NHAI awards contract for two national highway projects in Karnataka
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued letter of award (LOA) for two national highways sections in Karnataka on engineering-procurement-contract (EPC) mode under the national highways development project. The projects are: Four laning of 144 km Hubli-Hospet section at an expenditure of Rs 2293 crore and four/six laning of 95 km Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border section of Hospet-Ballari at an expenditure of Rs 1625 crore. The first project was awarded to the joint venture of BSCPL-KNR, and the second to Gammon India. The Hubli-Hospet section connects district headquarters of Gadag, Koppal, Hubballi-Dharwad to Hospet town which is home to many iron and steel industries. The 95 km long Hospet-Bellary-Karnataka/AP border section falls in Ballari district and covers towns like Hospet, Toranagallu and Bellary. Hampi, near Hospet, is a world heritage site and attracts large number of tourists. While the Hubballi-Hospet will take three years for completion, the Ballari-Hospet section will require two years. According to NHAI, development of Hubli-Hospet-Bellary-Karnataka/Andhra border section would not only facilitate transportation of minerals, iron, steel and coal but also promote tourism. This section is also a crucial link between eastern and western coasts of the country. Haason Reddick Jersey
Tirupati Airport Awarded “Best Tourist Friendly Airport” under the category for “State Annual Excellence Awards “
Airports Authority of India’s Tirupati Airport has been awarded as “Best Tourist Friendly Airport” under the category for “State Annual Excellence Awards for the year 2015-16” by Andhra Pradesh Tourism. The award was presented on the eve of World Tourism Day by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Shri Nara Chandra Babu Naidu at Bhawani Islands, Vijayawada. The State Annual Tourism Excellence Awards under various segments of Travel and Tourism Industry are awarded by Department of Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh for maintaining excellent Customer friendly relations with tourists and passengers, coinciding with World Tourism Day Celebrations. Mike Reilly Womens Jersey
Ex-Vayudoot MD plans franchise model airline
Want to own your own airline? Harshvardhan — former Vayudoot chief — might have a plan for you. Eager to start a second innings in the Indian skies, as an entrepreneur he is bringing the franchise model of ownership — typically followed by global QSR chains like Dominos and MacDonalds. He is envisaging Star Air Consulting, his aviation consultancy firm, to become an umbrella organisation for number of regional airlines set up in small towns of India. The model unique to the Indian market will see Superfast Airlines as the holding company, under whose brand name the entrepreneurs can own their own airline. “Aviation in India is a great but a tough market. Not many can crack it as it requires massive capital investment and business planning. We want to create one or two small aircraft operators. They will be the owner of that aircraft. We would help the contract for bulk orders and will be subleasing it to the individual operator,” Vardhan said. “We want to create a company where the risk profile for smaller players is very less and this form of pure franchise model is being tried for the first time in India,” he added. Vardhan’s SuperFast Airlines will help the franchisee operators in functions like aircraft acquisition, technical and operational maintenance, crew training and marketing initiatives. “Post Kingfisher, it has become difficult for an Indian operator to lease aircraft, even more when you operate one or two aircrafts,” Vardhan said. It will also help in pilot training and is in talks with a third party MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) operator for providing technical services to the airlines. “Basically we would be providing all fundamental support including training and technical support. The idea is to create a a national organisation, so that the profile becomes better and the market acceptance of those individual operators becomes better among other stakeholders,” Vardhan says. Carl Banks Womens Jersey
Lawmakers Eye Quota On Private Carriers, Airlines Say No
At a time the aviation sector is struggling to cut down on losses, India’s lawmakers, who enjoy quota in railways and travel like maharajas in the loss-making Air India, are eyeing reservation in private carriers. The lawmakers say when parliament is in session, travelling by air is inconvenient, since seats are not always available. So on Monday, the committee on Salaries and Allowances — a standing committee that deals with privileges for lawmakers – met the representatives of airlines to explore the possibility of reserving seats on private carriers. “Some MPs had grievances that they couldn’t find seats when they travelled. So they asked if they could be reserved during the session,” said a lawmaker. But the airlines turned down the request, saying blocking of seats was not possible. Seats, they said, were “perishable commodities” and an empty seat would add to their loss. Some lawmakers had also wanted the use of the electronic buggies since the Delhi airport’s Terminal Three is a bit of a trek from the gates to the baggage pick-up area. Marcus Peters Jersey
Questions galore over govt’s nod for Mangalagiri airport
