Upcoming Projects in India

5596 The cabinet committee on economic affairs has approved a financial assistance of Rs 480 crore for the upgrade of government-run medical colleges in Aurangabad, Latur, Akola and Yavatmal under the PMs Swathya Sewa Yojana (PMSSY). Each college will get Rs 120 crore, while the state will have to contribute Rs 30 crore. "Its the biggest-ever financial assistance package from the Centre for medical colleges upgrade. We have been asked to allocate Rs 30 crore for each college as the states share. All formalities will be completed within stipulated time," Vijaykumar Gavit, medical education minister said. A senior bureaucrat has said that he upgrade involves procuring and installing medical equipment, building a trauma centre and super-specialty blocks in oncology, nephrology, endocrinology, cardiology, thoracic surgery, ENT, orthopaedics, paediatric surgery, burns and plastic surgery. The bureaucrat said the Centre wants the states commitment on the Rs 30-crore allocation and creation of posts with personnel. It is also seeking state commitment toward securing unencumbered land for the project and availability of power and water, with permissions from environment authorities and local bodies and the setting up of a state-level review committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary.

5595 Fi ve new hotels at London, Dubai, Amritsar, Dehradun and Ahmedabad are likely to be operational shortly while the 12th property of the Group-the Lalit Chandigarh has been opened at Chandigarh. The Group has made an investment of about Rs 400 crores on the Hotel which is spread over four acres, offering 179 rooms and suites that have full length glass windows offering view of either the forest or the IT Park and the Shivalik range. The five category of rooms start with Deluxe room, Club Room, Executive suite, Luxury Suite and the Lalit Legacy suite which alone is spread over 1504 sq feet with a foyer, two plush bedrooms with living room, dining area, powder room and a pantry. Aashish Gawari, General Manager told here today that “The Lalit Chandigarh is inspired by the famous French Architect, Le Corbusier, which is reflected both in the architecture as well as the interiors of the hotel”. The general manager took media persons for a round of the Hotel showing banquet and conferencing facilities, ballrooms, convention halls, seminar halls, six restaurants, night club, swimming pool and other facilities. The Crystal Ballroom is a 7600 sq feet pillar less ballroom and is perhaps the largest in the city. According to Ravinder Kumar, General Manager, Food and Beverage Corporate, the Lalit Chandigarh would offer multiple dining options including all day dining. Ms Harshita Singh, General Manager, Marketing and Communication told that the Lalit Suri Hospitality is today the largest privately owned hotel chain offering 17 five star luxury hotels with 12 operational properties. Now with the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, opening their luxury segment hotel The Lalit Chandigarh today at city’s business hub, the Rajiv Gandhi IT Park, the city is fast becoming a hot spot for hospitality sector. Already big names like The Taj, The J.W.Marriott, Sarovar Park Plaza, The Mount View, The Shiwalik View, The Ashoka, Hometel are functional in Chandigarh. With this, Chandigarh would have close to 700 rooms in five star properties and hence offers huge scope for hospitality sector as the city is attracting a large number of business and leisure travellers.

5594 After the countrys largest passenger carmaker Maruti Suzuki India, Mandal-Becharaji region is likely to see two-wheeler giant Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI) park its project in the vicinity. According to sources in the know, HMSI is planning to set up its fourth manufacturing plant in the country in Gujarat. It has already visited the area to scout for land, claimed locals. "The company has been looking for land in Viramgam region, which falls between Sanand and Becharaji, and also in the Mandal-Becharaji region," informed a senior government official. According to another senior official HMSI has also started looking for private land in the Mandal region to buy for its upcoming plant. Sources, however, say that HMSI would not require a very large tract of land in Gujarat, perhaps around 100 acres. The investment could be in the tune of Rs 1200-1500 crore

5593 MBL Infrastructures (MBL) has bagged five orders worth Rs 502.28 crore. The company has bagged first order for strengthening and widening to Four Lane, Dankuni to Chandannagar Section of SH-13 from Km 0+000 to 21+061 package 1 in the state of West Bengal from West Bengal Highway Development Corporation (WBHDC), worth Rs 318.46 crore. The second order is for construction of various buildings I/C residences of National Law University in Rajiv Gandhi Education city at Rai in Sonepat District from Haryana PWD (B&R) Sonepat Circle, Sonepat, Haryana, worth Rs 92.90 crore. Besides, the third order is for construction of a permanent Modern Bus terminus at G.T. Road near ESI Hospital with multi storied commercial complex from Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC), worth Rs 58.66 crore and the fourth order is for construction of Panchayat & Rural Development Department Building at Sector-19 in Naya Raipur from Naya Raipur Development Authority (NRDA) worth Rs 19.01 crore. Further, the company has bagged fifth order for construction of Director/ Dean Bunglow, QIP Centre & accommodation for group A officer and gate complex for School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Bhopal (M.P.) from National Buildings Construction Corporation worth Rs 13.25 crore.

5592 Sterlite Industries, a subsidiary of the $15-billion Vedanta Resources, is set to carry out a Rs 2,500-crore expansion programme, including doubling copper manufacturing capacity and setting up two 80-Mw power projects, at its copper smelter plant at Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu. After the proposed expansion, the plant, which had earlier faced legal battles over alleged environment issues, will be Asia’s largest copper manufacturing facility at a single location. Meanwhile, the company is in talks with Holcim Singapore, an arm of global cement major Holcim, to supply copper slag piling up at the plant. Holcim will use the commodity for cement mix, roads, etc. The two companies expect to sign a pact in this regard soon.

5591 Prakash Steelage will invest Rs 70 crore to set up Krishna Industrial Park (KIP) in Umbergaon in Gujarat to meet the growing demands of upcoming SMEs in the state. "We are investing Rs 70 crore to set up Krishna Industrial Park in Umbergaon in Gujarat. The state-of-the-art facility is set to open new avenues for SMEs in Gujarat," Prakash Steelage Chairman and Managing Director Prakash Kanugo told reporters here today. To be set up in association with Kargwal Group, KIP will provide infrastructure ready industrial plots for factories, warehouses, workshops and service stations. The park is targeted at small and medium enterprises such as textile industries, stainless steel, metal, packaging, plastic manufacturing, automobiles, food and agriculture, minerals and cold storages, Kanugo said.

5590 Bajaj Electricals Limited (BEL), a consumer electrical equipment manufacturing company of the Rs 38,000-crore Bajaj Group, is putting up its second water heater plant at Nashik with an estimated investment of Rs 35 crore, said executive director PS Tandon. “The proposed plant will have a capacity to churn out 350,000 units of water heaters per year in a single shift. We expect to have this functional by the end of December,” he told mediapersons here on Wednesday. The company has finalised land near Mumbai to establish an R&D centre for small appliances, LED lightning, among others. “Broadly, the investment for the R&D centre should be anywhere between Rs 50 crore and Rs 60 crore. The centre will be up and running within a year-and-a-half,” he said, adding the company had forayed into the non-electrical segment with products like pressure cookers and gas stoves one-and-a-half years ago, and was expecting this business to generate revenues of Rs 80-100 crore this fiscal.

