth for a couple of years until more positive results emerge. “The introduction of the GST may also reduce growth below projections depending on the tax rates applicable for air travel and inputs,” the report states. Profit outlook Meanwhile, the report estimates that Indian airlines posted a combined profit of $ 122 million in fiscal 2016 returning to the black at an industry level after a gap of a decade and adds that the Indian market is on track to surpass the 100 million passenger mark in 2017. “Based on aircraft deliveries, competitive dynamics and a positive outlook for the economy, growth above 20 per cent could continue for up to a further two years,” the report says adding that Indian carriers are scheduled to induct 60-65 narrow body aircraft and 10-12 regional aircraft in fiscal 2018, the report states. “This ($ 122 million profit) includes record profits at IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet, GoAir and Air India Express,” CAPA states. AirAsia India and Vistara both still in their initial years of operations were however loss making as was Air India though the state owned carrier reported its first operating profit in a decade, the report adds. The report forecasts that India is set to overtake Japan in 2017 to become the world’s third largest domestic aviation market behind United States and China. The report adds that Jet Airways is likely to revive its long haul ambitions and possibly join the SkyTeam in 2017 or 2018. The report cautions that though Air India continues to expand its international foot print primarily using the Boeing 787 aircraft, “viability challenges could start emerging on ultra long haul routes starting from fiscal 2018.” IndiGo’s domestic market share could approach 55-60 per cent in the next two years, according to the report. “The domestic market share of full service carriers could fall to 20-25 per cent within two years; Jet Airways and Air India could each see their hold on the market fall to around 10 per cent or less unless they pursue faster expansion,” the report cautions.
Puducherry airport may be revived by January: CM
The territorial administration is hopeful of operationalising the defunct airport here by January next year, Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy said here on Monday. Addressing a press conference here, he said following the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Government of Puducherry and the Union Government, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had revived projects to operationalise the airport by next month. The Ministry had come to the conclusion that a 70-seat aircraft operating from the airport here to Bengaluru could get full occupancy if routed through Tiruchi. Along with Puducherry-Bengaluru sector, the Ministry was considering operating flights from here to Tirupati, Coimbatore, Kochi, and Hyderabad, he said. The Ministry had floated tenders inviting private players to operate flights from here, he said. Max Pacioretty Womens Jersey