Even as the land acquisition process is going on for Gannavaran airport modernisation, the state government’s approval for a greenfield airport at Mangalagiri, just 35 km away from it, has given rise to many apprehensions from various quarters. Experts, including those from the aviation sector, point out that a second airport in such close proximity will neither be feasible nor economically viable. The state government, at its cabinet meeting last week, has cleared the proposal for construction of the airport in 5,000 acres at Mangalagiri. This has raised many an eyebrow as hundreds of crores of rupees are being spent on the Gannavaram airport for developing it in such a way that it can even handle international flight services. M Subba Rao, former employee of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and now a resident of Gannavaram who had served as the director of various international airports at Calicut, Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar, said that it is neither feasible nor viable to have both the airports. “It will not be viable as it is just 35 km away from the existing airport,” he said. He further said that there is no clarity over the issue as it is only in the preliminary stage wherein the state cabinet had taken a decision in this regard. “The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has to approve it. Then a team will study the topography of Mangalagiri. Only after a thorough study, a decision will be taken,” he said. However, the voices against the government’s proposal are growing stronger as industry bodies and other experts point out that there is no need for a new airport in the capital region as the existing one at Gannavaram is not being used to its full capacity. “The proposed greenfield airport at Mangalagiri will not be viable as there is no such demand. When the government is planning to connect the capital region with an outer ring road (ORR) of 210 km and when so much money is being spent on the existing airport, I don’t understand the logic behind the decision,” said Muthavarapu Murali Krishna, president of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (APCCIF). He said that an airport of such capacity (in 5,000 acres) is not required at least in the next 20 to 30 years. Trey Hopkins Jersey
New Pune airport should take three years to complete but can’t give a definite deadline, says Ajay Kumar
Is Pune finally getting a new airport? After waiting for so many years, is it finally happening? Pune badly needs an airport of its own. Technically, the Chief Minister and the Airports Authority of India has zeroed in on the land. Roughly, area will be 18 square kilometres. But the final site has to be decided by the Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC). The area will certainly touch many villages and may also require rehabilitation. But from what I know, the selected site does not have much cultivation or high residential density. Manoj More: Do you think it’s an appropriate site? It’s basically appropriate from the construction point of view. It’s about 40-45 kms away from the Pune City. I can’t say right now when such a huge infrastructure is there, about new road and rail infrastructure. A new airport—being 40-odd kilometre away from the centre of the city-— it’s not a long distance. In fact, it’s a must because a lot of land is required for the development. Hence, the airports can’t be very close to the city. Sunanda Mehta: The new airport has been delayed for so long. In the meantime, Pune has grown tremendously. So what is it that the city has lost during these years? The growth of air traffic and the potential is phenomenal. Last year, we grew at the rate of 29 per cent. This year, we are growing at 25-per cent point. Thus we have seen a 65 per cent growth. Last year, we handled about 5.5 million passengers. This year, it might cross 6.6 million. That’s too great a growth for a city. This city has a great potential I would say. Atikh Rashid: In last few months, the AAI and Civil Aviation Ministry has moved fast to increase the capacity of the Lohegaon Airport and the newly-acquired 15 acres of land. Will the latest announcement of finalisation of the site for the new airport slow down this development of the Lohegaon Airport? No. Basically, the new airport is not a replacement for this airport. This development is to meet the short-term demands. Four new aircraft bays will come up of Code-C type on the additional land that we have got. Also, buildings of a volume 35,000 square metre will come up, which will also enhance the amenities at the airport. Ajay Khape: What would be the difference between having an airport at the new proposed site in Purandar as opposed to the earlier location at Chakan? I can’t compare these two locations. I have not seen the location (Chakan) at all. That site is not technically suitable. That was the only problem. They were not suitable from the aeronautical point of view. Mike Napoli Authentic Jersey
First flight under regional air connectivity likely in January, says Civil Aviation Minister
Government expects the first flight under the regional air connectivity scheme, which is in advanced stages of finalisation, to take off in early January 2017, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has said. The Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), which seeks to provide air services between un-served and under-served areas, is part of larger plans to boost the domestic aviation sector, which is clocking over 20 per cent passenger growth. Raju , under whose stewardship the civil aviation policy was announced in June, said work is at an advanced stage with respect to RCS. “We expect the first flight under RCS to take off by the end of this year or early January 2017,” he told PTI. The civil aviation ministry has already signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with various states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, for implementation of RCS. The scheme refers to operation of an air transport service between any two airports, of which at least one has been declared by the central government as un-served or under-served. There are 394 un-served and 16 under-served airports. Last week, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said as many as 20 un-utilised airports are ready to start operations for regional flights. A slew of incentives are being proposed under RCS, including Rs 2,500 cap on airfare for one-hour flights. Airlines under RCS will be extended viability gap funding (VGF) while the states concerned are required to offer certain concessions such as providing police and fire services free of cost. Dion Sims Womens Jersey
Centre to invite bids from foreign funds for asset recycling