5589 Asia’s biggest botanical garden will come up in Naya Raipur with the Chhattisgarh government initiating work on the ecotourism project. The State Forest Department has already started work in this connection near Khandwa village of the new capital, located around 23 km from Raipur. Chief Minister Raman Singh has a keen interest in promoting ecotourism and it was as per his initiative that the garden would be developed on 153 hectares of area near the Khandwa reservoir, close to the planned forest safari, according to an official here. A team comprising National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow scientist Dr. R.K. Ray, Chhattisgarh Forest Research Centre Director K.C. Yadav and several other experts inspected the proposed site on Wednesday, the official said. They also held a discussion with chief executive of the Naya Raipur Development Authority (NRDA) Amit Kataria and officials of the forest and other departments concerned. The botanical garden will house plants of different varieties and species, which will also be used extensively for research purpose by the students and teachers of botany. Plants samples would be collected from all districts for plantation at the garden. Plant germplasm would also be preserved for the future, he said. As per the plan, different preservation areas would be created in the garden, including palm house, cactus house and bonsai house, etc. Besides, the area will also have a butterfly garden to attract the visitors

5588 Solar Power Plants will be installed in 17 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in Jammu and Kashmir at a total cost of Rs 32.20 crore to ensure round-the- clock power supply to these technical institution, Minister of State for Technical Education Vikar Rasool said today. The Minister said that government is committed to make maximum use of this technology and various public institutions and other technical institutions are being provided this facility. Rasool was inaugurating a 66.24 KW capacity Solar Power Plant constructed at a cost of Rs 1.62 crore at Industrial Training Institute (ITI), R S Pura.

5587 A major hurdle in the way of Dwarka Expressway has been cleared by HUDA. The authority has decided to give alternative plots to over 200 house owners whose property was coming in the way of the speedway. The ambitious road project, which will cut short the travel time between Gurgaon and Dwarka in Delhi, was launched amid fanfare in 2011 but soon got stuck in litigation. Property developers, who have dozens of housing and commercial projects on this stretch, have welcomed the HUDA move. Most big builders had launched projects here hoping it to be the next link between the Gurgaon and national capital. However, the projects got stuck when the negotiation between house owners and HUDA were stalled around a year back.

5586 The standing committee of the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation on Thursday approved a tender draft worth Rs 423.22 crore for the Kalammawadi Direct Pipeline Project. The tender will be floated by Monday next week. The draft has been prepared by the civic administration and Unity Consultants, a Pune-based agency. According to the tender details, the contractor has to bear the operation and maintenance cost of the project for the first five years from the day of the project completion. The Union government has approved the Rs 425-crore project as part of the Urban Infrastructure Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) and sanctioned Rs 170 crore as the first installment of its share of Rs 360 crore. Though the approved project is worth Rs 425 crore, the civic administration has reduced it o Rs 423.22 crore in accordance with the district schedule of rates of necessary raw material. Manish Pawar, the chief hydraulic engineer of KMC, said, "According to the UIDSSMT norms, the operation and maintenance cost of the project would be the contractors responsibility for the first five years since the completion of the project. It will become operational in three years. The tender will be floated within the next two days and the tender period will be for one month." Besides, the defect liability period for the execution of the project will be of two years. "If any defect related issues arise after the completion of the project during two years since its completion, the financial liability will be on the contractor," Pawar told TOI. The standing committee also discussed how to keep the tender process and assigning the contract transparent. The project will be monitored by the state-level nodal agency of the urban development department. NCP corporator Rajesh Latkar said, "The project involves funds from the Union government. Considering the past experiences of delay in infrastructure projects due to non-transparent ways in issuing tenders, we wanted formation of a committee that would monitor the progress and quality of the project. Besides, the project should be started at the earliest as delays ultimately lead to increase in project costs." The civic administration clarified that the project would not be executed on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. "The KMC has to raise 10% of its share of the total project cost. We are planning to raise the funds through soft loans and the process will start by the end of January," an official said

5585 Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said his government would soon urge the Centre to approve projects worth Rs 842 crore under Rashtriya Uchhatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) for the period 2013-17. Presiding over a State Higher Education Plan (SHEP) meet in Dharamsala, Singh said under RUSA a project would be funded in the ratio of 90:10 by the Centre and the state. He said Himachal Pradesh was one of the six hilly states which would get 90 per cent central funding, and in case of other states the Centre would bear 65 per cent project cost. Singh said Himachal was one of the pioneering state in the country to implement RUSA in right perspective under the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) in a phased manner to bring in qualitative improvement in higher education. The objective of RUSA was to provide access, equality and excellence in higher education to bring socio-economic change. Seventy-two government degree colleges, including five Sanskrit Colleges, five government-aided colleges, and two state varsities - Himachal Pradesh University and Himachal Technical University - would be covered under the project. He said "Cluster Universities" would be created in Shimla, Mandi and Dharamsala by clubbing four to five colleges, and recommendation would be made for two new colleges at Sarahan in Sirmour, and Chhatrari in Chamba. The Chief Minister said Rs 26 crore would be sought for a new engineering college at Nagrota Bagwan in Kangra district. A grant of about Rs 160 crore would also be sought from the Centre under the component "Infrastructure Grants to Colleges", he added.

5584 Multilateral funding agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $100 million loan for vocational and educational training to youths in Meghalaya. "The ADB and the Government of India signed an agreement for a $100 million loan for Meghalaya, aimed at enhancing the employability of the states youth through improvements in secondary education and vocational skills training programmes," ADB said in a release. The project -- Supporting Human Capital Development in Meghalaya -- is ADBs first loan in India focusing on boosting education and skills, it said. The agreement was signed by Nilaya Mitash, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Finance Ministry and Narhari Rao, Officer In-Charge of ADBs India Resident Mission. ADB said a technical assistance grant of additional $2 million by Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction will also be associated with this loan to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations and related state government departments. "ADBs first ever loan for skills development and reform of secondary education to India will enhance the employability of Meghalayas youth by improving the quality, access, and delivery of its secondary education (Grades 9 to 12) ... the project will help in creating a virtuous cycle of inclusive growth in the state," Mitash said Rao said the project will provide employment-linked skills training to around 60,000 youth, 40 per cent whom are women, through innovative public-private partnership arrangements. "By upgrading the infrastructure of more than 100 government-aided private schools to national standards, supporting training of 3,500 secondary school teachers, and promoting the use of internet-based teaching, it will improve the overall learning environment for nearly 20,000 poor students, 40 per cent of which will be girls," Rao added. The project is expected to be completed by September 30, 2018. The loan of $100 million from ADBs ordinary capital resources makes up 80 per cent of the total project cost of $125 million, with the central and state governments providing counterpart finance of $25 million.

