GoAP urged to maintain Aalo to Bam road under TAH
Frustrated with inordinate delay in proper execution and maintenance of the road from Bam to Aalo section of Tai to Gabu (a part of Potin-Pangin Road), the Memo Ao Youth Association (MAYA) and Pushi Bango Welfare Society (PBWS) has appealed to the state government to start early execution and maintenance of Aalo to Bam road of Tai to Gabu section of the Trans-Arunachal Highway. Addressing reporters at the Press Club here on Tuesday, MAYA Chairman, Kenbom Bagra said that the MAYA and PBWS have submitted numerous memorandums to the GoAP for early execution and maintenance of the said road, but there has been no response from the state government. They had on February 1 last, also initiated a democratic movement in the form of 12 hours chakka bandh. He said that ever since the Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) handed over the project to the MoRTH in 2012, the said stretch of road is in a poor condition, especially at Pushi Bango area, making vehicular movement difficult. “The concession agreement of Potin-Pangin Road was signed on August 14, 2012, in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MoRTH), New Delhi with M/s Potin Pangin Pvt Ltd, represented by ECi Engineering and Consortium for widening and upgrade of the said project, while the BRO handed over the Tai to Pangin road project to MoRTH on September 4, 2014 to facilitate the executing agency to carry out construction work. However, Bagra claimed that “the executing agency has not been carrying out proper maintenance work, causing much hardship to the commuters, while the maintenance of Aalo to Bam road has also been halted after the construction of a temporary by-pass road of Nyorak-Nikte due to reasons best known to the executing agency.” Further, stating that Aalo to Mechuka is a place of strategic importance, with hundreds of army and para military forces vehicles plying despite terrible road conditions, Bagra said that it was a matter of grave concern and urged the state government to accord priority to proper road connectivity in the said area. He also appealed to the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju to address the said issues at the earliest. PBWS President, Kirnya Bagra said that ever since the BRTF handed over the road construction work to other agencies in 2012, the condition of road has only been deteriorating. The PBWS president further said that the MAYA and PBWS, along with 17 organizations, including Ato Paktu Ao Welfare Society, PAYWA, KKSU and BASU from Basar area and ABSWA from Mechuka and Nyiko Bango area, Mother’s Vision Aalo, AAPWWS and Galo Ane Aalo and other organizations will launch the second phase of agitation in the form of 24 hours West Siang bandh, followed by 36, 48 hours and indefinite period bandh, if their demands are not met with within the next 10 days. Curtis Samuel Authentic Jersey
Naidu asks officials to fast-track road projects
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday asked officials to speed up the process for declaration of the Amarvati-Anantapur expressway and Outer Ring Road (ORR) of Amaravati as national highways. If this was done, it would be easy to obtain permissions from the Ministry of Forests and also acquire lands. At a review meeting on roads and buildings held at the interim Secretariat near here, Mr. Naidu said that land acquisition for the expressway should be completed in three months so as to complete the project by 2019. The expressway of 598.83 km length passes through the districts of Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Kadapa, Kurnool and Anantapur. He asked the Collectors of the five districts to form separate teams for land acquisition. The government would provide necessary staff. A thorough coordination among forest officials and RDOs was required, he said. Railway officials present at the meeting suggested that speed train track could be constructed along the express way. The track could be parallel to the expressway. Earlier, project consultants gave a presentation on the designs of the proposed expressway to connect Amaravati to Bengaluru. They made changes in the alignment following a suggestion from the Chief Minister. The connecting Kadapa-Kurnool roads were designed to prevent passage through the forest area. AP Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) Commissioner Ch. Sridhar, making a presentation on the new alignment of the Amaravati ORR, said that the distance had increased by two km taking the total distance to197.5 km. Alignment change Likewise, the length of a tunnel proposed near Mylavaram has come down to 4.5 km from 7.5 km. A change in alignment of 200 metres was made near Guntur, he said. Mr. Naidu, responding to it, suggested that an eight-lane ORR be thought of to meet future requirements instead of a six-lane road. The three proposed ORRs—Tirupati-Vaikuntamala, Visakha-Soundaryamala and Amaravati-Boudhamala—should be connected to the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor road, he said. A sum of ?1,202 crore would be allotted for developing interior and connecting roads. An agency would be floated and a retired police officer appointed as a director to speed up the project. Benz Circle flyover The Kanaka Durga flyover under construction and the proposed flyover near the Benz Circle also came up for discussion. Mr. Naidu set a deadline of August 15 for the Kanaka Durga project. On the Benz Circle flyover, he said the government wanted it to be constructed duly following international standards. A separate meeting would be convened in two days to take a final decision on the flyover, he said. Demarcus Robinson Womens Jersey
