Gurgaon: New Year, new authority, renewed hopes
The city did not have much to cheer about in 2016 except a few announcements such as the Pod taxi project that is too ambitious for Gurgaon where basic infrastructure is in shambles. This year, Gurgaon residents have high hopes that all infrastructure developments undertaken by the authorities are fulfilled and some respite is provided at least on the traffic and transportation fronts. HT focuses on some major government plans and announcements that could improve the quality of life in the city this year. New Development Authority Waterlogging and massive traffic jams in July and August were largely attributed to the lack of coordination among government agencies in the city. The mess forced the government to think of an integrated authority that could bridge gaps in governance and ensure delivery of projects on time. The announcement of Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) was the result. A senior IAS officer V Umashankar was assigned the task of preparing a draft bill and overseeing the formation of the authority. The authority will prepare plans and get them executed through various government departments. However, the announcement received mixed reactions from residents. Several residents are not convinced by the role it has been assigned. “A new development authority is welcome but its role should be clearly defined. We are not able to understand why the municipal corporation and other departments could not deliver projects that the GMDA aims to take up,” Brij Mohan of DLF Phase 4 said. Residents want the authority to focus on public transportation and improve civic facilities in the city. Umashankar is of the view that the city has been developed haphazardly and it was not right to expect things to get right overnight. He said the authority could deliver but with time. GMDA authorities said, after its formation, the authority would purchase 500 CNG buses and prepare a master plan for development of the city. Rapid Metro Rapid Metro’s Phase 2 (south extension) operations are expected to begin in February-March with the trial run underway, sources said. The deadline for the project was extended from 2015-end to 2016-end and now to the first quarter of 2017. The line has been under construction since April 2013. This line of the Rapid Metro will have stations at DLF Phase 1, Sushant Lok, Sector 53/54, AIT Chowk and Sector 55/56. It will start from Sikanderpur metro station near Bristol Chowk and terminate at Golf Course Extension T-junction. Built at a cost of ?2,143 crore, the service is expected to provide last-mile connectivity and a gateway to New Delhi via the yellow line of the Delhi Metro through the interchange station at Sikanderpur. Delhi Metro Extension (Gurgaon-Bawal) A Mass Rapid Transit System is being developed to connect Gurgaon and Bawal industrial area through an elevated Metro project. The corridor will run along the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) and Global City project. In the first phase, the Metro corridor will connect Huda City Centre Metro station to Panchgaon Chowk through SPR and Global City. In phase II, it will extend up to Bawal from Panchgaon along NH-8. Work is expected to begin from March, and last week, the Haryana Urban Developement Authority transferred 147 acres to the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) to develop a metro depot near the Global City. The project is part of the public-private partnership between HSIIDC and Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation Ltd that is launching several infrastructure projects on the stretch at a cost of ?3,500 crore. Projects To Ease Snarls Several infrastructure projects aimed at easing traffic congestion are expected to start this year. Work has started on the three underpasses at Rajiv Chowk, Signature Tower crossing and Iffco Chowk on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. Trenching started at the three sites in the first week of December and the concessionaire has started barricading these sites. Union Transport minister Nitin Gadkari has set a deadline of 15 months from the day the work formally starts for the completion of the project. One of the underpasses is expected to be open this year. The Northern Peripheral Road also known as the Dwarka Expressway, which has been limbo since 2006, was designated as a national highway by the Union transport ministry in 2016. Consequently, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) started the exercise to connect this road with NH-8 at Shiv Murti near Mahipalpur in New Delhi. Also, a section of the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway became operational between Manesar and Palwal in 2016. The Haryana government revised the deadline to complete the Kundli-Manesar section from August 2018 to February 2017. Commuters are hoping that the new road projects will give them some respite from their daily traffic woes. “We want a smooth ride to work and back. Spending more than two hours a day in traffic is not an ideal condition for a city resident. People are also expected to cooperate in this direction,” Manish Arora, a banker, said. Real Estate Blues Gurgaon is considered one of the largest real estate markets in the country. However, a large number of property buyers have been complaining of fraud and cheating by developers as projects are not delivered on time. Developers, on the other hand, blame adverse market conditions for the delay. Apartment buyers are hoping that the state government will implement the Real Estate Regulatory Act 2016 (RERA) that will set up a regulatory body to oversee the real estate sector in the state. The Act is aimed at protecting homebuyers and boosting investments in the real estate industry. “The shortage of cash following demonetisation is expected to deal another blow to the real estate sector and projects will get delayed. We expect the government to intervene so that developers can complete projects on time,” Satish Mishra, an apartment buyer who has been waiting for delivery of his flat for the last three years, said. Policing With a burgeoning population, the crime rate is increasing in Gurgaon. It is becoming tough for the police to keep a
