Nod to convert 57,500 km state highways into NHs: Govt
The Centre has given in principle approval to upgrade 57,500 km of state highways to national highways so as to augment the existing 1.13 lakh km of NHs across the country, Parliament was informed today. “About 57,500 km length of state roads have been approved ‘in principle’ for their declaration as new NHs subject to outcome of their detailed project reports,” Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Pon Radhakrishnan informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply. Keeping in view the requirements to enhance road safety, reduce congestions, improve road connectivity, the Ministry has taken decision to augment the NHs network of existing 1,13,298 km, he said. He said the ministry has also reduced threshold traffic for 4-laning of NHs from 15,000 passenger car units (PCU), 11,000 and 8,000 PCUs per day to 10,000 PCUs, 8,500 and 6,000 PCUs a day for plain, rolling and mountainous terrains respectively. Decisions have also been taken to entrust 4-laning of all such NHs to the National Highways Authority of India for their implementation through additional market borrowings etc in a phased manner by leveraging limited available budgetary allocation, he said. Taylor Lewan Womens Jersey
Powergrid Corporation commissions Rs 6,300 crore transmission project in Chhattisgarh
India’s largest and state-owned electricity transmission company Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) today said it has started the commercial operation of its 800 Kilovolt HVDC Champa-Kurukshetra Pole I project. The power line is part of 800 kV, 3,000 Megawatt western-northern region HVDC interconnector transmission system for independent power projects in Chhattisgarh. The 2,576 circuit km Champa-Kurukshetra line has been set up at a cost of Rs 6,300 crore. “This project will enable transfer of power from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) generation projects coming up in Raigarh, generation complex in Chhattisgarh to demand centres of Northern region such as Harayna, Punjab, UP, Rajasthan and adjoining areas,” Power Grid said in a release.
Air India considering no-fly list after MP assaults staffer
Air India is examining creating a no-fly list for unruly passengers — a negative entry list which will mean that a person mentioned in that will not be allowed to fly on flights operated by the national carrier. This follows an incident on Thursday at the IGI airport here in which Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad assaulted an Air India staffer after he was upset that despite having a business class ticket he was made to travel in the economy class. Sources told BusinessLine that early on Thursday the airline received a call from the MP’s staff that Gaikwad would be travelling to Delhi from Pune on AI 852. Since the MP was holding an “open business class” ticket, the airline staff informed them that they could consider travelling on another AI flight as business class seating on that particular flight had been discontinued. Sources in AI claimed that Gaikwad agreed to travel on the flight despite knowing that there was no business class seating in it. However, when the flight landed in Delhi at 9.40, Gaikwad was “agitated” and declined to get off the aircraft demanding that senior officials of the rank of Chairman and other Directors come to meet him and address his complaint on the spot. Sukumar, a former Air India crew member who was the senior most person at the AISATS, was deputed to pacify the MP. AISATS, an airport services company, is a 50:50 joint venture between Air India Ltd and SATS Ltd, a leading gateway services and food solutions provider.. The MP lost his temper when Sukumar told him that being an elected representative of the people, he should conduct himself accordingly. In reaction to this, the MP took off his slipper and hit the AISATS employee and pushed him out of the aircraft’s exit door. Sources claimed that crew members and others intervened and physically restrained the MP from causing further harm to the employee. Sources also claim that Air India and Sukumar will be registering FIRs against the MP. Air India will register the FIR for “forcibly holding the flight, due to which it was delayed by 40 minutes.” Justin Bailey Jersey
NHAI urged Odisha Government to give land for free for building National Highways
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has urged the State Government to give land for free for building National Highways as the district Collectors are asking it to deposit funds before handing over Government land. NHAI Chairman Yudhvir Singh Malik requested the State Government to reconsider its decision to demand cost of the land for building NHs. Malik, while appreciating the State Government for handing over land in the Talcher-Dubri-Chandikhole stretch of National Highway 200/23 for improvement, requested State to review its order to demand deposits for acquisition land in other cases. The Odisha Government in the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management has issued orders in this regards and had asked the district Collectors to collect deposits from the NHAI before handing over the Government land. The NHAI is saying that by setting up the National Highways in the State, the social and economic benefits accrue to a community once transportation networks between towns and cities are strengthened. Tramaine Brock Womens Jersey
