CESC to revive the abandoned Balagarh project

India's major private sector power utility firm, CESC Ltd. has decided to revive the abandoned Balagarh thermal power project. The power project was situated in West Bengal and was abandoned several years ago. The board of directors of CESC Ltd. has approved the proposal and soon the project will be revived.

Vice-Chairman of CESC Ltd. Mr. Sanjiv Goenka has informed the media on such decision of the board. He has also said that the company is going to invest around Rs 18,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore in the next four years on its several power projects.

The power projects are at the state of West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh. He has also said that funding is not going to be an issue for the company. More over, the company is also not seeking the merchant power status.

The main focus of the company is to produce quality product with a cost effective manner. He has also informed about the 660megawatt Haldia project. It is now moving ahead after some initial hiccups.

http://www.topnews.in/cesc-revive-abandoned-balagarh-project-2260276

Safesky in talks with State for solar projects
Kolkata, May 3

The Israel-based Safesky Software, which claims to be the cheapest solar power solution provider in the world, is scouting for projects in India.

“We are in talks with several State Governments and private companies,” Mr Arik Klein, President and Founder of the company, said here on Monday at a conference.

“We have spoken to the West Bengal Government for solar power projects with a cumulative capacity of 15 MW and are also looking at private projects with capacity ranging between 1 MW and 15 MW,” he said.

The company is also looking at private solar projects in Delhi and Mumbai; and water desalination project in Gujarat. It is close to finalising a 1 MW solar power project with a logistics company in West Bengal.

The company claims to set up solar power projects at cost 40 per cent less than that prevailing in the market. “For generating one MW solar power, our project cost is $7,00,000 as against $ 1-2 million in case of others,” Mr Klein said. It requires 3,000 sq mt of solar panels for generating 1 MW power as against 80,000 sq mt being used now, he pointed out.

The company operated on a business-operate and transfer (BOT) model and financed projects for its customers, he said. It currently has projects in China, Africa, Turkey and Cyprus and has an installed capacity of 2000 MW worldwide.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/05/04/stories/2010050450971900.htm

Projects worth Rs 1,400 cr sanctioned for cleaning Ganga
3 May 2010, 1747 hrs IST,PTI
NEW DELHI: To clean river Ganga, projects worth Rs 1,400 crores have been sanctioned for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttarakhand for sewer networks, treatment plants and pumping stations, Government said on Monday.

Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said that so far under the Ganga Action Plan sewage treatment capacity of 1025 million litres per day (MLD) has been created against about 3000 mld being generated in the towns situated along the river banks.

"An estimated investment of Rs 15,000 crore over the next ten years will be required to create the necessary treatment and sewerage infrastructure, to be shared suitably between the centre and states," he added.

During the first meeting of the NGRBA headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, it was resolved that by the year 2020, it will be ensured that no untreated municipal sewage or industrial effluent flows into the river, Ramesh added.

He further said that states have been requested to prepare priority projects for critical pollution hotspots and major towns on Ganga and fast-track the implementation of ongoing projects.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/Projects-worth-Rs-1400-cr-sanctioned-for-cleaning-Ganga/articleshow/5886754.cms

২০ বৈশাখ ১৪১৭ মঙ্গলবার ৪ মে ২০১০
Anandabazar
কথা বেনকিউ ও ডেল্টার সঙ্গে

তাইওয়ানের হাত ধরে শিেল্প ঘুরে দাঁড়াতে চাইছে রাজ্য

েপ্রমাংশু চৌধুরী ² নয়াদিিল্ল
িসঙ্গুর-নন্দীগ্রামের পর এক সময় রাজ্যে শিল্পায়নের রথের চাকা মাটিতে বসে যাওয়ার সম্ভাবনা তৈরি হেয়ছিল। কিন্তু এ বার তাইওয়ানের হাত ধরে রাজ্যে কমপক্ষে দু’হাজার কোটি টাকার বিনিেয়াগের সম্ভাবনা তৈরি হেয়ছে ফের।
তাইওয়ানের অন্যতম বড় সংস্থা ডেল্টা এনার্জি সিেস্টমস
পিশ্চমবঙ্গে সৌরশক্তি ব্যবহারের বিভিন্ন যন্ত্র উৎপাদনে আগ্রহী। তাইয়ানের কিম্পউটার ও যন্ত্রাংশ তৈরির অন্যতম বড় সংস্থা বেনকিউ-এরও ভারতে বিনিেয়াগের পরিকল্পনা রেয়ছে। তার প্রাথমিক স্তর সফল হলে তারা পিশ্চমবঙ্গে বিনিেয়াগ করার বিষয়টি বিবেচনা করতে প্রস্তুত। শুধু ডেল্টা এলেই অন্তত দু’হাজার কোটি টাকা বিনিেয়াগ হতে পারে বলে মনে করছে রাজ্য সরকার। এ দু’টি সংস্থা রাজ্যে লগ্নি করলে প্রত্যক্ষ ও পরোক্ষ ভাবে প্রচুর কর্মসংস্থান হবে বলে আশা করছে রাজ্য সরকার।
রাজ্যের তথ্যপ্রযুক্তি দফতরের মন্ত্রী দেবেশ দাস আজ গুড়গাঁওেয় ডেল্টা এনার্জি ও বেনকিউ-এর কর্তাদের সঙ্গে বৈঠক করেন। বৈঠক ‘ইতিবাচক’ হেয়ছে বলেই জানিেয়ছেন দেবেশবাবু। দুই সংস্থার কর্তাদেরই রাজ্যে আসতে অনুরোধ জানিেয়ছেন তিনি। রাজ্যে তাইওয়ানের লগ্নির সম্ভাবনা নিেয় মুখ্যমন্ত্রী বুদ্ধদেব ভট্টাচার্যের সঙ্গে সে দেশের রাষ্ট্রদূত ওেয়নচি অং বৈঠক করেছিলেন গত মাসে। বুদ্ধবাবুর ‘সদিচ্ছা’ ও ‘স্পষ্ট চিন্তাভাবনা’ দেখে উৎসাহিত হেয় তিনি নিজেই তাঁদের দেশের কেয়কটি বড় সংস্থার কর্তাদের সঙ্গে রাজ্য সরকারের বৈঠকের বিষেয় উদ্যোগী হন।

েবনকিউ এ দেশে উৎপাদন শুরু করার কথা ভাবছে। আর ডেল্টা এনার্জি ইতিমধ্যেই ৩ কোটি মার্কিন ডলার বিনিেয়াগ করেছে হরিয়ানা, তামিলনাড়ু ও উত্তরাখণ্ডে। দেবেশবাবু বলেন, “আমরা একেবারে ঠিক সমেয় এসেছি।” সফ্*টওয়্যারের ক্ষেত্রে রাজ্য যথেষ্ট এগিেয় গেলেও, হার্ডওয়্যারের ক্ষেত্রে কিছুটা পিছিেয় রেয়ছে। বিশ্ব জুেড় আর্থিক মন্দা সামলে তথ্যপ্রযুক্তি শিল্প এখন ধীরে ধীরে চাঙ্গা হচ্ছে। সে দিক থেকেও লগ্নি টানার এটাই সেরা সময় বলে মনে করছে রাজ্য সরকার। তাই শুধু এই দু’টি সংস্থা নয়, তাইওয়ানের আরও বেশ ক’টি সংস্থার সঙ্গে রাজ্যে বিনিেয়াগের প্রস্তাব নিেয় আলোচনা হবে। সব ঠিকঠাক চললে চলতি আর্থিক বছরেই কেয়কটি সংস্থার সঙ্গে বিনিেয়াগের বিষেয় চুক্তি পাকা করে ফেলতে চাইছে রাজ্য সরকার।
অন্যান্য রাজ্যে ডেল্টার মতো সংস্থাগুলি যে সমস্ত ছাড় ও সুযোগ-সুবিধা পেেয়ছে, তার কতটা পিশ্চমবঙ্গ দিতে পারবে, গুড়গাঁওেয়র বৈঠকে দেবেশবাবুর কাছে তা জানতে চেেয়ছেন সংস্থার কর্তারা। দেবেশবাবু জানিেয়ছেন, রাজ্য সরকার অনেকটাই ছাড় ও অন্যান্য সুযোগসুবিধা দিতে পারবে। শিেল্পর জন্য জমি নিেয়ও সমস্যা হবে বলে মনে করছে না রাজ্য। ডেল্টা ও বেনকিউ-এর প্রতিনিধিরা রাজ্যে গেলে, তাঁদের খড়্গপুর, নৈহাটি, কল্যাণী ও দুর্গাপুরে জমি দেখানো হবে। তথ্যপ্রযুক্তি দফতরের হিসেব অনুযায়ী, ডেল্টা যদি সোলার ইনর্ভাটার কারখানা তৈরি করে তার জন্য ২৫ একরের বেশি জমি লাগবে না। খড়গপুর, কল্যাণী বা নৈহাটিতে জমি ইতিমধ্যেই অধিগ্রহণ করে রাখা হেয়ছে। যে কোনও একটি সংস্থা কারখানা তৈরি করলেই তাকে ঘিরে একটি ‘হার্ডওয়্যার জোন’ তৈরির পরিকল্পনা রেয়ছে রাজ্য সরকারের। প্রেয়াজনে হার্ডওয়্যার শিেল্পর জন্য আলাদা নীতিও নেওয়া হতে পারে।

পিশ্চমবঙ্গে বিনিেয়াগে আগ্রহী হলেও, তাইওয়ানের সংস্থাগুলি এ রাজ্যে জমি নিেয় বিতর্ক, রাজনৈতিক অিস্থরতা, এমনকী েট্রড ইউনিয়নের ভূমিকা নিেয়ও ওয়াকিবহাল। তাইওয়ানের রাষ্ট্রদূত ওেয়নচি অং তবু বলেছেন, “রাজ্যের মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর সঙ্গে কথা বলে আমার মনে হেয়ছে, শিল্পায়নের ক্ষেত্রে তিনি যথেষ্ট উদ্যোগী এবং সক্রিয়। তাঁর চিন্তাভাবনাও খুব স্পষ্ট। সেই জন্যই আমরা শিল্পপতিদের সঙ্গে পিশ্চমবঙ্গ সরকারের আলোচনায় মধ্যস্থতাকারীর ভূমিকা পালন করছি।”

রাজ্যের সংস্থার সঙ্গে যৌথ উদ্যোগে শাপুরজি
গাগর্ী গুহঠাকুরতা ² কলকাতা
আবাসন ও পরিকাঠামো েক্ষত্রে রাজ্যে উপিস্থতি ছিলই। একক ভাবে টাটা সেন্সর সব চেেয় বেশি শেয়ার যাঁর হাতে, সেই পালোনজি মিিস্ত্রর সংস্থা শাপুরজি পালোনজি এ বার লগ্নি করছে উৎপাদন শিেল্পও। স্থানীয় সংস্থা ‘আই ক্যান ন্যানো’-র সঙ্গে গাঁটছড়া বেঁধে। ন্যানো প্রযুক্তির গবেষণাগার ও কারখানা তৈরি করছে তারা।
ওমানের সুলতানের প্রাসাদ, মুম্বই ভি টি েস্টশন, তাজ হোটেল থেকে দিিল্লর ইিন্দরা গাঁধী বিমানবন্দরের নির্মাতা শাপুরজি পালোনজি। স্থানীয় আই ক্যান ন্যানোর সঙ্গে যৌথ উদ্যোগে কলকাতায় গেড় উঠবে ন্যানো প্রযুক্তির ওই গবেষণা কেন্দ্র। এ ছাড়া মুম্বইেয়র কাছে তৈরি হবে কারখানা, যেখানে ন্যানো প্রযুক্তির সহায়তায় নির্মাণ কাজে ব্যবহৃত জিনিস-সহ অন্যান্য কাঁচামাল উৎপাদিত হবে।
ন্যানো টেকনোলজির ব্যবসািয়ক প্রেয়াগ ভারতে প্রথম করেন যাদবপুর বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় ও মুম্বই আইআইটি-র প্রাক্তন ছাত্র অরূপ চেট্টাপাধ্যায়। তাঁর দাবি, কলকাতায় এই প্রথম তৈরি হচ্ছে ন্যানো প্রযুক্তির গবেষণা কেন্দ্র। দেড় একর জমির উপর তৈরি হবে এই কেন্দ্র। প্রাথমিক ভাবে ১২ জন পিএইচডি ছাত্রকে নেওয়া হচ্ছে। তিনি বলেন, “কলকাতার গবেষণা কেন্দ্র ও মুম্বইেয়র কারখানা মিলিেয় প্রকেল্পর খরচ প্রায় ১৫০ কোটি টাকা। প্রযুক্তি আমাদের সংস্থার। আর শাপুরজি পালোনজি জোগাবে মূলধন।” তিনি জানান, গত সপ্তাহেই শাপুরজি পালোনজির অন্যতম কর্তা এন ডি তারাপোরে কলকাতায় সংস্থার সঙ্গে চুক্তি করে গিেয়ছেন।
আই ক্যান ন্যানো শিল্পজগতে সীমান্ত প্রযুক্তি বলে পরিচিত ন্যানো টেকনোলজি নিেয় কাজ করে। ১ মিটারের ১০০ কোটি ভাগের ১ ভাগ মাপ ন্যানোমিটারের। কার্বন, লোহা, সোনা, অ্যালুমিনিয়াম ইত্যাদির অণু-পরমাণুর গুণ বিচার করে নতুন জিনিস তৈরি করতে পারে এই প্রযুক্তি। ইলেকট্রনিক্স, জৈব প্রযুক্তি, স্বাস্থ্য, রং ও নির্মাণ কাজে ব্যবহৃত জিনিস - সব কিছুই এর সহায়তায় পেতে পারে নয়া দিশা। যেমন ন্যানো প্রযুক্তি তৈরি করতে পারে এমন জিনিস, যা ইস্পাতের চেেয় ১০০ গুণ শক্ত। অথচ ওজন ইস্পাতের ছ’ভাগের এক ভাগ।
বিেশ্ব ন্যানো প্রযুক্তির বাজার ১ লক্ষ কোটি মার্কিন ডলারের। ভারতেও সম্ভাবনা বিশাল। আর তা ধরতেই আই ক্যান ন্যানোর প্রযুক্তি ও নিজেদের আর্থিক জোর কাজে লাগাতে আগ্রহী শাপুরজি পালোনজি।
২০ হাজার ফ্ল্যাটের আবাসন প্রকল্প নিেয় এ রাজ্যে প্রথম পা রাখে ১৩৫ বছরের পুরনো সংস্থা শাপুরজি পালোনজি। রাজারহাটে ১৫০ একর জমির উপর এই প্রকেল্প লগ্নির পরিমাণ ১,৫০০ কোটি টাকা। রাজারহাটে তারা তৈরি করছে তথ্যপ্রযুক্তি পার্কও। সংস্থা সূত্রের খবর, আগামী ৫ বছরে এ রাজ্যে তাদের নিমর্ীয়মাণ প্রকেল্প লগ্নির পরিমাণ সব মিলিেয় ৩,০০০ কোটি টাকা।

^^ translations sir

^^ translations sir

Sorry.
Did not any find related article in any other website.

1. Taiwan's Delta energy system wants to invest in Bengal(2000 Cr on Solar energy power equipment).
2. State govt and Saporjee group are to make a joint venture to invest in nano technology research field(Technology lab and Manufacturing plant) in Bengal..

^^ translations sir

The diversity of the forests of North Bengal have drawn people from all over the world, but for years, the fullest potential of tourism here — like elsewhere in the state — has never been exploited.
Realising this, the state tourism and forest departments have now gone for a major tie-up that will plan and organise tours, elephant rides, set up a golf course, tents and camps, tree houses, and more cottages and rooms for tourists.
“For a very long time, the rooms and cottages under the forest department have been given on a priority basis to forest officers. The common tourists were not the priority and the main focus never was tourism. Now, a huge number of facilities are going to be developed to boost tourism in this area,” a senior officer of the state tourism department said.
A new gateway to Jaldapara will be created at Kunjanagar near Falakata, in Jalpaiguri district. The state tourism department has already obtained 100 acres of vested land for developing this area. One major draw would be introduction of new elephant rides, there will also be watchtowers, apart from cottages to stay.
Another site being developed is Rashomatibil in Cooch Behar. A low lying area under the forest development here is going to be developed by the tourism department, and rhinos from Jaldapara would be
relocated in the forests here.
Gajaldoba by the Teesta is another area that will have new resorts. There will be a golf course here, and the resort is being targeted for highend clients. This is not linked to the forest department though, the tourism department is setting this up with its own initiative.
Two other places to be developed are Khayerbari in Jalpaiguri, which is close to the tiger rescue centre. There will be tents and cottages here. At Shalbagan, which is near the Cooch Behar town, an eco-tourism centre is being developed.
Some of the guest houses under the forest department are also being renovated and refurbished. The forest department bungalow at Hollong, which was former chief minister Jyoti Basu’s favourite getaway, is also being refurbished. “It has a huge demand throughout the year,” the officer said.
At Rajabhatkhawa, too, there are just two guest houses now with six rooms, and most of the time government officers get priorities when it comes to booking. Now, the number of rooms would be doubled — chances are that there may be even more rooms — and these new rooms would be used entirely for commercial purposes. The guest houses at Rajabhatkhawa, which is in the Buxa Tiger Project headquarter camp, is a huge attraction among tourists.

Source: TNN

BAPL bid to cash in on solar energy

Calcutta, May 4: Bengal Aerotropolis Projects (BAPL) will seek “Solar Valley” status for its upcoming project at Andal in Burdwan district.

The company, which is building an integrated township around an airport, has earmarked 100 acres for the project.

“We will send our application to the Centre through the state government in two to three weeks,” Subrata Paul, managing director of BAPL, said.

The concept of solar valley is still evolving. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh explained it while launching the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission in January this year. The “valleys”, according to Singh, should be hubs for advanced technological applications using solar energy.

The government has set a target to produce 20,000mw of solar power by 2022.

BAPL plans to set up industrial zones that will manufacture equipment such as solar cell, panel, module and power conditioning instrument needed to produce power.

Every megawatt of solar power generation requires Rs 10 crore worth of equipment.

“The opportunity is big. We are trying to take the first mover advantage. Our estimate is that our Solar Valley project will attract investments of Rs 2,000-3,000 crore,” Paul said, adding that 5000-6000 jobs (direct and indirect) can be created.

BAPL is in talks with Taiwanese companies to participate in the solar park. A German delegation will come down shortly to discuss potential investment.

BAPL, in which Singapore’s Changi Airport is a strategic investor, wants to offer developed land to these companies plus the benefit of living in a township close by with civic amenities and also an airport.

1. Taiwan's Delta energy system wants to invest in Bengal(2000 Cr on Solar energy power equipment).
2. State govt and Saporjee group are to make a joint venture to invest in nano technology research field(Technology lab and Manufacturing plant) in Bengal..

I think West Bengal govt really deserves a prize for holding the first position in at least 1 thing -Continuously generating hope without doing anything.

Nearly 2 and a half years back they used to tell stories of IBM setting up a fab lab in the city and incubation centre for the semiconductor industry.
But nothing actually happened.

You can have a look at the 2 links below.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=18539617&postcount=626
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=18564192&postcount=636


Now they are talking about doing it with Saporjee.

Kudos to Budhha and Debesh Das.

JSW to begin work on Salboni plants in Oct (http://www.ptinews.com/news/640483_JSW-to-begin-work-on-Salboni-plants-in-Oct)

Kolkata, May 5 (PTI) JSW Bengal Steel will conduct the 'ground-breaking ceremony' for its proposed steel and power plants at Salboni, West Bengal, in October.

"We plan to start the ground-breaking work on October 1," JSW Bengal Steel CEO Biswadip Gupta told PTI, adding that the company has already acquired 5,000 acres of land for the purpose.

"The boundary wall will be completed soon, and we are currently working on the water supply system," Gupta said.

Stating that the plant was being designed by a Canadian firm, he said that the company has already placed orders for the equipment required.

Gupta said that the compensation package for land losers had been prepared.

The power plant would have a capacity of 800 MW in the first phase. The total investment required for both the plants comes to around Rs 12,000 crore.

Photo cc Janice Small

E-W corridor. Kisangunj - Siliguri section.
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/7204/janice20bike20bengal202.jpg

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/7204/janice20bike20bengal202.jpg

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/7204/janice20bike20bengal202.jpg

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/7204/janice20bike20bengal202.jpg

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/7204/janice20bike20bengal202.jpg

West Bengal actual investment as per a news article in Ananda Bazar Patrika:


2008 - Rs 4434 crores
2009 - Rs 7050 crores
2010 (projected) - Rs 8,000 crores

I think West Bengal govt really deserves a prize for holding the first position in at least 1 thing -Continuously generating hope without doing anything.

Nearly 2 and a half years back they used to tell stories of IBM setting up a fab lab in the city and incubation centre for the semiconductor industry.
But nothing actually happened.

You can have a look at the 2 links below.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=18539617&postcount=626
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=18564192&postcount=636


Now they are talking about doing it with Saporjee.

Kudos to Budhha and Debesh Das.


Since long both Zensar Technology and ITC Infotech is scouting for land in kolkata.But both CM and IT Minister are unable to provide land for that because our Housing Minister will get tripple money from any real estate company for the same piece of land and the land selling price for IT/ITES company is also very high compare to other major cities in india.

Our IT Minister is total dumb.He did not bring any major investment till date and the results people like us are vagabond in different parts of india.:ohno:

West Bengal actual investment as per a news article in Ananda Bazar Patrika:


2008 - Rs 4434 crores
2009 - Rs 7050 crores
2010 (projected) - Rs 8,000 crores

It could be way more than 8000 cr for 2010 if JSW starts injecting money for their new plant in purulia..

1. Taiwan's Delta energy system wants to invest in Bengal(2000 Cr on Solar energy power equipment).
2. State govt and Saporjee group are to make a joint venture to invest in nano technology research field(Technology lab and Manufacturing plant) in Bengal..

thanks :cheers:

Work on Salboni steel and power plants in Oct

The JSW Bengal Steel on Wednesday announced that it will begin “ground-breaking work” on its proposed steel and power plants at Salboni in October. “We plan to start the ground-breaking work on October 1,” said JSW Bengal Steel CEO Biswadip Gupta. He added the company has already acquired 5,000 acres of land for the purpose and the compensation package for the land owners has been prepared.
“The boundary wall will be completed soon and we are currently working on the water supply system,” Gupta said. He said the company has already placed orders for the equipment required for the plant. The power plant will have a capacity of 800 MW in the first phase. The total investment required for both the plants is around Rs 12,000 crore.

Source: Express India

Since long both Zensar Technology and ITC Infotech is scouting for land in kolkata.But both CM and IT Minister are unable to provide land for that because our Housing Minister will get tripple money from any real estate company for the same piece of land and the land selling price for IT/ITES company is also very high compare to other major cities in india.

Our IT Minister is total dumb.He did not bring any major investment till date and the results people like us are vagabond in different parts of india.:ohno:

I do not think Kolkata/West Bengal commands higher land prices compared to other industrialized states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka. In Mumbai there are literally land-cartels who control supply and hence the exorbitant prices. This is one of the USPs of IT service companies thronging to Kolkata/ Bengal.

Although I do support your other point. West Bengal babus/ministers deserve the first prize for procrastination.

I do appreciate our IT minister Mr. Debesh Das's education and abilities although he does lack in vision and gets stuck by party politics.

My alma mater IIT Kharagpur has the best VLSI design Lab in India and outside USA. I do not know why our state government hesitates in collaborating with them. No state has the double gift of top IIT and IIM and our state does not utilise the potential.

Politicians [sighs] ..

It could be way more than 8000 cr for 2010 if JSW starts injecting money for their new plant in purulia..

JSW Plant is coming up in Salboni, medinipore I presume.....do they have a plan for Purulia also?

JSW Plant is coming up in Salboni, medinipore I presume.....do they have a plan for Purulia also?

Sorry, my bad. This should be West Midnapore..

SSC forum is a international forum. Please dont post in Bengali although this forum covers mostly West Bengal related issues.

SSC forum is a international forum. Please dont post in Bengali although this forum covers mostly West Bengal related issues.

I think its fine if you translate the main part of the news..

I think its fine if you translate the main part of the news..

I agree.

My alma mater IIT Kharagpur has the best VLSI design Lab in India and outside USA. I do not know why our state government hesitates in collaborating with them. No state has the double gift of top IIT and IIM and our state does not utilise the potential.

Politicians [sighs] ..

Could it be that the two institutions try to keep the state politicians / government out to prevent interference?

SSC forum is a international forum. Please dont post in Bengali although this forum covers mostly West Bengal related issues.

It is absolutely fine to post in Bengali. Since the primary language of this forum has been set to English (in my understanding), it is okay if you translate it to an English equivalent in summary. (The language factor has got really nothing to do with internationalism, but must be in coherrence with the forum's rules that we all want to agree and abide by).

