Upcoming Projects in India

5904 Switzerland-based beverages major Capri-Sun has entered Indian market through a joint venture project with SDU Beverages, Hyderabad to produce and market its fruit juices for kids. Considered to be the number one kids beverage brand, Capri-Sun will now market four delicious flavours—mango, orange, apple, mixed fruit in India. These drinks come in pouches and have a shelf life of nine months. The $2-billion plus revenue company Capri-Sun is placing its trust in its Indian production and marketing partner SDU Beverages. The later has experience in marketing beverages brands like Kingfisher Water, Kingfisher Soda and RC Cola. SDU Beverages has set up a manufacturing unit near Hyderabad with an investment of Rs 45-50 crore with an annual capacity of two million cases. After focusing on sales within the country, it plans to export it to other markets in the region. In the first phase, these drinks will be launched in top nine Indian cities and also be made available through retail chains. CarstenKaisig, CEO of Capri-Sun, said, “With our licence partner, we have the opportunity to spread the fun and great taste of our product in the Indian market in which nearly one-third of the population are children under 15 years of age. “We are sure both kids and mums will love Capri-Sun, which represents highest quality over past 40 years.”

5903 GMM Pfaudler Ltd, a supplier of engineered equipment and systems for critical applications in the global chemical and pharmaceutical markets, is planning to expand capacity of its manufacturing facility located at Karamsad, Gujarat.

5902 The Odisha government has urged the Union Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) to place the proposal of KVK Nilachal Power Ltd for grant of wildlife clearance to its 1,050 Mw coal-fired plant in the state. KVK Nilachal Power Ltd had proposed 1,050 Mw power station at Athagarh in Cuttack district. Since the project site fell within 10 km of the Kapilash wildlife sanctuary, it needed the go-ahead from the National Board of Wildlife (NBW). “The Odisha government, after having considered all aspects of the project, has been pleased to accept the recommendations of the State Board of Wildlife (SBW) for recommending the proposal for establishment of 1,050 Mw thermal power plant to the NBW. It is therefore requested that the proposal may kindly be placed before the standing committee of NBW for their consideration and approval,” Debabrata Swain, special secretary (forest & environment), Odisha said in a letter to the inspector general of forests (wildlife), MoEF. The recommendation of the SBW follows the field visit of the chief wildlife warden who clarified that the project would not cause any damage, destruction, exploitation or removal of wildlife or forest produce or degradation of habitat in the sanctuary. Also, the project site does not involve any elephant corridor or established path which would adversely affect the movement of wild animals. The SBW, however, has imposed some conditions on the project proponent. First — the laterite quarries lying in the project area and in the area surrounding the project site shall be developed and maintained by the project proponent in the form of water bodies. At least, 15 such water bodies have to be developed.

5901 Water purifier maker Kent RO Systems would set up a new manufacturing unit at Noida by investing Rs 100 crore. The company has been allotted required land for its third manufacturing unit and construction would commence soon. “We have acquired the required land and would soon commence construction. We would start production in 2016-17 from that unit,” Kent RO Systems Chairman, Mahesh Gupta said. The new plant would have manufacturing capacity to roll out 5,00,000 water purifiers in a year. Presently, Kent RO has two manufacturing units at Roorkee in Uttarakhand, having capacity to roll out 5,00,000 water purifiers. Speaking on the turnover for this financial year, he said, “We would finish this fiscal with Rs 600 crore turnover, which would be 30 per cent more than the last fiscal 2012-13. We expect this growth rate for the next five years."

5900 A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Steel Authority of India and CII – Triveni Water Institute for a joint partnership towards water conservation and management towards improving efficiency and competitiveness. CII-Triveni Water Institute (“CII-TWI”), is one among CII’s 9 acclaimed Centers of Excellence and focuses on all issues related to water management including detailed Water Audits for Industry, facilitating Zero Water discharge, Rainwater harvesting, waste water treatment and desalination etc. Under this Partnership the projects and the Advisory Services extended to SAIL by CII-Triveni Water would include: Conducting water audits, Water shed evaluation and management, Facilitation of rain water harvesting concepts Facilitating implementation of “Zero water discharge”, Use of satellite systems for mapping of water sheds, drainage and water lines, Water use efficiency and footprint study, Benchmark study, Blue ratings, Suggesting technological interventions for optimizing water use and waste water purification based on related research, Preparation of water conservation road map of SAIL. The MoU was signed by Mr N Bhattacharya, Executive Director, Operations, Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and Dr Kapil Narula, Executive Director & CEO, CII –Triveni Water Institute in the presence of Mr M Satyanarayana, Advisor, National Water Mission, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India and Mr Sashi Shekhar Mohanty, Director ( Technical) Steel Authority of India Limited .

5899 GMR Group today announced that the third 350-MW unit of its Kamalganga thermal power project in Odisha has started commercial operation. "The third 350-MW unit of the Kamalganga thermal power project at Dhenkanal in Odisha was declared commercially operational today," GMR said in a regulatory filing to the stock exchanges. The first 350-MW unit of the plant became commercially operational on April 30, 2013 and the second unit on November 12, 2013. "With this the combined generation capacity of the plant has reached 1,050 MW and that of GMR Group has touched 2,485.6 MW," the company said in the filing. "With the commissioning of the third unit we have completed the first phase of the project. We will begin work on the second and final phase of the project very soon," R V Sheshan, Managing Director, GMR Energy Ltd. Earlier this month, the group forayed into the railway sector, winning a construction package worth Rs 267 crore, alongwith partners, including Tata projects, from Rail Vikas Nigam. A consortium led by the company with partners such as Tata Projects and Kalindee Rail Nirman would carry out the project which includes construction of roadbed, bridges, track linking, outdoor S&T works, OHE (Over Head Equipments) and general electrical works from Jhansi to Erich Road.