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will invite bids from foreign pension funds for recycling of brownfield projects to raise funds, a senior official said. “The Cabinet has approved the proposal last month. There is a need for model concessional agreement after which the Request For Proposal (RFP) will be finalised,” Joint Secretary with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Rohit Kumar Singh said on the sidelines of a BCCI seminar here. Once the request for proposal was ready, bids would be invited, he said adding “We are expecting to invite bids in the next two or three months.” The process involves handing over of 75-odd brownfield road projects across the country to these foreign funds for a concession period of 30 years, he told reporters. During this period, the foreign funds would collect toll as per law and maintain them while ownership would not be transferred. “The ownership will remain with the government,” he said. Mr. Singh said in this way, the government was expected to garner Rs.50,000 crore which would be given upfront by the fund managers and would be then ploughed back in creating other new road assets. “This mechanism of called asset recycling which is quite popular in other countries like Australia,” Mr. Singh said. Carlos Henderson Womens Jersey
Rs 1000 for LPG connection under PMUY
A little more than Rs 1000 is enough for registration of a new LPG connection under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwal Yojana (PMUY) which is exclusively for women belonging to BPL families. For Manipur, registration of new LPG connection under PMUY would entail payment of Rs 2600 and this amount is exclusive of the price of LPG refill. Out of this Rs 2600, the consumer need to pay only Rs 1000 and this is the price of one LPG stove. The remaining Rs 1600 would be borne by the Government of India. Women seeking LPG connection under PMUY should buy LPG stoves of the brand name ‘Ujjwal Stove’ at Rs 1000 each. Except for this Rs 1000, they need not pay any extra money. The amount of Rs 1600 which should be borne by the Government of India consists of Rs 1250 for empty cylinder security deposit, Rs 150 for pressure regulator security deposit, Rs 100 for Suraksha hose pipe (1.2m), Rs 25 for DCC (Blue Book) and Rs 75 for inspection/installation/demonstration/ documentation. Only women belonging to BPL families listed in the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011 are eligible for PMUY. Altogether 2,36,653 households of Manipur which are listed in SECC 2011 are eligible for the scheme. However, so far only 1020 women have applied for LPG connection under PMUY, informed an official source. Even as the Indian Oil Corporation has been working hard to launch PMUY in the State, LPG stock at the Sekmai bottling plant is almost nil. Sekmai bottling plant has six storage tanks and their combined capacity is 1800 metric tonnes. Four of the storage tanks are of 150 MT capacity each while two are of 600 MT capacity. The stock position at Sekmai bottling plant declined to nil as LPG bullet tankers stopped transporting LPG into the State citing the prevailing law and order condition. J’Marcus Webb Womens Jersey
POWER GRID PREPARING TRANSMISSION INFRA IN TELANGANA
The Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) has commenced the process of developing the 765kV Wardha-Dichpally-Maheshwaram transmission line in Telangana State for enabling receipt of 1,000 MW power supply from Chhattisgarh. The project is expected to be completed by December this year and power supply may start the same month from Chhattisgarh to Telangana State, officials informed. Notably, the Chhattisgarh Government decided to sell 1,000 MW of power to the newly formed Telangana State in 2014. Chief Minister Raman Singh and his counterpart from Telangana, K Chandrashekhar Rao had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purpose in Raipur on November 3, 2014. The officials of Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL) had stated at that time that the decision to sell electricity to Telangana was taken in view of increasing power production capacity of Chhattisgarh and after fulfilling the power supply requirement of the State. They added Telangana government will bear the transmission expenses in supplying the power to it. The CSPDCL will get trading margin money and this will add to the income of the company. This will thereby help in reducing the electricity rates in Chhattisgarh on the basis of competition, they had stated. The officials said that the contract was signed after considering the power received from private power generating companies. They claimed that the State will not face any power shortage due to the deal signed with Telangana. In the month of May last year, the Central government had also notified generation linked projects in Chhattisgarh and Odisha with a view to encouraging participation of Private sector in building the Transmission capacity in India, officials stated. It had notified 14 power transmission schemes worth Rs. 33,900 crore during 2014-15 across the country. These transmission schemes includes 765 kV and 400 kV transmission system strengthening schemes in the Northern, Western, Southern, North Eastern Regions and would facilitate transfer of Power from new Hydro electric projects in Bhutan and the generation linked projects in Chhattisgarh and Odisha etc. By the end of 12th five year plan, the power generation installed capacity of Chhattisgarh is expected to reach 22,000 Megawatt, officials informed. According to officials, the per capita power consumption in Chhattisgarh has jumped from 300 units to 1,724 units. In the view of increasing power supply demand, the Chhattisgarh State Power Generation Company Ltd (CGPGCL) has made an investment of Rs 22,000 crore, officials informed. Officials further informed that the number of very high-pressure sub-centers and distribution systems have also increased in the State. They further informed that for the first time gas based very high sub center has been developed in Raipur and in the same way very high sub-centers based on hybrid technology is being used. For ensuring continuous power supply, double transmission-distribution system has been developed in some key areas of the State. David Johnson Jersey