APTransco set to invest over Rs7,000 crore towards upgradations
Hyderabad: Encouraged by the top rating, which it has received from Crisil, in implementing power sector reforms, the Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Ltd has decided to invest over Rs7,000 crore to implement reforms with renewed vigour.

In a statement here on Sunday, APTransco said that Andhra Pradesh topped the rating list with 57.03 points, while Gujarat secured 53.61 and Delhi 51.91.

The Minister for Power, P.M. Sayeed, released the 100-page reported titled `Power Sector Ratings 2004-05', prepared by ICRA and Crisil, in Mumbai on Saturday.

A variety of factors like the Government's commitment to implement reforms and timely payment of subsidy and coordinated efforts by stakeholders in controlling pilferage helped the power utilities achieved the distinction.

Acknowledging the role played by the Regulatory Commission, APTransco officials said timely publication and rationalisation of tariff also helped improve the power sector performance. In its report, Crisil observed that the successful implementation of reforms in Andhra Pradesh had resulted in significant improvement in investments, installed capacity and length of transmission lines.

The total installed capacity stood at 11,100 MW in 2004-05 as against 7,341 MW in 1999-2000. Despite free power, the State could bring down tariff for high-tension consumers by four per cent.

The utility would spend Rs5,000 crore on the high voltage distribution scheme that was aimed at reducing losses and ensuring power supply without any voltage fluctuations in rural areas.
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RINL to raise Rs2,500 crore to fund expansion
Chennai: The Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd, which runs the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, proposes to raise debt of Rs2,500 crore from the market in order to fund its expansion, which will double its capacity to nearly seven million tonnes a year. The cost of the expansion programme is estimated at Rs8,250 crore. The other Rs5,750 crore will be raised through internal generation.

Speaking to journalists here, the Chairman and Managing Director of RINL, Y. Siva Sagar Rao, said the company was looking for opportunities to form joint ventures with coal mining companies abroad as well as to take over steel units in India and abroad.

Pointing out that RINL was disadvantaged because it does not own coalfields, Rao said that the company had been sending teams to Australia, the US and Canada, to explore opportunities for forming joint ventures with companies that own coal mines there.

RINL has about Rs3,000 crore invested in bank fixed deposits, but is not allowed to utilise more than Rs40 crore out of it without the Government's permission.
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Air India to finalise fleet expansion plans soon
Thiruvananthapuram: Air India will shortly finalise plans for acquisition of new aircraft in order to expand its fleet.

As per the proposal, Air India would purchase 68 aircraft at a cost of Rs30,000 crore. These purchases would be made towards increasing the numnber of destinations as well as to cater to the flights of Air India Express to the Gulf and South-East Asian destinations. The first of the new aircraft is expected to join the airline's fleet by the middle of 2006.

The fleet expansion programme is the biggest ever in the history of Air India and in the civil aviation sector of the country. According to Air India officials it would take at least 4-5 years after the contract is signed to get all the aircraft in the fleet.

Of the 68 aircraft, 18 would be for Air India Express, a fully owned subsidiary of Air India, which would start operations to the Gulf from April 29. The remaining would be inducted in Air India. Air India Express, the low-cost airline being floated under Air India Charters, will commence operations with the inaugural flight from Thiruvananthapuram international airport to Abu Dhabi on April 29.

Along with this flight, Air India Express would operate flights from Nedumbassery, Karipur, Mumbai and Delhi airports on the same day to Dubai, Muscat and other destinations, officials said. The flights would be operated using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, each of which can accommodate 180 passengers.

In the first phase, Air India Express will operate 43 flights a week to various destinations in the Gulf, of which 31 will be from the three airports in Kerala.

The total number of flights from the State to the Gulf will go up from 56 currently to 63 with the introduction of the Air India Express flights. As the date of the departure approaches, the discount offered will also come down. Besides, a third of the 180 seats would be available for the low fares.
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Indian machine tool manufacturers eye Chinese market
Beijing: Top Indian machine tool manufacturers, including Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT), have identified China as a potential market for exports as well as collaborative partnerships, industry leaders said here. A high-level delegation from the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers' Association (IMTMA), is visiting China for the first time.

HMT, which has supplied a wide variety of machine tools to a number of developed and developing countries is keen to forge an alliance with Chinese companies. HMT officials said that they are looking at business opportunities, outsourcing of components and forging a joint working arrangement with Chinese companies for mutual benefit.