5898 Mantri Developers has come up with Mantri Web city project at Hennur. It is India's first techno residential project to provide super standard conveniences with latest technological advancements like interactive elevators, digital foldable screens, digital library, music walls, water clocks etc. These 2/3 BHK apartments and penthouses will radically transform the way we perceive 'living with technology' dream. Mantri Developers reviewed this dream by incorporating new age technologies like nano technology, robotics, cloud computing etc into real estate development. All this has been possible because Mantri believes in employing the ones who are 'best in the business'. Amenities: Door to a Comfortable Living This 'mini city' has it all - outdoor amenities like swimming pool, landscaped gardens, jogging trails, tennis courts, basketball posts; indoor amenities like gymnasium, health club, steam, sauna and massage rooms, salons, parlours, cafeterias, ATMs; other facilities like backup generator, intercom facilities, cellular phone boosters etc. One unique quality of these apartments is that they have been developed in harmony with environment. Mantri Developers have always reviewed all developmental plans with careful consideration so as to cause minimum damage to the environment. At Mantri Web city, greenery spreading all across the 'horizon' is a scintillating sight; solar energy and solar heater systems, rain water harvesting schemes and sewage treatment plants are operational. These are some of the amenities that can make your dwelling a heaven and living a heavenly experience. Most recently, the company also introduced the Mantri Corp App that allows potential customers one touch information access for all its projects. Mantri Developers review every challenge as an opportunity to change.

5897 Supreme Infrastructure India Limited (SIIL) has bagged work orders worth Rs. 617.7 crore for two projects in India. One project entails an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for improvement of roads in flexible pavement in city and eastern suburbs, Mumbai, awarded by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), for Rs 237 crore. The second project, awarded by the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO), involves an EPC contract for construction of a road over-bridge on Nerul-Uran Railway Line near Dronagiri. The project is valued at Rs. 43.7 crore, a statement from the company said.

5896 Navigant Technologies, the mid market global outsourcing company and the outsourced customer interaction solutions provider to domestic public sector companies, today announced that it has been awarded a multi-crore contract by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) for the National Capital Territory (NCT) and National Capital Region (NCR). IGL is a gas distribution company and a pioneer in promoting eco friendly fuel to reduce pollution in the NCT region and NCR. As on March 31, 2013, the company provided piped natural gas (PNG) connection to 3.9 lakh and 1,382 industrial and commerical users. IGL has awarded the contract to Navigant Technologies for providing 24X7, end-to-end telephonic support, both inbound and outbound to its PNG users in the NCT and NCR region. Under the contract, Navigant is responsible for disseminating information to users on new connections, billing queries, transfer cases, and is the first line of redressal for IGL's PNG users for complaints such as faulty connections, cheque misplacement, emergency calls (e.g. for leakage). The move to outsource to Navigant also supports IGL's aggressive growth plans in existing geographical areas and in new geographical areas. Navigant's call centre currently supports nearly 3000 to 4000 calls everyday from IGL's PNG users. It expects this call volume to increase by nearly 200 percent over the time frame of the contract, in line with IGL's expansion plans. Ankur Bhatia, founder and CEO, Navigant Technologies said, "With the IGL contract, we gain stronger foothold in the public sector domain. Navigant already provides outsourcing services to Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG), East Municipal Corporation of Delhi (East MCD), DHBVN, UHBVN, MMTC etc. that has lent us a good understanding of the way the government utilities department functions. We look forward to strengthening our domain expertise in this area."

5895 Alstom India Ltd. said Alstom had been awarded a contract worth around Rs.342 crore by Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd. (BHEL) to supply three 660 MW super-critical boilers for NTPC Ltd.'s North Karanpura Super Thermal Power Project (STPP) located in Jharkhand, India. Out of the entire aforesaid contract, Alstom India's scope of work will be around Rs.172.80 crore. Under the scope of contract, Alstom, the sole licensor for BHEL super-critical technology, will design the 660 MW super-critical boilers and supply identified pressure parts along with windboxes. The Alstom Group will also assist BHEL with technical advisors during the erection and commissioning of the units. The company said the key components would be manufactured in Alstom's facilities in Concordia, US, as well as in Durgapur, India. The units are expected to be commissioned in 2017

5894 The first unit of Coal based Kalisindh Super Thermal Power Plant in Jhalawar district has commenced generation. Run by the Rajasthan RajayaVidyutUtpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL), the plant has been synchronised and power generation started late on Thursday night, an official said. The boiler of the first unit with the capacity of 600 Megawatt power generation was light up on March 6 but could not be synchronized due to technical reasons and the efforts were on for same since then. Chief engineer of Kalisindh Super Thermal Power Plant, S SMeena, said the first unit of the plant was synchronised late on Thursday night and power generation has started. He said in the first week, 200-250 Megawatt power would be generated by operating the unit with Heavy Furnace Oil (HFO).

5893 Reliance Power has commissioned the third 660 MW unit of its Sasan ultra mega power project in Madhya Pradesh. "The third 660 MW unit of the 3,960 MW Sasan UMPP has commenced power generation, thus making 1,980 MW of capacity operational at the project," Reliance Power said in a statement. The balance three units are in advanced stages of construction and will be commissioned over the next few months, the company said in a statement. Coal production has already commenced from the 20 million tonnesMoher and Moher-Amlohri coal mines associated with the power project. With this unit, Reliance Power's generation capacity has increased to 3,865 MW which includes 3,780 MW of thermal capacity and 85 MW of renewable energy based capacity, the statement added. The first 660-MW unit of the Sasan UMPP was commissioned in March 2013 while the second unit was commissioned in January 2014.