NHAI TO GET DPR PREPARED FOR ‘BHARATMALA PROJECT’ IN C’GARH
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has begun process for getting Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared for Chhattisgarh among six other states besides the Union territory of Puducherry for the 15,000 Kms ‘Bharatmala Project,’ official sources informed here on Saturday. The other states for which the DPR would be prepared are– Odisha, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. The Chhattisgarh Government has set the target of completing construction of 338 roads at a cost of Rs19,326 crores by March 2018. The Government has already completed development of 6,279 roads measuring a total of 26,504 kms under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. As many as 8,533 settlements near the new main roads had been benefitted by the projects out of 10,560 identified as per the guidelines of the scheme, officials informed. State Panchayat and Rural Development officials informed that under the scheme, a total of 9461 settlements have been approved to be benefitted from the scheme in which a total of 6,279 roads had been completed. Chief Minister Raman Singh has said that roads projects worth Rs35,000 crores are currently in the process of implementation in the entire State. Singh had given the information in his address delivered after inaugurating the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DICCI) Chhattisgarh unit here last month. Notably, the Central government had also been implementing various developmental schemes through its different Ministries/Departments for creating infrastructure in the LWE affected regions of the country including Chhattisgarh. Some of such schemes are Road Requirement Plan-I (RRP-I), Construction of fortified Police Stations, Mobile Towers and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) etc. The Road Requirement Plan-I (RRP-I scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways for improving road connectivity in 34 most LWE affected districts. This scheme envisages 5,422 Km road lengths. The Left Wing Extremists often oppose any development activities in the areas of their influence and try to obstruct the implementation of the schemes, officials stated. Consequently, some projects are delayed beyond their scheduled time. However, as and when such incidents come into the notice of the Government, adequate security is provided by deployment of Security Forces. Besides, the Central Government has provided various relaxations for taking up the works in LWE affected areas ensuring early and timely completion of the projects. These relaxations include accepting of tenders up to 10% higher of the updated cost, splitting the works in smaller parts, awarding of works on nomination basis, separate Schedule of Rates (SoR), extended completion period and general exemption upto 5 hectare forest land under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. While taking it as a challenge, the Chhattisgarh government has completed construction of 1052 kms of roads in insurgency infested pockets of the State with co-operation of the Central government, State PWD Minister Rajesh Munat said recently. In an official statement issued here, Munat said that the police provided adequate security cover to road development projects in the red zones. Notably, a total of 16 districts of Chhattisgarh remain insurgency-infested out of the 106 districts in 10 States as identified by the Central Government as ‘Left Wing Extremism’ (LWE) affected districts in the country, according to the latest Central Government data. The districts are – Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada, Jashpur, Kanker, Koriya (Baikunthpur), Narayanpur , Rajnandgaon, Surguja, Dhamtari, Mahasamund ,Gariaband, Balod, Sukma, Kondagaon and Balrampur. Chhattisgarh is also among the seven worst Left Wing Extremism (LWE) states which been allocated Rs228.56 crore as Additional Central Assistance (ACA) by Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had approved the State-wise allocation of Additional Central Assistance of Rs1000 crores to 35 worst LWE affected districts in seven states recently. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has allocated fund Rs28.57 crores per district. Thus, Jharkhand is allocated Rs457.12 crore, Chhattisgarh Rs228.56 crore, Bihar Rs171.42 crore, Odisha Rs57.14 crore and Rs28.57 crore each to the States of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In an attempt to boost-up developmental works in insurgency-hit districts, the Chhattisgarh Government has decided to fix three percent amount of cost of construction works funded by the Centre as ‘protection component’. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways acquired 115 hectares of land in Chhattisgarh for taking up various national highway projects during the last financial year, the Central Government has informed. Notably, land for the construction of National Highways in the country is acquired under the provisions of the National Highways (NHs) Act, 1956, and the compensation is determined in consonance with the applicable provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had acquired 66 hectares of land during 2014-15. It had targetted to complete 10,950 km of National Highways during 2015-16 in the country. A total length of 1733 km have been constructed till July 31, 2015. The Central Government had also sanctioned an amount of Rs305.56 crore for 10 important works under Central Road Fund Scheme during 2015-16 in Chhattisgarh, officials stated. These 10 works include construction of one road route, two Railway over-bridges and under-bridges, one fly-over and bridge. PWD Minister Rajesh Munat had stated that these works have been approved by Central Government last year year for ensuring smooth traffic movement in busy areas of the State. He said that these 10 approved works include construction of flyover at NH-6 Canal Road in Kashiram Nagar in Raipur at the cost of Rs46.35 crore, construction of bridge on Hasdeo River at Champa-Korba-Katghora Road at the cost of Rs29.77 crore, and construction of bridges on Rajnandgaon-Kawardha Road at the cost of Rs13.70 crore and on Rajnandgaon Arjunda-Gunderdehi Road at the cost of Rs24.17 crore. Bradley McDougald Womens Jersey