IMTMA officials said that China imports fifty per cent of its machine tool requirements and there is no reason why India couldnot be a part of this huge opportunity.
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TRAI and VSNL lock horns over issuance of bandwidth to ISPs
New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has ordered Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) to release international bandwidth to all Internet Services Providers in a non-discriminatory manner.

The regulator has asked the Tata-managed company to give international leased line to even those ISPs that have not co-located their routers within VSNL's premises. The company has been given seven days to comply with the order.

VSNL, on its part, has said that if it were to comply with the TRAI order it may be censured by the Department of Telecom if any of the ISPs were to indulge in any activity that would violate the norms laid by the security agencies. VSNL said that one of the reason that ISPs were being asked to co-locate the routers within VSNL's premises was to ensure that proper monitoring mechanism was in place.

"We are subject to the norms of the international long distance licence that required us to ensure compliance of the monitoring requirement of security agencies while giving bandwidth. If the TRAI order is complied, then VSNL must be given assurance that any lapse in security monitoring by the ISPs is not held against us," said a VSNL executive. VSNL has shot off a letter to TRAI on similar lines.

The controversy had risen after several ISPs complained to TRAI that VSNL was insisting on co-locating routers within its premises as a pre-condition for releasing bandwidth. ISPs said that this was against competitive practices.

The VSNL letter said that TRAI itself had earlier agreed to such a system for effective monitoring. "TRAI is insisting upon VSNL to provide bandwidth to all ISPs on non-discriminatory basis which makes us to believe that it is TRAI's wish that VSNL should not insist upon installation of router at VSNL premises. In the absence of router, it is not currently possible for VSNL to meet monitoring requirement and to check the misuse. We should be held harmless against any possible actions by either yourselves or the licensor or any other competent authority. With this assurance in place, VSNL shall have no objection to immediately complying with any instructions from the Authority," the VSNL letter said.

TRAI has, however, said that it was possible to monitor the network without co-locating the router within the same premises. "It is understood that security monitoring can be done through Data Monitoring through the leased line circuits," TRAI said in its order to VSNL.
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Maruti to roll out its five-millionth car by month end
New Delhi: Maruti Udyog is set to achieve a milestone this month-end by rolling out the five-millionth car from its facility in Gurgaon, Haryana.

Established as a company way back in 1981 through an Act of Parliament to meet the growing demand of a personal mode of transport caused by the lack of an efficient public transport system, the company has become a household name in India.

Sources in the company, in which Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp holds 54.2 per cent stake, said the five-millionth car is likely to be an 'Alto' or a 'Wagon R', two of its widely-popular models. The company, which produces two cars in a minute, today offers as many as forty variants of the eleven models it sells, right from the popular hatchback 'Maruti 800' to the mid-size 'Baleno' and the SUV 'Grand Vitara'.

To meet the growing demand of the Indian market, the company early this month cleared investments to the tune of Rs3,271.9 crore for a new car manufacturing plant and a new engine and transmission unit, which apart from diesel engines will also make petrol engines and gears.
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Taj expands portfolio in Middle East
New Delhi: Taj hotels, owned by Indian Hotels Company Ltd, has added another property in Dubai to its portfolio. The company has tied up with ETA Star Property Developers to develop and manage the Taj Exotica Resort and Spa at the Palm Island Jumeirah crescent in Dubai.

Increasing Dubai's shoreline by 120 km, Palm Island Jumeirah is a man-made island, housing homes, waterfront resorts, boutique hotels, shopping arcades, spas, marinas and dynamic canals.

To be unveiled in 2007, the Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, Dubai will be targeted at the premium leisure and business travellers, IHCL Managing Director Raymond Bickson said.

The resort will commence operations with 220 rooms including deluxe guestrooms and luxurious suites, providing guests with all the modern-day facilities and services including specialty F&B outlets, extensive banquet areas, a spa, an entertainment club and car parking.

It is proposed to draw inspiration from the palaces of India and weave in influences that have characteristics of the Middle East and West Asian region. Bickson said the tie-up was part of IHCL's strategy of expanding into the key gateway cities of the world.

The company has about 14 international hotels in the Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, UK, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa and the Middle East and is scouting for properties in New York as well.
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