5892 Ending drought of high-value procurement, Indian Railways has given out orders for coaches for the first time this year, giving respite to the industry dependent upon country's biggest employment provider. Railways has just given out orders for about 1,350 cast steel bogies to be used by Container Corp of India for its flat wagons. The order was based on a tender floated earlier in September. This would benefit four manufacturers, including Simplex Castings Ltd. The total value of the coaches is Rs 30 crore at prices ranging from Rs 1.82 lakh to Rs 2.19 lakh, according to the order details. Simplex, owned by the Kolkata-based Mundhras, incidentally is not a traditional manufacturer of either wagons or coaches and has been concentrating mostly on civil construction and engineering. It has bagged orders for 506 coaches worth Rs 11.30 crore. Other companies which got shares of the pie -- Frontier Alloy Steels, Orient Steel & Industries and Hindustan Engineering and Industries -- also aren't traditional wagon makers such as Texmaco Rail and Engineering and Titagarh Industries, which have also forayed into coach making in recent times. The previous order of similar kind that rolled out in the current fiscal from the Railways was in September, also for steel cast bogies. And the biggest beneficiary was Titagarh Wagons which bagged order for 1010 such bogies valued at Rs 24 crore. Others were Texmaco, which got mandate for 490 units worth Rs 11.70 crore. Raneka Industries of Pitampur and Siena Engineering of Indore got orders for 300 and 200 orders, respectively. Public sector BEML at that time got a separate order for 310 sleeper coaches with bogie mounted air brakes, worth Rs 165.66 crore. With the orders for the bogies arriving, Railways dependent manufacturers are now eagerly waiting for announcements on wagons, the key driver for their revenues, to flow in soon. Tender for procurement of 11,728 wagons was floated in October.

5891 JSC RusHydro said it signed a contract with India’s state-owned North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) to design the second phase of Upper Siang hydropower project – one of the largest hydroelectric plants in Asia and the largest in India. The facility will have installed capacity of 3,750 MW and is regarded by the Indian government as a high priority national project, the company said. In addition, representatives of the company announced that it will participate in the tender for the construction of the same hydroelectric station – the project as a whole is estimated at $16 billion. The company’s Asian expansion has been nurtured for nearly 10 years. In the face of deteriorating conditions with the West, this vector becomes increasingly imperative. Under the tender, won by RusHydro, and the Hydroproject institute, the research and design will take 24 months.

5890 Birla ShlokaEdutech Ltd. said it had bagged an order for Rs.359 crore from School Education Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, for implementation of Information and Communication Technology Scheme in 1820 Government High and Higher Secondary Schools in Tamil Nadu State.

5889 State-run engineering company Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) Monday announced it has won an order worth Rs.3,000 crore for supply of steam generators for an upcoming power project in Odisha. "In the face of stiff international competition, engineering major BHEL has won a prestigious order for the supply of 2x800 MW steam generators (boilers) with supercritical parameters for an upcoming power project in Odisha," the company said in a statement here. The contract, valued at nearly Rs.3,000crore has been awarded by the country's largest power generator, the state-run NTPC, for its project at Darlipali, Odisha. "With this order, BHEL has taken its tally of super critical boilers of 660 MW, 700 MW and 800 MW ratings to 32 sets, cementing its leadership position in super critical technology," it said. The scope of work includes design, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection, testing and commissioning of the steam generators and associated auxiliaries

5888 A new film city is coming up at Nandos village in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra bordering Goa, which will be new destination for film shootings for Bollywood. The project, expected to be completed over next four years is coming up at the investment of Rs 2000 crore, and is likely to emerge as one-stop destination for film shootings and tourism. Sai Bollywood Filmcity India Pvt Ltd, one of the leading developers, has joined hands with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and foreign investors for this ambitious project. "The project will be spread over 305 acres in Sindhudurg'sNandos village and it will have a special inscription on the hill with 'Bollywood' written on it, on par with Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, USA," said Kamal Kaushik, managing director of Sai Bollywood Filmcity India Pvt Ltd.

5887 The Indian state of Assam has released a request for proposals (RFP) for a grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) project on a 140 hectare site which it owns. Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd. (APGCL, Guwahati, India) estimates that the site can accommodate 60 MW-AC of PV generation, but notes that this capacity may change depending on the outcome of a feasibility study. APGCL is proposing a PV plant to be built in three 20 MW-AC phases. The company is also proposing that a joint venture company be formed to develop the project, in which it will hold a 26% share, and that assets be turned over to APGCL after 25 years. Initial queries must be submitted by April 8th, 2014, and the pre-bid meeting is scheduled on April 22nd, 2014. Strict bidding requirements, APGCL is opening this RFP to PV module manufacturers with a capacity of least 100 MW, who has developed a minimum of 100 MW-DC of PV projects, with at least 25 MW in India. The successful bidder will be chosen based on the lowest bid for 25 years of electricity supply.

5886 Transformers and Rectifiers (India) has secured a project worth Rs 66 crore, taking the company's order-book to around Rs 550 crore. "The company has been awarded the order for supply of 66 KV class transformers aggregating to 1290 MVA and amounting to Rs 66 crore from Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited (GETCO)," the Ahmedabad-based firm said.

5885 As part of its major expansion plan that will see the company heading towards an installed capacity of over 500 MW of solar power generation by the year-end and one gigawatt (1000 MW) by 2016, Hindustan Cleanenergy Limited (HCeL), India’s largest solar power development company, has proposed to set up a 50 MW Grid Interactive Solar PV project in Odisha. HCeL, a part of Hindustan PowerprojectsPvt Ltd, has to its credit a portfolio of over 300 MW of commissioned solar projects in India and abroad. The project will bring in a private investment in the state to the tune of Rs. 400 crores, a sign of the state’s ability to attract large scale private investment.