A look at new infrastructure projects for Mumbaikars in 2017
On the right track Transport projects: AC train Will your travel be any smoother in 2017? Let’s hope so. Railway authorities are doing their bit to complete a few of the delayed projects for the city’s 79 lakh suburban rail commuters, starting with the much touted air-conditioned local train. The Centre has already approved the procurement of 47 AC rakes of 12 cars each. The success of the AC rake, under trial on Central Railway, will determine the quality and make of the new ones. The fleet will be younger as the new Bombardier trains are expected to become a majority on both Western and Central railways. The process of procuring more rakes is already underway under MUTP-III. The much needed augmentation of the rail network is also shaping up. The Harbour line will spread its arms beyond Andheri, going all the way till Goregaon, which will be ready by March. On CR, two additional lines — fifth and sixth — meant for long-distance trains too will be ready by next year-end. These lines will separate the suburban section and remove the bottleneck right till Kalyan from CST completely. And lastly, Wi-Fi at railway stations will see a big boost. By the end of 2016, Indian Railways covered 100 stations across India, as it started providing Wi-Fi from Mumbai with 15 stations here having the facility. Also, at many stations, the railways is gradually replacing staircases with escalators. On the anvil: New termini, bridges, tracks There are a few multi-crore projects in the pipeline, which are expected to start from 2017, the most important being the sixth line on the Mumbai Central-Borivli route. It will help the Western Railway to segregate its suburban system. At present, long-distance trains use the fast line and the fifth line for operating long-distance trains. Also, there are plans to convert Thane, Panvel and Kalyan stations into termini. It will boost these stations’ capacity to handle more and also provide better connectivity. A new station has been planned on Thane Mental Hospital land, which is part of Thane terminus. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and railways have jointly planned to demolish and reconstruct road and foot overbridges crisscrossing railway lines. The process began with British-era Hancock Bridge; bridges of Carnac and Sion-Bandra link road are in the pipeline. The road runners Attention is being given to road transport as well with the state government in the process of implementing the much awaited City Taxi Rules 2016 to govern taxis, autorickshaws, fleet cabs and mobile aggregators operating across the state. There are 50 lakh-plus passengers using this mode of transport in Mumbai. The guidelines are already in place, which the state government will finalise by mid-2017. More share-taxis and autorickshaw stands too are on the anvil. Health: Mazgaon to get city’s second cancer hospital After Tata Memorial Hospital, India’s biggest cancer hospital, the city will get another cancer hospital next year, in Mazgaon, specialising in head and neck cancer. It’s going to be a unique partnership between the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and five philanthropic organisations, where the treatment will be subsidised, just like it is in Tata. The BMC will hand over its non-functional Abhilyabhai Maternity Hospital to Dr Sultan Pradhan CanCare Charitable Trust for the construction of an 87-bed cancer hospital. Besides this, GT hospital will start a cancer ward, as per approval from the state health department, and Kasturba Hospital, which has one of the biggest burn wards among the city’s civic hospitals, will start an isolation ward. There’s also good news for those suffering from thalassaemia. Next month, the city will get a first-of-its-kind state-of-the-art centre for patients. There will be 24 beds for a day-care centre, and eight for the transplant unit. And, bone marrow transplants will be done for free. On July 2, 2015, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation commissioner had sanctioned the project on July 2, 2015, while R4.87 crore was sanctioned for the same in the current fiscal (2016-17). A space of 25,000 sq ft near R Central in Borivli has been approved for the centre. The infra calendar Coastal Road: Work to begin in October To end the city’s traffic nightmare, the civic body has planned to construct a 29.2-km coastal road. The project has missed one deadline so far, and the BMC now aims to start work in October. With more than eight NOCs (No-Objection Certificates) in its kitty from various departments, the civic body is awaiting a nod from the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The road, which will start from South Mumbai’s Princess Street flyover in Marine Lines and end in Kandivli, is expected to take five years to complete. Along with the road constructed on reclaimed land, a six-km tunnel will also be a part of the Rs 15,094-crore project. To speed it up, the civic body has divided it in two phases — Princess Street flyover to Worli and Bandra to Kandivli. At the moment, the BMC is focusing on the first phase as it is only 9.98-km in length. Zoo revamp: To be finished soon The controversial revamp of Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan (Byculla zoo) is expected to be completed in 2017. Presently, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is under fire for bringing Humboldt penguins in the zoo without having their exhibits ready. As part of the revamp, the BMC is going to construct 18 enclosures.Fifty per cent of the work has been completed in the Rs 150-crore project — entrance plaza, 60 pocket gardens and a quarantine section for the penguins. Work on the exhibits is expected to be completed in a month. The BMC is also in touch with other Indian zoos for bringing in new animals; it has its eyes on a lion, Bengal tiger, hyena, jackal, bear and some exotic animals, such as the emu. It also plans to increase the entry charge for the zoo after the revamp, which has a deadline of 2017-end. Goregaon-Mulund Link Road: Work starts this year The on-ground work on the fifth link
Is AI operating defunct, snag-prone aircraft & risking passengers’ lives?