As per the statement above, I see a number of posts in many other threads in many fonts posted in SSC, none of which are in the official language (English) of the forum. Nothing good or bad about it, just an observation from my end.

Completely agree about the IIT Kgp part and the IIM part.

But is it not a general fact that Bengal talent is better appreciated and utilized outside Bengal?

For example, the density of Bengal-grown population (and Bengalis too) is easily the highest in IBM India Research Lab (one of the best industrial non-developmental research organizations in software in India), and where do they start growing their second center? Bangalore (after Delhi). Where do they start growing their third center in India? Hyderabad - ISB. What does that tell you?

And the same is the case for many other high-profile corporates.

I do appreciate our IT minister Mr. Debesh Das's education and abilities although he does lack in vision and gets stuck by party politics.

My alma mater IIT Kharagpur has the best VLSI design Lab in India and outside USA. I do not know why our state government hesitates in collaborating with them. No state has the double gift of top IIT and IIM and our state does not utilise the potential.

Politicians [sighs] ..

Kolkata: The West Bengal government will invoke special provisions of the Land Acquisition Act to take over 700 acres at Dankuni near Kolkata, a stronghold of the state’s main opposition party, Trinamool Congress, to build a permanent base and training institute for the National Security Guard (NSG).

The special provisions would enable the state government to bypass time-consuming steps involved in land acquisition such as a public hearing, and seize possession of the land “within 15 days of issuing notices”; it typically takes at least a year to complete land acquisition.

“In the wake of the fast expanding Maoist movement in the state, we need to build a NSG hub in the state immediately,” said an official at the state’s land and land reforms department, who did not want to be named. “The special provisions (of the Land Acquisition Act) are being invoked to ensure there is no delay in getting control of the land.”

Under the special provisions, the state government can take possession of land even without completing payment for the acquisition.

After the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008, the Centre had proposed to set up NSG hubs in all key metros such as Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai to reduce the time in countering such attacks. NSG is India’s premier anti-terrorism force.

Top NSG officials selected the Dankuni site, said Abdur Rezzak Mollah, West Bengal’s minister for land and land reforms. “They were shown at least two other sites, but they chose Dankuni,” Mollah said.

The state government had planned to develop a 4,840-acre integrated township at Dankuni, and real estate developer DLF Ltd had been selected through an auction to build it. But because of resistance from the local population, DLF decided to pull the plug on the project in May 2009.

To overcome resistance from locals, the state government has decided to pay at least three times the price it paid for acquiring land in Singur, which is barely 15km away.

The state government could pay up to Rs40 lakh for an acre in Dankuni, according to the land department official quoted earlier, and this is based on current market price of land there.

The proposed acquisition would come up for discussion at a meeting of the state cabinet soon, he added.

It is interesting that the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM-led state government of West Bengal is launching this land acquisition drive at a time when it faces the biggest political challenge in the state.

Elections to 81 civic bodies in 16 of the 19 districts in West Bengal are going to be held later this month, and the crucial assembly elections are due in the summer of 2011.

The Trinamool Congress’ opposition to farmland acquisition helped it stage a major comeback since the 2006 assembly elections, and it grabbed as many as 19 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the general election in 2009.

But a top CPM leader from Dankuni said the proposed land acquisition would help his party shore up support for itself in the area. Even the Trinamool Congress has been promising the people of Dankuni industrial projects such as the terminal of the proposed east-bound railway freight corridor.

“A lot of people in Dankuni had bought land in anticipation of the township project,” the CPM leader said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It is at their request the state government has been considering various projects at Dankuni ever since DLF dropped the township.”

The state government isn’t looking to acquire much farmland for the NSG hub, said the land department official. “So there shouldn’t be much resistance from local people.”

The NSG project would also enable the state government to build civic infrastructure in Dankuni such as roads, processed water distribution system and sewer lines, which could later be used to develop other projects, according to Mollah.

Kolkata, May 7: The Bengal government is set to bag a $200 million (Rs 900 crore) loan from the World Bank to embark on rural development projects.

Officials of the state gov- ernment, Union finance ministry and the World Bank met in Delhi last week to sign a draft deal that would pave the way for the Rs 900-crore “soft’’ loan that Bengal will get after a final nod from a Washington meeting of the bank in June.

“This loan will be a big development for us. We expect the money to come in three-four months. The important aspect of the loan is that we won’t have to pay any interest but only a nominal service charge and there are no conditions attached,” added Roy.

Source (http://www.thestatesman.net//index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=327476&catid=42)

Five projects cleared for state
9 May 2010
Statesman News Service
KOLKATA, 9 MAY: The Centre has recently cleared five important projects in West Bengal involving construction, widening and strengthening of roads and construction of an international standard carriageway way along the State Highway 2.
The work under the projects would start after municipal elections are over and the state government is in the process of floating tender.
Mr AB Bardhan, secretary of the state public works department said: “A total of Rs 90.19 crore has already been sanctioned from the Central Road Fund (CRF) for the projects last month.”
Under the one of the projects, Furfura Sharif, a holy place for the Muslim community in Mulsim would be joined with Jangipara. The 16. 5 km road will pass through Radhanagar in Mulsim.
Union railway minister Miss Mamata Banerjee had earlier promised to the people of Furfura that she would create pressure on the Centre to release fund for the project. It would require Rs 16.8 crore to construct the road.
The second project, cleared by the Centre, is construction of 7.75 KM road between Ayera and Gurah in Murshidabad. The Rs 700.38 lakh project would be carried out by state PWD's Murshidabad highway division.
The Centre has also given its approval for the widening and strengthening of the existing single lane road to intermediate lane from Suki More on NH 34 to Nabagram in Murshidabad. Also the proposal for strengthening the Panchgram-Nabagram-Lalbagh Road has been accepted by the Centre. The project would require little over Rs 13.16 crore for execution. The required fund for the project has been sanctioned on VIP reference.
Mr Bardhan said that another project ~ improvement of road from NH 60 to the gate of IIT Kharagpur ~ has been cleared by the Centre and a sum of Rs 24.66 crore has been sanctioned for it.
The fifth project that was okayed by the Centre is the widening and strengthening of the intermediate lane of existing carriageway of State Highway 2 from Bishnupur to Arambag via Kotulpur under Phase I.
The proposed two-lane carriageway will be of international standard and it would require Rs 36.87 crore for completion. The proposal for releasing fund for the Phase II of the project, however, is yet to be granted.
CPI-M parliamentarian Mr Basudeb Acharia was quite vocal in the Parliament for release of funds for the project.
It may be recalled that the state government had sent a total 11 proposals to the Centre seeking clearance and disbursement of funds from the Central Road Fund in 2009-10 financial year.

Kolkata, April 29,2010

Unitech Wireless, which provides telecom services under the Uninor brand, will roll out services in Kolkata and rest of Bengal circles by the end of this quarter, according to its Executive Vice-President (Kolkata Hub), Mr Akash Das. “Besides the two circles in Bengal, we will also roll out services in Mumbai, Gujarat and Rajasthan within this quarter,” Mr Das said at a conference here on Thursday. Uninor, which started operations in the country in December 2009, is now present in nine circles – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh (east and west), Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa. It has a subscriber base of 3.6 million. Uninor holds a pan-India licence and is targeting eight per cent share of the market by 2018, Mr Das said. “We will roll out services in all circles by the year-end,” he said. The company will introduce data services in mobile phones soon, he added. The company has opened a new office spread over 27,500 sq ft at the city's tech hub Salt Lake's Sector-Five. “Following our global practice, we are introducing 100 per cent open office concept. There will be no cabin, no walls, no private offices, no rank and no hierarchy in the office environment,” Mr Das said. Uninor is a joint venture between Delhi-based real estate major Unitech and Norway's Telenor. In October last year, the government gave its approval to Unitech Wireless to sell up to 74 per cent to Telenor. — Our Bureau

Eastern Enviro Care signs deal with Czech co for design hub
ET KOLKATA

CITY-BASED Eastern Enviro Care on Monday signed an agreement with an European air pollution control equipment and solutions provider,ZVVZ-Enven Engineering,to jointly set up a manufacturing,design and engineering hub in West Bengal.
As part of the agreement,the companies are evaluating two options either forming a new JV that will make the investment or the European firm buying a majority stake in Eastern Enviro Care.The two companies expect to conclude the negotiations and start investments on the proposed manufacturing unit in 9-12 months.
Announcing this at a press conference,Eastern Enviro Care chairman Aloke Mookherjea said the company owns a three acre plot in Durgapur where the proposed factory and design hub will come up.The investment could be as much as Rs 60 crore in phases, he said.
Eastern Enviro Care is a Rs 40-crore company,which is promoted by six city-based businessmen,and a leading air control equipment and system manufacturer in the East.On the other hand,ZVVZ-Enven Engineering is a Czech Republic-based company with a global turnover of euro 4.5 million.The company,which has a close working relationship with Skoda,is for the first time entering India.
ZVVZ-Enven Engineerings vice-chairman and CEO Miloslav Svab said the company has plans to manufacture all of its products in India and turn it into a sourcing hub.We have estimated that manufacturing in India will give us a 10-15 % cost advantage as compared in Europe.This will be a lot of savings grace as margins are shrinking, he said.

PWD’s gift: New road to Sikkim

Times of India

Kolkata: The state government is constructing a new 18-km road in Kalimpong that will connect to a road leading up to Sikkim.
According to PWD minister Kshiti Goswami, the road will be a gift from his department to the people. It will help locals and also provide tourists with an alternative connecting road to Sikkim.
Meanwhile, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) chairman Brijeshwar Singh met chief secretary Ardhendu Sen at Writers’ Buildings on Tuesday and urged him to see to it that the work on NH-34, which has got stuck due to land acquisition problems, began once again.

Gift my ass
people pay taxes Mr Goswami

Gift my ass
people pay taxes Mr Goswami

:rofl:

Very true sidney_jec..

Gift my ass
people pay taxes Mr Goswami

^^ :lol: Even if he says "gift" I don't mind. We need this work to be implemented in time, no matter how..
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Shristi Infra to invest Rs 2,000 crore in three states (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/services/property-/-cstruction/Shristi-Infra-to-invest-Rs-2000-crore-in-three-states/articleshow/5921764.cms)


12 May 2010, 1624 hrs IST,IANS

KOLKATA: Shristi Infrastructure Development Corporation said Wednesday it would invest Rs.2,000 crore over the next three years in seven smaller cities in three states.

The money would be used to build integrated townships, healthcare facilities, hospitality and sports facilities, retail malls, logistics hubs and commercial and residential complexes in West Bengal, Tripura and Rajasthan, company director Hemant Kanoria told media persons here.

In West Bengal, the company - through its special purpose vehicle Bengal Shristi Infrastructure Development Ltd set up in joint venture with Asansol Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA) - was working in Asansol, Durgapur and Raniganj towns of Burdwan district.

Besides, it is constructing an international sports city at Haldia in East Midnapore district and a condominium in Krishnanagar of Nadia district.

For these projects, the company would make a fresh investment of Rs.1,500 crore in the state.

The company is also coming up with a mall and hospitality project spread over 8.5 acres in Udaipur, Rajasthan, by injecting Rs.500 crore.

In Tripura, the company would complete a shopping complex by investing Rs 25 crore.

Besides these projects, the company has floated another joint venture, Kanchan Janga Integrated Infrastructure Development Private Ltd in partnership with the West Bengal Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation, to develop an integrated industrial hub in Siliguri.

The hub will comprise an industrial zone, IT Park, healthcare and educational facilities, residential complexes, commercial centres and sports and recreational activities spread over 124.5 acres.

Shristi is also constructing the Westin rajarhat,no news about that?

Four in race for West Bengal airport project (http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_four-in-race-for-west-bengal-airport-project_1379998)

Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Simplex Infrastructure, Hindustan Construction Co (HCC) and Tantia Constructions are in the final leg of the race for the airport construction deal of Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL), which is setting up the country’s first airport city in Durgapur.

The bids are set to be finalised in June, said Subrata Paul, chief executive officer, BAPL.

The airport, India’s first privately-owned, is slated to be operational in the first quarter of 2013.

Paul declined to divulge the size of the deal, but informed sources estimated that of the total investments of Rs 10,000 crore that are to be made in the Durgapur aerotropolis, around 30% would be for the airport’s construction.

The investment would be made in phases over 5-7 years. The 2182 acre project will include an airport, solar valley and IT park, hotels, etc.

BAPL itself will invest around Rs 600 crore in the first phase in some infrastructure aspects, including for building arterial roads. The company is currently working out a debt-equity pattern, which would ideally be in the ratio 1:1.3, said Paul.

BAPL is also in talks with banks and financial institutions to raise the required debt.

Changi International Airport of Singapore, which holds a 26% strategic stake in BAPL, has undertaken a route development plan, which will also be finalised in June. Sources revealed that Changi feels the Mumbai and Chennai sectors hold tremendous potential.

“There is huge potential for trade interaction between the fast-developing industrial belt of Jharkhand-Burdwan and the financial capital of the country while Chennai holds out the promise of medical tourism traffic,” a source said.

Paul said that BAPL will start approaching carriers in July, post completion of the route development plan. Being a regional airport, he added that only domestic flights will take off from here. It is envisaged that the smaller towns will be connected to the metros.

DVC' s Raghunathpur project to commission in June 2011
Thursday, 13 May, 2010

Damodar Valley Corporation's (DVC) 1,200 MW (2x600 MW) coal based power project at Raghunathpur in the Purulia district of West Bengal is underway with commissioning scheduled for June 2011.

For Unit I, drum lifting is done, erection of boiler started on 25 March 2010 and hydro testing of boiler is scheduled for June 2010. Unit I is expected to be on steam by March 2011.

Drum lifting for Unit II was completed on 4 April 2010 while hydro testing of boiler is scheduled for September 2010. This unit is likely to commence power generation by June 2011.

Reliance Infrastructure is the contractor for the project.

Graphite India to expand Durgapur plant capacity (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/graphite-india-to-expand-durgapur-plant-capacity_100363279.html)

May 13th, 2010 - 8:55 pm ICT by IANS


Kolkata, May 13 (IANS) Graphite electrodes manufacturer Graphite India Ltd (GIL) will expand the capacity of its Durgapur plant in West Bengal to 20,000 tonnes per annum within the third quarter (October-December) of 2011-12, a top company official said Thursday.

“Earlier we have planned to expand it by 10,500 tonnes per annum but now keeping in view the rise in demand from the steel industry one-and-a-half years down the line we are taking it to 20,000 tonnes per annum,” K.K. Bangur, company chairman, told reporters at a press conference here.

The initial investment for 10,500 tonnes per annum expansion was Rs.180 crore. An additional Rs.67.50 crore will be invested for another 9,500 tonnes per annum.

Asked about funding of the project, he said: “We plan to do it through internal accruals and, if required, we may borrow some amount also.”

The company has earlier decided to set up a coal-based power plant of 50 MW capacity at Durgapur at an investment of Rs.214 crore.

The net profit of the company during January-March period of 2009-10 was Rs.55 crore.

GIL has a combined capacity of around 78,000 tonnes per annum spread over four plants at Durgapur, Bangalore, Nashik and Rothenbach in Germany.

Shristi upbeat on new projects

Calcutta, May 15: Shristi Infrastructure Development Corporation, the company owned by the Hemant Kanoria family, is going ahead with a new phase of real estate development in Asansol even as the initial response to such projects in the tier II and III cities of Bengal is lukewarm.

The company has launched upmarket houses within Shristinagar, the township project it is building along with the Asansol Durgapur Development Authority.

Chairman Hemant Kanoria said he was confident of demand picking up when the projects near completion. “You have to carry on construction and not be worried about the slow pace of sale. That will eventually pick up. This has been our experience in Durgapur,” he said.

Shristi is also developing projects in Haldia and Krishnanagar, where the first phase is almost complete but sales are not more than 5 per cent. “Upfront investment will be very high. Unlike Calcutta, a developer must delve into his pocket to carry on in tier II and III cities,” he said.
Top

Now lack of infrastructure decieves the fate of kalyani(state IT sector also) again.

ITES firm AEGIS ,which had planned to come up with 20 acre campus in kalyani,is reluctant due to lack of proper road connecting to kalyani.(Both Infy and Wipro was reluctant to take up space in kalyani for the same reason 2 yrs ago).


Renouned film director and producer Subhash Ghai planned a Film training institute here,but thinking twice for the same issue.

IT minister is saying ,"construction of approach road will be started before durga puja"

Let's Hope for the best.
http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1100516/16bus4.htm

Delhi-based Bhushan Steel will wait till June for a favourable response from the West Bengal government on its proposed six million tonne steel plant in the Asansol-Durgapur belt of Bardhaman.

“We have written to commerce and industry minister, Nirupam Sen, indicating a June deadline because Sumitomo cannot wait indefinitely,” said sources close to the development.

Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation has evinced interest in picking up stake in Bhushan’s Bengal project. The extent of participation could be 26-40 per cent. However, the uncertainty over the Bengal project has been a major setback.

Bhushan’s Rs 20,000 crore was stuck as Coal India raised objections to having industrial projects in the areas as it was said to be coal bearing. Two other steel projects—Videocon and Abhijit group—have landed up in the same boat.

Bhushan Steel sources said, “The state government has communicated that Coal India was willing to reconsider its stance.” A meeting was held recently between government and Coal India officials.

Senior officials of Coal India Limited (CIL) did confirm that "discussions" had taken place between the state government and the miner. However, he said that there was no indication that CIL "had made any concessions".

"We maintain that no permanent structures should come up on coal bearing areas. We have not made any concessions in this matter," the official said.

In February this year, CIL had been successful in its attempt to relocate NTPC's North Karanpura Super Thermal project in Jharkand, by arguing that the establishment of the facility would block about six billion tonnes of coal.

However, CIL, which is among the world's largest coal mining firms, had subsequently agreed to help NTPC find an alternative site through its engineering and consulting arm - Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDI).

"If these companies (including Bhushan) approach us, we will be open to help them find a non-coal bearing area (through CMPDI) to set up their projects," the official added.

Bhushan has already realigned the project and is not willing to move to an alternative site.

"A lot of work has been done," said Bhushan sources.

Missing the June deadline could cost the West Bengal government a major project. Bhushan Steel has made significant progress in Karnataka, where it has proposed setting up a plant of similar size.

“We have signed a memorandum of understanding and are looking for land,” said Bhushan Steel sources.

According to Bhushan Steel, Sumitomo was keen on partnering with the company, irrespective of the location. If the project in West Bengal does not materialize, Bhushan would proceed in Karnataka.

Bhushan has a second project—a cold rolling mill—at Sankrail, which again has been scaled down. The original investment planned was close to Rs 1,000 crore, but now the company plans to invest half of that as the product-mix has been changed.

Source: Business Standard

As long as the Highway project is not done, I don't see any IT investments in Kalyani. Not sure, but I heard Mr Ghai was planning to make his film institute in Rajaharhat and why "kalyani" came in the middle? Don't know why state govt doesn't try to hand over the highway to NHAI. This is such an important piece of road. I am sceptical about the KMDA's ability to deliver a good quality 4 lane highway..

Now lack of infrastructure decieves the fate of kalyani(state IT sector also) again.

ITES firm AEGIS ,which had planned to come up with 20 acre campus in kalyani,is reluctant due to lack of proper road connecting to kalyani.(Both Infy and Wipro was reluctant to take up space in kalyani for the same reason 2 yrs ago).


Renouned film director and producer Subhash Ghai planned a Film training institute here,but thinking twice for the same issue.

IT minister is saying ,"construction of approach road will be started before durga puja"

Let's Hope for the best.
http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1100516/16bus4.htm

Photo cc sourendra.tah (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/35494009)

A water tank is being constructed for the Ulhas township project, Burdwan
http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv214/SarafIndian3/35494009.jpg

Thats one cool looking tower. All water towers in the world should look like that.

DP World seeks breakthrough in Kulpi port project
Kolkata: Dubai Ports World, one of the world’s largest container terminal operators, is not giving up hope of developing a port at Kulpi on the Hooghly estuary, though it is already six years that the company has entered into an agreement with the West Bengal government.
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/DP-World-seeks-breakthrough-in-Kulpi-port-project/621177/


Bengal targets river tourism for growth
Kolkata: With river cruises becoming a big draw for tourists, especially foreigners, the Hooghly has become West Bengal tourism department’s first priority in promoting tourism in the state.
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/bengal-targets-river-tourism-for-growth/620590/

Jai Balaji in talks with investors for steel plant at Purulia

Jai Balaji Industries is holding discussion with equity investors – both strategic and financial – to mop up funds for its proposed greenfield integrated steel project in Purulia district of West Bengal.

The project is to consist of a five million tonne steel plant, a three-million tonne cement plant and a 1,215 MW captive power plant. The entire project will require 3,600 acre. The broad plan is to have 1:1 debt-equity ratio for the Rs 2,500 crore-plus project.

Phase I will involve setting up a two million tonne steel plant, a 400 MW captive power plant and a cement plant with one-million-tonne grinding capacity. The company has acquired 1,100 acre for the first phase from West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/9280/20052010015017.jpg (http://img189.imageshack.us/i/20052010015017.jpg/)

Titagarh Wagons mulls JV for making metro coaches

Friday, 21 May, 2010
Titagarh Wagons is reportedly holding discussions with a Japan based company for a collaborative arrangement for manufacturing metro coaches. The company plans to set up a metro coach manufacturing facility at its existing wagon unit in West Bengal.

The proposed deal is likely to be finalised by June 2010. The partnership could be in the shape of a JV or a SPV. This meant, apart from technology tie-up, financial partnership by the Japan based company is likely to be on cards.

Meanwhile, the company has joined hands with Stadler Rail and ABB in a consortium for manufacturing EMU coaches.The Titagarh Wagons led conglomerate is likely to bid for for the proposed rail coach factory at Kanchrapara in West Bengal under a PPP model with the Indian Railways.

In the consortium, Titagarh Wagons is likely to manufacture the coaches, while Stadler is expected to provide the technology and design for the high-speed train coaches and propulsion, traction and onboard power equipment is to be provided by ABB.
http://projectstoday.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?nid=31135

Nayachar island project website.:cheers:

For a detailed view of the project, please click here www.wbpcpir.com

Nayachar island project website.:cheers:

For a detailed view of the project, please click here www.wbpcpir.com

Go go go bengal.....:banana:

Do not let Gujrat take this project......under any circumstances...

Plan to build cargo port in E Midnapore

With DP World Pvt Ltd all but pulling out of the Kulpi port project and the proposed port at Sagar holding out little promise till the island is connected to the mainland, all eyes are on plans to create a cargo-handling terminal at Shalukkhali in East Midnapore.
With the Bengal government contemplating the handing over of 162 acres of land in the Shalukkhali/ Rupnarayanchak mouza, the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) has invited bids for a feasibility study for setting up a port facility there.
Shalukkhali is close to Kukrahati on the western bank of the Hooghly. Surveys have revealed that the average draught there is nearly 9.5 metres. The land available with KoPT would be enough to build four jetties, two of which could be used to handle crude and other petroleum cargo.
The jetties will be on the river and no lock operation would be required. If everything goes according to plan, Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) plans to handle 25 million tonnes of cargo at Shalukkhali.
The draught at Shalukkhali can even go upto 10 metres if handling operations can be conducted 500 metres from the riverbank.
“Traffic studies have already been conducted by Royal Haskoning, CES and RITES. These consultants have already ascertained how much of what cargo can be handled at this terminal. The job of the consultant we wish to engage will be to identify the suitable location for development of port facilities comprising riverine jetties, storage area, evacuation/aggregation facilities and arterial roads that may be required to handle deep-drafted vessels. The agency will also have to assess the siltation pattern of the area for at least two decades after the terminal comes up,” a senior KoPT official said.