5884 ITC is setting up a luxury resort and spa at Mahabalipuram, a heritage tourism spot near Chennai. The resort, ITC Vilasa, is expected to be launched in the middle of this year. It would come up 25 km from south of Chennai, overlooking the Bay of Bengal, says the company website. “ITC Vilasa will comprise 92 luxurious rooms, many of which are sea-facing, 12 exclusive ocean suites, a presidential villa and a dedicated honeymoon suite,” it said. An ITC spokesperson said, “The proposed property is expected to enrich the portfolio of ITC's Hotels Division and will contribute to India's tourism potential. However, it is too premature to discuss specific details at the moment.” According to the Green Building Information Gateway, a product of US-based non profit community US Green Building Council, the property has been registered for LEED Certification for design, construction, operation and maintenance of green building in 2013, and the project size is 220,428 sq ft.

5883 The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) has given its nod to DCW's expansion project for Trichloroethylene and Poly Vinyl Chloride. The company also plans to expand its captive plant power generation capacity to 108.27 MW from the current 58.27 MW. The projects will attract investment to tune of Rs 500 crore. The approval was given on February 24 by the ministry for the expansion project, which includes expanding Trichloroethylene to 15,480 MTPA from 7,200 MTPA and Poly Vinyl Chloride to 1.50 lakh MTPA from 90,000 MTPA. The expansion project will be taken up at the company's facility located at Thoothukudi district on the Southern tip of Tamil Nadu. According to the Ministry's document, calcium carbide will be imported from China, Vinyl chloride monomer will be imported from Singapore, PVS Resin and Chlorine will be manufactured in house and coal will be imported from Indonesia. DCW Ltd (formally Dhrangadhra Chemical Works Limited), is controlled by the renowned Sahu Jain family. According to company's 2012-13 annual report, the company has signed Technology License agreement with Arkema of France for putting up Chlorinated Poly Vinyl Chloride (C-PVC) Plant at its Sahupuram Facility, in Tamil Nadu. The UHDE India Ltd will do detailed engineering for the project. This project is estimated to take 12-15 months for implementation.

5882 The world's largest beverage firm, Coca-Cola, plans to set up its biggest greenfield manufacturing facility in Asia at a cost of about Rs 1,200 crore in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. "Coca-Cola's Indian representatives, who are currently waiting for clearances from their headquarters, are expected to sign an initial lease agreement with IFFCO over the next couple of weeks. The facility would come up over 150 acres of land in the industrial zones being developed by IFFCO in the region. Coca-Cola's move to choose the district is to bridge a growing demand for its products in the three southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, a person familiar with the development said. State officials confirmed Coca Cola's move and a company spokesperson said on condition of anonymity that talks were held with IFFCO for setting up the facility. "They had approached us earlier with a proposal but it was then not very clear whether they would set up the project on their own or one of their franchisees would invest," a senior bureaucrat with the state industries ministry said, "Pepsi-Co setting up its facility in Chittoor district may have prompted Coca Cola to expedite their plans and locate their unit close to their rival to compete on resources as well as markets."

5881 India is setting up a second nuclear fuel complex (NFC) to reprocess atomic fuel in view of growing number of atomic reactors in the country. The NFC will come up next to Rawabhata nuclear plant in Kota, Rajasthan, at a cost of Rs.2,400 crore. The proposal was cleared by cabinet committee on security earlier this month. Sources in the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) said the new arrangement has been made keeping in mind the fuel supply required to meet the demand, which will soon come up in the country. “The new NFC in Kota will cater to atomic plants in north India. There are nuclear plants coming in Gorakhpur in Haryana, Jaitapur in Maharashtra and Mithi Virdhi in Gujarat in coming years which will require fuel,” the official said. Not only that, the existing nuclear plants capacity is also being augmented by adding new reactors. For instance, a 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is in its final stages. In Kakrpara, two more reactors (unit 3 and 4) are being constructed with capacity of 700 MW each, two more in Rawabhata (unit 7 and 8) with 700 MW of capacity each. In this case, there will a rise in demand for fuel.

5880 Cluster Pulse, an economic development agency based in Ahmedabad, has been awarded a project by Small Industries Development Bank of India to suggest solutions for competitiveness in five sectoral clusters in the country. They are: Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Cluster (Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh), Alleppey (Kerala) Coir floor covering cluster, Dehradun pharmaceutical cluster, Panipat carpet cluster and the Indore pharmaceutical cluster, a release by the agency said. Micro, small & medium enterprises (MSME's) contribute 40 per cent to Indian economy and provides large employment in the country but suffer from many challenges, it said. "The objective of this project is to carry out detailed analysis in the five clusters with a view to identify non- financial gaps and suggest appropriate measures to achieve the desired competitiveness," it said. The major focus will be on non-financial issues, infrastructure and marketing aspects, it added. The project includes Analysis Of Business Operations (AOBO) of cluster, SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, vision for the cluster (both short term and long term), current Pain Points and actionable points on these, the founder of Cluster Pulse, Jagat Shah said. The project will also include infrastructure related issues which are affecting the growth of the cluster. They include spatial issues - basic cluster infrastructure (roads, industrial space, power, gas), common facility centre, marketing infrastructure, water and effluent treatment infrastructure. It will also look at cloud / IT services infrastructure, Government linkages including Public Private Partnership (PPP), environmental degradation related issues, renewable energy sources, technical requirements, & international market linkages, the release added.

5879 Olympia Group has unveiled a new super luxury residential project “Enchante” at Whitefield. The project is spread across 4.5 acres of land and comprises of 26 spacious and stylish villas with 4BHK configuration. Each villa size is around 5860 square feet. Located just behind Forum Value Mall, it provides easy access to best schools, colleges, hospitals and shopping centres. This is the first villa project in Bangalore by Olympia and is a pre-certified LEED Platinum rated project. Mr. Ajit Chorida, Managing Director of Olympia Group said that Bangalore is an ideal place for their growth plans as the city has enough bandwidth to take established realty players. He further stated that he is confident of catering to the expectations of the market. Some of the amenities provided by the builder are swimming pool, bar and large landscaped terraces, library, banquet, supermarkets, business centre, etc. Apart from that, a huge land space is provided for a grand club – club exotica, exclusive for the entire villa community. It has 45,000 square feet of conflict-free green spaces that will entertain socializing and community living. The structure is completely RCC framed and parking is provided in open basement and stilt level. In the living room, dining and kitchen the flooring is done using imported engineered marble and natural stone and in the master bedroom, the flooring is done using wooden laminated floor. The doors are made of solid wood frames and are high quality machine pressed door. The individual villas are priced between Rs. 5.5 crore to Rs. 6.00 crore and it will be ready for occupation by June 2015.