5583 Indicating that Bengal is still on the Tata Groups radar even after the controversial exit of Tata Motors from Singur, a group company Tata Chemicals today said it had revived the fertiliser expansion project at Haldia. "We have revived the expansion project for single super phosphate production capacity at the Haldia plant. The project can cost Rs 40 crore and that would capacity," Tata Chemicals ED & CFO, P K Ghose said. He was in the city to celebrate platinum jubilee of the company at Haldia factory and launch of Tata Swach RO water purifier. The decision to revive the project came after partial lifting of the pollution ban at Haldia by the Centre, Haldia plant VP S. Nandy said. The ban restricted companies from expanding their facilities. Nandy said the comany would require to obtain enviornment clearances from the state and the Centre and that a process in this regard had been initiated.

5582 Two major tourism destinations in the Malappuram district, Kerala are going to get a facelift soon with new facilities to attract more visitors. The State Tourism Department will begin the development works in Kottakkunnu Tourism Park in Malappuram town and Vaniyambalam Market Street in Vandur. The government has granted administrative sanction for carrying out development works worth Rs 6.5 crore, in these spots. A P Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Government of India, said that the new entertainment facilities are expected to attract more domestic tourists to the spots. Development works worth Rs 4.5 crore would be carried out in Vaniyambalam Market Street, which is being renovated as part of implementing the Vandur Townsquare mega tourism project. Anilkumar said the market street would be beautified in traditional style and the parks and other facilities would be set up in the region as part of the fresh development works. The beautification works as part of the Vandur town squire project, have already been started at Vandur town. The work with an estimated cost of Rs 2.75 crore was begun in 2012. The Vaniyambalam market street modification also would be a part of the project. The works worth Rs two crore would be carried out in Kottakkunnu Tourism Park. Musical dancing fountain and multimedia show facility would be the major new attractions of the park, said the Minister. Both projects would be completed in time-bound manner and the facilities would be opened for public soon.

5581 Tata Communications Ltd, leading telecommunication services provider, will set up a major ultra-modern green data centre at the Gandhinagar-based Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), India’s first globally-benchmarked International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), to provide communication services. The centre will be built and managed by Tata Communications, a consortium member of Smart ICT Services Private Ltd, the concessionaire appointed by GIFT for undertaking the establishment, management, and operation of ICT infrastructure, services and platforms within GIFT on a Build, Own and Operate (BOO) basis. The concessionaire is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed by a consortium consisting of Newgen Holdings Pvt Ltd, Tata Communications, Centios Co. Ltd and Newgen ITeS Pvt Ltd, pursuant to GIFT Company Ltd awarding the project to the consortium. Built over 4,147 square meters, it will be one of India’s largest Tier IV facilities and will accommodate 900 racks designed for efficient PUE (power usage effectiveness) at the time of expected launch in June 2015. It will provide world-class services including cloud services, co-location, managed hosting and other managed services to the customers in GIFT and outside at competitive costs. The Data Centre project has been registered with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - Indian Green Building Council

5580 L&FS Transportation Networks will develop a multi-level car parking facility at Gandhinagar in Gujarat on build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) basis for around Rs 350 crore. "The concession agreement was signed on January 22, 2014 between Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Company and GIFT Parking Facilities, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, for development of a multi-level car parking at GIFT City, Gandhinagar on BOOT basis," IL&FS Transportation Networks The project involves design, development, finance, construction, operation and maintenance of 16-level car parking which with a capacity of around 5,400 cars including retail space at the ground floor for a period of 30 years. "The total project cost is approximately Rs 350 crore," it said. The concession allows IL&FS Transportation Networks the right to allocate 80 per cent of total parking space to the lessee in the GIFT city at a mutually agreed price. The remaining 20 per cent is to be made available as paid facility to the visitors to the GIFT city.

5579 The Indian unit of Netafim Irrigation Inc., a smart-drip and micro-irrigation specialist for farmers, won a 3.81 billion-rupee water project contract in the southern state of Karnataka. The company will build an automated water pipeline network to more efficiently drip-irrigate about 29,000 acres (11,800 hectares) of land in the Bagalkot area of Karnataka, its largest in India, Netafim Irrigation India Pvt. said. The contract auctioned by state-owned Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Ltd. will help 6,000 farmers through a simultaneous release of water so growers even at the end of the network get the same amount of water as those closer to the supply source. Netafim said it will build the project with partner Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd. “This is our largest project in India,” Avinash Thakur, Netafim’s head of marketing, said today by phone from Vadodara. Netafim, present in seven Indian states, is an Israeli firm that started in the Negev desert in 1965. The privately owned global seller of smart-drip and water-saving products originated in a kibbutz when members teamed with an engineer who discovered that a slow and balanced supply of water improved plant growth.

5578 The delayed project of water supply has got the approval of the central government after continuous efforts made by the civic body for the past three years. The project for providing water to ten outer wards of the city will begin soon, with the release of the first installment of about Rs12 crore. The Rs 116-crore project will be financed as a joint venture, with the central government contributing 50 per cent, the state government contributing 20 per cent, and the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation contributing the remaining 30 per cent. According to the plan, Rs42 crore will be spent on laying water pipes in the wards, and Rs36 crore will be spent on overhead tanks. Until the time the project is completed, the outer wards will continue with their water supply from private borewells, and drinking water from MC tankers. The other projects which are on the cards for sanction are the integrated solid waste management project, eight-laning of the Ferozpur Road, and renovation of the Chandigarh Road and the Old GT Road. "These four projects will get approval before February 15," said Sumeet Jarangal, additional commissioner.

5577 Kanpurites may soon boast of a Metro train. A base report containing the details why such a train is needed for the industrial city is being prepared by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. The institute will submit the report to the Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) by the end of this month. After vetting, the civic body will forward it the state government. A meeting between the KDA authorities and the government in this regard is proposed to be held in February after completion of the process. Though Metro train is still a distant dream for the city people, the KDA authorities are moving ahead with the hope that the project would see light of the day in near future. "After getting base report from IIT-Kanpur, we would analyze it and hand it over to the state government in the first week of February. A meeting in this regard would be held with the state government in Lucknow in February," KDA vice-chairman Jaishree Bhoj told TOI. A KDA official said a feasibility study is an evaluation and analysis of the potential of a proposed project which is based on extensive investigation and research to support the process of decision making. KDA is taking keen interest in the metro project as Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had announced in December that metro or mono rail would be run in seven cities of the state, including Kanpur. It was after this that KDA had contacted Prof Vasudevan of IIT-Kanpur and urged him to prepare a base report for the Metro train According to KDA V-C, a base report consists of the details about why a metro train be run in the city and what is its need. After this preliminary round, an independent agency having expertise in metro projects would prepare a feasibility report for the train. This report will be submitted to KDA and later forwarded to the government for consideration. The feasibility report would consist of in depth details about the project to be launched. After this, a detailed project report (DPR) will be prepared and if accepted, the government will arrange for funds. KDA officials said soil of the industrial city has the capacity to bear maximum load of any construction, including the Metro train. "That the soil of the city has the load-bearing capacity is in itself is a good sign." Town Planner, KDA, Ashish Shivpuri, said: "The Metro project is in its very initial stage. Though till now no company has been formed which would operate and monitor the Metro project and no route for running it has been finalized, preliminary work is picking up fact."