Source: TNN

Galaxy Mall to come up at Asansol (http://news.franchiseindia.com/retail/Galaxy-Mall-to-come-up-at-Asansol-West-Bengal-1923/)



-

CESC talks to lenders for Haldia unit
Power Utility May Have To Pay 11% Interest On Loans For The Rs 3,000-Cr Venture
ET KOLKATA

RPG flagship CESC is in talks with a battery of lenders like ICICI Bank,IDBI,IDFC,Uco Bank and Bank of Baroda to stitch up debt finance for its upcoming Rs 3,000 crore-plus greenfield merchant power venture in Haldia.Indications are that the loans will come at roughly 11% interest,although this could not be independently confirmed.
CESC is slated to finalise the loans once its receives approval from West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission (WBERC) to press ahead with the investment in a greenfield thermal station in Haldia, a company official old ET.
CESC is slated to shortly submit to WBERC the estimated cost and performance parameters of the proposed merchant power station that will be executed by Haldia Energy Ltd a wholly-owned CESC subsidiary.The final project cost may be benchmarked in excess of Rs 5 crore per megawatt,a group insider familiar with the matter said.
In the next two months,the Goenkas are slated to take the international competitive bidding (ICB) route to freeze multiple power equipment procurement contracts for the Haldia project.Since CESCs Haldia thermal venture will be close to the sea,the company will invest in a water treatment plant in addition to the core balance of plant (BoP) and boiler-turbine generator (BTG) packages.The power will be wheeled into the CESC system by linking up with a PowerGrid substation in Subhashgram near Kolkata.
Like the 600-mw Chandrapur project in Maharashtra which is being set up by CESC subsidiary,Dhariwal Infrastructure,the gestation period of the Haldia thermal venture will be a minimum 33 months.A substantial chunk of the 600 mw generation may have to be set aside for the CESC system.
Interestingly,ICICI Bank is the lead arranger of debt finance for CESCs Chandrapur project.Theres a possibility that a majority of the banks who arranged debt for the Chandrapur venture will also take exposure in CESCs Haldia merchant plant, said a company source familiar with the matter.
Like the Chandrapur project,the debt-equity ratio for the Haldia thermal venture has also been pegged at 3:1.Which means,if total project cost is Rs 3,000 crore,the debt component would be Rs 2,250 crore.
CESC is undecided on whether the entire project will be entirely rupee-funded or whether there will be a foreign loan component.A decision on a possible foreign loan component can be only taken after CESC takes a call on the power equipment vendors.

xx

POWER PACKED
WBPDCL-DPL joint plant project may get Gail help

ET KOLKATA

WEST Bengal Power Development Company (WBPDCL) and Durgapur Projects Ltd (DPL) are jointly planning to install about 3,150 mw of new gas-based power generation capacity if Gail manages to supply about 16 million standard cubic feet per day of gas (mmscfd) through its proposed Jagdishpur-Haldia pipeline.Total investment for the power units is estimated at Rs 13,000 crore.
In a preliminary meeting with WBPDCL officials on Tuesday,Gail has indicated that it can supply around 16 mmscfd of gas,which would be enough to set up around 3,150 mw of gas-based generation capacity.According to state power ministry officials,if Gail commits the indicated volume to the twin state-based power generators at market prices,WBPDCL will set up 700 mw (2350 mw) generation capacity at Bandel and 1,400 mw (4350 mw) gasbased capacity at Sagardighi.WBPDCLs present thermal generation units at Bandel have outlived their useful life,while at Sagardighi,there is enough land to set up four 350-mw gas-based units.DPL intends to set up 1,050 mw (3350 mw) of gas-based generation capacity.
WBPDCL has been looking at the possibility of setting up gas-based thermal generation units for the past few years.Plans never fructified since gas was not available in this part of the country.Now that Gail met WBPDCL officials,we will take the plan forward.However,this was a preliminary meeting with Gail officials and we will take forward the plans only after we received serious commitment from Gail on supply and pricing of gas, a power ministry official said.
It is learnt that Gail will start work on the pipeline within six months of receiving commitment from consumers.The entire pipeline is expected to be ready in two years.
Earlier in the day,Gail officials met representatives from the industry to assess the demand for gas in the region.The meeting,held at West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC),was attended by representatives from JSW Bengal,Jaibalaji Group,Adhunik Group,Himachal Emta,Industrial Park Borjora,Rubber Park and Bhaskar Silicon.
Gail officials met industry representative to asses demand for gas in the state on the basis of which they would take it up with their management, said WBIDC managing director Subrata Gupta.

JSW Bengal faces no problem in Maoist-hit West Midnapore (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/jsw-bengal-faces-no-problem-in-maoist-hit-west-midnapore_100374422.html)

June 3rd, 2010 - 6:17 pm ICT by IANS -

Kolkata, June 3 (IANS) JSW Bengal Steel said Thursday it is going ahead with its project in West Midnapore district of West Bengal, a hotbed of Maoist activities.

“Our project got delayed by one year due to the global economic meltdown, but now we have again started work in the project site and the work on boundary wall has progressed to quite some extent,” said Biswadip Gupta, company managing director.

JSW Bengal Steel is setting up a 10 million-tonne steel plant at Salboni in the district.

“We had been working in that site for almost three years now. Till date we never had any problem,” Gupta said when asked whether the company faced any hurdles due to Maoist activities in that area.

He said at least 12-15 company workers are there at the site along with 500-600 contractual workers.

JSW Bengal Steel is promoted by Sajjan Jindal led JSW Steel, which holds 89 percent of the equity capital. The state government owns the balance 11 percent.

The company has pumped in Rs.35,000-crore (over $7 billion) for the Salboni project.

About the company’s plans to draw water supply from the Rupnarayan river, he said: “Work has begun. It will be a 67 km line, which would supply water in the project area and the investment will be Rs.300 crore.”

“This is the lifeline of the project and unless this is done, banks won’t give funds. We plan to go for ground breaking in October,” Gupta said.

Rupnarayan river is in East Midnapore district.

In November 2008, Maoists had detonated a landmine targeting the convoy of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and two central ministers, who were returning from Salboni after laying the foundation stone of the project.

Jindal tweaks state power project site

Udit Prasanna Mukherji | TNN

Kolkata: At a time when Maoist activity is at its peak, Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Group has decided to shift the location of its proposed 1,600 MW power plant in Bengal to Salboni — a hotbed of the ultraleftists where a joint police force is still engaged in combing operations.
The facility was originally supposed to come up at Ichapur near Asansol in the communist bastion of Burdwan. “Initially, we had decided to go in for a pithead power plant. But the site was very close to the proposed airport city, Aerotropolis. Civil aviation norms do not permit a power plant so close to the airport. So, we decided to shift,” JSW Bengal Steel joint MD Biswadip Gupta said.
“Salboni was the ideal location as we have land there. Beside, we might get gas from Gail in future as well which can be used as feed stock for the power plant,” he added. Incidentally, JSW is setting up a 10 million tonne steel plant at Salboni for an investment of over Rs 35,000 crore.
JSW Bengal Steel has 4,500 acre at Salboni. JSW Energy is forming a special purpose vehicle with JSW Bengal Steel to set up the 1,600 MW (2x800 MW) power plant at Salboni. While JSW Energy holds 74% in this SPV, JSW Bengal Steel has the balance 26%.
Commenting on the steel project, Gupta said it had got delayed by one year due to the global economic meltdown, but work has now restarted. “We have been working in that site for almost three years now. Till date, we never had any problem,” Gupta said, when asked whether the company faced any hurdles due to Maoist activities in that zone. He said at least 12-15 company staff are there at the site along with 500-600 contractual workers.

I think West Bengal govt really deserves a prize for holding the first position in at least 1 thing -Continuously generating hope without doing anything.

Nearly 2 and a half years back they used to tell stories of IBM setting up a fab lab in the city and incubation centre for the semiconductor industry.
But nothing actually happened.

You can have a look at the 2 links below.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=18539617&postcount=626
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=18564192&postcount=636


Now they are talking about doing it with Saporjee.

Kudos to Budhha and Debesh Das.




That is not true at all. Under the liberalisation policy of successive central Govts, state govts should either take steps to welcome the private sector or get nothing at all for development or administration. In this context, the West Bengal has done well.

As far as the 2nd link relating to the fab lab is concerned, the infrastructure part is done. See the company website.

That is not true at all. Under the liberalisation policy of successive central Govts, state govts should either take steps to welcome the private sector or get nothing at all for development or administration. In this context, the West Bengal has done well.

As far as the 2nd link relating to the fab lab is concerned, the infrastructure part is done. See the company website.

Hi Kiev,

Welcome to the forum.
I think I never criticized the liberalization policy of central Govts, I criticized the hollow stuff announced by the state governments from time to time.

Can you elaborate how actually West Bengal has done well?
Can you please point me to the right location. It will be really nice to see any effective progress.

Firstly the central Govt announced the liberalization policy in 1991. For the first 3 years, the left front govt wasted time by vehemently opposing it and misguiding people by debating about GATT and WTO.

Then in 1994, they did a turnaround and declared an industrialization policy in sync with the central Govt.

Ok...that was the heydays of iconic JYOTI BASU and nobody is complaining.
What else can you expect from him?

Budhha is there for the last 8-9 years. Lets talk about his progress.
How many R&D centres are there in Kolkata till now? Just think once about the southern states. Even the big service based MNCs like Accenture, EDS are not present.
What is the scenario in Biotech, LPO, Analytics, Management consulting and Financial companies?

How many non-bengalis are coming to work in Kolkata and how many Bengalis are moving out of West Bengal in search of jobs every year?
I think everybody knows that you cannot even compare the second number with the first.

As far as the fab lab is concerned, I tried to google but perhaps I lack the skills.
I went ahead and searched for the Infinity Intech Parks Ltd. Landed up here.
http://www.infinityitpark.com/indiadesigncentre.html#
The page itself is incomplete.

Can you please point me to the right URL? It will be really nice to see any meaningful development.

ABD plans IPO next year to fund Bengal distillery

Kishore Chhabria-promoted Allied Blenders & Distillers (ABD) has firmed up plans to set up a 100 kilo litre per day distillery in West Bengal with an investment of Rs 120 crore. However, the company is yet get the licence for it as well as make the funding arrangements.

Deepak Roy, executive vice chairman & chief executive officer, at the launch of a premium segment Rum- Jolly Roger- said the company has applied for the licence nine months back and the government has already offered it 50 acres in Haldia to set up a distillery.

"Getting licence needs 12-18 months time and by that time we hope to make arrangements for funds," Roy said.

How many non-bengalis are coming to work in Kolkata and how many Bengalis are moving out of West Bengal in search of jobs every year?
I think everybody knows that you cannot even compare the second number with the first.



Can you please provide a link to migration statistics from say the Census dept?

BTW what is your stance of people leaving advanced states (often by hook or crook - false resumes, false certificates) for foreign countries? Why are they leaving their "advanced" states? In search of advanced knowledge? Or simply because there are not enough opportunities?

Can you please provide a link to migration statistics from say the Census dept?

BTW what is your stance of people leaving advanced states (often by hook or crook - false resumes, false certificates) for foreign countries? Why are they leaving their "advanced" states? In search of advanced knowledge? Or simply because there are not enough opportunities?

Hahahaha...this is going to become a debate for the sake of doing a debate.
No, I do not have any migration statistics from the census department.

I have worked in sw companies in both Kolkata and Bangalore. Currently I am in Bangalore. You have to be here to see how many Bengalis are working here. An unofficial estimate can be figured out from the fact that 30+ durga pujas are being held here in last 2-3 years.

When I was in Kolkata, I hardly found any non-Bengalis working there ( except for some population from Orissa, Jharkhand and Assam comprising less than 10-15 % of the workforce).
See, none of the data is official but an estimate.
How many south-indians or so as to say people from Maharashtra, Gujrat and even MP do you find migrating to Kolkata every year for job opportunities?


Yes I do not support large number of south indians leaving their states (often by hook or crook - false resumes, false certificates) for foreign countries.
But they are leaving for getting the great American Dream . Yes in many cases that become the great American scream.

But that does not mean that there are less opportunities in the southern states. Over 100+ R&D centres are there in Bangalore alone. I am not talking about Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune.

But I do not think it will be wise to think that South Indians are leaving in large numbers for first world countries because there are less opportunities in their home state and Bengalis are not leaving in large numbers because there are opportunities galore in Kolkata.

See I was born and brought up In kolkata and I love my city and state. I yearn to go back there as soon as possible. I am not one of those types who will keep on telling the virtues of staying out of Bengal.

So I did a positive criticism.

My entire point is that Budhha / Devesh gang is doing very little and generating lot of noise and false hope.

Hahahaha...this is going to become a debate for the sake of doing a debate.
No, I do not have any migration statistics from the census department.

I have worked in sw companies in both Kolkata and Bangalore. Currently I am in Bangalore. You have to be here to see how many Bengalis are working here. An unofficial estimate can be figured out from the fact that 30+ durga pujas are being held here in last 2-3 years.

Very interesting. I always believed the media and some corporate whizkids - that Bengalis were unemployable (lack of knowledge of English, lack of skills, lack of computer knowledge, lazy, laid back, uncompetitive and union happy).

When I was in Kolkata, I hardly found any non-Bengalis working there ( except for some population from Orissa, Jharkhand and Assam comprising less than 10-15 % of the workforce). See, none of the data is official but an estimate.
How many south-indians or so as to say people from Maharashtra, Gujrat and even MP do you find migrating to Kolkata every year for job opportunities?

I don't know. That's why I was asking for concrete data. I have seen this popular theory of the great Bengali migration floated in several media outlets.

Yes I do not support large number of south indians leaving their states (often by hook or crook - false resumes, false certificates) for foreign countries.
But they are leaving for getting the great American Dream . Yes in many cases that become the great American scream.

Actually I didn't really think of any particular region of India when I mentioned the case for migration by hook or crook.

But that does not mean that there are less opportunities in the southern states. Over 100+ R&D centres are there in Bangalore alone. I am not talking about Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune.

But I do not think it will be wise to think that South Indians are leaving in large numbers for first world countries because there are less opportunities in their home state and Bengalis are not leaving in large numbers because there are opportunities galore in Kolkata.

No Indian state can generate enough gainful employment for all of its people yet. That is a fact. No, not even in IT. India is a young nation and this will continue to be a challenge for years to come. So yes there may be relatively more opportunities in some states compared to others. But the way the media generates hype about so called "advanced" states makes me wonder how gullible many of our journalists and editorial boards are.


So I did a positive criticism.

If I didn't think that your criticism was positive, I wouldn't have bothered to reply.


My entire point is that Budhha / Devesh gang is doing very little and generating lot of noise and false hope.

I personally think that they tried to break free of the Left Front's dinosaur attitude. They did get a lot of positive attention from prospective investors.

Why did they fail? There are many reasons (my personal opinion). The people of Bengal have been so long used to Left Front's status quo ( out of tune with times, policies on many areas), that they couldn't grasp the sudden stress on industrialization and modernization. Miss Mamata, took this reluctance to wake up from sleep and the media packaged her ultra left stance (NA and NO)as "paribartan". No investor would really like to come to the land of NA and NO. They know anything that they would want to do will be opposed by the main opposition party. And even if the ruling and opposition parties change in Bengal, there is no reason to believe that the policies of NA and NO by the political parties will change.

The big question is have things changed for the better in West Bengal since 2001 when Buddhadeb came to power, compared to his predecessor? If we believe Mr Bibek Debroy's company (which was "commissioned" by Trinamool) to come out with a white paper on West Bengal, it's only been a downhill ride under Buddha babu. It's packed with all kinds of statistical data to buttress the claims (not verified by a fourth party).

What do people on the streets really think? Do they think Buddha babu was a failure or Mr Devesh was a failure? Or do they think they tried but were in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's what would be interesting to know.

And of course most important now: Will things really change (for the better) under Miss Mamata's rule. Or will Bengal slide into more ultra leftism under her regime?

Suzlon Group, Bengal to meet on wind farm project

Senior staffers of the Suzlon Group will soon meet state officials over a revised agreement on the eastern region’s largest wind farm project, expected to come up at Dadanpatra in East Midnapore district.

Sources said that the meeting for finalising the terms of the agreement would be held on June 30. The 40-50 MW wind farm, to come up on 700 acres of land, would cost around Rs 500 crore.

“A fresh MoU is likely to be signed at a later date,” Department of Power special secretary Mr S P Gon Chaudhuri said

“A major hurdle was sorted out after West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission allowed a 10-year power purchase agreement (PPA),” Mr Gon Chaudhuri said, adding that the Government has agreed to buy wind power at Rs 4 per unit.

Suzlon Energy subsidiary Suzlon Infrastructure Services Ltd (SISL) will execute the project. SISL would build and operate the wind farm, and after the project is stabilised, transfer it to propective investors.

SISL GM (Marketing) Mr PM Rao, who is also the project in-charge, had insisted on the West Bengal government making the PPA for 10 years instead of five because it was causing a delay in project implementation.

Bankers were also not keen on funding it because a five-year PPA agreement was not feasible for a project with a break-even point of seven years.

With West Bengal having only a 3 MW windpower plant, the Suzlon project - its largest - would help scale up the renewable power target from the present 110 MW to 250 MW by 2012-13.

Though the Suzlon project was expected to come up in 2009-10, the economic slowdown as well as the 10-year PPA issue delayed the process. Sources said that land has been identified, and is in the process of being transferred.

Stating that solar power is another major area of interest for companies in Bengal, Mr Gon Choudhuri said that 90 MW would be added in the next two years. PTI

I have worked in sw companies in both Kolkata and Bangalore. Currently I am in Bangalore. You have to be here to see how many Bengalis are working here. An unofficial estimate can be figured out from the fact that 30+ durga pujas are being held here in last 2-3 years.

I am also currently in bangalore and feel the same.

When I was in Kolkata, I hardly found any non-Bengalis working there ( except for some population from Orissa, Jharkhand and Assam comprising less than 10-15 % of the workforce).
See, none of the data is official but an estimate.
How many south-indians or so as to say people from Maharashtra, Gujrat and even MP do you find migrating to Kolkata every year for job opportunities?

I am dyimg to go to kolkata.Every time i search job in jobsites,I do get delhi/mum/blore/chennai/pune/hude but kolkata :ohno:.

See I was born and brought up In kolkata and I love my city and state. I yearn to go back there as soon as possible. I am not one of those types who will keep on telling the virtues of staying out of Bengal.

Feeling same everyday

[/QUOTE]My entire point is that Budhha / Devesh gang is doing very little and generating lot of noise and false hope.[QUOTE]

lack of proper infrastructure and amenities are main culprit in my poit of view

Very interesting. I always believed the media and some corporate whizkids - that Bengalis were unemployable (lack of knowledge of English, lack of skills, lack of computer knowledge, lazy, laid back, uncompetitive and union happy).

Good for idle gossip...but does not seem to be the companys' viewpoint as most of the companies in India have Bengalis' in topmost / top positions. In States also Bengali's rule the roost in IT companies/ research institutes.

There was once a editorial like this in anandabzar which concluded "Company Policy : Employ Bengalis, but outside Bengal".

Hi Kiev,

Can you elaborate how actually West Bengal has done well?
Can you please point me to the right location. It will be really nice to see any effective progress.

Firstly the central Govt announced the liberalization policy in 1991. For the first 3 years, the left front govt wasted time by vehemently opposing it and misguiding people by debating about GATT and WTO.

Then in 1994, they did a turnaround and declared an industrialization policy in sync with the central Govt.

Budhha is there for the last 8-9 years. Lets talk about his progress.
How many R&D centres are there in Kolkata till now? Just think once about the southern states. Even the big service based MNCs like Accenture, EDS are not present.
What is the scenario in Biotech, LPO, Analytics, Management consulting and Financial companies?

How many non-bengalis are coming to work in Kolkata and how many Bengalis are moving out of West Bengal in search of jobs every year?
I think everybody knows that you cannot even compare the second number with the first.

As far as the fab lab is concerned, I tried to google but perhaps I lack the skills.
I went ahead and searched for the Infinity Intech Parks Ltd. Landed up here.
http://www.infinityitpark.com/indiadesigncentre.html#
The page itself is incomplete.

Can you please point me to the right URL? It will be really nice to see any meaningful development.

See: http://www.epw.in/epw/uploads/articles/643.pdf

You can see the reports in the Documents section and relevant departments of

http://www.wbgov.com

including the reports on agriculture.

and also

http://www.wbidc.com/about_wb/physical_infrastructure.htm
http://www.wbidc.com/about_wb/industrial_infrastructure.htm
http://www.wbidc.com/overview/mega_projects.htm#

http://www.wbiidc.org/project/projects.htm

West Bengal has only 3% of India's total area and a ridiculously large population (~9%+ of the total). It will be better if people from the state move out.

Capitalist development can never create enough jobs and nation is doomed if we continue to stick to such policies and with 80% earning less than Rs20/day in the country ... you must think that you are LUCKY if you have a job. The law of sustained effort => rewards cannot apply.


Infinity park: I looked at the SEZ in salt lake. Most of the IT projects in the state are in the private sector and department websites do not list all details apparently.

From the state commerce and industry department website

(www.wbgov.com)


A.INDUSTRIAL USES OF PADDY AND ITS BYPRODUCTS.

West Bengal is the largest producer of paddy in India. In 1999-2000 approximately 207 lakh tonnes of paddy was produced in the State. The production of rice in the State during the corresponding period was nearly 138 lakh tonnes. The average rate of production of rice from paddy in India, West Bengal included, is 67%.

There are 3 (three) components of paddy, i.e., (a) husk, (b) bran, and (c) rice. The retention percentages of the different components from paddy are as follows: -

Husk - 20%

Bran - 5%

Rice - 67%

In practice only rice is produced from paddy in West Bengal. The retention of husk and bran is almost negligible. This is mainly because the majority percentage of paddy in the State is processed in Husking Mills. Most of the husk and bran are now wasted. The retention of husk and bran at the standard rates as mentioned above can be achieved only if the paddy is totally processed in Rice Mills.

However, it is heartening to note that the number of Rice Mills in the State is growing, particularly the mini Rice Mills. 50% of the paddy produced in the State is expected to be processed through Rice Mills, in next couple of years.

The magnitude of the subject can be understood if we look at the industrial and other uses of husk and bran.

B. PADDY HUSK: APPLICATIONS.

Paddy Husk contains large quantum of volatile matter. From this volatile matter thermal energy can be produced. 1 kg of paddy husk can produce energy equivalent to 1.5 kg of coal and 1.0 kg of oil. Energy can be derived from husking in two methods — (a) by burning it for running the boilers (in West Bengal many Rice Mills run boilers in the mills in this process) and (b) by producing gas from husk. From 40000 tonne of husk 5 (five) MW of energy can be produced. At least 40 lakhs tonnes of husk can be made available every year in the State producing nearly 400 MW of power/energy. In the rice-producing and Rice Mill dominant districts like Burdwan, Birbhum, Purulia, Medinipur, Hooghli, Bankura, Dakshin Dinajpur, small 5-10 MW capacity power plants can be set up in a decentralized manner. Punjab has the biggest private Rice Mill in Asia and this Rice Mill supplies the surplus power produced from husk to Punjab State Electricity Board. West Bengal may also follow the example.

From the burnt husk ash silicon can be retained. The silica content in burnt husk is nearly 91%. Amorphous silica can be retained if burnt husk is heated up to 700 centigrade. Pure silicon is available from amorphous silica. This product has large demand in electronics industry. Amorphous silica has also great demand in export market for production of clear energy.

Apart from silicon, sodium and potassium silicate are also available from burnt husk. These have applications in adhesive and detergent industries.

In biological content of husk, furfural is available. Furfural can be used as preservatives in nylon and pharmaceutical products.

From the residual husk ash heat-resistant bricks can also be manufactured.

C. RICE BRAN: APPLICATIONS.

From Rice Bran about 20% of edible oil can be extracted which means that from 100 kg of paddy 1 kg of edible oil can be produced The retention of edible oil is greater from boiled rice which is grossly predominant in the state. Rice Bran Oil is one of the cleanest and nutritious edible oils. However, the production Rice Bran Oil in West Bengal is comparatively much less than even other lesser paddy-producing states. If West Bengal produces Rice Bran Oil to actual potential there is no need to import edible oil from other states. Contrarily the State would be able to export the surplus oil. Linolic acid in Rice Bran Oil keeps the cholesterol level in the blood in control. This colourless and odourless oil not only enhances the taste of the food but also reduce the cost of cooking by about 20-25%. In countries like China and Japan, Rice Bran Oil is the premium cooking medium.

The De-oiled Rice Bran is widely used as component of animal feed.

The De-oiled Rice Bran is also used in the making of biscuits and other bakery products.

Nitrogen and potassium–rich DORB is also used as fertilizer for production of vegetables and flowers.

Lecithin in DORB is also used as preservatives. Separating it from DORB before processing can produce wax. This wax is used in various industries and can replace their imported counterparts.

The State of West Bengal will stand to gain additional revenue of Rs.2070 crores by exploring and exploiting the alternative uses of paddy.

Good for idle gossip...but does not seem to be the companys' viewpoint as most of the companies in India have Bengalis' in topmost / top positions. In States also Bengali's rule the roost in IT companies/ research institutes.
There was once a editorial like this in anandabzar which concluded "Company Policy : Employ Bengalis, but outside Bengal".

We're first and foremost Indians - next come the State's Patriotism/Jingoism!
Its an INDIAN which is at the roost - both in India and in many, many places abroad (I'm in New York - and I see Indians mostly in the elite category)!!
Lets not be so parochial - that we tend to forget the Motherland in our quest for Identity!!!