5878 BITS-Pilani-Hyderabad will soon start its second phase of expansion with ₹400-crore investment. “The first phase of our campus will be completed in about two months from now when work on the auditorium with 2,550 seats gets over. We have already hired an architect and plans have been drawn for the second phase of construction,” Director VS Rao told Business Line here on Tuesday. New academic blocks, housing units for students and faculty, among others, would be taken up as part of the expansion project. The funds were mobilised through internal accruals and bank loans, Rao said. So far, Rs.320 crore has been invested on the Hyderabad campus. Incubator The start-up incubator on the campus has just commenced with seven projects with a focus on information and communication technology, mainly in healthcare and pharma. “There are another 15 proposals for new ventures which are being examined by the screening panel,” Rao said. Clean room facility The technology business incubator was launched last year. Set up with funds from the Union Government and the institute, it would provide complete infrastructural support and mentoring, apart from business consultation to emerging entrepreneurs. “We are providing a Clean Room facility for the research which is categorised as class 100 to provide a particle-free environment for hi-tech research with less than 10,000 particles of .5 micro meter,” he said. Golden jubilee Collaboration with MIT-EdeX is also on the anvil to provide online course content in select segments such as computer education. BITS-Pilani is celebrating its Golden Jubilee this year. Various national and international conferences have been planned in Hyderabad. On March 23, the Hyderabad campus will also be organising a 10K run to mark the occasion. The Hyderabad campus now has an annual intake of 750 and the total strength stands at 3,200.

5877 Steel Authority of India Limited announced commissioning of a INR 730 crore new sinter facility at its Bhilai Plant, as a part of INR 17,265 crore modernization plan of the flagship mill. This is part of the total outlay of INR 72,000 crore for expansion of SAIL's hot metal capacity from 14.23 million tonne per annum to 23.46 million tonne per annum. The new facilities coming up at Bhilai include a new blast furnace, sinter machine, a coke oven battery, steel melting shop, universal rail mill and a bar and rod mill. The statement said that next in line for commissioning at SAIL-Bhilai is the new Coke Oven Battery and a Blast Furnace. The Chairman also reviewed the project for the new 1.2 million tonne per annum Universal Rail Mill that has also made rapid progress. The Mill has been designed to produce world class rails by universal rolling method and would enable SAIL to roll out single piece rails of 130m, the longest in the world. The new Rail Welding plant will enable production of 260 metres long welded rail panels with a future provision of 520 metres long panels. BSP is gearing up to meet all the future requirement of Indian Railway's, including head hardened rails

5876 Prozone CSC is likely to launch its shopping mall project in Coimbatore this year. The mall will have 5.5 lakh sq.ft retail space, parking facility for 2,500 cars, 38,000 sq.ft entertainment area and 50,000 sq.ft food court, apart from multiplex. It will have elements for expansion in the future. It is future proof in the case of parking space and access road. “We have finalised the project and will start talking to anchors. We need to have a mix of national and regional players and modern and traditional retailers,” he said. Prozone will bring in several international experts for development of the horizontal mall (ground plus one floor) and the project is likely to be completed in three years. Prozone has developed a similar mall in Aurangabad and the focus now is on Coimbatore and Nagpur. On the potential, he said Coimbatore is an emerging city and Information Technology sector is coming up. The project will be located on the IT corridor of the city, where several residential projects are coming up. The advantage of having a mall in a mixed use development is that there is a captive customer base. The Indian retail market is so big and offering the right product at right price will be the game changer. The main problems in high streets are lack of or limited availability of parking space, high cost and security. Hence, new and emerging players look at malls. Tier-two cities in the country have tremendous growth potentials. “If the product is right, it will have users. A mall is not just a shopping space but a place to spend quality time with family,” he said.

5875 Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL) will issue detailed tenders for Metro-3 by July 2014 and award the contract to the successful bidder by October 2014. The construction for the ambitious project of 32.5 Km long Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ underground metro corridor is likely to commence from January 2015. “Pre-qualification bids for the first underground metro in the country’s financial capital have evoked good response from all the consortiums showing great interest in Mumbai’s first underground metro. Presently we feel that the detailed tenders can be issued by July 2014”, said Mr.Sanjay Sethi, Managing Director, MMRCL and Additional Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA. The MMRCL is also confident of awarding contract by October, 2014 for the project to be undertaken on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis. “We have tied up the funding for this project from Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), Government of India and Government of Maharashtra through MMRDA”, said Mr.Sethi. JICA will be funding 57% of the total project cost of Rs.23,136 crore. “The Government of India and Government of Maharashtra-through MMRDA will be bear the rest of the cost. The GoI will be provide 50% of Central Taxes as Sub-debt while the balance 50% shall be borne by the State Government. The GoM may also get a few exemptions from various local taxes – details of which are being worked out at present”, informed Mr. Sethi. He further added that Rs.777 crore will also be borne by the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), since the metro will pass through the MIAL areas.

5874 UK's Tesco has sealed a joint venture agreement with a unit of India's Tata Group that will see it invest $140 million and become the first foreign supermarket to enter the country's $500 billion retail sector. Tesco said on Friday that following receipt of approval from the Indian Foreign Investment Promotion Board, it has entered into a deal with Trent Limited to form a 50:50 joint venture with the operator of the Star Bazaar retail business, Trent Hypermarket Limited (THL). The world's third-largest retailer, which since 2008 has had a franchise agreement to provide support to Star Bazaar, had made the application to India's FIPB in December. On completion of the transaction THL will operate 12 stores retailing a range of merchandise including food and grocery, personal and home care products, home and kitchen, fashion and accessories. The stores are operated under the 'Star Bazaar' and 'Star Daily' banners, and spread across the southern and western regions of India.