16 KEY BRIDGES BUILT IN 2016-17: MUNAT
Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Rajesh Munat on Tuesday said that Rs53 crore had been spent in constructing 16 important bridges in 2016-17. Many crucial big and small bridges had been built providing an easy access to the remote areas of the State, he said. The PWD has also built 18 Railways over and under bridges in high density traffic areas in the State involving a cost of Rs300 crore during the past 13 years, officials informed. Munat informed that currently, five key Railway over and under bridges are under construction at a cost of Rs222 crores in Raipur, Bilaspur and Janjgir-Champa districts.The bridges are coming up at Shankar Nagar, Kashiram Nagar, Lal Kadan, Khoksa and Champa. Notably, the Chhattisgarh Government in May last year also announced that it will take up construction of 63 long-span bridges under ‘Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana’ (PMGSY) in different districts of the State, officials informed. On the other hand, as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visionary ‘Setu Bharatam Yojana’, the State Public Work Department (PWD) has initiated efforts for construction of over-bridges and under-bridge at railway crossing across the State for ensuring smooth and accident-free vehicular movement, officials stated. In the State Budget 2016-17, Chief Minister Raman Singh has included the proposal of as many as five railway over-bridges in ‘Setu Bharatam Yojana’ for reconstruction of railway level-crossings, old and narrow-bridges falling on national highways, informed officials, adding that of five bridges, two over-bridges will be constructed between Manendragarh and Ambikapur, two between Mahasamund and Kharir Road (Odisha) and one railway over-bridge at village Keshloor in Bastar district. For construction of four railway under-bridges and four railway over-bridges, the Chief Minister has made a financial provision of Rs13.16 crore from the Department’s general expenditure head in this budget, said Munat. He said that the construction of these eight railway bridges will be costing Rs54.71 crore, of which Rs36.55 crore would be the estimated expenditure for construction of four over-bridges while Rs18.16 crore will be required in construction of four under-bridges. Similarly, the Chief Minister had announced to carry out a survey for construction of over and under-bridges at 41 railway level-crossings on Raigarh-Dongargarh route. The survey work is going to cost Rs1.05 crore. Notably, the project aims to make all national highways free from railway level crossing by 2019 to ensure road safety. Under the project, 208 bridges will be built at a cost of Rs20,800 crore. Also, 1500 old bridges will be reconstructed, which will cost Rs30,000 crore. As many as 29 Road Over Bridges (RoBs) have also been sanctioned by the Central government during the current financial year under South East Central Railway (SECR) division. At present, there are 1,156 sanctioned works for construction of 1,399 ROBs across the country, officials stated. Fund for construction of Road Over Bridges (ROBs)/Road Under Bridges (RUBs)/Subways; elimination of level crossings and other safety works related to level crossings come from Central Road Fund (CRF) as a percentage of cess collected on petrol and diesel by Union Ministry of Finance. A provision of Rs4180.87 crore has been made for South East Central Railway (SECR) in the Union Railway budget to provide a further boost to its development activities. Boston Red Sox Authentic Jersey
Listing possible as Air India looks to restructure ownership
The government is considering a new ownership structure at Air India in an attempt to turn around the fortunes of the loss-making national carrier, according to a report in Livemint. The report quotes two people familiar with the matter as saying that the proposed restructuring stops short of privatisation. The first step involves recasting almost Rs 28,000 crore of working capital debt that Air India owes to banks, by trading it with equity.The next step would involve inducting professionals equipped with proven financial and management skills. The final phase might include listing the company. State Bank of India leads the consortium of public sector banks, which have given these loans to Air India. Air India chairman Ashwani Lohani and SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya have already met twice to discuss the plan. However, the banks, already saddled with bad debts, are proceeding with caution. The report quoted an official as saying that the banks would like Air India to undertake a clear roadmap to keep the airline “sustainable” as a business, where value can be unlocked along the way. A.J. Klein Jersey
Jet Air to recapture lost ground with 11 Boeing 737s
