Stage set for land pooling: Delhi government makes 89 villages urban areas
In a major development, the Delhi government has declared 89 villages here as urban areas which will help the authorities develop infrastructure projects in those localities. The Urban Development Department of the Delhi government issued a notification in this regard yesterday, after Lt Governor Anil Baijal approved the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) Land-Pooling Policy (LPP). The policy was stuck for around two years. After the approval of the LPP for the 89 villages, the Delhi government won’t need to buy land from the DDA for developing facilities such as electrical sub-stations, stadiums, industrial areas, old-age homes, hostels, schools, etc. The LPP is aimed at getting individuals or a group of land-owners – living in urban villages on Delhi’s periphery – to pool their land and hand it over to the DDA. The DDA will develop public infrastructure like roads on part of the pooled land and return a substantial portion of the plot to the owner. The returned portion of the land will have its value increased due to the development of infrastructure nearby. Sultanpur Dabas, Bazidpur Takran, Mukhmelpur, Neb Sarai, Baprola, Bakkarwala, Goela Khurd, Neelwal, Salahpur Majra are among the villages which have been declared as urban areas by the AAP government. The policy’s implementation assumes significance as the DDA’s Master Plan Delhi (MPD) 2021 proposes construction of 25 lakh housing units by 2021 for which 10,000 hectares of land will be required. As per DDA estimates, 2.5 lakh houses, including 50,000 EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) units, will require 1,000 hectare of land. Providing relief to small farmers, self-penalty on DDA for delays, and flexibility to farmers to trade their land or tie up with developers for land-pooling are some of the important features of the policy. Welcoming the move, BJP MLA and Opposition Leader in the Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta said the “historical” move would accelerate the process of providing affordable housing to 20 lakh families. “It would fill up Delhi’s infrastructural deficit that has led to cropping up of unauthorised colonies. The notification comes due to direct cognisance taken by the Delhi L-G,” Gupta said. Vadim Shipachyov Womens Jersey
Navi Mumbai airport an executive issue, says Raju
Union Minister of Civil Aviation P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Tuesday reiterated the need for another airport in a city that is bursting, referring to Mumbai airports’ inability to fulfill airlines’ requests for slots. When asked about the the approval of Navi Mumbai airport by the State Cabinet, Mr. Raju said it is an executive issue. “Suppose you had an alternative like the Navi Mumbai airport; had a full-fledged, parallel runway, modern structure, then the city would be served better.” The minister said the infrastructure is being developed by some agency fixed by the State. “It is accountable to the State; we, in (the) government of India will do anything to help it happen. That’s what it’s going to be. The quicker we get it, the better.” Mr. Raju was in Mumbai for the inauguration of the Integrated Operational Office Complex Building, which will house the Airport Authority of India, Director General of Civil Aviation, and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. The 14,580 sqm. structure in Ville Parle (East) has been constructed at a cost of ?70 crore. A solar plant of 31.5 kWp capacity has been installed on the terrace of the building, with solar lights installed as periphery lights. Apart from housing LED lights and Lux sensors, the building is designed to have maximum natural lighting. Variable Air Volume, an air-conditioning system with an occupancy sensor, and Variable Refrigerant Volume for beyond office hour working have been installed for energy saving. Nellie Fox Authentic Jersey
UDAN May Hit Air Pocket With Mumbai Airport Giving Only Eight Slots
The government’s ambitious UDAN scheme may hit air pocket with the Mumbai airport authorities allocating only eight slots for the regional connectivity scheme (RCS) flights. The Civil Aviation Ministry had sought 20 slots from the Mumbai International Airport Ltd. (MIAL) for operating flights to unserved and under-served airports from the country’s second busiest aerodrome. MIAL was able to provide only eight slots since it is facing severe slot constraints, a source told Press Trust of India. The airport has been unable to accommodate the request of even scheduled carriers for more flights, the source added. The GVK-Airport Authority of India run Mumbai airport, which has become the world’s busiest airport with a single-runway operations, handled 837 flights a day or one in 65 seconds on an average in fiscal 2017, overtaking London’s Gatwick airport that had 757 flights a day. It handled 45.2 million passengers in the last fiscal, accounting for 18.6 percent of the total air traffic in the country. Chester Rogers Authentic Jersey
Aviation Ministry issues guidelines: Commander should serve 1-year notice period, co-pilots 6 months on resignation
The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Wednesday issued strict guidelines over resignation and said commanders should serve notice period of one year and co-pilots a notice period of six months on resignation. The Ministry said that during the notice period, pilot will not refuse to undertake flight duties. The employer will also not deprive pilot of legitimate rights, the ministry added. Earlier this month, the ministry came down heavily on passengers behaving unruly on flight and announced new rules for a no-fly list. The ministry has divided the punishment for unruly behaviour into three categories. The first category is three-month ban, second level is six months ban and third level is ban for two years or more, said Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey. Ezekiel Elliott Authentic Jersey