5873 India InfolineLtd ’s (IIFL) non-banking financial company, India Infoline Finance Ltd, and some of its wealthy clients have together invested Rs. 150 crore in a 500-acre Navi Mumbai township project of property developer Wadhwa Group. IIFL has bought non-convertible debentures (NCD) sold by Wadhwa Group for the project, three years after the developer signed an agreement with Gulf Finance House for developing the land owned by the Bahrain-based investment bank. NCDs have become popular among real estate developers since 2009, since banks tightened lending to developers. SrinivasanGopalan, chief financial officer and chief operating officer, Wadhwa Group, said the company has completed acquiring land for the project and will now begin work on infrastructure such as roads and sewage. “We have land permissions in place and the project is a year away from launch,” he said.

5872 A project for building a 70-storey temple, billed to be the tallest shrine in the world, was inagurated here coinciding with the Holi festival. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Minister of Sate for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla participated in the foundation stone laying ceremony of the skyscraper temple 'VrindavanChandrodayaMandir' today. The project will cost more than Rs 300 crore and ISKCON is hoping to conclude the temple construction within the next five years.

5871 "Alstom T&D India has secured aRs 161 crore contract from Power Grid for upgrading transmission substations at 14 sites across five Indian states, and reactors at Bhiwani (Haryana)," the company said in a statement. The expansion will reduce transmission line overloading and improve grid stability in North India, the statement said. "This prestigious and challenging project reaffirms our leadership position in the turnkey substation market. Substations to be upgraded include one at Bhiwani and also substations at Hissar, Allahabad, Kanpur, Singrauli, Kota, Koteshwar, Rajpura, Panchkula, Patiala, Dhuri, Makhu, Mukstar and Nakodar in the northern region of the country," RathinBasu, Managing Director of Alstom T&D India, said. The turnkey project covers the design, manufacturing, supply, erection, testing and commissioning of air-insulated equipment, etc along with civil works. The equipment for the project will be manufactured at Alstom T&D India's manufacturing facilities across India, the statement said. The Bhiwani switchyard is centrally connected and feeds power to Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. This strengthens the Haryana state transmission system and ensures a secure, reliable supply of power across North India, the statement said.

5870 The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) has secured approval from the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) to move ahead with the super critical power plant project in Thiruvallur district, north of Chennai. Scheduled to be established in the existing ash dyke of North Chennai Thermal Power Station, the Ennore special economic zone (SEZ) supercritical plant would occupy 500 acres, of which 130 acres will be developed under the green belt and 40 acres will be used for external corridor, including sea water and coal conveyor, Business Standard reports. The INR91.8bn ($1.4bn) project would comprise two supercritical coal fired power generation units, each with a gross generating capacity of 800MW. The project is expected to have an imported coal requirement of 4.29mtpa, which will be supplied by Indonesia as part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with MMTC. Tamil Nadu currently depends on the central power sector and independent power producers for nearly 50% of its requirement, which is increasingly growing due to rapid population growth, urbanisation and industrialisation, according to the news agency

5869 The #1 wireless hauling specialist, today announced that it was selected to design and build a high-capacity wireless backbone for India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC). The new network will be used to connect offshore and onshore sites and will replace existing VSAT infrastructure. Ceragon will provide its Evolution™ Long Haul solution along with a range of services including: site-survey, system design and engineering, project management and installation. The full turnkey project is valued at several million US dollars. ONGC is India's largest oil and gas exploration and production company. It produces nearly 70% of India's crude oil and approximately 60% of its natural gas. The company plans to use Ceragon's proven Evolution Long Haul solution. This advanced network will be used for mission critical applications such as SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) and video surveillance. In addition, it will enable ONGC to deliver corporate-wide IT services to all the sites, including SAP applications, internet access, emails and videoconferencing and more. "More and more players in the oil and gas industry find that the limited bandwidth, high latency and availability of VSAT technology simply cannot support the range of value-add services they require," said Ira Palti, president and CEO of Ceragon. "Our unique microwave solutions including specialized Offshore Radio Products and Stabilized antenna System (PointLink) for the offshore market are based on more than 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. "By providing hundreds of Mbps, our systems allow exploration companies to enjoy secure, reliable and high-capacity communication at a much more favorable cost-per-bit. Coupled with Ceragon's proven turnkey service and project management capabilities, blue-chip customers such as ONGC can benefit from a comprehensive offering that truly supports their business," concluded Mr. Palti.

5868 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today approved a budgetary support of Rs 224 crore for dredging purpose at V O Chidambaranar Port Tuticorin (VOCPT) in Tamil Nadu. The CCEA has approved the grant of budgetary support of Rs224 crore for the project "dredging in front of North Cargo Berth-II and two numbers of shallow draught berths at V O Chidambaranar Port," a government source said. Total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 448 crore, inclusive of dredging cost, mobilisation and de-mobilisation charges, service tax and contingencies. The project duration is nine months from the date of award of work. The source said the CCEA has approved only 50% of the total project cost. The project is part of government initiative to boost cargo handling capacity at major ports in India.

5867 Realty major Tata Housing today said it will invest over Rs 700 crore to develop a new housing project in Chennai. The company would develop 1,600 flats in this project, spread over 15 acres. Tata Housing said in a statement that its subsidiary Tata Value Homes would develop this affordable housing project under the brand 'New Haven'. "Tata Value Homes launches New Haven at Mambakkam with an investment of over 700 crore," the company added. Tata Housing had formed Tata Value Homes in 2010 to build value and affordable housing. "With the ever growing appetite for affordable residences with premium facilities in India, launch of New Haven in Chennai is in line with our expansion plans of this pan Indian brand across top 8 cities in India," Tata Housing Managing Director and CEO Brotin Banerjee said.