Is Air India operating defunct and snag-prone aircraft for nation-wide flights and abroad as well and risking lives of passengers and crew? Well, if an email sent to Nagpur Today by a passenger is to be believed, then it is true. Malvika Vazalwar, in the email sent to Nagpur Today on Saturday (December 31), says that in March this year, she and her mother were on the Air India Nagpur-Mumbai (A320) flight. The flight had an emergency landing due to tyre burst. However, later, the Mumbai Mirror news reports revealed that the pilots had diagnosed old-age of aircraft as the cause of the emergency landing. “The Air India aircraft that was involved in the incident was manufactured in 1994 and is one of the oldest in this class of planes, which its pilots have in official correspondence often referred to as snag-prone and problematic,” the reports said. Malvika further says, passengers have the right to know about their safety. If the passengers had even inkling that the aircraft was not deemed fit according to official correspondence – they would not have boarded it. “We would have definitely not booked/ boarded the plane and taken another flight. We wouldn’t risk our lives for anything and definitely not for someone’s negligence,” she says. Malvika hoped 2017 is not snag-prone and is safe for passengers! Malcolm Brogdon Jersey
Kolkata airport: Up in the air, bitter to better
Nearly 13 million passengers used the integrated terminal at Kolkata airport in 2016, up from 10 million a couple of years ago. Designed to handle 20 million passengers a year, there is room to accommodate more fliers without the terminal getting cramped for space. Yet, it is the apparent emptiness of the stark steel and glass building that appears disconcerting to passengers, particularly during the afternoon lean hours. “The Kolkata airport is alright for transit but not an engaging place like the Mumbai or Delhi airport. If one arrives for a flight early, heshe tends to get bored because there aren’t enough things to do,” remarked Amit Ghosh, an executive who travels between Delhi and Kolkata at least once a fortnight. Graphic artist Sucharita Sengupta, who is also a frequent flier, says the Kolkata airport feels rather drab. “The minimalist design is fine. I like the ceiling graphic. But a dash of colour can spice up the place and make a big difference,” she felt. Kolkata airport authorities say they have been listening to passenger feedback and are on the verge of making several changes to address these issues. “The airport experience that we propose to offer in 2017 will be far superior to the current one.While continuing to enjoy the efficiency, there will be a lot more to delight passengers,” said airport director Atul Dixit. The biggest change that will happen is on the retail front with shops offering a wide collection of apparel, jewellery, leather shoes, bags and accessories, cosmetics, sunglasses, travel bags and accessories. The stores spread across both the arrival and departure sections in the domestic and international wing of the integrated terminal will add up to more than 14,000 sqft. Among the brands that may find a place in the terminal are Aurelia, Blackberry, Pepe Jeans, WH Smith and Zodiac in apparel, Da Milano, Hidesign, Kompanero, Lavie, Eske and Pavers in leather shoes and goods, Samsonite and VIP Bags in luggage and Color Bar and Go Color in cosmetics. Porsche Design, a subsidiary of German carmaker Porsche AG is also likely to be present in the terminal. Electronics goods and liquor are, however, unlikely to figure as the margins are very low. The duty-free section is also being enhanced to offer passengers wider choice and better shopping experience. Spread across four locations in the international wing, the duty-free retail space will add up to 6,500 sqft. While the cosmetic changes are expected to make a difference, there will be alterations on the infrastructure front too. Airport officials hope to put the three aerobridges in the old domestic airport that now lie idle back into use, thereby taking the number of aerobridges for domestic flights to 16.”We have linked the old terminal to the integrated terminal. Sometime next year, we wish to make the departure security hold area in the terminal operational so that more passengers can use aerobridges,” the airport director said. Takeoff and touchdown at the airport will also become a lot smoother with the primary runway being re-carpeted to iron out the bumps. Though the shutdown of the main runway during the day will cause some inconvenience to flight operations on days when visibility drops due to fog, when the work gets over in March-April 2017, airlines hope to get a silky smooth runway.