We're first and foremost Indians - next come the State's Patriotism/Jingoism!
Its an INDIAN which is at the roost - both in India and in many, many places abroad (I'm in New York - and I see Indians mostly in the elite category)!!
Lets not be so parochial - that we tend to forget the Motherland in our quest for Identity!!!

all that talk sounds very good... but who cares about aizwal and guwahati and patna.. as long as few IT companies are enjoying their real estate properties in south india

on a more serious note, it makes very good sense to see India as a salad bowl rather than a melting pot (as it is done in the US). variety is good. what we need is maintaining diversity so that every big city is truly cosmopolitan (by that I mean there are people from all parts of India).

I am also currently in bangalore and feel the same.



I am dyimg to go to kolkata.Every time i search job in jobsites,I do get delhi/mum/blore/chennai/pune/hude but kolkata :ohno:.



Feeling same everyday

My entire point is that Budhha / Devesh gang is doing very little and generating lot of noise and false hope.

lack of proper infrastructure and amenities are main culprit in my poit of view

^^ I know that there is always a yearning for roots but one needs to be a bit cautious to settle for a job in Kolkata ( i am talking in reference to the IT industry).

After spending about 7-8 years in Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, I took up a posting in Kolkata last year. There may not be an immediate problem but when one thinks of growth opportunities within the company or more choices for new opportunities one can get a bit disappointed. IMO, this will continue to be the scene as long as there are cities with more and better opportunities for growth.

Today in 2010, we know that the vision of "becoming one of the top 3 IT states" was a eyewash; in fact almost a non starter. We do not have a Accenture or a EDS/HP that have employees in droves in all the other IT cities. leave alone semiconductor/R&D companies

Let us all wait and see how TMC can bring poriborton till 2016.:)

My entire point is that Budhha / Devesh gang is doing very little and generating lot of noise and false hope.

^^ I know that there is always a yearning for roots but one needs to be a bit cautious to settle for a job in Kolkata ( i am talking in reference to the IT industry).

After spending about 7-8 years in Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, I took up a posting in Kolkata last year. There may not be an immediate problem but when one thinks of growth opportunities within the company or more choices for new opportunities one can get a bit disappointed. IMO, this will continue to be the scene as long as there are cities with more and better opportunities for growth.

Today in 2010, we know that the vision of "becoming one of the top 3 IT states" was a eyewash; in fact almost a non starter. We do not have a Accenture or a EDS/HP that have employees in droves in all the other IT cities. leave alone semiconductor/R&D companies

Let us all wait and see how TMC can bring poriborton till 2016.:)

I am almost in the same boat as arijeetb, i moved to Kolkata from Bangalore. There is less growth opp in Kolkata. In general, what I have seen in Bangalore and here in US as well, sustainable growth only happens if there is a large entrepreneurial spritit.

The model followed currently in Bengal is the China model, where we will not create companies, but ask other existing companies to set up shop. This can be successful only if have huge land bank and large and cheap labor force.

Unfortunately bengal does not have sufficient land and labor is more expensive in Bengal than its surroundings, like Bihar and Orissa. So Left policies were doomed to fail. Initially I was gung ho about Bengal Industrialiazation but realized this during the Singur fiasco, and I kind of knew we were going no where with this policy.

I do not know why there is no debate in Bengal on entrepreneurship. Rather than giving away large tracts of land to big companies, creating World class companies at home should be the model. The Govt should encourage local companies to grow.But some people in Bengal, think Industrialiazation is dependent only on land. This is where I believe bengal has lost most in the left regime, the thinking power.

New Delhi, June 9: State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) plans to set up an LPG pipeline from Paradip to Durgapur at a cost of Rs 700 crore.

The 680km pipeline is likely to be constructed by September 2012.

“The company board in its last meeting has approved the project. We will be taking up the financial clearance in October-November board meet,” K.K. Jha, director (pipelines), told The Telegraph.

The pipeline will facilitate the transportation of LPG from IOC’s Paradip refinery to bottling plants at Balasore, Budge Budge, Kalyani and Durgapur. From Balasore and Durgapur, LPG will be taken to bottling units in Bihar, Bengal and Jharkhand.

“The Paradip refinery, which is expected to be commissioned by March 2012, is likely to operate in full capacity by September and will produce 500 thousand metric tonnes of LPG. We will like to have the pipeline by then to transport the gas to the bottling plants,” Jha said.

The ground-level survey has been done, and the board has cleared the feasibility report. IOC will take about 30 months to set up the pipeline. Jha said the pipeline would not only reduce the time to transport cooking gas but also bring down the logistic cost.

The pipeline will offer a major competitive advantage to the PSU in its bid to streamline and optimise operations. The firm has completed the Rs 1,420-crore Paradip-Haldia pipeline set up to transport 11 million tonnes of crude per year from Paradip to the refineries at Haldia and Barauni.

New Delhi, June 10: The cabinet today deferred a decision on stake sales in state-run Coal India Ltd (CIL) and Hindustan Copper, which together could have fetched the government around Rs 17,000 crore.

“The cabinet didn’t take a decision on the proposed sale of stakes in Hindustan Copper and CIL,” minister of mines B.K. Handique said without giving any reason for the deferment.

Calcutta-based Hindustan Copper was expecting the government to approve its plan for a 20 per cent stake sale to raise up to about Rs 5,000 crore.

Chairman Shakeel Ahmed had said he did not expect any issues with the cabinet approval “as no ministry has opposed it”. The government’s stake in Hindustan Copper — the country’s biggest miner of copper ore — will drop to about 81 per cent after the offer from 99.59 per cent.

The government’s decision to sell 10 per cent in CIL — which is expected to fetch between Rs 12,000 crore and Rs 15,000 crore — was also deferred.

Last week, coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal had said CIL might postpone its initial public offering to September or October, instead of July-August as planned earlier because of the euro zone crisis.

Investment bankers involved in the stake sale had also advanced similar agreements. Besides, the holiday season would be over in Europe by then and the markets have shed their lethargy.

The government has shortlisted six banks, including Citigroup, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley to manage the CIL issue. The bankers for the Hindustan Copper issue are expected to be finalised next week.

The stake sales in CIL and Hindustan Copper are part of the government plan to divest stakes in over 60 public sector firms over the next five years.

The department of disinvestment has set a target to raise Rs 40,000 crore this year. It has already raised over Rs 1,000 crore through a stake sale in Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd.

EIL divestment

Divestment secretary Sumit Bose had recently said the sale of 10 per cent of the government’s equity in Engineers India Ltd (EIL) was likely to happen in the second half of July.

Last year, the government had raised Rs 23,552 crore by selling shares in five companies, missing its Rs 25,000-crore target by Rs 1,448 crore.

The public issue of National Mineral Development Corporation was the biggest in 2009-10.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100611/jsp/frontpage/story_12553556.jsp

New Delhi, June 10: Wagon makers Burn Standard and Braithwaite, monuments to the rise and ruin of industry in Bengal, have been transferred to Mamata Banerjee’s railway ministry.

The Union cabinet, which cleared the transfer and helped Mamata keep an election promise, has decided to write off Burn Standard’s accumulated loans and dues of Rs 1,139.16 crore. The dues were standing in the way of private proposals to take over the sick company that owns lucrative real estate.

Burn Standard’s profit-making refractory unit in Salem will be shifted to steelmaker SAIL.

Burn Standard had turned sick 16 years ago. Braithwaite had also slipped into the red but has now clawed its way back to profits. The twists and turns had come to symbolise not only the condition of industry in Bengal but also step-motherly attitude of some central ministers towards units in the state. ( )

“We are taking them over (Burn Standard and Braithwaite). After all, the railways need huge numbers of wagons and in-house wagon makers will be an asset,” Mamata said.

The railways are planning to buy 18,000 wagons this financial year and the demand will go up when the east-west freight corridor is commissioned. A significant part of these orders will go to the two Bengal-based wagon makers, officials said. “Cash advances for the wagons will be used for modernising the factories and expanding capacities,” a Railway Board official said.

Keeping in mind local concerns — the two companies together employ around 1,500 people in Bengal — the railways said Rs 20 crore would be pumped in immediately to bring the pay scales of the wagon makers on a par.

The pay of Burn Standard employees is lower than that of Braithwaite now. “There is no question of anyone losing their jobs,” Mamata said.

The news of the takeover sent a wave of hope surging among employees of the two public sector units. Sipra Mukherjee, wife of Swapan Mukherjee who works in the Burn Standard unit in Burnpur, said: “For 16 years, we had suffered mentally. My husband looked worried all the time. But today we are all happy.”

Sipra gave a hint of the political dividends Mamata hopes to reap. “We are all hardcore CPM supporters. But today, I must thank Mamata Banerjee for her bold decision,” Sipra said.

Trinamul leaders were quick to point to the cabinet decision as another piece of evidence of Mamata’s growing acceptance in Delhi after the civic poll triumph.

Mamata had mooted the proposal in last year’s railway budget but the clearance came today. The two companies were under the heavy industries ministry, now headed by Vilasrao Deshmukh.
Top

CCI nod for four highway projects
Friday, 11 Jun, 2010

The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) on 10 June 2010 accorded its approval to four highway projects worth over Rs 2,500 crore in Gujarat, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh under NHDP Phase III

The Krishnanagar-Baharampur section in West Bengal and Muzaffarpur-Sonbarsa in Bihar are to be implemented on DBFOT basis on BOT (Annuity) mode and Jetpur-Somnath section in Gujarat is to be built on DBFOT/BOT (Toll) basis. The Jhansi-Khajuraho section is to be implemented on DBFOT basis. The project spans over the three districts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh - Jhansi, Tikamgarh and Chhatarpur.
http://projectstoday.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?smid=24&nid=31383

I am almost in the same boat as arijeetb, i moved to Kolkata from Bangalore. There is less growth opp in Kolkata. In general, what I have seen in Bangalore and here in US as well, sustainable growth only happens if there is a large entrepreneurial spritit.

The model followed currently in Bengal is the China model, where we will not create companies, but ask other existing companies to set up shop. This can be successful only if have huge land bank and large and cheap labor force.

Unfortunately bengal does not have sufficient land and labor is more expensive in Bengal than its surroundings, like Bihar and Orissa. So Left policies were doomed to fail. Initially I was gung ho about Bengal Industrialiazation but realized this during the Singur fiasco, and I kind of knew we were going no where with this policy.

I do not know why there is no debate in Bengal on entrepreneurship. Rather than giving away large tracts of land to big companies, creating World class companies at home should be the model. The Govt should encourage local companies to grow.But some people in Bengal, think Industrialiazation is dependent only on land. This is where I believe bengal has lost most in the left regime, the thinking power.

There is a lot of entrepreneurship in Bengal. Even the small pan shop on the drain at the street corner is an example of entrepreneurship. When it comes to small scale industries - an example of local entrepreneurship, West Bengal is amongst the top five states. However a huge chunk of these industries are suffering because they cannot compete with big organized manufacturers and imports. The support they need to survive has to come both from the state and central governments. However that support is usually in the form of lip service.

Most industries do need land apart from other resources like water, power, roads, rails and of course human talent. Except for people, everything else is limited. This is because West Bengal has a huge population (highest density in country). In recent times land has become an issue mostly because political parties are power hungry and illiterate, intellectuals belong to the cold war era and they are spreading fear amongst gullible masses. Kolkata covers about 3% of West Bengal land and produces a huge chunk of gdp and has about 15% of the population. If the state can just build two more Kolkatas that would mean just 6% more land and 30% population accomodated in more productive work. That would still leave 90% of the land to be tilled by 55% of the remaining population. The fear of not having enough food can be easily done away with by increasing farm output productivity. But we are afraid of urbanization and industrialization and increase in productivity.

The throwing out of the Tatas from Singur, is one of the worst things that has happened in Bengal's industrial history. 10 years from now people will see the difference between Singur and Sanand and it will probably a be a picture of relative poverty vs a picture of prosperity. And you will hear some of the proponents of throwing out of Tatas say proudly on TV - "Amra jemon achi, bhaloi to achi, amader karkhana chai na"

There is a lot of entrepreneurship in Bengal. Even the small pan shop on the drain at the street corner is an example of entrepreneurship. When it comes to small scale industries - an example of local entrepreneurship, West Bengal is amongst the top five states. However a huge chunk of these industries are suffering because they cannot compete with big organized manufacturers and imports. The support they need to survive has to come both from the state and central governments. However that support is usually in the form of lip service.

Most industries do need land apart from other resources like water, power, roads, rails and of course human talent. Except for people, everything else is limited. This is because West Bengal has a huge population (highest density in country). In recent times land has become an issue mostly because political parties are power hungry and illiterate, intellectuals belong to the cold war era and they are spreading fear amongst gullible masses. Kolkata covers about 3% of West Bengal land and produces a huge chunk of gdp and has about 15% of the population. If the state can just build two more Kolkatas that would mean just 6% more land and 30% population accomodated in more productive work. That would still leave 90% of the land to be tilled by 55% of the remaining population. The fear of not having enough food can be easily done away with by increasing farm output productivity. But we are afraid of urbanization and industrialization and increase in productivity.

The throwing out of the Tatas from Singur, is one of the worst things that has happened in Bengal's industrial history. 10 years from now people will see the difference between Singur and Sanand and it will probably a be a picture of relative poverty vs a picture of prosperity. And you will hear some of the proponents of throwing out of Tatas say proudly on TV - "Amra jemon achi, bhaloi to achi, amader karkhana chai na"

I totally agree with you on the Singur, it was a great loss. I was hoping some ice will cut and it will work. But adamant attitude of both sides led to a great loss for Bengal.But I do not think it is the worst thing that happened , massive flight of Industry happened in the 70 and 80s and Singur is small compared to them. Overall the image of the state has taken a beating from that time, which unfortunately continues.

Buddhadeb babu tried to improve, but you cannot improve with marshalls like Suhrid Dutta and Lakhsman Seth. That is not the way to do. I would wait a hundred years rather than letting cadre beat up people for land. I sympathize with Buddhadeb babu, he tried to do good. But it is his party machinery that brought him down.And now if you see everybody is trying to blame Buddhadeb for the failure.

The macro figures and percentages which you have provided do not work on a micro level. People are emotionally attached to the land and they will not leave the land until you compensate them real big. If you need land, pay for the land to the person using it and for that you need to have deep pockets. It was to be a business negotiation, and not a threat. As I said before, tomorrow if Govt takes over your house and gives to a big conglomerate and pays you lesser than market rate, how will you feel ? You might agree if they pay 2-3 times the market rate, but thats not what they did.

Also the other lesson is do not offer land to others when you do not have the land in your hand in the first place. This is where they went wrong, they thought by scaring people they will get all the land, which obviously boomeranged.

I totally agree with you on the Singur, it was a great loss. I was hoping some ice will cut and it will work. But adamant attitude of both sides led to a great loss for Bengal.But I do not think it is the worst thing that happened , massive flight of Industry happened in the 70 and 80s and Singur is small compared to them. Overall the image of the state has taken a beating from that time, which unfortunately continues.

Buddhadeb babu tried to improve, but you cannot improve with marshalls like Suhrid Dutta and Lakhsman Seth. That is not the way to do. I would wait a hundred years rather than letting cadre beat up people for land. I sympathize with Buddhadeb babu, he tried to do good. But it is his party machinery that brought him down.And now if you see everybody is trying to blame Buddhadeb for the failure.

The macro figures and percentages which you have provided do not work on a micro level. People are emotionally attached to the land and they will not leave the land until you compensate them real big. If you need land, pay for the land to the person using it and for that you need to have deep pockets. It was to be a business negotiation, and not a threat. As I said before, tomorrow if Govt takes over your house and gives to a big conglomerate and pays you lesser than market rate, how will you feel ? You might agree if they pay 2-3 times the market rate, but thats not what they did.

Also the other lesson is do not offer land to others when you do not have the land in your hand in the first place. This is where they went wrong, they thought by scaring people they will get all the land, which obviously boomeranged.

I personally don't think that the government was trying to get land by scaring off people. Some of the cadres may have indulged in unlawful activities initially. The government simply assumed (mistakenly) that by giving slightly higher compensation than market value, people would gladly give up the land. The courts till now have ruled in favour of the government. The law of land aquistion may be unfair, but that is the law which had been used till now all over the country. If some of the respected lawmakers are so upset about this law, then why not change it and make it more in tune with times? I haven't seen any screaming lawmaker take any concrete steps towards that direction.

Now here is where everything becomes unclear as to what is the real number of people who objected to the land being taken away (forcibly as per intellectuals, activists). Political activists bussed in by thousands from outside Singur obviously were not the affected lot. Are most of the actually affected and objecting people land owners or are they sharecroppers? Is the disputed land 400 acres or 200 acres or 100 acres? No one knows.

The government still has the land legally. The Tatas have not given up their lease either. No one knows what the next CM of the state will do with the land. Return the so called 400 acres and build a locomotive factory? Or return all the land? There is no clear answer. Who in the end are the victims? The farmers - they have been fooled by the govt, the activists, the intellectuals, the media and the political leaders - all of them have used the farmers for their own motives.

I don't disagree that the farmers have the right to object about anything that affects their livelihood and wealth. What I object to is the way all the political parties, activists and intellectuals handled this situation in a way that was detrimental to most Well at least someone is reaping handsome benefits today because of Singur and Nandigram.

Anyway that is now the past. So what is the future? As I had earlier said in a post, the government cannot command investors to go and invest in barren lands. The investors have plenty of choice. The government doesn't. We cannot say that West Bengal doesn't need big industries. In West Bengal, our intellectuals beat their chests saying that minerals are being given away on a platter to capitalists and imperialists. They oppose power plants and yet they weep about no electricity in villages. And we all listen to these Rudalis. They are of course silent when the same industrialists go and sign MOUs in Karnataka in exchange for access to land and minerals. We then say - look West Bengal cannot do what Karnataka can.

Governments will change, parties will change. But if the basics remain the same - the same old love for ultra leftism, then what will really change? West Bengal doesn't need more leftism. It needs some right dosage of centrism. The clamour for change is there but it is almost like a clamour for back to status quo. Maybe I am wrong. Things will improve dramatically in the near future. We can always have hope.

Mamata Magic? Just after yesterday's news about BBUNL (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/govt-approves-rejigbharat-bhari-udyog/97488/on)

Joint venture to revive MAMC

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100612/jsp/bengal/story_12557442.jsp

A consortium of Coal India, Damodar Valley Corporation and Bharat Ear-th Movers today took over the Mining and Allied Machinery Corporation in Durgapur, winning an auction with a Rs 100-crore bid.

Calcutta High Court con- ducted the sale after the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) had ordered the company’s closure in 2002.

The winning combine was today allowed to “take over and secure access to the assets of (the) MAMC” after it deposited Rs 18.75 crore. The rest has to be paid within 30 days.

When the court started the sale process in 2007, Coal India and the DVC had together sought a stay saying they wanted to assess the MAMC’s scope for revival. The two public sector enterprises then brought in a third partner, Bharat, and said they wanted to revive the MAMC.

The Durgapur plant was set up in 1965 with Soviet co-operation to make equipment for various mining industries. The company had diversified into the manufacture, erection and commissioning of bulk material handling plants and coal washeries.

However, it slipped into the red and was referred to the BIFR in 1992.

The Union cabinet has to approve the move by the consortium, but that is only a formality.

The acquisition will help the DVC source equipment and spares for its ageing thermal power plants and Coal India will get the much-needed equipment support for underground mining.

I personally don't think that the government was trying to get land by scaring off people. Some of the cadres may have indulged in unlawful activities initially. The government simply assumed (mistakenly) that by giving slightly higher compensation than market value, people would gladly give up the land. The courts till now have ruled in favour of the government. The law of land aquistion may be unfair, but that is the law which had been used till now all over the country. If some of the respected lawmakers are so upset about this law, then why not change it and make it more in tune with times? I haven't seen any screaming lawmaker take any concrete steps towards that direction.

Now here is where everything becomes unclear as to what is the real number of people who objected to the land being taken away (forcibly as per intellectuals, activists). Political activists bussed in by thousands from outside Singur obviously were not the affected lot. Are most of the actually affected and objecting people land owners or are they sharecroppers? Is the disputed land 400 acres or 200 acres or 100 acres? No one knows.

The government still has the land legally. The Tatas have not given up their lease either. No one knows what the next CM of the state will do with the land. Return the so called 400 acres and build a locomotive factory? Or return all the land? There is no clear answer. Who in the end are the victims? The farmers - they have been fooled by the govt, the activists, the intellectuals, the media and the political leaders - all of them have used the farmers for their own motives.

I don't disagree that the farmers have the right to object about anything that affects their livelihood and wealth. What I object to is the way all the political parties, activists and intellectuals handled this situation in a way that was detrimental to most Well at least someone is reaping handsome benefits today because of Singur and Nandigram.

Anyway that is now the past. So what is the future? As I had earlier said in a post, the government cannot command investors to go and invest in barren lands. The investors have plenty of choice. The government doesn't. We cannot say that West Bengal doesn't need big industries. In West Bengal, our intellectuals beat their chests saying that minerals are being given away on a platter to capitalists and imperialists. They oppose power plants and yet they weep about no electricity in villages. And we all listen to these Rudalis. They are of course silent when the same industrialists go and sign MOUs in Karnataka in exchange for access to land and minerals. We then say - look West Bengal cannot do what Karnataka can.

Governments will change, parties will change. But if the basics remain the same - the same old love for ultra leftism, then what will really change? West Bengal doesn't need more leftism. It needs some right dosage of centrism. The clamour for change is there but it is almost like a clamour for back to status quo. Maybe I am wrong. Things will improve dramatically in the near future. We can always have hope.

The real looser are the children of Bengal. An unspeakable crime has been committed in the name of Singur movement. There are no option but forced industrialization be it chinese or Soviet Union style!

Suncity,
What you describe as " love for ultra left" I call it just plain anarchy and political adventurism. This has to rooted with a iron hand from Bengal landscape!

Very well put, Suncity.

Growing uo in Kolkata in the 1980-90's, I always thought we glamorized poverty. It was from the days of "Pather Panchali" to Ritwik Ghatak to everything(I respect all their work but it has become the fear of the community). I heard one college activist from the 70's era "Amra Gujarati noi(We are not Gujaratis)." Jyoti Basu and the communists were very shrewd in using this emotion to rule/misrule Bengal. They used our fear for foreign capital/industry to spread militant trade-unionism. They stopped HSBC from computerization in 1980 and then said it was a historical mistake in 2000. Two decades of Bengali youths came out of schools unemployable/without English knowledge while they beat their drums -"Amra Samrajyobadi shakti-r birodhi".(We are against bourgeois capital). When illegal immigrants started encroaching Kolkata, Jyoti Basu said "Thak na. Ora garib manus.(Let them stay. They are poor people)". These illegal immigrants are now rampant all over the streets with ration cards and more power than the law-abiding middle class.

Buddhhababu did the mistake of going against this Votebank politics. He invited TATA's/ Jindal's ...tried industrialization on West Bengal.....made the fear come alive among common people (Buddha is with capitalists/ He is anti-poor). Mamata was very clever(I think she is Jyotbi Basu reborn) to capture this emotion via Singur /Nandigram movement. The peasants started admiring her. Who cares if Sanand becomes prosperous and everything......we are not Gujaratis!! She knows the game of numbers. She and her group of intellectuals played this fear to their advantage and now she is on her way to Writers.

I personally don't think that the government was trying to get land by scaring off people. Some of the cadres may have indulged in unlawful activities initially. The government simply assumed (mistakenly) that by giving slightly higher compensation than market value, people would gladly give up the land. The courts till now have ruled in favour of the government. The law of land aquistion may be unfair, but that is the law which had been used till now all over the country. If some of the respected lawmakers are so upset about this law, then why not change it and make it more in tune with times? I haven't seen any screaming lawmaker take any concrete steps towards that direction.

Now here is where everything becomes unclear as to what is the real number of people who objected to the land being taken away (forcibly as per intellectuals, activists). Political activists bussed in by thousands from outside Singur obviously were not the affected lot. Are most of the actually affected and objecting people land owners or are they sharecroppers? Is the disputed land 400 acres or 200 acres or 100 acres? No one knows.

The government still has the land legally. The Tatas have not given up their lease either. No one knows what the next CM of the state will do with the land. Return the so called 400 acres and build a locomotive factory? Or return all the land? There is no clear answer. Who in the end are the victims? The farmers - they have been fooled by the govt, the activists, the intellectuals, the media and the political leaders - all of them have used the farmers for their own motives.

I don't disagree that the farmers have the right to object about anything that affects their livelihood and wealth. What I object to is the way all the political parties, activists and intellectuals handled this situation in a way that was detrimental to most Well at least someone is reaping handsome benefits today because of Singur and Nandigram.

Anyway that is now the past. So what is the future? As I had earlier said in a post, the government cannot command investors to go and invest in barren lands. The investors have plenty of choice. The government doesn't. We cannot say that West Bengal doesn't need big industries. In West Bengal, our intellectuals beat their chests saying that minerals are being given away on a platter to capitalists and imperialists. They oppose power plants and yet they weep about no electricity in villages. And we all listen to these Rudalis. They are of course silent when the same industrialists go and sign MOUs in Karnataka in exchange for access to land and minerals. We then say - look West Bengal cannot do what Karnataka can.