5866 Following the successful testing of 101 LED lights on ChhotiJawaddi road, near ShaheedKarnail Singh Nagar for around two months and comparison of electricity bills of sodium bulbs and LED lights, Ludhiana Municipal Corporation is going to install LED lights at 13,000 light points across the city. The pilot project is being carried out by Energy Efficiency Services Limited, New Delhi, a consultancy firm in associated with Ministry of Power, Government of India which will now prepare a detailed project report. MC installed LED lights of 30 watts and 60 watts each in place of sodium bulbs of 70 watts and 150 watts on ChhotiJawaddi road and after a 45-day study it has found that the LED lights were ‘satisfactory’. MC also reached the conclusion that LED lights save 47-50 per cent of street light power bills. Talking to Newsline, S P Singh, additional commissioner (technical-lights and computers) said, “Before going ahead with the pilot project, we wanted to go for trials and EESL installed 101 LED lights on Jawaddi road. EESL will now prepare DPR for 13,000 points. We will request EESL to prepare a DPR free of cost for us.” The project will cost around Rs 10 crore. An LED bulb of 30 and 60 watt will cost Rs 5,000 and 8,000 respectively, added Singh. MC is yet to release payment of Rs 6.07 lakh for 101 LED lights installed by EESL, which was passed in the Finance and Contractual Committee meeting held last month. MC is also going to include in the tender that the power bills of 13,000 points will also be paid by the successful bidder.

5865 Times of India quoted Mr K Sadanand, assistant chief engineer for the state highways department, as said that a detailed project report for the Chennai Peripheral Road will be ready by July this year. He said that “INR 10 crore has been sanctioned for the feasibility study of the project which will be completed soon. The fine tuning of the alignment is still going on." MrSadanand was talking at a seminar organized by the Japanese consulate in Chennai. He said that "The road is mainly targeted to cater to freight movement of goods coming from southern parts of the state to reach the Ennore port. Vehicles will not have to go through Chennai city. We are trying to stay ahead by planning this road before the Outer Ring Road is completed." The chief engineer also explained how Tamil Nadu had a wider coverage of highways as compared to rest of the country. He said that "While the country as a whole has 142 kilometer of roads for every 100 square kilometer, Tamil Nadu has 148 kilometer. We also have 1,500 kilometer of national highways, 62,000 kilometer of state highways, 1,357 major bridges and around 1.18 lakh bridges, road over bridges and foot over bridges."

5864 IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company Limited (IL&FS Engineering Services) on Thursday announced that it has bagged a contract for construction of elevated depot-cum-workshop for the rapid metro rail Gurgaon, (RMRG- Phase-II). The total value of the contract is pegged at Rs 70 crore and it is to be completed within two years from the date of issue of letter of acceptance (LOA). The company said that the contract involves civil works for elevated depot cum workshop near AIT Chowk, Gurgaon (South Extension), excluding architectural finishing works for RMRG (Phase II). "IL&FS Engineering Services is currently executing two contracts for RMRG (phase II) - one involving construction of double track elevated viaduct worth Rs 255.84 crore and the other involving construction of five elevated stations at DLF Phase-I, SushantLok , Sector 53-54, AIT Chowck, and Sector 55-56 in Gurgaon (South Extension) worth Rs 84.30 crore," IES said in a release. Earlier, IL&FS Engineering Services had executed RMRG (Phase I) contract worth Rs 259.30 crore that involved construction of single and double track elevated viaduct including six station buildings, it added. Earlier this month, the company had bagged Rs 299.76 crorecontract from Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, Kolkata, for construction of seven elevated metro stations. The project had to be completed in 36 months from the date of issue of LOA

5863 Rajkot-based Hi-Bond Cement plans to set up a new plant in Rajasthan with at estimated investment of Rs 1,300 crore. For this the company would raise fund from equity market. "We are planning to set up a cement plant in Rajasthan. We have approached the Rajasthan government with a proposal. Their response was positive. Our team has identified seven locations in the state and we are hopeful to start this project as soon as possible," said managing director of Hi-Bond Cement RajanVadalia. The company plans to complete the project in three years time. The plant will be set up at an initial production capacity of 3 million tonnes per annum. Vadalia said, "We will invest about Rs 1,300 crore in Rajasthan to set up the cement plant. We will manage around 60 percent of amount ourselves and the remaining will be raised from the market."

5862 The Ludhiana Downtown Project, brainchild of deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, is moving into the execution stage. Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) is looking for alternative space for 16 Punjab State Power Corporation (PSPCL) offices located on the 32-acre chunk owned by PSPCL on Ferozepur Road, which is where the project will come up. Officers will be shifted to an alternative location for the execution of the project. Buildings and houses on the stretch will be razed and rent compensation will be granted for people living in the housing colony. Of the total of 32 acres, 25 will be used for the downtown, for which a private player on design, build, operate, maintain and transfer (DBOMT) basis will pool in. Remaining seven acres will be dedicated to construction of the multi-storey residential and official complex of PSPCL. Earlier, the high court issued a stay order on the project, which was removed on the assurance of alternatives to PSPCL staff by GLADA. "GLADA has been given time till May 31, 2014 to provide alternatives for 16 offices and 600 flats of the staff. The project will most probably be accomplished in the next three years of the execution stage", said the source.

5861 The Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is all set to begin the construction of the proposed IT tower which was on the cards for the last two years for want of various clearances. Sources within the STPI have confirmed that all the mandatory approvals such as clearances from the city municipal corporation, financial approval and nod from the Ministries concerned have been obtained, and the construction is scheduled to begin in a couple of weeks.