Government looks to capture big gains from infra boom via VCF policy
A classic get-rich-quick scheme for the well-connected is picking up land cheaply near a new national highway, a railway line or in a smart city before such plans are widely known, then making a killing as prices inevitably soar. Not for much longer. The government has decided to implement a value capture financing (VCF) policy for all infrastructure projects starting April to recover the premium that public investments generate for private landowners. “The government has decided VCF to be an integral part of detailed project report (DPR) of all projects of the central government,” the finance ministry wrote in a note sent to all ministries and departments. ET has reviewed the note. The financing tool, which is used the world over, is based on the logic that the government makes large investments in developing public infrastructure leading to rapid economic development in those areas and a spike in land prices. A VCF policy would mean tapping into this increment through additional taxes, government-as-realtor and other tools and then using these finances to fund future infrastructure projects in the same area. The government has decided to implement such a policy after considering it for six months and conducting intensive stakeholder consultations. Ministries and departments will identify the mode by which the VCF policy can be implemented for every project. Each project proposal put before the Public Investment Board (PIB) and the Delegated Investment Board (DIB) will contain these details. “It has been decided that the PIB headed by the secretary (expenditure) as well as the DIB chaired by the administrative department concerned while appraising a project of the Central government being implemented in the states, would see whether the ministry/department piloting the proposal relating to the project has examined the option of VCF or not,” said the finance ministry note cited above. This is the first time a VCF policy has been framed and is being implemented at the Centre. Though the policy details some financing tools–including land value increment tax, fee for changing land use from agricultural to non-agricultural and area-based betterment charges–nothing specific has been recommended. Each project will be gauged and varied tools can be employed on the basis of location–urban or rural. State governments have been employing the financing tool sporadically. The above policy has been recommended to the states but won’t be mandatory for them to follow. Jodie Meeks Authentic Jersey
KEI-RSOS secures two oil and gas blocks in KG Basin
KEI-RSOS Petroleum & Energy, which currently operates five marginal gas fields in the KG Basin and markets the gas to industries, announced securing two oil and gas blocks in the KG Basin from the union petroleum and natural gas ministry. The allotment of these blocks was part of the discovered small fields in global bids where the bid rounds were launched in May last year and blocks were allot ted under revenue sharing model last week. The two blocks allotted to the company together hold reserves of over 1,400 million barrels of oil and 35,000 million standard cubic feet of gas. KEI-RSOS Petroleum is jointly owned by Lt Murthy Jasti of the River Bay group of Rajahmundry and KEI group owned by Anil and Shobhana Kamineni of the Apollo Hospitals promoters’ family. The JV firm proposes Rs 200 crores to invest around over the next two years to exploit reserves from these blocks. Derek MacKenzie Authentic Jersey
Over 57,000 airline snags reported since 2014: Government
There have been over 57,000 technical snags reported by airlines in India between 2014 and February this year, the government said today. The number of snags have also grown by over 20 per cent in 2016 compared to the previous year with these glitches going up from 17,483 to 21,500, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. These technical snags include fires during flight, engine shutdown, defects related to landing gear and cracks on aircraft structure, among others. Recently, there have been at least six incidents of snags reported from Pratt & Whitney engines that power Airbus 320 Neo planes operated by IndiGo and GoAir prompting the government to conduct a “detailed review”. Kentavius Street Jersey
India on the roadmap of tripling nuclear power capacity