Governments will change, parties will change. But if the basics remain the same - the same old love for ultra leftism, then what will really change? West Bengal doesn't need more leftism. It needs some right dosage of centrism. The clamour for change is there but it is almost like a clamour for back to status quo. Maybe I am wrong. Things will improve dramatically in the near future. We can always have hope.

As you said past is past, and the future govt has to take a balanced approach. It has to be more near Center, ultra left and ultra right both are disastrous. Industrialization has to happen keeping with the wishes of the people, without beating and killing people. I do not approve of any industry, which will be built on the lives of other people. It has to be win-win for both Industrialists and the local people. I think the focus should be more on the technology based industries, like electronics which needs more human capital and less land.

As you said past is past, and the future govt has to take a balanced approach. It has to be more near Center, ultra left and ultra right both are disastrous. Industrialization has to happen keeping with the wishes of the people, without beating and killing people. I do not approve of any industry, which will be built on the lives of other people. It has to be win-win for both Industrialists and the local people. I think the focus should be more on the technology based industries, like electronics which needs more human capital and less land.

Sometimes a force need to be applied during a crash industrialization program. I give you an example. The industrial city of Chittaranjan home of locomotive factory was established in 1950-53 by the then industry minister Dr. S.P Mukherjee. The land was wooded, tribals opposed the take over process. Seven tribals were killed by police firing. Today it is a premier industrial town where both tribal and nontribal work together!( See google earth map!)

Sen praises Mamata for PSU takeovers

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Sen-praises-Mamata-for-PSU-takeovers/633092

Acknowledging the efforts of Union Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee’s in reviving Braithwaite and Burn Standard, CPM Politburo member and state Minister for Commerce and Industry Nirupam Sen on Saturday congratulated the Railway Minister for her “sincere attempt” in facilitating the takeover of the sick PSUs by the Railways.

“I congratulate the Railway Minister for her efforts. The companies will get a new lease of life now that they have been taken over by the Railway Ministry,” said Sen, while speaking at a programme organised by the West Bengal State Cooperative Bank launch PAN Cards and DEMAT accounts.

Sony to sell 30,000 Tvs during World Cup

http://www.indiablooms.com/BusinessDetailsPage/businessDetails260510a.php

Digital major Sony India on Wednesday said it aims to sell 30,000 units of its Bravia LCD television in West Bengal during FIFA World Cup.

Masaru Tamagawa, Managing Director, Sony India, said,“With confidence on our product and high expectations from the consumers, we hope to sell around 30,000 units during the FIFA World Cup season in two months in West Bengal region alone”.

Sony India plans to sell 1, 50,000 units of Bravia LCD in West Bengal region in the Fiscal Year 2010 with marketing investment of Rs. 25 crore.

With 850 outlets in the state, West Bengal contributes 15% to the total sales of Bravia LCD TV in the country.

From todays TOI


‘Bhopal lesson: Freeze Haripur, scrap Nayachar’
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: Buoyed by the nationwide outrage over the meagre punishment meted out to those responsible for the Bhopal gas disaster and measly compensation to the thousands who died and nothing to several lakhs maimed or injured after exposure to the toxic gas, a section of scientists and professors in the city renewed their call against the proposed chemical hub at Nayachar and nuclear plant at Haripur in East Midnapore.
“Union Carbide India Ltd, that got away with murder in the Bhopal gas disaster, is now owned by Dow Chemicals. The
latter has shrugged off all responsibility for the disaster. The company is involved in the proposed chemical hub at Nayachar, an ecologically fragile zone,” chemical technology scientist Rabin Majumdar said.
He, along with chemical engineering professor Suvendu Dasgupta and chemistry professor Manindra Narayan Majumdar, reiterated the call for immediate scrapping of the Nayachar chemical hub project.
Scientists and environmentalists also alleged that 617 industrial units in West Bengal that were identified as highly hazardous in 2007 under the provisions of the Factories Act (section 87) were ticking time bombs that have not been monitored by the Major Hazardous Industries (MHI) Committee led by state chief secretary.
“In recent years, the number of MHIs has increased considerably. These include chemical and rubber, sponge iron, asbestos, cement and ferro-alloy units. There is no preparedness for meeting a disaster in the wake of an accident. On the other hand, these factories are routinely spreading pollution with impunity,” said Naba Dutta NGO Nagarik Mancha.
Abhee Dutt-Mazumdar of Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics felt the proposed nuclear plants at Haripur should be put on hold as the Centre was attempting to minimize its responsibility towards protecting lives of citizens by introducing the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill.
The Bill limits damage claim from the operator to Rs 500 crore in case of a radiation leak or a larger nuclear disaster. Though there is provision for the government to cough up further compensation to victims and their families, the amount may be inadequate in the event of a larger nuclear disaster at a later date when the value of rupee depreciates further.
“We seem to have taken no learning from the Bhopal tragedy and are set to repeat the mistakes by allowing the burden to be shifted on taxpayers who end up subsiding private corporations. The Bill also makes no mention of criminal liability in case an accident is caused by negligence,” Dutt-Mazumdar pointed out.
Under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, an industrial worker losing a limb was entitled to a compensation of Rs 1 lakh in 1984. Now the amount has increased to Rs 5 lakh. But in Bhopal gas leak that is recorded as the world’s worst industrial disaster, the compensation to the dead was only Rs 12,500 because the government agreed to a ridiculous compensation.

From todays TOI


‘Bhopal lesson: Freeze Haripur, scrap Nayachar’
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: Buoyed by the nationwide outrage over the meagre punishment meted out to those responsible for the Bhopal gas disaster and measly compensation to the thousands who died and nothing to several lakhs maimed or injured after exposure to the toxic gas, a section of scientists and professors in the city renewed their call against the proposed chemical hub at Nayachar and nuclear plant at Haripur in East Midnapore.
“Union Carbide India Ltd, that got away with murder in the Bhopal gas disaster, is now owned by Dow Chemicals. The
latter has shrugged off all responsibility for the disaster. The company is involved in the proposed chemical hub at Nayachar, an ecologically fragile zone,” chemical technology scientist Rabin Majumdar said.
He, along with chemical engineering professor Suvendu Dasgupta and chemistry professor Manindra Narayan Majumdar, reiterated the call for immediate scrapping of the Nayachar chemical hub project.
Scientists and environmentalists also alleged that 617 industrial units in West Bengal that were identified as highly hazardous in 2007 under the provisions of the Factories Act (section 87) were ticking time bombs that have not been monitored by the Major Hazardous Industries (MHI) Committee led by state chief secretary.
“In recent years, the number of MHIs has increased considerably. These include chemical and rubber, sponge iron, asbestos, cement and ferro-alloy units. There is no preparedness for meeting a disaster in the wake of an accident. On the other hand, these factories are routinely spreading pollution with impunity,” said Naba Dutta NGO Nagarik Mancha.
Abhee Dutt-Mazumdar of Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics felt the proposed nuclear plants at Haripur should be put on hold as the Centre was attempting to minimize its responsibility towards protecting lives of citizens by introducing the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill.
The Bill limits damage claim from the operator to Rs 500 crore in case of a radiation leak or a larger nuclear disaster. Though there is provision for the government to cough up further compensation to victims and their families, the amount may be inadequate in the event of a larger nuclear disaster at a later date when the value of rupee depreciates further.
“We seem to have taken no learning from the Bhopal tragedy and are set to repeat the mistakes by allowing the burden to be shifted on taxpayers who end up subsiding private corporations. The Bill also makes no mention of criminal liability in case an accident is caused by negligence,” Dutt-Mazumdar pointed out.
Under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, an industrial worker losing a limb was entitled to a compensation of Rs 1 lakh in 1984. Now the amount has increased to Rs 5 lakh. But in Bhopal gas leak that is recorded as the world’s worst industrial disaster, the compensation to the dead was only Rs 12,500 because the government agreed to a ridiculous compensation.

Bengal intellectuals are ready with it again.

Now Didi has more supporters for Anti-Nayachar/ anti-haripur movement. If 10 years down the line, West Bengal still suffers from unemployment/ power cuts, where will these intellectuals be?

Bengal intellectuals are ready with it again.

Now Didi has more supporters for Anti-Nayachar/ anti-haripur movement. If 10 years down the line, West Bengal still suffers from unemployment/ power cuts, where will these intellectuals be?

Let's not think as if any and all thinking against industrialization is unwelcome. Regulation should always be a step ahead of human enterprise. Bureaucrats and policy makers should be able to think through the consequences of industrial policies. West Bengal and Eastern India needs industry but not mindless industry fetish. The checks and balances ensure sound industrial policy. Dow should be kept out of Nayachar. They are an arrogant bunch. If Bhopal was in the US, Anderson and Dow would face the music long ago.

See, the issue is: make infrastructure and the associated processes for business development so well run that everyone would want to come to Bengal. Given Bengal's pop. density, there is a need for labor intensive industries. It is also true that migration will be going on. Moving people to jobs is much more effective in the short run; moving jobs to people takes time. We would like the second option eventually but we cannot expect "magic". Buddhadeb wanted to do magic after the Jyoti Basu years but impatience has its drawbacks in a democracy.

Let's not think as if any and all thinking against industrialization is unwelcome. Regulation should always be a step ahead of human enterprise. Bureaucrats and policy makers should be able to think through the consequences of industrial policies. West Bengal and Eastern India needs industry but not mindless industry fetish. The checks and balances ensure sound industrial policy. Dow should be kept out of Nayachar. They are an arrogant bunch. If Bhopal was in the US, Anderson and Dow would face the music long ago.
Fully accepted. I am also against the injustice done by UCL in Bhopal. Dow PR head Cathy Hunt said with typical American arrogance "US$500 plenty good for an Indian" and our Government/Politicians accepted that. I still remember how many people went to Bhopal and impersonated as Bhopal Victim to get the share of the pie. We Indians have so little regard/ value for our own citizens' life. It needs to change and definitely Government has to put stricter regulations in the upcoming Nuclear bill.

But my point is one "Chernobyl" cannot stop the use of Nuclear power plants and neither can one "Bhopal" be the cause of stoppage of industrialization. Nuclear power is the need of the hour and industrialization is the answer to Bengal's unemployment.

But my point is one "Chernobyl" cannot stop the use of Nuclear power plants and neither can one "Bhopal" be the cause of stoppage of industrialization. Nuclear power is the need of the hour and industrialization is the answer to Bengal's unemployment.

Right. Any urban Indian who opposes nuclear plants should also tell us the solution - alternative methods of generating power: solar/wind/biogas whatever. it is a shame that many villages still haven't got electricity.

Very well put, Suncity.

Growing uo in Kolkata in the 1980-90's, I always thought we glamorized poverty. It was from the days of "Pather Panchali" to Ritwik Ghatak to everything(I respect all their work but it has become the fear of the community). I heard one college activist from the 70's era "Amra Gujarati noi(We are not Gujaratis)." Jyoti Basu and the communists were very shrewd in using this emotion to rule/misrule Bengal. They used our fear for foreign capital/industry to spread militant trade-unionism. They stopped HSBC from computerization in 1980 and then said it was a historical mistake in 2000. Two decades of Bengali youths came out of schools unemployable/without English knowledge while they beat their drums -"Amra Samrajyobadi shakti-r birodhi".(We are against bourgeois capital). When illegal immigrants started encroaching Kolkata, Jyoti Basu said "Thak na. Ora garib manus.(Let them stay. They are poor people)". These illegal immigrants are now rampant all over the streets with ration cards and more power than the law-abiding middle class.

Buddhhababu did the mistake of going against this Votebank politics. He invited TATA's/ Jindal's ...tried industrialization on West Bengal.....made the fear come alive among common people (Buddha is with capitalists/ He is anti-poor). Mamata was very clever(I think she is Jyotbi Basu reborn) to capture this emotion via Singur /Nandigram movement. The peasants started admiring her. Who cares if Sanand becomes prosperous and everything......we are not Gujaratis!! She knows the game of numbers. She and her group of intellectuals played this fear to their advantage and now she is on her way to Writers.

^^In my experience with people of Kolkata during the past 1 year, I have known middle class people still want to feel and express pity for the poor. why?? It could be because of movies such as Pather Panchali or the leftist ideologies of the past three decades. There is no point in feeling pitiful if you can do nothing about it. And the jealousy towards the prosperity of marwaris or gujrathis has not really helped the Bengalis in any way. All this points to a negative attitude.

People should understand that if some sections become more prosperous than others, it benefits the city as a whole.

^^

I think a huge chunk of "intellectuals" and "activists" in Bengal have nothing better to do than oppose everything. Most of them have comfortable lifestyles (relatively speaking) and opposing without giving any practical solution is their hobby. So why aren't these intellectuals and activists going to Gujarat to oppose chemical and petro hubs there? Why aren't they going to Karnataka to oppose mining deals with multinationals? Why aren't they opposing the other nuclear power plants coming up in other states? Or maybe the anti Bengal media is just highligting parts of their agenda only? After all these intellectuals are Indian and not so called Bengali kuonr byangs.

There is a lot of entrepreneurship in Bengal. Even the small pan shop on the drain at the street corner is an example of entrepreneurship. When it comes to small scale industries - an example of local entrepreneurship, West Bengal is amongst the top five states. However a huge chunk of these industries are suffering because they cannot compete with big organized manufacturers and imports. The support they need to survive has to come both from the state and central governments. However that support is usually in the form of lip service.

Most industries do need land apart from other resources like water, power, roads, rails and of course human talent. Except for people, everything else is limited. This is because West Bengal has a huge population (highest density in country). In recent times land has become an issue mostly because political parties are power hungry and illiterate, intellectuals belong to the cold war era and they are spreading fear amongst gullible masses. Kolkata covers about 3% of West Bengal land and produces a huge chunk of gdp and has about 15% of the population. If the state can just build two more Kolkatas that would mean just 6% more land and 30% population accomodated in more productive work. That would still leave 90% of the land to be tilled by 55% of the remaining population. The fear of not having enough food can be easily done away with by increasing farm output productivity. But we are afraid of urbanization and industrialization and increase in productivity.

The throwing out of the Tatas from Singur, is one of the worst things that has happened in Bengal's industrial history. 10 years from now people will see the difference between Singur and Sanand and it will probably a be a picture of relative poverty vs a picture of prosperity. And you will hear some of the proponents of throwing out of Tatas say proudly on TV - "Amra jemon achi, bhaloi to achi, amader karkhana chai na"

Suncity I whole heartedly agree with you. But it may be possible Mamata alone did not plan this Singur fiasco, her partner in crime against Bengal is also a section of Delhi politicians. They need to be exposed. What forum members think?

Many intellectuals and few Bollywood morons associate "Pather Panchali" with poverty. I must say they are jealous of Mr Ray or they have zero knowledge about cinema. The actual novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibhutibhushan_Bandopadhyay) is all about an imaginary world of teenager Apu and the beauty of rural Bengal through his eyes. And Mr Ray has excellently captured every word of the legendary novel. It has hardly anything to do with Poverty.

Suncity I whole heartedly agree with you. But it may be possible Mamata alone did not plan this Singur fiasco, her partner in crime against Bengal is also a section of Delhi politicians. They need to be exposed. What forum members think?

Yes, I think many people inside and outside Bengal(Many Delhi wala politicians) were involved along with Momota, her guns and many intellectuals were involved murdering Singur project.

POWER PLAY
WBPDCL,NTPC in JV talks for Santaldih units
ET KOLKATA

WEST Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd (WBPDCL) is in talks with the countrys largest generation company,NTPC,for floating a JV that will take over the existing units at Santaldih Thermal Power Station (STPS) and set up two 800-mw super-critical units there.
NTPC intends to take a majority stake in the proposed JV and will also supply 100% of the power generated from existing units to the state.
Confirming the development,a senior WBPDCL official said: We have enough land at STPS to set up additional units.If discussions mature,the JV will set up two brand new 800-mw units at Santaldih.We also plan to hand them over the existing units a 250-mw (unit) which is already running and another of similar capacity that is expected to start commercial generation by September or October.
A team of NTPC officials have already visited STPS and we are awaiting their response.We have been told that they would expect majority ownership of the JV.However,100% of the power generated from the existing 250 mw and the one that will be commissioned soon will have to be supplied to West Bengal, the official added.
It is learnt that plans also include scrapping the four existing 120-mw units and setting up new ones there.
WBPDCL and Durgapur Projects Ltd (DPL) also jointly plan to instal about 3,150 mw of new gas-based power generation capacity if Gail manages to supply about 16 million standard cubic feet
per day of gas (mmscfd)
through its proposed Jagdishpur-Haldia pipeline.Total investment for the power units is estimated at Rs 13,000 crore.According to state power ministry officials,if Gail commits the indicated volume to the twin state-based power generators at market prices,WBPDCL will set up 700 mw (2x350 mw) generation capacity at Bandel and 1,400 mw (350x4) gasbased capacity at Sagardighi.
WBPDCLs present thermal generation units at Bandel have outlived their useful life,while at Sagardighi,there is enough land to set up four 350-mw gasbased units.DPL intends to set up 1,050-mw (350x3) of gas-based generation capacity.

Many intellectuals and few Bollywood morons associate "Pather Panchali" with poverty. I must say they are jealous of Mr Ray or they have zero knowledge about cinema. The actual novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibhutibhushan_Bandopadhyay) is all about an imaginary world of teenager Apu and the beauty of rural Bengal through his eyes. And Mr Ray has excellently captured every word of the legendary novel. It has hardly anything to do with Poverty.


so true. people should watch the movie and not bracket it within narrow categories. it is a masterpiece for the whole world to enjoy.

Bengal bid to retain steel project

Calcutta, June 13: Faced with the grim possibility of losing out to Karnataka, the Bengal government has decided to go ahead with land acquisition for Bhushan Steel’s project at Salanpur near Asansol without waiting for a formal no-objection from Coal India Ltd.

Bengal industry minister Nirupam Sen has directed the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) to begin the process of acquiring 2,500 acres after realigning a 350-acre plot according to CIL demand.

Bhushan had signed an agreement with Bengal in 2007 for a two-million-tonne (mt) steel plant, which was later enhanced to 6mt. Last week, the company had signed a similar deal with Karnataka where many of its local and global peers such as Tata and Mittal are zooming in.

Delhi-based Bhushan has made it clear that it will not be possible to build two plants of a similar size at one go as each will involve an investment of Rs 30,000 crore. If Karnataka moves ahead, it will be a curtain call in Bengal for many years.

Given the predicament, the state has decided to kick off the acquisition process though a joint committee, including the state and CIL officials, is yet to arrive at a consensus.

“We cannot wait endlessly. I have told my officials to go ahead,” Sen told The Telegraph.

The state government had initiated the land acquisition notification for 1,100 acres in the middle of 2008, but the same had lapsed after CIL objected to the state’s effort to put up the facility on coal-bearing land in March last year.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100614/images/14bengal.jpg



http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100614/jsp/business/story_12562822.jsp

so true. people should watch the movie and not bracket it within narrow categories. it is a masterpiece for the whole world to enjoy.
I was not trying to categorise "Pather Panchali" when I am one of the biggest fans of the Ray family(they have continued producing geninuses for generations from Upendra Kishore Ray Chaudhuri to the latest Sandip Ray ).

What I was getting at is people misinterpret "Pather Panchali" and opportunists(our politicians) take advantage of their little knowledge. Bengal suffered a lot from the days of freedom struggle to partition to everything. It was said during freedom struggle "What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow" And what have we gone down to from Singur to Nandigram to Haripur.

We need change....among the people's mindset also...not only the politicians. Controlled capitalism is the dose of the day(The "Great Recession" has shown us what uncontrolled capitalism can do)

Haldia Energy invites bids for intake water system
Monday, 14 Jun, 2010

Haldia Energy has invited tenders from interested parties for intake water system for 2x270/300 MW Phase-I coal based power plant at Haldia in Midnapore district of West Bengal.

The RPG Group Company is setting up a 2,000 MW coal based power plant in Haldia, West Bengal in two phases. Phase I comprises 2x270/300 MW and Phase-II - 2x600/660 MW. The project will spread over 1,000 acre.
http://projectstoday.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?nid=31409

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100614/jsp/business/story_12562824.jsp

New Delhi, June 13: Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd may source naphtha from Indian Oil’s Paradip refinery, which is expected to commence production in another two years.

“Haldia Petrochemicals (HPL) has expressed interest in sourcing naphtha from the Paradip refinery. We will hold further discussions and carry out the feasibility study,” K.K. Jha, director (pipelines) of IOC, told The Telegraph.

The proposal is at an initial stage, he said, adding that Indian Oil would have to lay a dedicated 330km pipeline from the refinery to the petrochemical complex in Haldia.

Haldia Petro had earlier this year announced the completion of its Rs 1,230-crore capacity expansion project — Supermax. The project enhances the capacity of HPL’s naphtha cracker unit by nearly 30 per cent to 6.7 lakh tonnes from 5.2 lakh tonnes.

The Bengal government and The Chatterjee group are the major shareholders in HPL.

The Haldia proposal comes at a time IOC is planning to set up a petrochemical complex along with the refinery at Paradip.

Jha said the refinery would produce enough naphtha to meet the in-house needs of the petrochemical complex and demands of HPL. However, he did not disclose the amount of naphtha being sought by HPL.

Faced with a resource crunch, IOC had divided the Paradip refinery and petrochemical project in 2008. In the first phase, it planned to go ahead with the 15-million-tonnes refinery to be commissioned in March 2012.

It had put the petrochemical project on hold because of volatility in global crude oil prices, economic downturn and mounting revenue losses for selling petroleum products below costs.

However, in the last board meeting, IOC revived its plans for the petrochemical project.

“We had kept the petrochemical project on hold. Now with the company’s finances showing better prospects, we have to take a decision on when to start the project again,” IOC chairman B.M. Bansal said.

The petrochemical project will cost Rs 22,300 crore.

According to IOC director (refineries) B.N. Bankapur, “The timeline for the petrochemical project will be worked out soon. We had planned a one-million-tonne petrochemical plant. There will not be any change in the configuration of the plant.”

IOC has so far invested Rs 6,000 crore in this refinery-cum-petrochemical project.

Source: Anandabazar

A bridge u/c near Kandi, Murshidabad
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/5340/14mur01.jpg

^^a typical PWD construction

Ural India gets govt nod to supply low-floor buses
ET KOLKATA

URAL India,the threeway JV between Uralaz of Russia,Kolkatabased Motijug group and the West Bengal government,has just received clearance from the central government for supplying low-floor buses to state governments under JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) scheme.The company is producing buses at its existing plant in Haldia and the average price of these buses has been kept at Rs 25 lakh.
It has sought an extra 200 acres from the West Bengal government for setting up a greenfield bus manufacturing facility adjacent to its existing facility.
Confirming the development,Mr Anirudh Kanoi,director of Ural India said: Under the JNNURM scheme,we will be able to provide buses to all state governments.We have just received an order from the West Bengal government for supplying 20 buses.We will submit bids to all state governments if they float tenders for buses.These are largely city and inter-city buses.
At present,the Haldia plant can produce 1,000 buses.We are now producing 40-seater low floor buses that can accommodate 200 passengers.Our plan is to increase production to 3,000 buses and then subsequently to 7,000 buses once we get the land, Mr Kanoi added.
The JNNURM order under the ministry of urban development has set an ambitious target to add nearly 15,000 buses in 61 major cities across the country.This is part of the governments initiative to provide better public transportation and reduce traffic congestion and pollution.The project is funded by the ministry of urban development.
The process of placing orders by various state and city transport undertakings is being done on a war footing,and so far orders for 8,000 buses have already been placed with various vehicle manufacturers.The balance orders are also expected to be finalised.Of the 15,000 buses,20% will be low-floor and semi low-floor AC and non-AC buses and the balance will be normal city buses.
The bus industry,particularly the city bus segment,has witnessed a sea-change in the product and technology aimed at providing better passenger comfort and safety.Most major metros are opting for low floor or semi low floor AC/non-AC buses with automatic transmission,air suspension systems,automatic door opening and closing systems,vehicle tracking system,online passenger information system,LED sign boards,electronic ticketing,smart cards.
We are sourcing components and technology from all across the world including Germany,Italy and Russia to produce these buses, said Mr Kanoi added.