5860 The state cabinet on Friday sanctioned Rs 3,746 crore for the construction of bridges, culverts and upgrade and widening of state highways under two major road projects in Bihar. Talking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, principal secretary (cabinet coordination) BrajeshMehrotra said one of the road projects is an Asian Development Bank-aided project. To cost Rs 2,629 crore, it would cover 824.22km stretch. The project includes upgrade of two-lane road and construction of small and big bridges, culverts and drainage system. The other project is for widening state highways from Bihta to Sarmera via Naubatpur, Beldarichak, Daniayawa and Chandi. The revised estimate of this project would be Rs 1,117 crore, Mehrotra said.

5859 AshokaBuildcon, engaged in building and operating road and bridge projects in India, has received Letter of Award for the 2 projects in the state of Maharashtra from MORTH. The projects are of rehabilitation and upgradation of NH-222 from end of MalshejGhat to start of AneGhat section in the state of Maharashtra to two lanes with paved shoulders under NHDP Phase-IV A&B on EPC basis and rehabilitation and upgradation of Ane-Ghat to start of Ahmednagar bypass section of NH-222 in the state of Maharashtra to two lanes with paved shoulders under NHDP-IV, on EPC basis.

5858 India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed an agreement here for a USD 300 million loan for the improvement of road connectivity along major corridors in Chhattisgarh. The project has been approved with an objective to improve more than 900 km of state roads, in line with the Chhattisgarh Road Master Plan, involving upgradation of the roads sections and strengthening culverts and bridges, official sources said. Sources added that the agreement was signed by MrNilayaMitash, Joint Secretary (Multilateral Institutions), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance and Ms M Teresa Kho, Country Director, India Resident Mission, ADB. The project agreement for the state government was signed by Mr RK Goel, Project Director of Chhattisgarh Public Works Department. MrMitash said that the technical assistance grant of USD 1 million from ADB and UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) would help improve the state’s road maintenance management capabilities. MsKho said that state highways form part of the important core road network in the state, and improvements in road connectivity would result in direct and indirect economic opportunities for people in project areas, who will benefit from faster travel times, lower costs, improved safety and improved links to markets and basic services. The loan would be funded from ADB’s ordinary capital resources and has a principal repayment period of around 20 years.

5857 NTPC has approved an investment of Rs. 14,366.58 crore for its Karanpura thermal power project in Jharkhand, for which coal blocks were reallocated to the company last year. The board of directors accorded investment approval for the North Karanpura thermal power project to be implemented in Jharkhand at an appraised current estimated cost of Rs. 14,366.58 crore. The Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) last year cleared the proposal to allow NTPC to set up the 1,980-MW power plant with three units of 660 MW each. The project had been stuck after the Coal Ministry withdrew the coal linkages in 2008.

5856 Gebr. Pfeiffer SE and its Indian subsidaryGebr. Pfeiffer (India) Pvt. Ltd. have been awarded a contract by Kolkata-based Emami Cement Ltd. It includes four MVR mills of the latest design and an MPS mill for coal grinding. Emami Cement Ltd is an enterprise of the private Emami Group of Companies and a newcomer in the cement industry. Its decision to set up a greenfield cement plant in Chhattisgarh and various grinding plants in the east of India was preceded by a detailed analysis of the market situation. The order comprises an MVR 6000 R-6 roller mill with an installed drive power of 6700 kW for raw material grinding. This mill is designed to yield 610 tph of raw meal, with the difficult-to-grind material being ground to a fineness of 15% R 90 µm. Three mills of the type MVR 6000 C-6, Gebr. Pfeiffer’s current top-seller, will be used for cement grinding. Each of these mills featuring an installed drive power of 6700 kW will be capable of producing 335 tph of Ordinary Portland Cement. The grinding plants will also be designed to allow flyash cement and granulated blastfurnace slag to be ground to a fineness of 3800 cm²/g according to Blaine and 4000 cm²/g according to Blaine, respectively. The beneficial feature of the MVR 6000 C-6 and the MVR 6000 R-6 is their six rollers representing an innovative concept of an actively redundant system. In the case of an unplanned outage of one grinding roller, this innovation allows the mill to continue in operation with four rollers during maintenance on the swung-out roller outside the roller mill. In particular, when it comes to cement grinding, where regular and planned maintenance works are scheduled for the regeneration of the grinding elements, this concept offers the customer the option to carry out maintenance works on two rollers outside the mill while at the same time cement can continue to be produced, albeit at a reduced capacity. Thanks to the modular design of MVR mills, the essential components, such as bearings, seals of the grinding rollers and the tension system as well as the gearbox of the mill main drive, are identical in design. This feature enables the customer to manage with a small pool of strategic spare parts, which can be used with all the MVR mills..

5855 Hyderabad-based Sunshine Hospitals, specialist in orthopaedic care, plans to open three 200-bed hospitals over the next couple of years. According to AV Gurava Reddy, Managing Director, Sunshine Hospitals, of the proposed three hospitals, one each will be located at Hyderabad, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar. Reddy, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon, is the chief surgeon at Sunshine Hospitals. While the facilities at Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar are likely to be operational in six months, the hospital at Kolkata is expected to be opened in two years. “We are looking forward to adding three more hospitals soon. Two 200-bed hospitals will be operational in about six months,” Reddy told Business Line. The group recently opened a clinic in Kolkata to treat the post-operation patients from eastern parts of the country and Bangladesh. The existing 400-bed hospital in Hyderabad receives around 800 patients from the East and a few patients from Bangladesh annually. “If we receive good response and queries from new patients, we may open a 200-bed hospital for hip and knee replacement in Kolkata,” Reddy said. Apart from Kolkata, the other two hospitals would entail an estimated investment of nearly Rs.110 crore (excluding the land cost), he added. The second hospital at Hyderabad would cost around Rs.60 crore. He, however, did not disclose the investment figure for the proposed hospital in Kolkata. Given the available estimates for Hyderabad, a 200-bed hospital fororthopaedic care should cost between Rs. 50 and 60 crore (excluding land cost).