Bids for NaMu airport to open in January 2017
The financial bids for the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), which is expected to ease the burden on the Mumbai airport, is likely to be opened in the first or second week of January, as the two-month extension given to three bidders in the fray draws to a close. In November, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) had given a two-month extension for financial bidding to three bidders shortlisted for submission of request for proposal (RFP) for NMIA. The first deadline ended on November 5, and the bidders had sought more time. According to a CIDCO official, three bidders have been given two months to submit the RFP. Now, the final deadline is January 9, 2017. CIDCO had received nine request for qualifications (RFQs) and, in June 2015, it had shortlisted four companies and consortia. Three companies are currently in the fray for the project. According to sources, the company or consortium that proposes the highest revenue share with CIDCO, will win the bid to develop and operate the NMIA. Justin Bailey Jersey
2016 laid foundation for high growth in aviation sector
The year 2016 will be remembered as a historic one which has provided a foundation for the high growth for domestic passengers and airlines through announcement of National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) and Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). Through NCAP, government addressed the bigger issue of domestic fliers by paving way to connect smaller cities by making airports at tier two and three cities operational in near future. The NCAP announce in the mid of the year 2016 with an emphasis on connecting regional destinations. Industry, aviation experts believes that the policy could be a foundation for the further and fast growth in the year 2017. In the year 2016, the growth rate in the Indian Aviation sector was highest in the world as it grew by more than 23 per cent in terms of passengers. Based on the preparations and activities in the year 2016, it is said that 2017 will also be an action-packed for domestic flyers right from the start. The Government’s scheme for the domestic sector UDAN (Udey Desh Ka Aam Nagrik ) has started showing its result as flights are going to start from smaller towns. It is believed that Government will help to make more than 100 airports operational which are not in operation as on date inspite of having airstrips and most of the facilities. Under the ambitious UDAN scheme, Government has announced to provide all the support and facilities to the state governments and Airlines willing to start operation from under served airports to served airports if the concerned state and Airlines want to start flights from the said airport of the state with some conditions. Government too announced financial supports in various terms to help those airports and airlines aiming to enhance regional air connectivity through fiscal support and infrastructure development. The Centre and States have come forward to provide subsidies to those operators who are willing to offer an one-hour flight between Tier II and Tier III cities at Rs 2,500. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttrakhand are among the 11 States and Union Territories that have signed up for UDAN. The NCAP envisages a roadmap to support 300 million air travellers in five years and steps to make flying affordable and convenient. The policy dwells on upgrade of airports, regional connectivity, easing of norms for flying abroad, liberalisation of the open skies regime, development of cargo hubs, chopper services, attracting investments in maintenance and ground-handling and security. Matt Irwin Womens Jersey
Rs. 3,00,000 cr plan afoot to double airport capacity
The Centre will require up to ?3 lakh crore for doubling the airport capacity over the next 10 to 15 years, Minister of State Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said. “We will need Rs 2.5-Rs 3 lakh crore for financing airports in addition to the money spent on land acquisition. As a result of that, we need to ensure that we attract investors, both equity and debt, into the airport asset class,” Mr. Sinha told The Hindu. He said the Centre had done an extensive city-by-city analysis of airport traffic projects and worked out a plan to double the airport capacity over the next 10-15 years. At present, out of 125 airports managed by Airports Authority of India (AAI), 69 airports receive commercial flights. The existing airport terminals can handle 25 crore passengers per annum, according to AAI. Rs. 3,00,000 cr plan afoot to double airport capacity C.J. Anderson Jersey
Budget 2017: Looking for tax sops for solar rooftops and renewables, says power minister Piyush Goyal