বেশি দাম দিয়ে এবার নিজেই জমি অধিগ্রহণ করবে রেল, সিদ্ধান্ত মমতার
যে ১৩টি রেল লাইনের জন্য রেল নিজেই জমি নেবে
প্রকেল্পর নাম রেল পথের দৈর্ঘ্য
১. ক্যানিংভাঙরখালি ৫ কিমি
২. বনগঁাচঁাদাবাজার ১১ কিমি
৩. নামখানাচন্দ্রনগর ১৪ কিমি
৪. জয়নগররায়দিঘি ২০ কিমি
৫. বজবজপুজালি ১১ কিমি
৬. হাসনাবাদহিঙ্গলগঞ্জ ১৪ কিমি
৭. ধুবুলিয়াচাড়াতলা ১৩ কিমি
৮. মছলন্দপুরস্বরূপনগর ১৪ কিমি
৯.তারকেশ্বর মগরা ৫১ কিমি
১০. ডানকুনিফুরফুরা শরিফ ২০ কিমি
১১.আরামবাগ (গোঘাট)ইড়পালা ১৮.৫ কিমি
১২. সিউড়িপ্রািন্তক ৩৩৪ কিমি
কলকাতা: রাজ্য সরকার লাগাতার অসহযোগিতা চালিয়ে যাওয়ায় পিশ্চমবঙ্গের গুরুত্বপূর্ণ রেল প্রকল্পগুলির জন্য অবশেষে রেলের মাধ্যমেই জমি নেওয়ার সিদ্ধান্ত নিলের মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়। ইউ পি এ সরকারের রেলমন্ত্রী হওয়ার পর গত এক বছরে এ রাজ্যের জন্য তিনি যে সব প্রকল্প ঘোষণা করছেন তার মধ্যে গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ১৩টি রেল লাইনের জন্য রেল তাদের আইনে (রেলওয়ে সংশোধনী আইন, ২০০৮) জমি নেবে। সম্প্রতি একথা জানিয়ে রাজ্যের মুখ্যসচিব অর্ধেন্দু সেনকে চিঠি দিয়েছেন পূর্ব রেলের জেনারেল ম্যানেজার ভি এন ত্রিপাঠি। এ জন্য চারজন অফিসার দিয়ে রেলকে সহযোগিতা করার আরজি জানিয়েছেন তিনি।
http://www.bartamanpatrika.com/content/main6.htm

^^a brief translated summary please

Many intellectuals and few Bollywood morons associate "Pather Panchali" with poverty. I must say they are jealous of Mr Ray or they have zero knowledge about cinema. The actual novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibhutibhushan_Bandopadhyay) is all about an imaginary world of teenager Apu and the beauty of rural Bengal through his eyes. And Mr Ray has excellently captured every word of the legendary novel. It has hardly anything to do with Poverty.



Yes, I think many people inside and outside Bengal(Many Delhi wala politicians) were involved along with Momota, her guns and many intellectuals were involved murdering Singur project.

^^It was kind of weird when this "rather famous bollywood moron" linked Pather Panchali with glorified depiction of poverty ;) IMO, Pather Panchali has more to do with beauty than anything else

^^It was kind of weird when this "rather famous bollywood moron" linked Pather Panchali with glorified depiction of poverty ;) IMO, Pather Panchali has more to do with beauty than anything else

My friends from Sri Lanka,Singapour and Thailand likes Pather Panchali just because of its artistic values. They dont attempt to look for poverty or any other isms in it!

Railway to acquire land by its own(without state govt's help)
..

^^a brief translated summary please

^^a brief translated summary please

Rail will acquire land with lad price better than market price.
For 13 projects of rail-track extension rail will acquire land.

Projects Lenght
1.Canning--Bhangarkhali 5 Kms

2.Bongaon--Chandabazar 11 kms

3.Namkhana—Chandranagar 14 kms

4.Jaynagar—Raidighi 20 kms

5.Budgebudge—Pujali 11 kms

6.Hasnabad—Hingleganj 14 kms

7.Dhubulia—Chadatala 13 kms

8.Machhlandpu—Swarupnagar 14 kms

9.Tarakeswar—Magra 51 kms

10.Dankuni—Furfurasharif 20 kms

11.Arambag--(Goghat)Idpala 18.5 kms

12.Siudi—Prantik 334 kms

http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/9073/getimagedll.png (http://img688.imageshack.us/i/getimagedll.png/)

Our Haldia unit has curbed price volatility: Renuka Sugars' MD

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Interviews/articleshow/6044665.cms

Sugar factories in Maharashtra are said to be sore at having lost market share in the east and northeast markets to Shree Renuka Sugars’ new
refinery in Haldia, which they say has been set up to import raw sugar, process and re-export it. However, Shree Renuka Sugars’ MD Narendra Murkumbi tells ET that while the refinery has been built on an import model, its presence has curbed excessive price volatility and actually made sugar available at a time of crop shortage......

Your Haldia refinery is causing woes for Maharashtra’s sugar co-operatives.....

For the first time after Independence, West Bengal has its own substantial sugar production and we have created more than 2,000 jobs directly or indirectly in the state. Thanks to the refinery, for the first time, the retail price of sugar in Kolkata is lower than that in Mumbai and Delhi even though these two cities are closer to major production centres. I believe this has been in public interest.

Cumulatively, the country has imported 6 million tonnes in two years, almost a million tonnes of which have been imported into Haldia port, processed and sold mainly in West Bengal and the north-east market. This has in fact dampened price volatility and created on-the-spot availability there. That’s the reason we have a high market share there. We have filled a public need and a public gap.

Rohit Ferro starts prodn at its EOU at Haldia

http://www.myiris.com/newsCentre/storyShow.php?fileR=20100531133013203&dir=2010/05/31&secID=livenews

Rohit Ferro-Tech announced that the commercial production of its new 100% EOU at Haldia has started on May 31, 2010.

Production from other five furnaces is expected to start one by one at an interval of 2-3 months.

The company will make manganese alloys from this unit which is mainly targeted for exports.

Apeejay to set up logistics parks in Bengal, Orissa by year-end


Kolkata, June 16

Apeejay Infralogistics Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between Apeejay Surrendra Group and Eredene Capital Plc, UK, hopes to commission the first phase of its two integrated logistics parks at Haldia (West Bengal) and Kalinganagar (Orissa) towards the end of this year.

Giving this information to Business Line here on Wednesday, Mr Sourav Daspatnaik, Director, Apeejay Surrendra Group, said, “We have just received the Commerce Ministry's approval for setting up an inland container depot (ICD) at Kalinganagar while the same for Haldia was received earlier.”

The Haldia integrated logistics park, estimated at Rs 200 crore in phases, would come up on over 90 acres while the one at Kalinganagar, costing Rs 60 crore, over 30 acres.

The Kalinganagar logistics park, he said, would be different from the one at Haldia because it would cater to the requirements of the steel units coming up in the area. “The big names in steel such as Jindals, the Tatas, and the Visa Group are present at Kalinganagar,” he said.

The Haldia outfit, on the other hand, would be much bigger and much more diversified because it would cater to the cross-section of industry. “Haldia as a port, no matter whether river port or handling the ocean-going vessel, will never lose its importance because of its linkage advantage,” he observed.

In the first phase, the Haldia outfit would be complete with an ICD, warehousing facilities - both covered and open, truck terminal and trade facilitation centre and other facilities. Similar facilities, though on a smaller scale, too were being created at Kalinganagar, he added.

West Bengal sponge iron units in jeopardy

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/west-bengal-sponge-iron-units-in-jeopardy/398531/

The sponge iron units in West Bengal are in peril. Non-availability of iron ore has rendered more than 200 units unviable, putting 2,00,000 jobs at risk.

The West Bengal Iron & Steel Manufacturers Welfare Association has been knocking on the doors of the state governments of West Bengal and Orissa, as well as the Railways, but the persistent problem over the past few months remains unresolved.

The problem is two-fold. First, the government of Orissa promulgated Section 144 and imposed various restrictions, which banned the movement of iron ore from Orissa in general and by rail in particular effective from March 5, 2010.

The importers of iron ore from Orissa usually place the order to the mine owners or authorised agents whose responsibility is to load the material on to the rake.

“We are in no way connected with the illegal trading of iron ore,” said officials from the West Bengal Iron & Steel Manufacturers Association (WBI&SMA).

Early last month, the Orissa government withdrew Section 144, but not a single rake has moved to West Bengal. However, different permits and licences are still awaiting.

“Steel making in West Bengal through sponge iron, induction furnace and rolling mills route has no alternative and all the units will close down due to lack of iron ore,” said a WBI&SMA official.

The West Bengal government has taken up the matter with the Orissa government, but there is another problem facing the units.

Earlier, the units used to get a storage place for material near the siding which Railways has banned.

“Railways will not provide any plot/land for dumping iron ore prior to loading. This is a big bottleneck and needs to be sorted out,” said industry sources.

“We get five hours to load the material on to the rake, it is not possible to do so if the storage place is at a distance,” they added.

Around four million tonnes of iron ore comes from Orissa to feed the sponge iron units, that’s close to 100 per cent of the total requirement.

The buck’s passing from the Orissa government to the Railways and vice versa, but there seems to be no respite from the problem.

The last resort is the Central government and the association is hoping that it will untangle the mess.

Big companies keep away from mega food parks

“Big multinationals (MNCs) haven’t evinced any interest because the gestation period is very high, as it (infrastructure) requires long-term investment,” says Awadesh Kumar, director in the Mofpi.

COOKING UP PLANS
State Location Anchor (major) investor

West Bengal Jangipur Shiv Bidi (Jakir Hussain) and
Temptation Foods (Vinit Kumar)

Ajay Gupta, managing director, Capital Foods, counters: "We believe the processed food industry is set for a boom."
Ministry data reveal that of 10 mega food parks proposed, the setting up of six (Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Assam, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal) is under progress. Identification of sites for the remaining four in Karnataka, Punjab, Maharshtra and Uttar Pradesh is on, while the Uttarakhand (Baba Ramdev) project is operational.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/big-companies-keep-awaymega-food-parks/398660/

ArcelorMittal eyes stake in Kolkata-based company
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/arcelormittal-eyes-stake-in-kolkata-based-company/398525/

KoPT proposes barge jetties at Sagardighi, Jangipur
Monday, 21 Jun, 2010
Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) in affiliation with Inland Waterways Authority of India, is planning to set up barge jetties at Sagardighi and Jangipur on the Hooghly River with a capacity to handle 15,000 tonne of coal a day each.

While the proposed jetty at Sagardighi is likely to handle coal for West Bengal Power Development Corporation's (WBPDCL) plant located in the same place, the Jangipur jetty is to handle for Farakka plant of NTPC.

WBPDCL proposes to enhance capacity of its plant from 600 to 1,600 MW.
NTPC's Farakka plant's capacity is likely to be expanded from 1,600 to 2,100 MW.

Source:Projectstoday.com

Steel investor sues Bengal over coal
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100619/images/19zzsteelbig.jpg
Calcutta, June 18: A steel investor has taken the Bengal government to court over the allocation of coal mines to two big companies, alleging “total lack of transparency” and raising questions on how long firms can sit on natural resources when a project gets delayed.
Shyam Sel & Power has filed a writ petition in Calcutta High Court calling into question the handover of mines to Sajjan Jindal’s JSW Bengal and the Calcutta-based Jai Balaji Group.
The case is unusual as few investors have sued the government on a policy issue such as resource allocation. The legal outcome will be keenly watched by investors as several players like Jindal, Bhushan, Kalyani and Videocon had shown interest in metal and power in Bengal, throwing up proposals valued at nearly Rs 1 lakh crore.
The petition, which has been admitted by the court, has sought a directive to cancel the distribution of five coal blocks to JSW and Jai Balaji and redistribute them afresh. The two groups have seven blocks but two have been allocated by the Centre.
Shyam Sel, a mid-sized player with an annual turnover of Rs 3,500 crore, has proposed a steel-cum-power project in Burdwan. The company said it had started construction at the Burdwan site but it had not been allocated coal blocks, essential for running the plants.
The company’s case hinges on the contention that Jindal and Balaji have been allocated coal blocks but they have not yet used the fuel reserves.
In its reply, the government said the mine allocation was done in line with its coal policy, mainly on the ground that Balaji and Jindal approached the state ahead of Shyam Sel. Shyam Sel had signed an agreement with the Bengal government in February 2008, while Balaji had done so in October 2007 and Jindal in January 2007.
But a Shyam Sel official said: “We have made actual investment and are readying to commence production but we have no coal. Balaji and Jindal have done nothing on the ground but have got mines.”
Bengal industries minister Nirupam Sen — Shyam Sel’s project falls in his pocketborough Burdwan — said the company’s demand could not be met.
“They want us to take away the mines from Jindal and Balaji and give these mines to them. If the state does that, the other two will also go to court. The government cannot go back on the agreements with Jindal and Balaji even though I feel for Shyam Sel,” Sen told The Telegraph.
The minister said Jindal had delayed its projects by a year because of the global slowdown. “I had to be lenient with them. One must also look at the profile of the investors. Jindal is one of India’s largest. Moreover, they plan to build India’s largest plant in our state,” he said.
The minister said Jai Balaji got around 1,100 acres only recently and its project was on track.
The minister said timelines did exist on how long a company can hold reserves but did not elaborate.
The Bengal government has promised Shyam Sel coal from a block whenever the Centre agrees to give it to the state agency, the West Bengal Mineral Development & Trading Corp. The government conceded that a promise had been made but pointed out that there was no firm commitment.
The Bengal government has not received any coal block after December 2007, though the state has been expecting nine such blocks for some time now.
Debanjan Mandal, partner of Fox & Mandal, the solicitor for Shyam Sel, said: “My client is aggrieved by the government action but I cannot comment further since the matter is sub judice.”
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100619/jsp/frontpage/story_12582825.jsp

Good to hear that industrialists are fighting for resources to set up base and start production. I think WB Govt has been quite lenient with the Jindals (although cannot blames them for the aforesaid reasons).

What is the update with Bhushan Steel plant in Asansol? CIL still in loggerheads for Coal resources?

The Telegraph (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100624/jsp/calcutta/story_12597007.jsp)


Brand Bengal a tourist hub
MOHUA DAS

Wally Olins
The man responsible for positioning London for the 2012 Olympics, if given a chance, would brand Bengal as a “marvellous tourist destination”. One of the leading brand professionals in the world, Wally Olins will be in the city on Thursday to talk about branding and its importance.

The 79-year-old, adviser to giant global companies, is as interested in places as things. If he has branded Prudential, BT, Forte Hotels, Coca-Cola, Renault, Volkswagen or Tata over five decades, he has also branded Poland, Rio de Janeiro, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Lithuania and the Cat Ba region in Vietnam.

How does one brand a nation?

“It’s much harder than branding a cellphone or a motor car,” he says, speaking to Metro over the phone from London. “A product is rationally similar (to another) but emotionally different. Also it’s about profit and pushing up its share margin. It has to be effective immediately.” A nation on the other hand has an audience — both internal and external, he says. “There’s tourism involved as well as investment. You have to gauge if you can be effective over 25 years.”

His company Saffron is currently working on branding London, “whose character is a lot like New York yet very different,” says Olins.

It’s not possible to brand Bengal in two minutes over the phone, he says. But tries nevertheless. “What I find fascinating is that it’s an intellectual powerhouse and has creative potential far greater than anywhere else in the country. Secondly, right from the Sunderbans all the way up to the Himalayas is an amazing area for tourism.”

Then the European colonial aspect. “Calcutta continues to remain a British imperial city, with places (around it) steeped in history like Chandernagore. I think the place has marvellous tourism possibilities. Unfortunately it is one of those areas that are least known and least understood both within and outside its own country.”

His first big job was in India when he spent five years in Mumbai as head of Ogilvy, Benson & Mather, which became Ogilvy and Mather. “I’ve been to Calcutta a lot of times but the first time I came here more than 20 years ago the city had been losing its significance. Compared to the way the other cities were growing, Calcutta was becoming a difficult place to do business in. I’m looking forward to being back to the city, which I believe in many respects is becoming more welcoming to industry now,” said Wally.

Mahalaxmi bid for market consolidation

Kolkata, June 24

The Mahalaxmi Group, the manufacturer of steel and TMT bars in eastern region, has initiated several steps to strengthen its position in the market, according to a company release.

First, the group proposes to set up two net manufacturing facilities in West Bengal at an investment of more than Rs 100 crore. At present, the company has four factories and one rolling mill in the State.

Next, it has entered into strategic alliances with several manufacturers of unbranded TMT bars across North India, mostly in bad shape, to use their manufacturing facilities to produce TMT bars to sell them in the northern market.

Land lock for zoo project

The zoo at Bhagabanpur in Sonarpur may not come up in the near future because of land and infrastructure hurdles.
The state government first has to convince residents of the area to part with about 500 acres of land.
http://telegraphindia.com/1100628/jsp/calcutta/story_12572971.jsp

^^ironically the land hurdle is a boon in this case. never liked the idea of keeping animals in Zoo.

^^ironically the land hurdle is a boon in this case. never liked the idea of keeping animals in Zoo.

I also support the view of having a natural habitat for wild animals. However 500 acres is more than 10 times the area of the current zoo. They can come up with a lot of innovative ideas given the size of the land.

Essar's Raniganj block to begin gas supply from July
Monday, 28 Jun, 2010

Essar Exploration and Production, a subsidiary of Essar Oil, is likely to commence commercial production of coal bed methane (CBM) from its block at Raniganj in West Bengal by July 2010.

The initial supplies of 5,000 standard cubic mtrs per day (scmd) are likely to be to a medium-scale industrial consumer in Durgapur through cascades. The company's present agreement is with Phillips Carbon Black (PCBL) to cater to its Durgapur factory. The volume of supply is 60,000 scmd. PCBL is likely to part replace the liquid feedstock CBFS (carbon black feed stock) with gas.

Besides, the company has signed a long term contract for sale of 2.8 mmscmd to Matix Fertilisers and Chemicals for its proposed gas based fertiliser facility.

According to sources, Essar is currently producing 16,000 scmd of gas from 15 wells at the field located close to Durgapur. The company plans to drill 160 wells per annum to take the total number of wells in Ranigunj (East) to over 300 by March 2012. A total of seven rigs or drills are currently pressed into service. Ten new wells have already been added to the tally.

projectstoday.com

I also support the view of having a natural habitat for wild animals. However 500 acres is more than 10 times the area of the current zoo. They can come up with a lot of innovative ideas given the size of the land.

Never expect innovative ideas from planners and Govt of our state. We live in medieval times as far infrastructure and public facilities for Kolkata is concerned. I think even animals in the new zoo will be divided among CPM, Trinomul and BJP to exploit public... Even Zoos with 1/3rd size of Alipore, with 1/2 the animals in West, China or even in SE Asia are far more innovative, clean, public friendly than the present one... no hopes. leaving these poor animals at jungles will be a much better idea. For watching zoo animals, there should be tickets to State Assembly.. one stop show to look into bunch of idiots and illiterates.

:lol: at the last line

CPT plans facility for bulk cargo

The Calcutta Port Trust (CPT) is considering a joint venture with Shipping Corporation of India Limited, Steel Authority of India Limited and the Inland Waterways Authority of India to develop a transloading facility for large ships carrying coal.

M.L. Meena, the new chairman of the CPT, said the port was looking at two locations to carry out the operation throughout the year.

The CPT had made similar arrangements before when large crude carriers came at Sandheads in winter. Transloading involves double handling: unloading cargo from big ships, which can’t come to Calcutta or Haldia because of their low depths, to smaller ships which will carry the cargo to the ports.

The CPT wants to use the same facility round the year, even during the monsoon, not only for oil but also for bulk cargo such as coking and thermal coal used by steel and power plants, respectively.

Continuous siltation has choked the Haldia port, blocking large ships from entering.

Meena, who was speaking at an event organised by the CII here today, said one of his priorities would be to improve the quality of dredging in Haldia.

Meanwhile, around 4,000 officers from the 12 major ports have begun satyagraha to protest against the delay in wage revision. The Telegraph

Deep sea port on reclaimed land
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: Meka group the joint venture partner of Reliance Industries in Rewas Ports Ltd plans to set up a deep sea port in Bengals east Midnapore district by reclaiming land from the sea,a practice widely followed in countries like Singapore.
If successful,the facility would be the first major deep sea port on the eastern coast on reclaimed land.The port would be located at Rasulpur,35 km from Haldia and within 50 km of Nandigram,the site of the aborted chemical hub project.
Meka group flagship Amma Lines CMD Vijay P Rao said the company would not ask for even an acre of land from the state for the proposed port which has an estimated requirement of 3,000 acre.We are specialists in dredging.Land will be reclaimed by dumping sand.It will also help to increase the draft, he added.
Vijay Rao and the firms director Hemanth Meka Rao met Bengal industry secretary Dipankar Mukhopadhyay on Monday to discuss the project.A MoU is likely to be signed next month.Vijay Rao said a detailed plan would be submitted to the state government within 10-12 days.The company plans to invest Rs 6000 crore in two phases for setting up the deep sea port.
We had come up with the proposal two years back.Now we have done a techno- feasibility study at Rasulpur and the findings are encouraging, he said.The average draft in Rasulpur would be around 18 m,good enough to bring in bulk containers.It will handle 50,000-60,000 tonne of cargo which Haldia cannot handle with its present draft.This port will reduce logistics costs for the entire east and northeastern states, he added.
Amma director Hemanth Rao said that it would like to have 74% stake in the company,with the balance being with the state government.Amma plans to invest Rs 1,500 crore in the first phase on four berths two container and two bulk berths.We have already started environment assessment of the proposed location and submit the report for clearance within a year, he added.
Mukhopadhyay said the first phase of the port is likely to be complete in 2013.The total project will be complete five years from now.They will operate it for 50 years,which can be renewed further, he added.

KoPT offers words of hope

Kolkata: Newly appointed Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) chairman M L Meena on Monday asserted he would not tolerate any harassment to industry and take necessary steps to improve the situation at the ports of Kolkata and Haldia.I am looking forward to effective and quality dredging.At present,the dredging spoil is dumped back into the water and gets recirculated.We have identified char land at three places where receptacles can be created to dump the silt.One of these is near Sagar and the other at Rasulpur.We shall erect guidewalls around these plots to create dumps.We shall not have to acquire land for shore disposal, Meena said at a CII programme.Meena said he hoped to start operations through the Eden channel by February,2011 but was not too sure whether River Regulatory Measures would yield the desired results.TNN

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Amma Lines in Rs6,000 cr port plan (http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_amma-lines-in-rs6000-cr-port-plan_1403098)

Sumanta Ray Chadhuri / DNA Wednesday, June 30, 2010 2:00 IST


Kolkata: Amma Lines Ltd, the flagship company of the Mumbai-based Meka Group, is planning to set up a Rs 6,000 crore deep sea port in West Bengal under a joint venture with the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC).

The proposed port would be set up over 3,000 acres at Rosulpur in East Midnapore district.

The project will provide direct employment to 1,000 people.
Amma Lines chairman & managing director Vijay Papa Rao met the WBIDC managing director Subrata Gupta and the state industry secretary Dipankar Mukhopadhyay on Monday and gave the proposal for setting up the deep sea port, in two phases.

Rao said as per the proposal, Amma Lines will have 74% stake in the joint venture, while the West Bengal government will hold the remaining 26% through WBIDC.

A memorandum of understanding will be signed between Amma Lines and WBIDC next month, following which the company will submit a detailed project report to WBIDC.

Dipankar Mukhopadhyay, state industry secretary, said the final agreement is expected to be signed in the next two months.
“We will apply for the environmental clearance for the project to the Union government. The first phase can be completed within a year after the environmental clearance is received,” he said.

As per the initial agreement, WBIDC will enter into a long-term lease pact with Amma Lines for setting up the deep sea port project.

In the first phase, the draft length of the proosed port would be 12 metres and it will have four berths, two each for handling containerised and bulk cargo.

In the second stage, the draft would be increased to 17 metres and it will have 10 additional berths.

The state industry secretary ruled out the possibility over any trouble for getting land for the project, as there no requirement for land acquisition.

Amma Lines has technical expertise through which the land will be available from the reclamation process, he said.

“The entire 3,000 acre plot would be set up by the land and silt collected through the land reclamation process. There is also a proposal to connect the port both through rail and road to the sub-divisional town of Contai.”

Essar’s Raniganj block to start gas supply from July (http://www.mydigitalfc.com/stock-market/essar%E2%80%99s-raniganj-block-start-gas-supply-july-810)

By Siddhartha P Saikia Jun 29 2010 , New Delhi

Ruias-promoted Essar Group will commence supply of natural gas from its coal-bed methane (CBM) block in Raniganj by next month as soon as the nodal ministry issues a go-ahead. It would be supplying gas to local customers in the Durgapur industrial region

The volume will be around 300,000-400,000 cubic feet of gas per day to start with. Essar has successfully completed phase I exploration in Raniganj CBM block and is now producing CBM gas from all the 15 test wells of phase-I. Drilling activities for the second phase have been resumed. “The initial test gas production is planned to be sold to nearby customers through cascades after the petroleum ministry’s approval for sale and price is received. The same is expected shortly,” said an Essar official, who didn’t wish to be named.

All wells are in initial stages of test production. The present cumulative production from all wells is around 600,000 cubic feet per day. About 500 wells are planned to be drilled in the block over the life of the block. Peak production is expected to be around 3.5 million standard cubic metres per day.