Jet Airways, which has seen a dip in its market share in recent times, will now lease 11 old Boeing 737s in an incremental manner by the end of this year, before phasing them out with the arrival of 75 Boeing 737 Max aircraft from 2018 onwards. “The 11 Boeing 737s are older planes and will be used for temporary basis till the induction of Boeing 737 Max,” said a Jet Airways source aware of the development. It is pertinent to note that Boeing 737 Max will mainly come as replacement for the existing leased aircraft which will be returned on the expiry of their lease. However, a Jet Airways spokesperson refused to comment on the story, calling it speculative. The airline, at present, has a fleet of 114 aircraft which includes a mix of wide-body Airbus A330s and Boeing 777s, narrow-body 737s and ATRs. It has 75 Boeing 737s Max on order which are due for delivery in 2018. Also, the airline is said to have deferred the induction of Boeing 787 aircraft which was scheduled to get delivered by the end of 2017. Jet Airways claims that it does not want to rush into expensive asset purchase game but would rather develop market by way of leasing aircraft, code-shares and strategic partnerships. The airline, in order to back its strategy, said that its code-share traffic has surged from 650,000 passengers in FY14 to 1.22 million in FY15. Gaurang Shetty, whole time director of Jet Airways, during an interaction last year with DNA Money had said, “It’s not that only if you place large plane orders that you are expanding. We keep scanning for all kind of opportunities like leasing of planes to increase our capacity. End of the day, it’s the bottom-line which matters.” M.J. Stewart Jersey
Kempegowda airport posts 22.5% traffic growth
Bangalore International Airport Ltd’s (BIAL) Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (BLR Airport) has posted an impressive traffic growth by clocking 22.18 million passengers, marking an overall traffic growth of 22.5 per cent. Air traffic movement witnessed an increase of 19.9 per cent, with the airport now connecting 45 airlines to 66 destinations in India and globally. On an average 60,000 passengers travel through the airport every day. The year also saw the achievement of many new milestones. The airport had a record-breaking two million passengers travelling in November 2016 and an all-time monthly high of 2.15 million passengers in December 2016, the single highest traffic month for any airport in South India. BLR Airport had also reached the landmark milestone of welcoming its 100 millionth passenger in 2016. G V Sanjay Reddy, Managing Director, BIAL, said: “2016 saw another strong year for us at BLR Airport. Despite the many challenges, we have grown exponentially in terms of passenger traffic. Our cargo business has also seen an incremental growth which reaffirms our growth strategy to develop our airport as the cargo hub of South India.” “The recent statistics continue to establish BLR as an airport of choice not only for travellers but also our business partners. We are grateful to all our customers that helped contribute to our success and retain our position as the No 1 airport in South India. We are optimistic about the year ahead and we will continue in our efforts to offer excellent customer service. The new year will see us focusing strongly on introducing innovative and interactive digital solutions that will create value for our customers,” he added. Eddie Robinson Jersey
Low-cost carriers to remain profitable: Aviation report
Indian airlines are expected to report combined losses to the tune of USD 250-300 million as against an estimated profit of USD 122 billion in the previous financial year, according to an industry report. The downward pressure on yields combined with cost creep, is expected to push the consolidated industry back into the red for the 12 months ending March 2017, the Sydney—based aviation think tank, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), said in a report released here today. “IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet, GoAir and Air India Express are all expected to remain profitable for the full year (FY17), but at levels lower than in FY2016, while losses are projected to increase at Air India, AirAsia India and Vistara. At a total industry level, losses could reach USD 250—300 million,” the CAPA India Aviation outlook FY2018 report said. IT has also projected higher losses for the next fiscal at USD 380—450 million. Cautioning that the profitless growth is expected to increase viability risks, starting from the next fiscal, CAPA noted that if the Indian carriers continue to expand without sufficient capitalisation, they could face significant challenges when the next external oil price shock hits. According to CAPA, Indian airlines reported a combined profit of USD 122 million in the year ended March 2016, “but this era of profitability is likely to be short—lived. Traffic growth is being stimulated above its underlying demand as a result of excess capacity and competitive fares,” the report observed. Noting that the industry cost dynamics are changing with the operating environment likely to become more challenging, CAPA in its report said, “with expected cost creep of 10 per cent , a close to 10 per cent decline in yields, oil at USD 55—60 per barrel and on exchange rate of USD 1=INR 73—75 , industry losses could widen further to USD 380—450 million in FY 2018. It also said though the low cost carriers are expected to remain profitable, yields could potentially decline further than assumed, given the capacity induction planned. Paul Coffey Jersey