Need to make Navi Mumbai airport operational soon: Civil Aviation Minister
Infrastructure constraints and congestion of the only functional runway at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) could limit the capacity of the airport to add flights under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju said Tuesday. He stressed the need for making Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) operational at the earliest. Raju was in Mumbai to inaugurate an AAI building at Vile Parle. In an interaction with reporters, he said a city like Mumbai surely needed a second airport. “A lot of airlines have shown interest in operating services under RCS — the flagship scheme of the government to connect under-served airports. Along with 70 airports at present, 33 more airports will be commercially connected under the scheme. Among the new airports to be operational, I am waiting for the quick inauguration of Shirdi airport, which will soon commence operations,” Raju said. While the ministry had asked for 20 slots for operation of flights under the RCS, the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has agreed to part with eight slots. Among them, two slots will be taken by TrueJet airline to connect Mumbai and Nanded, while the rest will be used by SpiceJet connecting Mumbai to Kandla and Porbandar. Mike Green Jersey
3 years of Modi govt: UDAN commendable but little else has changed in aviation
A report card on the three years of Modi government, as far as the civil aviation sector is concerned, must rate it on whether flying became easier and more affordable for the aam aadmi, whether airlines’ cost of operations came down, aviation infrastructure across the country was improved and whether Air India stopped guzzling taxpayers’ money. Well, the government must be patted on its back in launching UDAN, which aims to ease aam aadmi’s air travel woes at subsidised fares while attempting to breathe life into some of India’s vast network of ghost airports. On most of the other counts, though, the government has missed the bus. UDAN: The most talked about, indeed one of the most important achievements of the Modi government, has been the launch of UDAN flights. A regional connectivity scheme was envisaged under the UPA regime as well, with some regional flights launched by individual airlines, but there was no centrally sponsored scheme with targeted subsidy to get the aam aadmi to board an aircraft from India’s hinterland. In UDAN (an acronym for Ude Desh Kaa Aam Naagrik), the Modi government has once again showed its socialist leanings by asking the scheduled airlines and metro passengers to pay up so that the marginalised small towner can fly. Though the big daddies of Indian aviation such as IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir have protested the levy, UDAN seems to have taken off well in the first phase. The first flight under UDAN from Shimla to Delhi was launched last month with maximum 24 seats on subsidised fare on the Delhi-Shimla leg at a flat price of Rs 2,036. The subsidy amount for this flight is Rs 3,340 per seat. So even though 11 remaining seats on the ATR aircraft being used on Delhi-Shimla leg will be priced much higher than the flat fare for the first 24 seats, it still makes sense for the flyer since the fare is reasonable and cuts travel time etc significantly. This also breathes life back into the moribund Shimla airport. Pat Elflein Authentic Jersey
From cheaper power to higher availability, mark out UDAY but operational improvement still to come
My article “Fixing Discom’s Finances” on July 9, 2015, suggested a way forward for commercial viability. Subsequently, the government introduced a comprehensive program UDAY in November 2015. The scheme comprises three parts; (i) financial re-engineering of debt of Rs 4.3 lakh crore; (ii) provisioning of cheap power through the higher availability of coal/swapping of coal, etc, and higher funding towards DDUJY/IPDS schemes, (iii) operational improvement by discoms for sustainability. The scheme envisaged that 75% of the debt shall be taken over by the state, of which 50% will be in the first year and the remaining in the second. Although this has improved discom balance sheets and has lowered interest rate by 3-4%, while ensuring cheaper power and higher availability, operational improvement still has a long way to go. While 27 states/UTs have signed UDAY, analysis has been limited to top-10 states which consume more than 70% of the total energy. Of 26 discoms involved in the 10 states, three in Gujarat have retained highest (A+) category. There has been an improvement in eight(one each in Rajasthan, MP, TN, Maharashtra, UP, Gujarat, two in AP), 12 have maintained status quo (Punjab, all four in Karnataka, two in Rajasthan, three in UP, one in Telangana & one in MP). But three (one each in MP, Telangana & UP) have slipped from their earlier rating. Thus, an analysis of rating shows that there has been no improvement in six States comprising 15 discoms (catering to 50% energy). Thus, issues need to be addressed without further loss of time to have a turnaround of discoms in the shortest possible time Consumer metering, billing and collection efficiencies continue to be dismal, particularly in Rajasthan, UP & MP, where AT&C losses have increased in FY16 even reaching 45% in some cases. Billing efficiency of certain discoms is as low as 68%. Thus, technology needs to be implemented to enhance the efficacy of billing and collection. Cost coverage