5576 The corporation of the city of Panaji (CCP) on Wednesday kick-started a e-governance project to make CCP paperless. The 18-crore project with funding from Jawaharlal Nehru national urban renewal mission (JNNURM), is set to be completed in 8-months. Implemented through Tata consultancy services (TCS), mayor Surendra Furtado said they intend to do away with paper work making CCP completely paperless. Sanjit Rodrigues, CCP commissioner, suggested people centric activities should be activated first. TCS officials staged a presentation before CCP councillors explaining how the project of e-governance would flow. A TCS official, while making the presentation on Wednesday about their plan of action making e-governance applicable in the city corporation, said obtaining a birth certificate will be possible with a few clicks on internet. A request for a birth certificate, he said, can be placed on specially designed CCP portal. The request could come from any corner of the world, it will be processed at the other end. The certificate will be issued after verification of documents. The e-governance process which is classified into various sections such as administration, RTI, legal, library, document management, time management, GPS survey, government schemes, inventory management projects, solid waste management, payment gateway, technical sections - will be completed in eight months. The executing company has also drawn a timeline to cover various facets of administration. Explaining the efficacy of e -governance, the TCS officer said movement of documents will be faster and easier as the process will be fully digitalized. The e-governance process will make it more easier to keep track of the corporations waste management facility. Once the e-governance in CCP becomes applicable, it could easily track garbage trucks as well as follow waste management project through a clear cut integrated system.

5575 Work on the Noida-Greater Noida Metro rail project is likely to begin in May or June, Chairman of the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) said today. Chairman Rama Raman said this while inaugurating week-long celebrations to mark the 24th Foundation Day of Greater Noida at City Park here. The Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) was set up on January 28, 1991. "There is a need to improve the public transport system. Efforts are being made to start work on Metro rail project connecting Noida and Greater Noida. Work is projected to start from May or June," Raman said. "In next few months, hi-tech city bus service will be launched, which will provide better connectivity between Noida and Greater Noida. A consultant has been hired for the project. Presently, Authority-funded buses are being run between the two cities. On residents suggestions and consultants survey, routes will be revised and more buses included in the fleet," said Raman.

5574 " Dr Batras Healthcare are planning to open our next multi-speciality veterinary hospital in Mumbai in 2015 and Bangalore in South by 2016. We are planning to add one hospital every year," Mukesh Batra, Founding Chairman of Dr Batras Healthcare, said. The group has invested around Rs 1 crore to open this multi-speciality vet centre at Yusuf Sarai in the city, and it has state-of-the-art facilities of blood test, x-ray, vaccination, grooming and surgical procedure, he said. It will have both homeopathic and allopathic treatment facilities for pets. "In India, homeopathic treatment to the pets and animals is quite unknown. But in countries like UK, around 50 per cent vet uses homeopathy in their practice, which is considered to be safe and effective," said Batra.

5573 The Forest Advisory Committee of Environment Ministry has accorded final approval for diversion of about 636 hectares of Saranda forest land for mining to steel maker SAIL, a development that will help the PSU to start its Rs 4,700-crore Gua iron ore mine project. "The project has been cleared," a highly-placed official in the Steel Ministry told PTI. SAIL had approached the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) to secure forest clearance for diversion of 635.986 hectares of forest land in Durgaiburu lease of Gua iron ore mines located in Saranda forest area of Jharkhand. It had received preliminary forest clearance for 274.691 hectares of Durgaiburu iron ore lease in August, 2012. The mine has remained closed since June 2011 in absence of environment and forest clearance, hitting the iron ore production of the state-run company. The Cabinet Committee on Investment in April last year had directed MoEF to seek information from the state government and clear the project within a month after getting the information. Mining at the Gua mines had stopped in June 2011 due to expiry of approvals. Later, in April 2013, it resumed after a temporary work permit was granted by MoEF. The Gua mines expansion has been struck for quite some time for want of forest clearances though the mining and its expansion are crucial for SAILs ongoing Rs 71,000 crore capacity expansion that would take its hot metal capacity to 23 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) from 14 MTPA now.

5572 The Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) has cleared the proposal for establishing a maritime university in the state. The university is being touted as a premier institute that will be established much on the lines of Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU). GMB will soon appoint a consultant to work out details like land requirement, type of courses, ideal location, model of funding. "We are also exploring the options of partnering with some reputed foreign university as a knowledge partner," the official said. Asked as to why they are keen to follow the PDPU model, the official said, "Besides being a premier institute for energy sector education, PDPU also has a swanky infrastructure. The admissions to the institute are also through entrance exams. We need to follow such a model so as to ensure that the maritime university does not end up becoming just another government college where the major attraction is less fees." There is an increasing thrust on quality maritime education in India, considering the increasing demand for sea farers in the world. As per estimates, close to 4.5 lakh additional sea farers will be required in the next six years. At present there are 1.15 million sea farers in the world of Indians are just around 6%.

5571 Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) has cleared three hydro power projects, which were stuck due to environmental bottlenecks. According to a power ministry official, the three hydel projects -- Tawang (800 MW), Tato (700 MW) and Teesta (520 MW) -- which were awaiting approvals for a long time have been cleared by CCI. These projects in Arunachal Pradesh (Tawang and Tato) and (Teesta) Sikkim were sent to CCI from the power ministry in December, last year. Teesta Stage-IV Hydroelectric Project, which was awarded to state-run NHPC in 2009, is a run of the river scheme proposed along river Teesta. The estimated project cost was Rs 3,594.74 crore. Teesta is likely to supply electricity to Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand, and expected to be commissioned in 2012. The Tawang Hydroelectric Project is proposed on Tawangchu river. The estimated project cost at the time of award was Rs 6,112.30 crore. The 700-MW Tato hydro power project in Arunachal Pradesh is being set up by Tato Hydro Power Private Ltd, a subsidiary of Reliance Power. Reliance Powers Jharkhand Ultra Mega Power Project was also cleared in the same CCI meeting, last week. The company will now be exempted from providing non-forest land to compensate for the loss of forest land acquired for the 4,000 MW Tilaiya UMPP. It will be treated on a par with the other public sector projects. At present, only central government or public sector undertakings have exemption from the obligation to provide non-forest land. CCI was constituted on January 2, 2013. The panel was constituted with the purpose of identifying projects in the infrastructure sector worth over Rs 1,000 crore, that were facing regulatory or environmental hurdles