Till now, Essar has spent over $40 million in the block. The total capital expenditure (capex) for the block is estimated to be nearly $439 million. Essar has signed 10-year gas supply contract with Philips Carbon Black and a 20-year pact with an upcoming fertiliser company in West Bengal. “The four new blocks will give us an additional acreage of 2,233 sq km and in-place prospective resources of over 7.6 trillion cubic feet of CBM gas,” chief executive officer (exploration and production) Shishir Agrawal said.

BAPL selects In4velocity for its Durgapur Airport Project

Bangalore based In4velocity Systems, a provider of Real Estate and Infrastructure solutions, has announced that it has partnered with GENPACT, a Business Process Management company, for a 5-year contract to provide its product In4Suite as the product platform of choice, for the Development of the Durgapur Airport, currently underway.

Bengal Aerotropolis Projects (BAPL), a specialist company engaged in the development of Aerotropolis projects in India, had selected GENPACT as the service partner giving it a 5-year contract which in turn has partnered with In4velocity Systems to provide the product platform for managing the construction, sales and leasing of the Aerotropolis.

"We are excited to work with BAPL to realize the plans of executing an exciting and challenging development project that is coming up in Durgapur," said Rahul Chawla, CEO, In4velocity Systems.

Bengal Aerotropolis Projects is developing India's first set of Airport Cities Aerotropolis in Durgapur by utilizing the best elements of international urban design and operational efficiencies through strategic alliances and partnerships. BAPL's Aerotropolis project, in Durgapur, is expected to be operational by 2011-12. The Aerotropolis project, which is expected to be completed in a span of 5 to 7 years, will involve a total investment of approximately Rs.10,000 crores through various strategic development partners. Changi Airports International of Singapore has taken a 26 percent stake in BAPL and CAI CEO Wong Woon Liong and Deputy CEO Eugene Gan have joined the BAPL board.

"We are pleased to have In4velocity System to partner with Genpact in providing us with innovative solution for a specialized set of requirements for this unique project," said Subrata Paul, Director & CEO, BAPL. Silicon India

Himachal to set up thermal power plant in West Bengal (http://sify.com/finance/himachal-to-set-up-thermal-power-plant-in-west-bengal-news-default-kg4s4cjdfae.html)

2010-06-30 18:30:00

The Himachal Pradesh government Wednesday gave the green signal to a joint venture company to set up a thermal power plant in West Bengal to meet its power demand, particularly during winters, an official said here.

'The cabinet gave its nod to the Himachal EMTA Power Limited (HEPL) to go ahead with the setting up of a coal pithead in West Bengal,' an official spokesperson said.

He said the plant, with an outlay of Rs.4,000 crore, would generate 660 MW of thermal power that would be beneficial to the state when its hydropower generation dips during winter.

Officials said the power generated by the plant will be transmitted to Himachal through the National Grid's network during winter when the state faces a shortage of power.

During summer, when the state has excess power, the plant will sell its electricity to power deficient states, they said.

For starting the thermal plant, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in 2007 between state-run public sector undertaking Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited and Kolkata-based Eastern Mineral and Trading Agency (EMTA).

New electric locomotive

Kolkata, June 30

The first electric locomotive with head-on-generation (HOG), manufactured by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works, was flagged off by Mr P.B. Murty, General Manager of CLW, on Wednesday, according to a CLW release. This is the first such locomotive of the Indian Railways. With the introduction of HOG electric locomotives, the use of separate diesel generator cars for supplying power to Rajdhani/Shatabdi Expresses will be dispensed with. Henceforth, the electricity will be supplied from the HOG loco itself, saving energy and eliminating noise and pollution.

Essar Oil to invest at Raniganj block
Thursday, 01 Jul, 2010

Essar Oil is reportedly likely to infuse Rs 1,200 crore for the second and third phase development of its coal bed methane (CBM) block in Raniganj, West Bengal.

Essar Oil has Competent Person Report-certified recoverable resources of one trillion cubic feet. The company has completed the first phase of exploration at Raniganj and will begin production from the block soon.

Essar Oil has signed a long-term contract for sale of 2.8 million mmscmd of gas with Matix Fertilisers and Chemicals.


www.projectstoday.com

SAIL to tie up with rail for Bengal wagon unit

Steel Authority of India Ltd will invest Rs 230 crore in a wagon factory to be set up in a joint venture with the Indian Railways. The new entity will compete with existing players Jessop and Braithwaite.

The unit will come up at Kulti, near Durgapur, where SAIL has an alloy steel plant. The plant can supply raw material to the wagon factory, which is initially expected to have an annual capacity of 1,000 units.

SAIL’s new chairman, C. S. Verma, is believed to have assured railway officials close to Mamata Banerjee that he would speed up the project. Verma has been trying to remain in the good books of both the powerful ministers from Bengal — finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and railway minister and Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. Both the Bengal wing of the Congress and the Trinamul Congress took an interest in the selection of the SAIL chairman, which was approved by the appointments committee of the cabinet recently.

SAIL has lined up huge investments in Bengal. The political parties wanted the SAIL chief to be someone who could speed up the projects, which are expected to generate large-scale employment in the state.

SAIL will be investing Rs 14,443 crore in a 2.3-million-tonne steel plant at Burnpur. The steel maker will spend around Rs 20,000 crore in Bengal for expansion.

The wagon making unit is part of SAIL’s strategy to increase its share of value-added products. At present, value-added products account for 37 per cent of SAIL’s output, and the state-run company wants to increase this to 50 per cent.

The railways will acquire more stainless steel wagons, which last longer and make loading and unloading easier. Besides, goods trains with stainless steel wagons can run on less fuel because of their lighter weight.

Sources said SAIL would soon be appointing a managing director for the Kulti venture.

The steel maker is expanding its three plants in Bengal by 2.2 million tonnes to 5.5 million tonnes. It is also investing in a number of projects at Kulti to manufacture value-added products. The Telegraph

Tata Group launches water purifier for Rs 499

Keeping an eye on the common man, Tata on Thursday launched two new variants of its water purifier 'Swach' in the North-Indian market, with the low-end version quoting a rock-bottom price of just Rs 499.
After launching water purifiers priced at Rs 749 and Rs 999 in Maharashtra last year, group company Tata Chemicals on Thursday introduced two new variants -- Swach Smart and Swach Smart Magic -- at Rs 749 and Rs 499 respectively.
In 2009, the group had launched the Nano – the world's cheapest car – at a price tag of less than Rs 1.5 lakh, giving many Indians the chance to own an automobile without burning a gaping hole in their pockets.
"We are selling 20,000-25,000 units in two states (Maharashtra and Karnataka) already, and with the product launched in the North we are expecting to do better," Tata Chemicals Managing Director R Mukundan said.
He said the company aims to sell one million units of Swach water purifiers in the current fiscal.
"We have a target of selling one million water purifiers in the current fiscal," Mukundan said, adding that Tata also expects the water business to contribute over Rs 100 crore to its topline.
The company is also looking at expanding its water filtration segment by increasing the manufacturing capacity through the addition of another production line.
"The production line is proposed to come up in Haldia in West Bengal," Mukandan said, declining to give further details.

He said that the company has earmarked a budget of Rs 50 crore for its water filtration business and, out of this, around two-third has already been spent.
Last year, Tata Chemicals announced its foray into the water business with the launch of 'Swach' in two variants – priced at Rs 749 and Rs 999.

http://beta.profit.ndtv.com/news/show/tata-group-launches-water-purifier-for-rs-499-80153

source: The Telegraph

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GAIL to be in pact with West Bengal
Saturday, 03 Jul, 2010

GAIL is likely to sign its long-term gas supply agreement with the West Bengal Government by early August 2010.

According to sources, the West Bengal Industry & Commerce Department has agreed to line up GAIL's client base in West Bengal, which is likely to purchase gas.

In June 2010, GAIL had set a condition that it will start setting up pipeline for gas supply to West Bengal, only after the state government finalises the client list for them.

Once the client list and exact gas requirement for the state is finalised, GAIL is expected to start the process of pipeline installation. The gas is expected to be brought from Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal.

The Jagdishpur-Haldia gas supply pipeline is likely to be covering 2,050 km, envisaging a total investment of around Rs 8,000 crore.

www.projectstoday.com

GPIL to invest Rs 75 crore
Calcutta, July 3: Gontermann-Peipers (India) Ltd will invest Rs 75 crore to scale up its operations at Joka near Calcutta.

The company, which makes equipment for steel rolling mills, hopes to complete the ongoing project in September.

GPIL is now majority owned by Pramod and Vinod Mittal, younger brothers of Lakshmi N. Mittal and promoters of Ispat Industries.

“The future of forged and cast rolls used by steel mills is good with so many companies expanding capacity or setting up new plants. The demand for rolls should double in 2-3 years,” Lalit K. Poddar, managing director of GPIL, said.

The company’s roll making capacity will reach 18,000 tonnes a year when the expansion project is completed. It is adding new products — back up rolls, high speed rolls and enhanced carbide rolls — to its portfolio.

Poddar said GPIL controls 40 per cent of the Indian market where Tata Steel’s Tayo Rolls is another major player. The sector also sees imports from China, Russia and Japan.

GPIL used to be a German company before Mittal acquired it in 1982.

Last year, the company posted a turnover of Rs 143 crore. It is expected to earn Rs 195 crore during this fiscal.

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/8261/05072010009039.jpg (http://img17.imageshack.us/i/05072010009039.jpg/)

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/5991/05072010009032.jpg (http://img149.imageshack.us/i/05072010009032.jpg/)

Why Telcon plant near Kharagpour was not dismanteled by TMC? Was it because of joint partnership with Hitachi or some other reason? Or Didi just forgot about it!

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/8261/05072010009039.jpg (http://img17.imageshack.us/i/05072010009039.jpg/)

great news :banana:
now what bengal needs is a deep sea port at Kulpi.

Dhunseri Petrochem plans expansion at Haldia
Tuesday, 06 Jul, 2010
Dhunseri Petrochem and Tea and proposes to more than double capacity of its Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) resin plant at Haldia in West Bengal at an outlay of Rs 370 crore.

At present, the plant has a manufacturing capacity of 2,00,000 tonne which is to be increased to 410,000 tonne in the next two years. The company has acquired 45 acre for the purpose and the EPC contract has been signed with a Germany based firm.

Also, the process of obtaining clearances from concerned authorities is currently under progress.

Dhunseri is likely to set up PET resin unit in Egypt in affiliation with Echem, an Egypt based company, at an investment of $155 million (approx Rs 713 crore).

Two new docks in Haldia, Calcutta

The shipping ministry has promised to build two additional dock systems in Haldia and Calcutta.

Mukul Roy, Union minister of state for shipping, said the Calcutta Port Trust (CPT) would build the two cargo-handling facilities at Diamond Harbour and Salukkhali.

Speaking at his first press conference as shipping minister after joining the cabinet a year ago, Roy said the facilities would be ready by 2011.

Diamond Harbour, which is on the eastern side of the river like the Calcutta Dock System in Khidderpore, will be equipped to handle containers; Salukkhali, on the western side of the river like Haldia, is going to handle bulk cargo.

Both systems are expected to have a 9-meter draft to facilitate the movement of bigger ships, which cannot come to either Calcutta or Haldia because of siltation on the river bed.

While the minister did not disclose the investment, port officials said around Rs 1,800 crore would be required.

Both the facilities will be built on a public-private partnership basis; the private company will build, operate and then transfer the berths.

The minister said he had held discussions with railway minister Mamata Banerjee about connectivity to the facilities at Diamond Harbour and Salukkhali.

Roy said CPT chairman M.L. Meena would meet Rail Board chairman Vibek Sahai on connectivity to Sagar Island where a deeper water port would be built in the future.

He said that the board of trustees of the CPT had agreed to merge the Calcutta Dock Labour Board with itself, taking on the burden of 7,000 pensioners and 340 existing employees.

The CPT has sought Rs 640-crore assistance from the Centre to meet the additional financial obligation. The Telegraph

Sagar may get rail & road link
TNN, Jul 7, 2010, 12.38am IST

KOLKATA: Sagar Island may finally get connected to the mainland by a rail-cum-road bridge across the Muriganga river. This bridge will not only facilitate a deep-drafted port' that the ministry of shipping is planning somewhere near the southern tip of Sagar, it will also spur all-round development of the island. At present, Sagar has to do without electricity. Road connectivity between various parts of the nearly 32 km long island is extremely poor as well.

"The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) and the ministry of railways are planning the bridge from Kakdwip to Kachuberia on the opposite bank. The railway tracks will then run for nearly 32 km to the southern tip of the island where the deep-drafted port will come up. On Thursday, KoPT chairman M L Meena will meet Railway Board chairman Vivek Sahai to work out the modalities. A committee has already been set up to look into the matter," Mukul Roy, union minister of state for shipping, announced in Kolkata on Tuesday.

Roy said that his ministry is committed to the setting up of the deep-drafted port' on reclaimed land in Sagar. This port will be set up in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode but has no connection with plans by the West Bengal government to set up a deep-sea' port near the same location. Recently, a private-sector firm had approached the state government with a proposal for such a project.

"We have no connection with this. The state government has not approached us for requisite permission either. We shall not have to acquire much land for our port. It will come up on reclaimed land. We shall construct guidewalls around the plot required and dump silt collected by our dredgers into the receptacle that is formed," the minister said.

The total cost of the project (including the bridge and railway tracks) would be a few thousand crores, officials said. The exact figure will be available once a detailed survey is carried out. The greatest challenge, officials believe is to get private participation. Industry will be keen to participate only if a viable business model can be floated by the ministry of shipping and KoPT.

As of now, Kakdwip is already connected to Sealdah by rail. What is being planned is a branch line from Kakdwip towards the Lot 8 jetty (from where pilgrims cross over to the Sagar Island). The bridge that would take off from Kakdwip would be nearly 4.5 km long. It would also have to allow necessary clearance to vessels that sail down the Muriganga river.

Roy also assured that port facilities at Shalukkhali and Diamond Harbour would be set up by December, 2011. KoPT has planned four jetties each at both places. The railways has planned branch lines of two km and eight km for the Diamond Harbour and Shalukkhali projects. The ministry of defence has agreed in principle to part with 45 acres of land at Diamond Harbour for the port facility that will be able to handle nearly 10 lakh containers annually, Roy said. In return, the ministry of shipping will hand over some land to the ministry of defence at Raichak, he said. The total cost for the two projects is expected to be nearly Rs 1,200 crore.

"We will not acquire land forcibly. At Shalukkhali, there is a lot of vested land that we can use. We have already asked the zilla parishad of East Midnapore to take up the matter with the state government," the minister said. According to sources, the state government has agreed on principle to hand over the nearly 132 acre plot to KoPT to set up port facilities that will primarily handle bulk cargo.

On Friday, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and KoPT will sign a memorandum of understanding for beautification of the 10 km long Hooghly riverfront between Cossipore and Garden Reach. RITES has been engaged to carry out a study and submit a masterplan within two months.

Port will change economy of neglected' island

TNN, Jul 7, 2010, 12.38am IST

KOLKATA: Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) officials say that the proposed deep-drafted' port at Sagar is not be a pipe dream after all. As many as 15 applications were received when KoPT sought expressions of interest to set up the port on a public-private partnership basis in August, 2009. Among the companies that were interested are Essar Shipping, Mundra Port and SEZ Ltd, Sical Logistics, Punj Lloyd, Concor and Gammon Infrastructure.

According to officials, the deep-drafted' port that is proposed to be set up by the ministry of shipping will not only be economically viable but will change the economy of the entire region. According to a study conducted by KoPT in 2002, this port would be able to handle a whopping 64 million tonnes of cargo, much more than what the ports of Haldia and Kolkata handle together.

"The draught available at Sagar (without dredging) is 10 metres. With capital dredging, this can be enhanced to 12 metres. This will allow deep-drafted vessels to berth at the port. It was in 2002 that KoPT first considered setting up a port at Sagar. The Overseas Coastal Area Development Institute (OCDI) of Japan approached the ministry and KoPT to carry out a detailed study with financial assistance from JICA. It was also indicated that a soft loan would also be facilitated by JBIC," a senior official said.

In a concept paper prepared by KoPT, at least two riverine jetties and 10 dock berths were envisaged for the port. The tentative cost (estimated in 2002) for the port facility and the four-lane rail cum road bridge from the mainland was calculated to be nearly Rs 2,500 crore. This would have gone up to nearly Rs 3,300 crore by now.

In 2005, the project was cleared by the Government of India and sent to Japan for inclusion in JICA's list of projects. The project was ultimately not included in the list probably due to the time that the government took in taking a decision on such an issue.

"The project has been revived recently and expressions of interest have been sought. The southwest bank of the island, north of the lighthouse, in the Beguakhali/Mohishmari mouzas has been identified for setting up the port. The commodities that can be handled include coking coal, thermal coal, coke, iron ore and containers. The required land will be nearly 2,000 acres. Initially, the government of West Bengal had planned the bridge between Kakdwip and Kochuberia. Now, it is going to be undertaken by the ministry of railways with KoPT. The estimated cost for the bridge will be Rs 600 crore," the official said.

Officials believe that the port will not only facilitate the setting up of industry in this backward part of the state, it will also result in better amenities to the residents. The island, the largest in the archipelago at the Hooghly delta, is nearly 10 km wide and 32 km long. The total population of the island is nearly 1,60,000. People are still deprived of basic amenities like electricity. Connectivity is also a major problem with people requiring the better part of the day to travel to Kolkata for any work.

Source: The Telegraph

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Purulia project entails Rs 16,000cr investment: Jai Balaji (http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/purulia-project-entails-rs-16000cr-investment-jai-balaji_467973.html)

Published on Mon, Jul 05, 2010 at 13:08 | Updated at Mon, Jul 05, 2010 at

In an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18 Aditya Jajodia, CMD, Jai Balaji Industries talks about the company’s Purulia project. He said that the company was in talks with several global investors for a technical tie up for the Rs 16,000 crore project.

Here is a verbatim transcript of the interview. Also watch the accompanying video.

Purulia project entails Rs 16,000cr investment: Jai Balaji

Q: There has been talk that maybe Silverstel could be interested in picking up a stake in Jai Balaji directly or in the Purulia Project? Can you clarify on that?

A: The Purulia Project is a project for 5 million tonnes of steel and 1200 megawatt of power with an investment of Rs 16,000 crore. We are talking to three-four international players for technological tie-up. They are in talks with us for a strategic interest in the project as well. The discussions are still going on. We are looking at people for technical tie-ups.

Q: Specifically for the strategic tie-up though how much in terms of percentage are you willing to put on the block and is this a discussion to pick up stake in Jai Balaji or in some kind of joint venture that would include the Purulia project?

A: The talks are at two levels. The percentages so far are not very clear to us or to the investor. That will depend upon the valuation being offered for the project and also for the platform which already existed. We are looking at equity participation in both Jai Balaji as well as in the SPV.

Q: How much money would you be seeking to raise for the Purulia Project through this equity dilution?

A: The only objective of this equity dilution would not be money alone. We are looking for a strategic tie-up because we are looking at finishing lines where the strategic investor could bring in some value added products which are not available in the country and still are imported. So what we are looking at basically the technical come technical strategic tie-up alone. Money raising is not the only objective because we are looking at a expansion of around 2 million tonne in the first phase where the capex is around Rs 5,000 crore. We have already flagged up the work project for the site. With the capex of Rs 5,000 crore we are looking at an equity of around Rs 1500-2000 crore and which we hope to generate over the next 2-3 years in the investing operations itself. So equity raising is not the only objective the major objective would also be technical tie-ups.

Q: While you can’t confirm the name of the buyer yet is Silverstel is one of the four players that you have been talking to?

A: It will not be fair to comment on names. So I would not like to answer the question of the name of the buyer at this moment. At the right time and opportunity we will be announcing whatever is there on the table.

Q: But your preferred option would be to get a strategic investor in or do you have plans of IPOing this particular project as a separate entity?

A: No. Our initial plan would be to go with the strategic investor. I would like to repeat that the investor would add value to the project and would be eyeing it closely. Value addition could not only be in the form of equity it had to be in the form of technical advancement of the products also.

Q: You raise some cash via QIP where did that money go into the capex required for this project or somewhere else?

A: Yes. We raised around Rs 200 crore via QIP around 6 months ago. A portion of the cash went towards the Purulia Project and a portion of the cash went towards the existing expansion at the Durgapur project which we are about to complete in the next 6 months.

In recent byelection at Durgapour CPM won by a smaller margin. Does this mean people are rethinking their decision about Buddhadeb govt. or municipal election and assembly elections are two different issue or CPM have convinced urban population about the need for rapid industrialization of Bengal. I hope good thought will prevail in upcoming election. But what the forum members think?

NDTV (http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/farm-or-factory-for-west-bengal-36621)

Farm or factory for West Bengal?
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: July 10, 2010 08:12 IST

Kolkata: After Singur and Nandigram, a debate had erupted over what is better for Bengal - agriculture or industry. Though land acquisition for industry has caused the Left serious poll reverses, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya is still convinced that industry is the way forward and said so as recently as on June 21, the day the Left completed 33 years of rule in Bengal. But now one of his own Cabinet ministers, knowing well that he is going to embarrass the chief minister, has challenged that and said agriculture holds the key to the state's progress.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharya didn't need this -- one of his own ministers contradicting him openly on a subject that is super sensitive since Nandigram and Singur, the subject of agriculture versus industry.

"Those who think agriculture is not profitable, I don't agree with them. Agriculture is profitable and in West Bengal we have to depend on agriculture for progress in future," said state's Land Reforms Minister Rezzak Mollah.

The land reforms minister directly contradicted Buddhadeb's push for industry on June 21, which marked 33 years of Left rule in Bengal. After the chemical hub at Nandigram and the Nano plant at Singur went for a toss, industry had become a very sensitive word.

"In this state, the pace that industry has picked up, no one will be able to stop that. Bengal will stand on agriculture's success and progress on the path of industry. This is inevitable, said West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.

Agriculture is our foundation, industry our future. The land reforms minister had taken pot shots at this Buddhadeb slogan in the past. But his latest infraction sets the stage for a direct confrontation, the last thing the Left needs with its most challenging Assembly poll now less than a year away.

Bids invited for Dhankuni-Kharagpur sectioThe NHAI has proposed the six-laning of Dhankuni to Kharagpur section from Km 17.600 to Km 129.000 of NH-6 in West Bengal. The project spanning 111.400 km is estimated to cost Rs 1,396.18 crore.

The Authority has invited bids from eligible entities for designing, engineering, construction, development, finance, operation and maintenance of the road project on DBFOT Toll basis under NHDP Phase V.

The bid documents have to be submitted by 19 August 2010. n

Consultant sought for Katwa power project The West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL) proposes to set up a 2x800 MW coal based supercritical Katwa thermal power project in Bardhaman district of West Bengal.

WBPDCL has invited EoIs from reputed consultancy firms/consortiums for preparation of DPR for the project.

The last date of submission of bids is 26 July 2010.

NDTV (http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/farm-or-factory-for-west-bengal-36621)

This agriculture vs industries debate is media created and fueled by cheap politicians.

It cannot be a Farm OR Factory debate. It has to be a Farm AND Factory discussion.

Most people agree that industries are needed.
Most also agree that agriculture is needed.

The debate should be more on how to achieve a balance ensuring both industrial and agricultural growth.

This agriculture vs industries debate is media created and fueled by cheap politicians.

It cannot be a Farm OR Factory debate. It has to be a Farm AND Factory discussion.

Most people agree that industries are needed.
Most also agree that agriculture is needed.

The debate should be more on how to achieve a balance ensuring both industrial and agricultural growth.

You are right. Both these sector are complimentary to each other. It may be true that some very fertile land have recently been used in Singur but that is minute fraction of total landscape.But the benefit to overall economy is enormous. There are barren land just heavily forested on western districts of Bengal. These lands could be reclaimed for industry and new industrial township could be build.This is what Dr.B.C. Roy did in Durgapour.Jindal's Salbony project is a step in right direction. In up coming election people of bengal must debate this issue carefully before they vote. Otherwise voting process will be a festival of lumpens!

Bengal takes lead in rooftop solar power project
Source (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Bengal-takes-lead-in-rooftop-solar-power-project/articleshow/6153316.cms)
KOLKATA: West Bengal seems to have emerged as the leading force in eastern India in the development of rooftop solar energy. For, its response has been the best among all eastern states to a project involving the installation of rooftop solar panels, which is part of the national solar mission.

A total of 53 companies have responded to an expression of interest floated by West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation (WBGEDC) a few weeks ago to install rooftop solar panels. "West Bengal has received the highest number of applications among all the states of eastern India. This is indeed a very positive and encouraging development. Among the companies that have shown interest is Wipro, which wants to install rooftop solar panels on its Salt Lake campus," said WBGEDC managing director S P Gon Chaudhuri.