Adani group appoints Jennifer Purdie as CEO for renewable energy unit in Australia
Indian energy giant Adani Group has appointed Jennifer Purdie as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for its renewable energy business unit in Australia in a bid to drive its plans to become the largest renewable energy player in the country. Adani Australia country-head and CEO, Jeyakumar Janakaraj, said the appointment of Purdie is a significant step for the company in Australia. “Adani’s aim is to become the largest renewable energy industry participant in Australia with a total capacity of 1,500MW in the near term,” Janakaraj said. “To help us realise this ambition, Adani has established the Adani Australia Renewable business unit, and appointed Purdie as its CEO, he said. “Adani is the largest solar power generator in India with plans for 10,000MW by 2022. Adani already has commissioned the world’s largest solar plant on one site, Kamuthi Solar Plant in Tamil Nadu, with a 648MW capacity. Indeed, Adani will commission an additional 2,000MW in solar generation in India by the end of this calendar year,” Janakaraj said. Purdie, who will report directly to Janakaraj, has extensive global experience in the resources and engineering sector, and is recognised as one of Australia’s leading engineers. Purdie has worked for rail freight group Aurizon (Executive Vice President, Enterprise Services), Rio Tinto (Chief Advisor Projects; Global Practice Leader, Technology Delivery, Innovation; Diamonds and Minerals Executive), and has Board experience with a number of companies and institutions including the Solar Flagships Panel which advised the Commonwealth Government on solar generation. Her most recent position was Executive Director of Nexion, a technology solutions provider for the mining industry. Stating her new role presented an exciting challenge, Purdie said, “Renewable enery presents great opportunities for Australia, particularly for remote communities but also as a key component of balanced energy supply solutions across the nation.” Adani has announced two solar generation plants will be built this year in Australia – one at Rugby Run, near Moranbah in Central Queensland, and the other on the northern outskirts of Whyalla in South Australia. The projects will generate 150MW each and other similar sized projects are being planned for Queensland and South Australia. The solar projects are in addition to its USD 21-billion investment in the planned Carmichael coal mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin a well as rail and port facilities. Justin Houston Jersey
Oil cos merger may not be good for consumers, pvt retailers’
The proposed merger of the state- controlled oil companies, both upstream and downstream, can reduce inefficiencies and improve competitiveness but will be an execution challenge apart from being not so good for consumers and competition, says a report. Though a merger can create an entity that is better placed to compete globally for resources and less vulnerable to shifts in oil prices, it will face significant execution challenges, particularly on the HR integration, addressing overcapacity and getting it backed by private shareholders, Muralidharan R, a director at Fitch said in a report today. “There will be considerable difficulties in merging a number of entities with differing structures, operational systems and cultures,” he said adding it may not be good for consumers as well. Though political sensitivities will limit job cuts, personnel-related issues are likely to arise from the need to manage hierarchies and potential overcapacity in the integrated entity, he added. Moreover, being listed companies with public shareholding of 51-70 per cent, can cause some problems in obtaining the mandatory 75 per cent approval for a merger, particularly if there are concerns over valuation,” he warned. There is also a question of how the state will handle the likely decline in competition post-merger as consumers have benefited from competition among these state-controlled retailers, and the resultant improvement in service standards. The plan comes at a time when private players like Essar, RIL and BP and Royal Dutch Shell are planning it big in the retail space, but if the proposal works out these players may not be able to compete with a single large state- controlled behemoth. He expects the new entity getting much stronger bargaining power with suppliers, and greater financial clout to secure oil resources. Most Asian countries have just one national oil company integrated across the value chain. As against this India has 18 state-owned oil companies, with at least six of them being key players – IOC, ONGC, BPCL, HPCL, Oil India, and Gail. Plans to consolidate the oil and gas sector have been floated before, but last week the idea was presented in the Budget speech for the first time. The merged entity would have opportunities to save on costs and improve operational efficiency. For example, there would be less need for multiple retail outlets in a single area. Transport costs could be reduced by retailers sourcing from the nearest refinery, rather than the ones they own, as is the common practice now, he argued. It would also be able to share expertise for exploration and acquisition. Beau Allen Authentic Jersey