5570 Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) has submitted the revised detailed project report (DPR) for the monorail projects at Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode to the Kerala Monorail Corporation Limited (KMCL). According to top officials in the public works department the revised DPR promises 8% financial internal rate of returns (FIRR) as stipulated by planning commission. The projects are roughly estimated to cost Rs 5,581 crore (Rs 3,590 core for Thiruvananthapuram and Rs 1,991 crore for Kozhikode. The Centre and state governments are to contribute 20% each of the cost as equity participation, while the balance fund was to be raised as loan. However, as per the latest planning commission norm the Centre can provide equity participation only in those projects which assure at least eight per cent FIRR, whereas the earlier DPR for the Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode monorail projects was promising only 3% FIRR. "The scaling up of FIRR has been achieved by weaving in some more commercial projects which would add to the non-traffic revenues from the projects. We would need some more land to execute those projects," a PWD official said. He, however, hastened to add that the land required for the projects would still be minimal. Land required will be only for constructing stations as the overhead monorail line will be passing along the road and the pillars for it will be erected in the middle of the roads. He, however, conceded that the PWD would have to acquire some land for the widening the roads in some narrow stretches where only two-lane traffic was possible now, to make them four-lane roads. The revised DPR would be submitted to the Centre next week, and "We hope to get the approval before the ensuing Parliament elections. Or it could be delayed to June or July, he said. The mono rail will have three coaches and the projects would be awarded to single contractor who will be responsible for all the aspects like civil construction, providing rakes, electrical cabling, signaling as well as operation and maintenance. This is because close synchronization was required in all these dimensions of work to run the mono rail trains safely. The contracting group could as well be a consortium of companies having expertise in different fields, the PWD official said. DMRC which will be the execution agency for the project has recently extended the last date for responding to the tenders to March 31. The PWD official also disclosed that the KMCL was already in talks with the banks to mobilize funds for the projects.

5569 Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) plans to grow its water business via new projects and acquisitions in India by creating an independent operation, a company executive said on Tuesday. Currently, the firms power and water businesses operate together as in many of its markets water desalination and power generation plants are situated in close proximity. The state-owned utility has investments in the energy and power sector from India and the Middle East and Africa to the United Kingdom and north America. Its desalination assets, however, are all located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As its sets up a separate water business within the company later this year, TAQA aims to boost its water output by at least 120 mgpd (million gallons per day) in five years by building new desalination plants or through acquisitions. That would mean about four plants each with a capacity of 30 mgpd.

5568 Pan Global, Corp. today announces that it has commenced preliminary discussions with a key developer in Indias geothermal industry about forming a potential partnership involving Pans investment in a geothermal power plant in India. According to the developer, most of the steps required for bringing the geothermal power plant up to construction-ready status have been completed and that construction of the plant could begin shortly upon the closing of an adequate financing. Management commented, "The Company has previously indicated that one of its focus areas within the renewable energy sector is geothermal energy production, so we are very pleased to be able to report about our entry into preliminary discussions on this front to our shareholders." The Company will evaluate this opportunity and conduct customary due diligence and negotiations while continuing to provide updates as plans develop.

5567 Alstom T&D India on Wednesday said that it has bagged a contract worth Rs 106 crore (€13 million) from Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) to provide power transformer packages for the expansion of Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat. The contract is part of an ongoing expansion known as J3, which denotes phase three expansion of the Jamnagar complex. Alstom T&D India had earlier teamed up with RIL for phase two expansion to supply generator transformers of 220 kV, Alstom said in a statement. In the third phase, Alstom will provide transformers to receive power at high voltages, and lower them to acceptable levels for distribution to newly expanded complexes; this includes gasification plants, the ethylene cracker complex, and the paraxylene plant. The scope of the new contract includes designing, engineering, manufacturing, supply, supervision of erection, and commissioning of 14 gasification service transformers and three generator step-up transformer packages. These transformers are integral components, essential for safe and efficient transmission of power on the electric grid. All transformers will be manufactured from Alstom’s manufacturing facility in India, it said.

5566 Developers of Entertainment City, Noida , have roped in PVR to set up the countrys largest superplex with 15 screens and Mexican chain of family entertainment centres KidZania to open an indoor theme park. Officials of International Recreation Parks ( IRPPL) - a joint venture between real estate developer Unitech and International Amusement, which is better known as Appu Ghar, developing what is dubbed as the biggest retail and leisure destination in the Delhi National Capital Region - said the two transactions together will span about 1,50,000 sq ft of area. Both the projects are expected to open for public by summer next year. "Along with these two, we have plans for a premium mall along with a hotel as well as an aquarium spread across 1, 50,000 sq ft. The idea is to be like Universal Studios," said Munish Baldev, retail head at Unitech, which owns the 147-acre land where the Entertainment City is coming up. Some malls and theme parks are already functioning here. Baldev expects it to become a three-day, two-night destination by the time the Phase II of its development is done. It will have parking facility for 11,800 cars, he said. International property consultants CBRE handled the deals with PVR and KidZania. Mexican entrepreneur Xavier Lopez Anconas KidZania plans to spend . 100 crore on its largest facility in India, KidZania India CEO Sanjeev Kumar said. This will not include fit-out costs for the 100,000-sqft customised building, which will be borne by Unitech. Kumar expects at least 2,000 visitors a day. Ajay Bijli-run PVR plans a world class multiplex that may include large IMAXlike screens. It plans to offer technologyenabled services for the first time in cinemas anywhere in the world. "PVR has taken a built-to-suit space specifically designed to house the multiplex from the developers for a period of 18 years," Pramod Arora, group president at PVR, said. The company plans to invest. Rs 30 crore into the 15-screen complex.

5565 The Bhadra pedestrainization project has inched forward. On Monday, the standing committee of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has finally on its agenda the much-awaited construction of the foot over bridge that goes from Lal Darwaza bus stand and pass the Bhadra courts to link to the Sabarmati riverfront. The AMC will submit a fresh DPR for multi-level parking at Lal Darwaza bus stop and the foot over bridge. The committee would give an in principle approval for the project. The second phase of the project will involve construction of a multi-level parking complex on the ground floor, shops on the first floor, and a municipal office on floors above the market. The Bhadra plaza redevelopment will be delayed till June 2014. The reasons are multifold. Firstly, AMC is now involved in relocating hundreds of hawkers who occupy a large part of the Bhadra complex. The existing Lal Darwaza AMTS bus stop is likely to be shifted to home guard grounds on a temporary basis and the area behind Ritz. Another major issue cited by officials is that Premabhai Hall is yet to be acquired by AMC. The file for acquisition is pending state government approval. In addition, buried and overhead electric lines have to be shifted.