ratios, which basically indicate the cash flow situation of a discom, are as low as 70% leading to 30% revenues remaining unrealised even after accounting for subsidies. Moreover, despite power being available for Rs 2.50-Rs 3.00, average procurement price for some has been `4.50 per unit. Distribution system operation and specialised power procurement group do not exist in many discoms. This shall become more critical with higher penetration of renewable energy in future. Also, technology penetration is low in distribution segment. State of the art control centre for switching, control, operation and automatic fault detection and rectification are absent. Many of the discoms have negative net worth and accounts are not prepared on time. This results in poor credit rating; thus, borrowing is difficult as well as borrowing costs are high. This creates a utility spiral and it is difficult to come out of it. Methodology needs to be worked out in a time bound manner to make them solvent. The average subsidy is over 12 % of revenue for discoms. For instance, in Gujarat, the subsidy has increased from Rs 727 crore from March 2010 to Rs 4,664 crore in March 2016. An absence of disbursement from states would seriously affect the operation/cash flow as power procurement costs are as high as 75-80% of the electricity cost. That’s why many discoms prefer long-term purchase on deferred payment basis, even though it is costlier than short-term payments which require payments in advance. The success of direct money transfer schemes in other sectors needs to be replicated in electricity at the earliest to improve the cash flow. The most crucial factor for the success of the distribution system lies with an effective regulatory mechanism. Although it has been more than a year since its implementation, but the operational improvement has not been commensurate with the requirement. Financial re-engineering shall ease out the operation of discoms for some time, thus, time is running out to capture this advantage to a sustainable position. Chris Hubbard Authentic Jersey
Petrobras turnaround could yield first dividend in years in 2017
Brazil’s state-controlled oil company Petrobras will pay its first shareholder dividend in three years if the company turns a profit in 2017, Chief Executive Officer Pedro Parente said on Wednesday. Parente took the helm of the world’s most indebted energy company a year ago and said he is ahead of schedule with an aggressive restructuring plan to cut its $95 billion debt, reduce costs and sell assets. Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, made a record operating profit in the first quarter and if that continues throughout the year, chances are good that the firm will pay a dividend, Parente told Reuters in an interview in New York. “We really are keen to start paying dividends as fast as we can,” he said. “If at the end of the year I have a profit, we would be more than happy to start paying dividends.” Petrobras’ bylaws say that shareholders are entitled to dividends if the company turns a profit, pending approval from the board and considering factors such as cash requirements and investment opportunities. Company executives have in the past said Petrobras is not obliged to pay dividends on its profits. Rising output in Brazil’s prodigious offshore fields is helping Parente turn Petrobras around from its nadir in 2014, when the firm last paid dividends. Then, investors lost confidence as Petrobras sank into a political and financial maelstrom with the oil price fall reducing its revenues, a corruption scandal swamping the company and losses mounting due to government fuel subsidies. Ratings firms downgraded Petrobras’ creditworthiness, landing the firm with a huge interest bill to service its debt, which then stood at around $130 billion, accumulated to finance development of massive reserves in Brazil’s deep Atlantic waters. Parente says he was hopeful about hitting his key metric to reduce leverage by the end of this year – a full year ahead of schedule. “It is likely we will reach that target … before 2018. I hope, but I don’t know.” he said. He is targeting reducing Petrobras’ debt to 2.5 times its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) from 5.1 times EBITDA at the end of 2015. At the end of the first quarter the ratio stood at 3.24. Even if he hits that target, Parente has no plans to stop reducing debt or to let up on asset sales. “We’re not going to stop our plan… This is not yet a healthy leverage level for Petrobras,” he said. A more appropriate level that would put Petrobras in line with global oil majors would be around 1.5 EBITDA, he said. He has no plans, for now, to make that a new target. Investors have rewarded Parente for the turnaround. The firm achieved an interest rate of below 5 percent this week on a five-year bond for the first time since the crisis, Parente said. At the worst point, the rate was around 13 percent. Parente said he would consider serving as chief executive beyond the end of next year if the government that is elected in 2018 wants him to continue in the post. A full cycle of management at the company would be four years, he said. AUCTIONS Petrobras has yet to decide whether it will participate in three government auctions this year for oilfields, he said. If it does, it will be go for deepwater fields, as operating there is Petrobras’ strength, he added. The company will not adjust its five-year capital expenditure plan of $75 billion through 2021 to finance the development of new fields, Parente said, adding that the firm would fund any expansion through cost reductions. Petrobras will not bid for onshore or shallow water oilfields, he said, and is committed to selling its participation in onshore and