Piyush Goyal, Power and Energy minister is looking forward to some sops for the power sector in the upcoming Budget 2017. Speaking to CNBC TV 18 in an exclusive interview Goyal said, “I am looking for tax sops for solar rooftops and renewables in Budget.” Talking further about the power sector he said that he is looking at revitalising hydro sector and tenders of wind power projects will be floated soon. The government is trying hard to boost hydro power sector. The government is planning to formulate a policy to push stalled projects and extend the benefits for renewable sources like wind and solar to hydro projects beyond 25 MW capacity. “We are looking at coming up with a pro-active hydro power policy to push stalled projects and explore the possibility of extending benefits for renewable sources like wind and solar to hydro projects beyond 25 MW,” Piyush Goyal recently said. Hydro power potential in the country has been estimated at about 150 GW, with 50 GW coming from Arunachal Pradesh alone. Meanwhile, Goyal also spoke about demonetisation. Stating that demonetisation has been a success in every way, he said that the clean up process taken by the government will give rich dividends to the poor via low inflation. “Demonetisation is not a one-tanche effort. It had multiple goals,” he added. Narendra Modi government’s 50-day window to exchange old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes ends today. HomeBudget Budget 2017: Looking for tax sops for solar rooftops and renewables, says power minister Piyush Goyal Budget 2017: Looking for tax sops for solar rooftops and renewables, says power minister Piyush Goyal Piyush Goyal, Power and Energy minister is looking forward to some sops for the power sector in the upcoming Budget 2017. By: FE Online | Published: December 30, 2016 1:08 PM 1.3K SHARES FacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedInEmail Talking further about the power sector he said that he is looking at revitalising hydro sector and tenders of wind power projects will be floated soon. Talking further about the power sector he said that he is looking at revitalising hydro sector and tenders of wind power projects will be floated soon. Piyush Goyal, Power and Energy minister is looking forward to some sops for the power sector in the upcoming Budget 2017. Speaking to CNBC TV 18 in an exclusive interview Goyal said, “I am looking for tax sops for solar rooftops and renewables in Budget.” Talking further about the power sector he said that he is looking at revitalising hydro sector and tenders of wind power projects will be floated soon. The government is trying hard to boost hydro power sector. The government is planning to formulate a policy to push stalled projects and extend the benefits for renewable sources like wind and solar to hydro projects beyond 25 MW capacity. “We are looking at coming up with a pro-active hydro power policy to push stalled projects and explore the possibility of extending benefits for renewable sources like wind and solar to hydro projects beyond 25 MW,” Piyush Goyal recently said. Hydro power potential in the country has been estimated at about 150 GW, with 50 GW coming from Arunachal Pradesh alone. ALSO READ: Union Budget 2017 should look at reducing tax rate, housing sector may get focus: Keki Mistry, HDFC Meanwhile, Goyal also spoke about demonetisation. Stating that demonetisation has been a success in every way, he said that the clean up process taken by the government will give rich dividends to the poor via low inflation. “Demonetisation is not a one-tanche effort. It had multiple goals,” he added. Narendra Modi government’s 50-day window to exchange old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes ends today. Tired Of Making Losses In Investments? Here’s What You Need To Do It is now clear that demonetisation is only one of the many steps towards the grand goal Modi government has set for itself. In an interview to India Today on Thursday, PM Modi himself warned, “You must understand we took the decision on demonetisation not for some short-term windfall gain, but for a long-term structural transformation.” Darren Fells Jersey
Another tender for 500 MW solar power
The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has permitted the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) to float another tender to procure 500 MW of solar power through competitive bidding. The move follows the tepid response to TANGEDCO’s earlier tender, which drew 20 bidders for setting up solar power plants in the State for a combined capacity of 122 MW. The benchmark rate for the tender was ?5.10 per unit. Of the 20 bidders, two companies — GRT & Sons and GRT Firm — had quoted the lowest rate of ?4.50 per unit with respect to their proposed solar power plants of 10 MW each, TANGEDCO stated in a petition to TNERC. Competitive bids The power utility added that the rate offered by the eligible bidders (GRT & Sons and GRT) was more competitive and that it had accepted their bids. However, of the 500-MW capacity in total, only 20 MW had been finalised during the earlier tender. Hence, TANGEDCO has proposed to float another tender for 500-MW capacity through the reverse bidding process (e-bidding), the petition said. TANGEDCO has sought a procurement price of ?4.50 per unit in the proposed new tender. The procurement of solar power was aimed at meeting the solar renewable purchase obligation of five per cent that has been fixed for the year 2017-18. Demetrius Harris Authentic Jersey