5564 Residents of the Steel City can stop worrying about water crisis as they will get to use recycled waste water soon to keep the garden in the backyard in full bloom. Jamshedpur Utility and Services Company (Jusco), an urban infrastructure service provider, has taken up Sullage Water Irrigation Project to convert waste water from household sinks into useable water for irrigation by applying drip irrigation technology. The project is the most modern technology for irrigating plants using less water, said a Jusco water division official. It will be launched by February 1, 2014 and is part of the companys measures to conserve water. "We are introducing it as a pilot project. We will apply this technology on a wider scale in the future," Rooftop rainwater harvesting project at Professionals Flat is a simple, economical and eco-friendly technique of collecting, reusing and recharging aquifer with every drop of rainwater. Total roof area of six flats in the Professionals Flat residential complex is 2,600 sqm and an average rainfall of 1,400mm per year harvested rainwater volume will be around 2,900 cubic metre per year, said a water division official, adding that this project will be launched simultaneously with the drip irrigation water project. The Union Urban Development Ministry report on the growing water shortage in the big cities of India, tabled in Parliament in September, 2013, has alarmed the town planners and environmentalists in the Steel City as Jamshedpur has been identified as the worst-hit city where the gap between demand and supply is 70%

5563 The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for the setting up of an electric locomotive factory at Madhepura and a diesel locomotive factory at Marhowra, both in Bihar, at an estimated cost of Rs 1293.57 crore and Rs 2052.58 crore. This is the second time that these projects got the cabinet approval. "Earlier in 2009, the cabinet had approved the projects. But there are certain changes in the price bidding documents since then, which required cabinet approval," said a senior Railway Ministry official involved with the project. Over a ten-year period, the factories will provide the Railways with 800 electric locomotives of 12,000 horse power (HP) each and a mix of 1,000 diesel locomotives of 4,500 and 6,000 HP with high-level performance guarantees similar to international practices. Railways had invited rate for quotation (RFQ) through global bidding in May this year for the two mega projects and got a good response with six companies showing interest in the electric locomotive factory and four in the diesel engine factory. The bidders include two Chinese companies which have shown keenness in both projects. "The evaluation process of RFQ documents is on and we will finalise the shortlisting of bidders soon," said the official.

5562 Government today approved setting up of three projects, including a solar power unit under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, worth Rs 2,558.6 crore, a move which would boost manufacturing sector in the country. The cabinet committee on economic affairs also approved the special loan facility to be provided by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for development of DMIC project. Further, the projects cleared by the CCEA include formation of a SPV for implementation and operation of model solar power project at Neemrana as a 100 per cent subsidiary of Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation and approval for development of trunk infrastructure for integrated industrial township at Greater Noida. The other projects is the development of trunk infrastructure for the township in Ujjain. "The CCEA has approved the utilisation of Japanese assistance under the JICA through Special Terms for Economic Partnership (STEP) of Japanese official development assistance loans for the DMIC project and the operational rules, terms and conditions of this tied loan facility," an official statement said. The development of trunk infrastructure for the township in Ujjain and Greater Noida will require estimated investment of Rs 808.60 crore for stage 1 of the project and Rs 1,714.70 crore, respectively. "The CCEA approved the formation of a Special Purpose Vehicle for implementation and operation of the model solar power project at Neemrana as a 100 per cent subsidiary of the DMIC Development Corporation. "The total financial implications for the government is around Rs 35.34 crore, out of which the equity component is Rs 13 crore and the debt component is Rs 22.34 crore,"

5561 The government today approved the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC) project, which seeks to boost the manufacturing sector in the country. The project was proposed to be developed in a band of 150- 200 km on either side of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor in a phased manner. The project is the second of its kind on the lines of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. It will be spread across 20 cities in seven states -- Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. A financial indicative commitment of about Rs 5,600 crore, spread over 15 years, by way of budgetary support from the central government has been estimated in the first pilot phase for setting up seven IMCs in the AKIC, it said. "Phase-1 will be in the nature of a pilot project, during which at least one Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (IMC) of 10 square km each, in each of the seven states would be set up, as identified by state governments," the Cabinet also approved setting up of AKIC Development Corporation (AKICDC). The clusters envisaged under the project would be entitled to all the benefits available under the National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) 2011. It also said that for infrastructure development, a PPP mode would be encouraged. "While viability gap funding would be available for infrastructure amenable to PPP, trunk infrastructure not amenable to PPP will be developed through grant-in-aid from the central government," the statement said. Further, the government will provide interest subsidy to states for land acquisition, grant-in-aid for project development and master planning of clusters, set up AKICDC, provide external connectivity and all benefits under NMP. The Cabinet also approved that AKICDC will be set up immediately with a total equity base of Rs 100 crore, with 49 per cent stake of the central government, with balance equity to be taken by stakeholder state Governments as per option and willingness, and HUDCO. The central government will also provide Rs 100 crore as project development fund to AKICDC.

5560 IVRCL Ltd. said its Power, Building and Transportation divisions had bagged orders for Rs.550.56 crore. The Power Division has won orders worth Rs.394.36 crore from Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd., Lucknow, for supply of equipment and materials for rural electrification and associated 33kV works and erection, testing and commissioning of all equipment and materials for rural electrification and associated 33kV works in 3766 nos. of unelectrified habitations (under the single contract) in Uttar Pradesh on turnkey basis. The completion period is 24 months. The Building Division has bagged order for Rs.83.85 crore from Airports Authority of India for construction of new international arrival block, internal modification of existing international passengers terminal building and associated works at Calicut International Airport, with a completion period of 20 months. The Transportation Division has secured an order for Rs.72.35 crore from Western Railway, Mumbai, for construction of major bridge PSC girders on pile foundation including substructure, projection work and other related works between station Indranagar and Surbarai in connection with doubling of Viramgam-Samakhiali BG section of Western Railway. The completion period is 18 months.