shallow water fields as part of a $21 billion divestment plan, he said. He declined to say how much cash he hoped to raise with field sales. Rising Brazilian output, both from Petrobras and from international oil firms operating there, has contributed to a strong rise in output from non-OPEC producers this year that is making it hard for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to curb global supply and end a two-year glut. Petrobras’ crude exports rose to 725,000 barrels per day in the first quarter, up 72 percent on the year. The rise came in part because of higher output, but also because a recession in Brazil has hit domestic oil demand. Output stood at 2.182 million bpd, up from 1.980 million bpd from the year earlier. Parente declined to estimate exports for the full year, but said his target was to ensure the country was a net oil exporter and could keep expensive refined fuel imports to a minimum. Brazil had no plans to join OPEC and non-OPEC producers in curbing global supply, in part because the country’s laws would not permit it, he said. OPEC meets next week to decided whether to extend output cuts agreed in December, when it joined with top non-OPEC producers such as Russia to reduce global supply in an effort to boost oil prices. Jaquiski Tartt Authentic Jersey
Blackout in Bengaluru as power station collapses
Wednesday’s rain in several parts of the city resulted in the collapse of Hoody station of Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited, plunging most areas in Bengaluru East and North into darkness for several hours from 6pm. With at least nine sub-stations supplying power to the city failing, some areas in West Bengaluru and the CBD too had no power from 8pm onwards. Hoody station, which supplies power to areas like Fraser Town, Cooke Town, Banaswadi, Kalyan Nagar, HRBR Layout, Hennur and even parts of Hebbal and surrounding areas, could not re solve the issue until late night. KPTCL cited the sudden downpour on Wednesday evening as the reason for the station collapse. Bescom said the sudden power outage was due to incoming supply failure from various MUSS linked to the 400KV Hoody station. “The lines tripped due to heavy wind followed by rain. We hope to restore power supply before midnight. But the continuous strong winds are a concern,“ an officer said on Wednesday night. People’s misery was compounded as a heavy downpour, accompanied by strong winds, started about 9.30pm. Darkness covered a large swathe of the city and its suburbs from Hoskote and Whitefield to Murugesh Palya, Indiranagar, Ulsoor, Vasanthnagar, Malleswaram, Lingarajapuram, Thanisandra, Nagawara, Sanjaynagar, Hebbal, and Shantinagar, Cubbonpet, Chamarajpet, City Market and Sampangiramnagar. Citizens flooded Bescom helplines with complaints through the night. “They haven’t told us when power will be restored… How can such a light shower disrupt power in so many areas? What will happen when the real monsoon hits the city next month?“ asked concerned residents. The power outage resulted in complete darkness on the streets, and collapse of traffic signals. Traffic clogs were reported on major link roads in East and North Bengaluru. “It took me two hours to cross a main road due to a huge pileup of traffic,“ said an office-goer in Marathahalli. The weatherman said Wednesday’s rain was normal, and was characterized by strong and gusty winds which are likely to continue for the coming 24-36 hours. Four trees uprooted: At least four trees were uprooted owing to late evening rain, accompanied by strong winds that hit Bengaluru city on Wednesday . According to BBMP, tree fall was reported from Cox Town, Commercial Street, Sulthan palya and the Orion Mall area.However, there were casualties. Michael Roberts Authentic Jersey
ISRO to help Adani Group hike solar power production
In a first, the Space Application Center (SAC) of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed an agreement with asubsidiary of the Adani Group to provide solar insolation data from its satellites. As per the agreement signed between SAC-ISRO and Adani Green Energy Limited, the former will provide information about daily solar radiation — including the quality and quantity of radiation — that is required for solar power generators to determine level of production. At present the company pays foreign companies for this data. In the agreement signed on May 13, SAC-ISRO will grant the company access to data from its Meteorological and Oceanographic Satellite Data archive center (MOSDAC). Confirming the signing, Tapan Misra, director of SAC said, “SAC will provide data collected from the INSAT-3DR, INSAT-3D and Kalpana-1 satellites to Adani Green Energy Limited, as per the agreement. The company will pay us for this data.” Sources from the company, meanwhile, said, “Since the company is working towards increasing solar power production, the data we receive from SAC-ISRO will help us maneuver the solar panels as per energy requirement. Solar power generators require data of radiation in order to maintain the temperature of solar panels at 35°Centigrade for optimum output. Excessive heating of solar panels causes reduction in power generation so having data in hand helps maintain the temperature.” Adani Green Energy Limited currently operates 760MW solar power plants spread across three locations in the country. The company intends to expand the same to 2000MW. Young Blood SAC is said to have tied up with 37 universities from the country, including the Indian Institute of Technology in Gandhinagar, to enlist students in the process of understanding, analysis and research of data collected by the IRNSS satellites. As part of the programme, students from the selected institutes will learn how to use and read the data.