India is moving towards achieving its target of tripling the nuclear power capacity of the country from July 2014 levels. The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, “The Government, in July 2014, had announced tripling of the then existing capacity of 4,780 MW in the next ten years. With the commencement of commercial operation of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP), Unit-1 (1,000 MW) in December 2014, the installed nuclear power capacity in the country has reached 5,780 MW. In addition, KNPP, Unit-2 (1,000 MW) has been connected to the grid for the first time in August 2016 and is presently generating power. On commencement of commercial operation of KNPP Unit-2, the installed nuclear power capacity in the country will reach 6,780 MW.” He added that four reactors with a total capacity of 2,800 MW are under construction and four more reactors with a total capacity of 3,400 MW have been accorded sanction by the Government. Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI), a public sector company under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is building one 500 MWe capacity prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. PFBR is expected to be functional by October 2017. On completion of these projects, the installed nuclear capacity will reach 13,480 MW. More reactors based on both indigenous technology and with foreign technical cooperation are also planned in future. The present share of nuclear energy in the country is about 3.2 per cent in the current financial year 2016-17 (up to Feb-2017). Kyle Van Noy Womens Jersey
Surrender routes unused for 6 months: DGCA to airlines
The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to surrender routes that they haven’t operated flights in even after six months of being allocated. The move comes after the aviation regulator found some routes being underutilised, and realised that these could benefit domestic airlines like Go Air, Vistara and Air Asia, which are drawing up plans for flying international routes over the next two years. “The traffic rights allocated to an airline for a particular schedule period shall be fully utilized by it during the same schedule period. Failure to do so shall result in the unutilized rights reverting back to the aviation ministry at the end of the schedule period,” DGCA said in a notification on Tuesday. Till now, airlines were allowed to carry forward the route allocation meant to be used in the summer schedule to the following winter schedule. Airlines follow a summer and winter schedule in India and often effect major changes to their schedules due to climatic conditions like fog. “The defaulter airline may also apply afresh, if it so wishes, but it will be given the lowest priority among applicants, during allocation of rights. So, if say a Mumbai-Bali route is opted for by one carrier, but not operated, another airline can stake claim to it on priority for the next season,” said DGCA officials. The regulator has also done away with the need for airlines to seek approval on code share agreements (arrangement where two or more airlines share the same flight) from the civil aviation ministry. Vita Vea Jersey
Big relief: Cairn India’s Barmer oil & gas block among 10 granted extension
In what may come as a relief to Cairn India and encourage it to increase the pace of investment, the Vedanta group company’s prolific Barmer oil and gas block has been granted an extension of 10 years or economic life of the field, whichever is earlier. Extension was also granted to nine other blocks wherein recoverable reserve is yet to be fully exploited. The private oil explorer has been seeking extension of the production sharing contract (PSC) for this field, with reserves of 318.31 MMT of oil and oil equivalent of gas, since 2009. The PSC was due to expire on May 14, 2020. Cairn’s another block — in Cambay Basin with reserves of 29.10 MMT — has also been given extension. The other operators to benefit include GSPC, Essar, ONGC, Focus and HOEC, and the beneficiary states are Rajasthan, Gujarat and Assam. The government’s step, a formal nod to which was given by the CCEA on Wednesday, is progressive towards achieving the target of 10% reduction in import of oil by 2022, and will help in accelerating and augmenting domestic production of hydrocarbons from the existing blocks. Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently urged explorers to use enhanced oil recovery techniques to increase production. The country imports around 80% of its energy needs and according to the International Energy Agency, India’s demand for oil in 2014 at 185 MTOE was next only to the US and China. This demand is expected to go up to 401 MTOE by 2035. However, during the extended PSC duration, explorers will be required to pay 10 percentage points more over the existing rate of government’s share of profit petroleum. The existing rate ranges between 35% and 55%, and varies across fields as per the PSC. Between 1991 and 1995, 28 exploration blocks of ONGC and Oil India were auctioned under the pre-NELP regime to attract private and foreign investment. Out of the 28 blocks, 10 blocks which have been given extension are operational and the rest have been relinquished. Out of these 10 blocks, six blocks are under production, for two filed development plans have been submitted, and two are under exploration. The government is expecting 58 MMT of oil equivalent to be extracted during the PSC extension period which will be worth around R1.12 trillion, and the companies are expected to invest around $5.43 billion in these 10 blocks. Through the PSC extension, the government is expecting to expedite production and improve investment climate. The Delhi High Court is at present hearing a case filed by Cairn India regarding extension of its contract for the Barmer oil and gas block in Rajasthan. The firm is also seeking a better price for crude oil produced from the block. The next date of hearing is March 31. Clayton Fejedelem Authentic Jersey