5559 The Tripura Government Has Embarked On An Ambitious Project Of Introducing The Metro Or Monorail Here To Facilitate Mobility. On Saturday, Urban Development Secretary, Ashutosh Jindal Told The Media That An Increase In The Number Of Small, Personal Vehicles In The City Has Worsened Traffic Congestion And Become A Headache For The Administration. The Government Decided To Emulate The Development Model Of Metropolitan Cities By Incorporating Underground Rail Or Surface Monorail Over 12 To 15 Km In Agartala In Future. We Will Conduct A Feasibility Study For The Proposed Project With The Help Of Competent Agencies Soon And The Report Will Decide The Course Of Action," Jindal Said. Agartala Is Considered To Be One Of The Countrys Fastest-Growing Cities But Traffic And Mobility Within The City, Which Does Not Have A Dedicated Bus Service, Is Considered To Be Poor. The State Government Failed To Control The Movement Of Auto Rickshaws And Paddle Rickshaws. Jindal Maintained That The Union Ministry For Urban Development Recently Sanctioned 100 Additional Buses For Tripura To Strengthen Its Public Transport Network. The State Was Granted Rs 35 Crore For A City Bus Project That Would Provide 100 Buses To Agartala And Its Suburbs. The Government Is Also Mulling The Implementation Of A Green City Scheme By Introducing CNG And Solar Lights Which Will Protect The Environment As Well, Jindal Added.

5558 Realty Firm Supertech Will Invest Rs 1,350 Crore Over The Next Three Years To Develop A New Housing Project In Noida. The Company Would Construct 1,800 Flats In The Project, Which Is Spread Over 17.5 Acres. "Total Cost On This Project Is Rs 1,350 Crore. We Have Got All The Regulatory Approvals To Develop This Project. We Have Started Construction Work And Project Will Be Delivered By December 2016," Supertech Chairman And Managing Director R K Arora Told Reporters. Noida-Based Realty Firm Has Fixed The Basic Selling Price At Rs 4,350 Per Sq Ft. "We Are Giving Rs 200 Per Sq Ft Initial Discount To Customers," Supertech Director Mohit Arora Said. On The Current Market Scenario, Arora Said The Sales Have Picked Up From This Month. Arora Said The Company Has Roped In UK-Based Yoo Worldwide To Do Interior Designing For Its Two Luxury Housing Projects In Gurgaon. "We Are In Talks With Austria-Based Swarovski For Interior Designing Of One Of Our Projects," He Said. Last Year, It Had Tied Up With Italian Fashion Brand Armani Group For Interior Designing Of 100 Super Luxury Residences In A Mixed-Use Project At Noida.

5557 Realty Major Tata Housing Plans To Develop A Super Luxury Residential Project In The Heart Of National Capital Comprising 4-5 Expensive Villas In A Price Range Of Rs. 130-170 Crore Each. Tata Housing, The Real Estate Arm Of The Tata Group, Has Decided To Develop 4-5 Signature Villas On The 1-Acre Bungalow That The Company Had Bought In 2012 On Hailey Road Near Connaught Place For About Rs. 250 Crore, Sources Said. The Company Plans To Launch These 4-5 Villas In March-April, Each Carrying A Price Tag Between Rs. 130 And Rs. 170 Crore, Which Could Be One Of The Most Costliest Villas Offered In The Primary Market, They Added. Tata Housing Is In An Advanced Stage Of Talks With Designers From France And Italy To Craft Signature Villas In This Project, Sources Said, Adding That The Tie-Up Could Be With One Or More International Interior Designers. When Contacted, The Company Spokesperson Declined To Comment. This Posh Location Has Seen A Number Of Rs. 100-Crore Plus Property Deals In The Last Few Years

5556 The Meghalaya Government Has Sanctioned Rs 25 Crore For Installation Of Solar Lights Under The Green City Project (GCP), Which Will Replace The Existing Street Lights. "The Rs 25-Crore Project Has Been Earmarked And Sanctioned By The State Government For The Purpose Of Installing Over 378 Points Of Solar Lights In The Urban Areas And Cities Of The State," Meghalaya Power Corporation Limited Engineers Association President B Khonglah Said. Khonglah Said This In The Course Of His Address At The XI General Conference Of The Association Held In The City. "We Have Identified The Locations Which Will Include Government Institutions And Educational Institutions In Shillong While For Tura, The Locations Would Soon Be Finalized," Added Khonglah. He Said The Government Has So Far Sanctioned Rs 5 Crore For Implementation Of The First Phase Of The Project, Which Has Been Entrusted With The Philips Electronic India Limited. To Begin With, The Implementing Company Has Been Asked To Install At Least 3 Points Of Solar Lights In Shillong, The Performance Of Which Would Be Examined Before Handing Over The Entire Installation Work To The Company, He Added. Keeping In Mind Possible Cases Of Theft Of Batteries And Other Equipment, The State Power Department Has Decided To Install The LED Solar Street Lights In Protected Locations

5554 Eyeing A Complete Solution To Pondas Garbage Problem, The Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) Has Resolved To Go Ahead With A Waste-To-Power Plant At Its Plot At Kerye-Khandepar. PMC Chairperson Radhika Nayak Said The Civic Body Will Lease 10,000 Sqm Of Land To A Company To Erect The Plant And The Total Investment Will Be Done By The Consultant. "The Rs 50-Crore Plant Will Be Erected By The EAS Consultants At Their Own Cost And The Company Will Recover The Money By Selling The Bye-Products Such As Construction Ingots And Power Generated Out Of The Waste To The State Government," The PMC Chairperson Said The Plasma Gasification And Melting Plant Is Environment-Friendly And Can Treat Unsegregated Garbage Between 10 Metric Tonnes To 50 Metric Tonnes Per Day. Ponda Taluka Generates About 12 Metric Tonnes Of Garbage Per Day, She Said. Ajay Gramopadhye, A Consultant For The Project, Said That The Technology Of The Project Will Be Imported From Hong Kong While The Structure Will Be Prepared In India. The Plant Will Generate About Three Megawatts Of Power Per Day And The Power Generated Will Be Sold. "We Have Already Discussed About The Plant With The Chief Minister And He Has In-Principle Agreed To Purchase The Power. The Plant Will Be Erected In Around Six Months After Getting All Clearances," Nayak Revealed That The Council Has Already Written To Goa State Pollution Control Board For Environment Clearance And To The Directorate Of Municipal Administration Seeking Permission To Enter In A Long-Term Contract With The Consultant Company.

5553 Delhis Buses Could Finally Go Hi-Tech. Delhi Transport Corporation Has Hired A Consultant For The Electronic Ticketing Machine Project. DTC Spokesman R S Minhas Said, "The Project Consultant Is UTITSL. In The First Six Months, The Consultant Will Undertake The Bid Processing Management And, In The Next Six Months, It Will Do Project Implementation, Monitoring And Support." The DTC Board Has Approved Hiring The Consultant, With Work On The Project Scheduled To Begin This Month. The Project, Which Was First Mooted In 2010, Is Expected To Plug The Holes In DTCs Existing Revenue Collection System, As Well As Be The First Step Towards An Automated Fare Collection System That Would Include Delhi Metro And Other Forms Public Transport. The ETM Project Was Supposed To Be Helmed By DIMTS (Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System), Which Manages The Bus Rapid Transit Corridor. The Project Couldnt Take Off Earlier Due To A Disagreement Over The Revenue Sharing Process Between DIMTS And DTC.

5552 Australia based StayWell Hospitality Group is expanding in India and plans to have 18 new hotels in the country by the end of 2015. The company, which operates under two hotel brands Park Regis and Leisure Inn, said it would add over 1,500 rooms by 2015. "We would have 18 hotels with a room capacity of over 1,500 by the end of 2015," StayWell Hospitality India Managing Director Rohit Vig told PTI. He further added that 12 would be under Leisure Inn brand and the rest 6 would be under Park Regis brand. The company, which is very soon going to have new hotels in Delhi and Ahmadabad, is also planning to add 50 more hotels by the end of 2020. "We are planning to have 50 hotels by 2020. We are planning to expand in Tier 2 cities as Raipur where the big brand hotels are not present," Vig said on the sidelines of the launch of its new 60-room property - Hotel Leisure Inn, West Gurgaon. As a strategy, the company is entering into franchise agreement only in brown-field projects, where the hotel has started its operation or where the construction has been started, for its speedy growth. "We are planning for four hotels in the NCR region alone," he said. It is also coming with two service apartments this year at -- Greater Noida and Sohna Road in Gurgaon -- and may increase its count. After opening up of Gurgaon West, StayWell Hospitality has now two operational units in India. In August last year, it had opened Leisure Inn Grand Chanakya in Jaipur.

5551 State-run NTPCs board on Friday approved an investment of Rs. 12,532.44 crore for setting up a 1,600-MW thermal power project in Odisha. "The Board of Directors of NTPC have accorded an appraised current estimated investment approval for Darlipali Super Thermal Power Project, to be implemented in Odisha at an estimated cost of Rs. 12,532.44 crore," NTPC said in a statement. This approval, however, is subject to environmental clearance. This approved investment is more than the earlier estimated cost of the project due to increase in land compensation, a company official told PTI. The project requires approximately 1,600 acres of land. It is linked to the Dulanga coal mine, with seven million tonnes capacity, in Odisha.

5550 Korean South-East Power Company (KOSEP), a subsidiary of Korean state-owned power generator Korea Electric Power Corporation, on Friday signed an initial agreement with Mumbai-based Jinbhuvish Group for technical support for its Rs 3,450-crore project in Maharashtra. The 600-Mw power plant, being set up in Yavatmal district, is likely to be commissioned in 2016. KOSEP holds 40 per cent equity stake in the coal-based project. Lenders for the venture include Rural Electrification Corp and Power Finance Corp and PTC India Financial Services. “The Yavatmal venture is one of the few thermal projects in India being set up in a JV (joint venture) with foreign investment. All major clearances have been received and construction activities will commence soon,” Jinbhuvish Group Chairman, Manish Mehta, said. Seoul-headquartered KOSEP owns and operates thermal projects with a combined capacity of 8,396 Megawatt, around 12 per cent of total electricity sales in Korea.

5549 Delhis buses could finally go hi-tech. Delhi Transport Corporation has hired a consultant for the electronic ticketing machine project. DTC spokesman R S Minhas said, "The project consultant is UTITSL. In the first six months, the consultant will undertake the bid processing management and, in the next six months, it will do project implementation, monitoring and support." The DTC board has approved hiring the consultant, with work on the project scheduled to begin this month. The project, which was first mooted in 2010, is expected to plug the holes in DTCs existing revenue collection system, as well as be the first step towards an automated fare collection system that would include Delhi Metro and other forms public transport. The ETM project was supposed to be helmed by DIMTS (Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System), which manages the bus rapid transit corridor. The project couldnt take off earlier due to a disagreement over the revenue sharing process between DIMTS and DTC.

5548 AIPL Ambuja Housing & Urban Infrastructure Ltd, a joint venture of Ambuja Realty & Advance India Projects Limited, plans to set its foot in Punjab with its maiden project near the steel city of Mandi Gobindgarh. Notwithstanding the current rough phase of the realty sector, AIPL Ambuja has undertaken a Rs 200-crore expansion plan for giving ultra-modern infrastructure for its residential and commercial projects. Dream City and Celebration Bazaar at Khanna-Mandi Gobindgarh, the agricultural and steel town, is getting international-standard living with launch of villas. The president of the company Sanjay Sachdeva said it was a privilege to build housing and infrastructure in Punjab and they had selected the city of the Golden Temple, Amritsar and Khanna-Mandi Gobindgarh for building Dream City townships. The response to these projects has been overwhelming. Dream City Gobindgarh-Khanna is a self-sufficient township and a modern suburbia with immaculately designed luxury villas, independent floors, bazaar and a luxury club, giving it the differentiated edge that makes it the best in world-class integrated living. It is bound to create a benchmark in the region. Dream City with 200 residential plots and more than 25 villas & over 200 affordable independent floors has already attracted the interest of the local people. It is strategically located on National Highway 1. The modern and elegantly designed township offers a well planned, congestion free and hassle free living experience. The Dream City project also has Celebration Bazaar with over 2.5 Lac sq feet area ready to be opened for the convenience of the occupants of the township as well for the city dwellers & highway travelers

5547 The government today approved a Rs 761 crore road project in Odisha under its flagship National Highways Development Project. "The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its approval for four-laning with paved shoulders of Jharpokharia-Baripada-Baleshwar section of NH-5 in Odisha," an official statement said. The cost of the 80.6 km project is estimated at Rs 760.73 crore, including land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and pre-construction activities. The project will expedite improvement of infrastructure in Odisha and reduce the time and cost of travel on the Jharpokharia-Baripada-Baleshwar route, according to the statement. "Development of this stretch will also help in uplifting the socio-economic condition of this region," the statement said, adding that it will also increase employment potential for local labourers for project activities.

5546 The Bridge & Roof Co Ltd (B&R), a mini Ratna public sector enterprise, has bagged the project for constructing the NVH Lab infrastructure of the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Projects (NATRiP) at Manesar, Haryana. "Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH) facility is a great boon for automotive original equipment and component manufacturers that would put India in the global league. We are confident of completing the project on schedule," said M K Singh, CMD, Bridge & Roof Co. (India) Ltd. NATRiP is one of the largest and most significant initiatives in the automotive sector to build core global competencies and facilitate seamless integration of Indian Automotive industry with it. It is estimated to cost Rs 2268 crore. The project is unique with the centre, a number of state governments and Indian automotive industry joining hands to create a state-of-the-art testing, validation and R&D infrastructure across seven locations in the country. NATRiP project includes setting up of five green field centres at Manesar, Chennai, Indore, Silchar, Rae Bareilly and upgradation of two existing centres at Pune and Ahmednagar.