WBGEDC will select a few companies from the 53 applicants and give them pre-registration, with which they will apply to the Centre. "The companies will have to install panels that will generate solar power in the range of 100 KW to 2 MW. The selected companies will have to generate a total of 20 MW of solar energy," said Gon Chaudhuri.

WBGEDC is also trying to invite schools and colleges in the city to install solar panels and buy smart meters, which measure power generation. Earlier, Gurudas College became the first institution in eastern India to directly feed the grid with solar power generated by panels installed on its roof. "We hope to get a good response from the city's educational institutions in this regard," said Gon Chaudhuri.

The idea behind the introduction of rooftop solar energy is to bring down the consumption of electricity. "Once the solar panels are installed, the energy produced by the rooftop panels will be fed directly into the CESC grid. The smart meters we are planning to bring will help measure how much solar power is being generated and put into the grid," said Gon Chaudhuri.

Of the target generation of 115 MW of solar power by March 2013, the state government was expecting to produce 5 MW through rooftop panels. Now, the state looks set to cross that mark.

WBGEDC and the state pollution control board are already working on framing norms for developers of high-rises to mandatorily install solar panels. Once the rules come into effect, the use of solar power will increase manifold, it is hoped.

In recent byelection at Durgapour CPM won by a smaller margin. Does this mean people are rethinking their decision about Buddhadeb govt. or municipal election and assembly elections are two different issue or CPM have convinced urban population about the need for rapid industrialization of Bengal. I hope good thought will prevail in upcoming election. But what the forum members think?

I think Bengal is between the devil and the deep sea.

I think Bengal is between the devil and the deep sea.

I think babus are confused for the time being. Politics is not always a coffee house affair; sometimes it becomes a life and death situation. This happened in 1946-47 and it is about to happen again in near future. Before you vote debate with your conciences and address the upcoming issues with reasoning, then express your opinion.

Before you vote debate with your conciences and address the upcoming issues with reasoning, then express your opinion.

That was a bit pedagogical. What i meant was there is not much difference between the disruptive politics played by the major parties in Bengal today. How does one differentiate them? Is there really any difference?

Land acquisition for Bhushan project to start by month-end (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/land-acquisition-for-bhushan-project-to-start-by-month-end/401160/)

BS Reporter / Kolkata July 13, 2010, 0:17 IST

The West Bengal government will start land acquisition in the Asansol-Durgapur belt for Delhi-based Bhushan Steel’s project over the next fortnight, setting aside objections raised by Coal India.

“We had a meeting with the commerce and industry department and the ministry has already directed the district magistrate to prepare for land acquisition. The process will start within the next fortnight,” said Bhushan Steel sources.

The process would include a repeat of the gram sabha, as well, as the project had been realigned. The site for the proposed six million tonne steel project has been realigned 300-400 acres to leave out major coal bearing areas.

Bhushan Steel had finished the process gram sabha process when Coal India raised objections to having industrial projects in the Asansol-Durgapur belt area in the Bardhaman district, which was coal bearing.

The compensation for the land had also been fixed at Rs 6.5 lakh an acre, but could see some escalation.

The land requirement in the Rs 20,000 crore steel project is around 2,500 acres. “If the West Bengal government goes ahead with the land acquisition, legally, Coal India cannot prevent it, as it is not in their licensed area. The surface right is with people who own the land,” pointed out the source.

Bhushan Steel has lost more than a year in its wait for the land acquisition process to make any headway. The company is now hoping that it would get physical possession over the next 9-10 months.

“If we get the land in 9-10 months, then from next July we will start the leveling and constructing the boundary wall,” said the Bhushan Steel source.

Once the land issue is sorted, talks with Japan’s Sumitomo Metal Industries would progress. Sumitomo is in talks with Bhushan for picking up stake in the Bengal project. “The valuation has been stuck due to the land. If we don’t have the land in hand, we will not get the right value,” explained Bhushan sources.

Does anyone know whats the status of the project of Vedanta Bidhanbag project ???? Has it been scraped ??:ohno:

never heard of it

Govt clears Videocon SEZ, defers decision on environment norms
13 Jul 2010, 1520 hrs IST,PTI
* Special economic zone
* Videocon Industries
* Coastal Ferrotech Limited
* K Raheja Corporation
* Unitech Kochi SEZ Ltd
* GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd
* Essar SEZ Hazira

NEW DELHI: Amid doubts over continuation of tax sops to new Special Economic Zones (SEZs), the Government today approved three fresh proposals including that of Videocon Industries.

The interest in the special economic zones (SEZs), the favourite investment destination since 2006, has started declining since December 2009. First, it was the economic slowdown of 2008-09, which took a toll on investments.

Even as the economy took to recovery, the renewal of interest in SEZs was missing as the draft Direct Tax Code of the Finance Ministry proposed elimination of the income tax exemptions on export incomes on new SEZs and units there in.

The Board of Approval (BoA) in the Commerce Ministry met in this backdrop and cleared the only three applications before it.

It also gave extensions to 24 developers which included GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, Unitech Kochi SEZ Ltd and K Raheja Corporation.

The BoA, however, deferred decision on guidelines for giving a waiver on a clause in the Rules which require that SEZ should be built on a single piece of land. The decision on a proposal to tighten environment norms for plastic units in SEZs was also deferred.

"These (contiguity and plastic recycling matters) will be taken up in the next meeting," Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar told PTI after the BoA meeting.
Videocon Industries was given permission to set up special economic zone (SEZ) for electronics hardware and software in Navi Mumbai over 100 hectare. Coastal Ferrotech Limited got approval for SEZ in Haldia East Mednipur and Infoparks Kerala in Ernakulam district.

The Government also approved the Essar SEZ Hazira's request for de-notification of its sector specific zone in Gujarat.
The proposed DTC has not only dampened the spirit of new developers, but also caused anxiety among those who have obtained approvals but are yet to implement the projects. Of the 580 approved SEZs, 111 are functional.
The BoA had taken up six proposals each, at its April and June meetings, while 10 developers had approached the Commerce Ministry in February and 11 in December 2009.

The industry said the income tax benefits were the only major attraction for investment in SEZs, which accounted for about 25 per cent of the country's exports in 2009-10. As per the latest data, SEZs have attracted investments worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

CIL objects to Vedanta's plant site in West Bengal
15 Mar 2010, 1856 hrs IST,PTI

KOLKATA: State-owned Coal India Limited (CIL) has raised objections to the choice of site for Vedanta Aluminium Limited's proposed plant at Bidhanbag near Asansol in West Bengal, saying that it was a coal-bearing region.

"The project needs detailed discussion because of the location," CIL Chairman Partho Bhattacharya said here.

An official of Vedanta Aluminium familiar with the development told PTI that the company needed 1,000 acres of land in the area for its alumina smelter and power plant. The company was in possession of 270 acres, but the balance was to be acquired by the state government on behalf of Vedanta.

CIL's objection stems from the fact that the area holds huge coal reserves and it wants the state to explore the possibility of allotting an alternative site.

Vedanta had planned to invest Rs 22,000 crore in the state, of which Rs 15,000 crore would be in the first place.

The Vedanta official said that the company planned to start construction work on the 270 acres as part of the first phase in six months.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5686780.cms

Does anyone know whats the status of the project of Vedanta Bidhanbag project ???? Has it been scraped ??:ohno:

That was a bit pedagogical. What i meant was there is not much difference between the disruptive politics played by the major parties in Bengal today. How does one differentiate them? Is there really any difference?

You are right, there are no difference between leftist anarchy and writist anarchy. A briefless barrister named Jyoti Basu invented this kind of politics which now being followed by Mamata. At least people of Bengal could be vigilent such that ones political ambition does not interfere with their job prospect and economic well beings.I think that is the least thing they all should do!

Bengal says will complete land allotment to 3 steel plants by Sept (http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_bengal-says-will-complete-land-allotment-to-3-steel-plants-by-sept_1409422)

Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri / DNA Wednesday, July 14, 2010 3:06 IST

Kolkata: The West Bengal government plans to complete the land allotment process to 3 mega steel projects in the state by September.

The West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) on Tuesday made a firm commitment to Jai Balaji Industries, Adhunik Group and Shyam Steel to complete the process by the stipulated time.

All the projects are coming up in the backward area of Raghunathpur in the Bankura district and require a total of 7,400 acres. The projects entail a total investment of Rs 24,000 crore.

WBIDC officials had a meeting with the Bankura district officials on Monday evening, where the deadline for land allotment was fixed. The local CPI (M) Lok Sabha member, Basudev Acharya, who was also present at the meeting, emphasised on time-bound completion of land allotment.

WBIDC sources told DNA that the district officials did not see any major difficulty in completing the land allotment on time.

“A large portion of the land which will be allotted is state government vested land. The remaining portion is also highly infertile and hence there will absolutely be no problem in acquiring and allotting it to the industrial units,” a WBIDC official said.

Sources said, the industrial units have also been asked to concentrate on time-bound completion of initial project work. “The 3 companies have also assured us about giving first priority in this regard,” he said.

The total land requirement for the Jai Balaji project is 3,800 acres. The project envisaging a total investment of Rs 16,000 crore includes a steel plant of 5 million tonne (mt) capacity, a cement plant with capacity of 3 mt and a captive power plant.

Adhunik Group project requires 2,400 acres involving an investment of Rs 6,400 crore for setting up 1.1 mt capacity steel plant, 1 mt cement plant and a captive power plant. The land requirement for Shyam Steel project stands at around 1,200 acres. It envisages an investment of Rs 1,200 crore for setting up a 1.1 mt capacity steel plant and a 250 mw captive power plant.

The Telegraph

http://a.imageshack.us/img715/4169/14072010010025.jpg

"SREI Group" will invest 2600 Cr for it 3*150 MW thermal power plant in Haldia

Besides 3000 Cr investment by CESC for its 600 MW thermal power plant ,"SREI Group" will invest 2600 Cr for it 3*150 MW thermal power plant in Haldia.
"SREI Group's" "India Power Corporation (Haldia) Ltd". will be engaged for the project.
SREI Group's chairman Hemant Kanoria told BHEL has been given responsibility for building the project.

In addition to that, SREI group also making "Industrial Region for Solar Energy" joining hands with "Bhaskar Silicon Ltd." with investment of 5600 Cr.
Equipments for this project will be manufactured here.

After fully being developed this will be "World's biggest Solar Energy Industrial Region" .
The "Thermal Power" and "Solar Power" projects involve 375 acres of land, of which 300 acres are earmarked for thermal plant and rest 75 acres will be utilised for "Industrial Region for Solar Energy".

In 2nd stage the thermal power plant's capacity can be increased from 450 MW to 1100 MW.SREI hopes that the projects will be completed within 36 months of starting construction.

SREI has been given proper clearance by the Central Environment Ministry already.

WB Mininng Board/Council has given coal block for this thermal project.

For getting additional coal blocks SREI has appointed "DCPL" as consultant for talking to central Coal Ministry

http://www.anandabazar.com/14bus1.htm

Bhel to part ways with WBPDCL in Katwa JV
once the plant gets fully commissioned.
ET KOLKATA

BHEL has decided to exit the 1,600-mw thermal power joint venture with West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL) at Katwa in Burdwan district of West Bengal,once the plant gets fully commissioned.
This exit clause will get incorporated in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to be signed by November 2010.
WBPDCL will have the first right of refusal for buying Bhels 26% stake in the JV.If WBPDCL does not buy,the stake will get sold to other interested parties.Bhel,according to its latest business strategy,has decided to take stakes in such JVs and exit once these projects have started generation, a senior Bhel official said.
Bhel and WBPDCL propose to take up 26% each to erect two super-critical 800-mw thermal generation units.The rest 48% will be held by financial institutions and others,including the public.Once the units are up and running,Bhel will sell off its stake in the venture and plough the money back into other similar ventures that comes its way.A senior Bhel official said work on the site is expected to begin on the site by early next year.
Interestingly,WBPDCL is also planning a project with NTPC.This one is in the negotiation stage and WBPDCL is in talks with NTPC for its Santaldih Thermal Power Station.The idea being discussed includes handing over the existing stations to NTPC which will run the plant and supply a portion of the power generated to the state grid.Here,WBPDCL will also have a stake,possibly in minority.NTPC may set up two 800-mw units there

WBPDCL invites EoIs for gas power plants

The West Bengal Power Development Corporation (WBPDCL) has invited EoIs from experienced consultancy firms for preparation of feasibility study reports for

a) 700 MW gas based combined cycle power project at Bandel thermal power plant in Hoogly district (Tender)
b) 1,400 MW gas based combined cycle power project at Sagardighi thermal power station in Murshidabad district. (Tender)

The bid documents have to be submitted by 11 August 2010

Tough times for new steel units

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: Going by what industries minister Nirupam Sen said in the assembly on Wednesday,problems over land acquisition apart,difficulties in obtaining coal,iron ore and water are proving to be new obstacles in the way of setting up steel units in West Bengal.
Participating in t debate on the indu tries department budget,Sen said some industria groups which have t land for setting up units are facing diff in obtaining finance as banks were insisting on an agreement on coal supply.
Since 2007,the state government has obtained six coal blocks from the Centre on the state dispensation route.These blocks have already been allotted to entrepreneurs who had submitted their proposals earlier for setting up steel units.Now it has applied to the Centre for nine more coal blocks through the same route,but is yet to get the allotment.The government would be able to allot coal blocks to the newcomers who want to set up steel units only after it receives the allotments.
All these steel units wanted the coal for their captive power units.Sen said it would not be possible to carry out production viably without captive power supply.There was also a problem in availability of iron ore in some of these units as West Bengal had de posit of the ineral.States which had iron ore deposits were now saying that ore could be supplied only to those units which set up their plants in the respective states.
A shortage of water supply is also being faced in the arid areas of West Midnapore,Burdwan,Birbhum,Bankura and Purulia where these industrial units are being set up.The government had sought help from DVC to augment water supply.

There are more desperately poor people in East and Central India including West Bengal than black Africa.( Economic Times report ) Perhaps these states did not receive the beneficial effects of green revolution. But I know some districts of West Bengal really benefited from Agri. revolution like Burdwan, Hoogli,Nadia, Birbhoom ,East Midnapour. Rural purchasing capacity in these districts are quite high, a lot of consumer goods are sold in these districts. Perhaps West Midnapour and Purulia districts may not receive any green revolution.

Shristi Infrastructure Development arm launches "Kanchan Janga Integrated Park" (http://www.equitybulls.com/admin/news2006/news_det.asp?id=77277)


Shristi Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd., after its successful projects in Asansol (Shristinagar), Durgapur, Ranigunj, Haldia, Krishnanagar, Agartala and Kolkata, is launching its mega integrated Park in Siliguri.

"Kanchan Janga Integrated Park" by Kanchan Janga Integrated Infrastructure Development Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture company of West Bengal Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHDC) and Shristi Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (SIDCL), is planned to provide all facilities from industries to commercial -retail and housing. A modern Township uniquely conceptualised to encompass economic acivities.

Strategically located, Kanchan Janga Integrated Park is on NH 31D and is well connected by Air, Rail & Road. The growth in recent years has created a large catchment area in this part of the country. The location is just over an hour away from Kolkata by flight. New Jalpaiguri Station is nearby with direct trains to various state capitals. Siliguri and Jalpaiguri are gateways to North Eastern States. The Park is in close proximity to various export corridors such as Nepal(45 km), Bhutan(60), Bangladesh(7 km) and China(160 km).

The total project will be completed in three phases within 5-7 years and the first phase is expected to be completed by October, 2011. The project is envisaged to cost about Rs 500 crores to begin with and will increase with addition of various facilities commensurate to the need.

Kanchan Janga Integrated Park has been designed by internationally renowned architects 'Surbana Corporation' of Singapore, which has more than 45 years of experience in township planning and development. Surbana has sculpted the unique skyline of Singapore, creating close to 1 million homes.

Kanchan Janga Integrated Park is characterized by well defined Industrial, Commercial, Residential and Social Zones, 50% of the area is being developed into a modern Industrial Park. Assured power and water supply, warehousing and logistics facilities, information technology support are some of the features.

The Residential Zone would comprise of Row Housing, Apartments and Developed Plots with appropriate infrastructure. To compliment this and provide a support system, Education, Healthcare and Social Infrastructure would be developed.

To ensure well balanced development and commitment to the environment, 30 acres is dedicated to Green Area, Roads, Water bodies.

The Commercial Zone would comprise of Offices, Retail outlets, Recreation centres and other commercial establishments.

While commenting on the new project Mr. Rahul Varma, President -Special Initiatives - Shristi Infrastructure stated that, "The way we catered to the Durgapur, Raniganj and Asansol belt, likewise we would like to spread our wings towards far northern parts of the state ensuring recognizable growth in infrastructure sector in those parts."

Gautam Malik, C.E.O. of Kanchan Janga stated that the park is a holistic three dimensional growth centre where industry has been arranged to co-exist within an overall framework of a township. The efficient design will provide maximum productivity for business operations as well as ensure highest quality of living.

The stock was trading at Rs.202.95, up by Rs.6.35 or 3.23%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.204.75 and low of Rs.200.

The total traded quantity was 306 compared to 2 week average of 1210.

We cares about another "Including West Bengal" report?:| Anyway, socially we are on the right direction..

There are more desperately poor people in East and Central India including West Bengal than black Africa.( Economic Times report ) Perhaps these states did not receive the beneficial effects of green revolution. But I know some districts of West Bengal really benefited from Agri. revolution like Burdwan, Hoogli,Nadia, Birbhoom ,East Midnapour. Rural purchasing capacity in these districts are quite high, a lot of consumer goods are sold in these districts. Perhaps West Midnapour and Purulia districts may not receive any green revolution.

Rs 920cr World Bank loan for panchayats

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: Keen to give its image a makeover and win back the confidence of the people,the Left Front government is looking to provide improved services at the panchayat level with financial assistance from the World Bank.
The World Bank will provide a soft loan of Rs 920 crore to the state panchayat department to improve the functioning of 1,000 panchayats spread over nine districts.The loan agreement was signed between the Centre,state government and the World Bank on Thursday.World Banks India representative Roberto Zagha was present at Writers Buildings to sign the agreement.
The panchayat members and staff will be trained to serve the villagers better.There will also be reorientation programmes as there are regular complaints of central schemes not being properly implemented.The focus of the project is to groom the panchayat functionaries so that they can improve administration at the panchayat level.Besides,the panchayat members will be trained to generate revenue from the villages so that the panchayat tax for land-holding can be used for the development of those places.
The World Bank will provide the credit over a period of five years,while the state government will pump Rs 161 crore into this project.The programme involves capacity building in South Dinajpur,Cooch Behar,Birbhum,Bankura,Burdwan,East and West Midnapore,Howrah and Nadia.
The panchayat development project will be officially launched by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on August 31.There will also be a performance-based grant transfer for the panchayats,which means they have to perform to reap the benefits.
The panchayat members and staff will be trained to maintain various books of accounts.The panchayats receive a lot of funds from the state and the Centre,but the management of accounts is often not up to the mark.Moreover,there are plans to deal with financial irregularities at the panchayat level.
The skills of the panchayat members will be upgraded as well.For this,the panchayat department will set up a special team.The plan for this project was chalked out following a training programme involving 1,077 panchayats considered the weakest,said an official.
The staff will be trained in resource mobilization and tax collection.There will also be workshops to motivate the panchayat members.They will be required to develop a vision for the villages and improve the quality of service.

6 Lane road by adjoining 6 districts of West Bengal from Kolkata to Dhanbad
http://www.anandabazar.com/16raj3.htm

wasn't it going to be an expressway?

wasn't it going to be an expressway?

Yes, that was an ex'way then it becomes a highway and finally it will remain as rice fields :lol:..

Nuclear power plant to come up in West Bengal (http://sify.com/news/nuclear-power-plant-to-come-up-in-west-bengal-news-national-khqvEfchcji.html)

2010-07-16 21:40:00


A nuclear power plant is to come up in Haripur in West Bengal's East Midnapore district, despite some people being against the project, said Srikumar Banerjee, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Friday.

'Haripur is not only the place where resistance was faced to set up a nuclear power plant but such opposition was also being faced in other parts of country like Maharashtra. Haripur is one of the five coastal sites selected by the centre for setting up a Nuclear Energy Park,' said Banerjee.

'We have not been given any deadline from the central government for the project. Land acquisition process will start in 18 months after environmental impact assessment process and geo- technical survey of the land gets completed,' said Banerjee speaking to media persons after delivering the 5th Raja Rammna Lecture at Variable Electron and Cyclotron Centre Kolkata.

Banerjee said they are expecting that construction work for the plant will start after two years and it will take another six years to start operation.

The Department of Atomic Energy has earmarked 650 hectares at Haripur in East Midnapore where generation capacity would be 10,000Mg Wt.

The chairman of Atomic Energy Commission said attempts are being made by the commission to explain to people about the nuclear power plant and people are being taken to other power plants to see for themselves that such an initiative is not hazardous.

At Haripur various groups like the National Fishworkers Forum and a section of the Trinamool Congress leadership have opposed setting up of a nuclear power plant.

Talking about the nuclear energy programme of the government, Banerjee said, 'The country will be able to generate about 40,000 MGWT of nuclear energy using both indigenous and nuclear fuel by 2020.'

Earlier in the day, Banerjee met with Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at state secretariat.

It seems TMC is bent on creating as much problem as possible in the reindustrialization process. These people should know that in densely populate north eastern part of USA there are nuclear plants running for last three decades without any major leaks or radiation damage. Side by side scientific farming process taking place making USA one of premier agro-industrial nation in the world. Such things could happen in Bengal. People of Midnapour should not fear that they will be exposed to undue raiation.I think TMC and its didi have a retrograde mind and oppose to anything technologically upcoming. They should be censored!

BAPL plans to start talks with four carriers for airport usage
Co To Have Discussion With Kingfisher,Indian,Jet and Indigo About Possible Flights
ET KOLKATA

BENGAL Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL),which is setting up a Rs 10,000 crore airport city project in West Bengal,has firmed up plans to kick off talks with four airlines - Kingfisher Airlines,Indian Airlines,Jet Airways and Indigo Airlines - to discuss possible flights that can use the airport once it is ready.This was decided after Singapores Changi Airport,which holds a 26% stake in BAPL,worked out the route map for flights from the airport.
BAPL is setting up the airport at Andal,close to the industrial hub of Asansol-Durgapur.
Talking to ET,Subrata Paul,chief executive officer at BAPL,said: Changi Airports International has already worked out the route map for our upcoming airport.A high-powered team from Changi Airports is coming down to India to discuss possible flights that can use the airport.Changi will make presentation to all these four airlines.
Initially,BAPL has decided flights that can connect Durgapur with Delhi and Mumbai.In the next step,we plan to connect southern India with flights touching Durgapur and Bagdogra as well as Guwahati, Mr Paul explained.
The proposed BAPL airport will largely cater to hopping flights.It will function as a regional airport and cater to some 4 lakh people in its catchment area that covers Asansol,Bokaro,Raniganj and other adjoining areas.However,the airport will not deal with any cargo carriers.Mr Paul also added that BAPL is also reworking the debt programme of the company.
Initially,we will require a corpus of Rs 600 crore for the airport alone.Of this Rs 600 crore,more than Rs 300 crore will be in the form of debt.We are now in talks with banks and financial institutions to have a better rate of interest, said Mr Paul.
The BAPL project will cover an area of 2,180 acres.Of this,the airport will be spread over some 600 acres.There will be a logistics park,an IT park,an industrial park,residential township and community infrastructure,such as schools and hospitals.The company has already received more than 1,000 acres from West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) for the project.
The BAPL CEO said another 160 acres will be handed over to them by WBIDC within a weeks time.
WBIDC has also informed us that another 611 acres will be provided to us by middle of September.We plan to start the construction work in October, said Mr Paul.

READY TO TAKE OFF
The proposed BAPL airport will largely cater to hopping flights.It will function as a regional airport and cater to some 4 lakh people in its catchment area that covers Asansol,Bokaro,Raniganj and other adjoining areas.

The BAPL project will cover an area of 2,180 acres.Of this,the airport will be spread over some 600 acres.There will be a logistics park,an IT park,an industrial park,residential township and community infrastructure

Land acquisition of Bhusan Steel Projects Restarts

to be completed within 3 months.
:)

But Videocon's & Abhijit Group Steel plant's land acquisition may take time.:ohno:
http://www.anandabazar.com/archive/1100718/18bus1.htm

Siemens VAI, Shriram EPC consortium wins order from SAIL

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Siemens VAI Metals, a unit of Siemens AG said on Monday its consortium with India's Shriram EPC has won an order to construct a rolling mill for Steel Authority of India's plant at Durgapur.

The new long-product rolling mill will expand the steelmaker's production capacities for structural steel by about 1 million tons per annum, Siemens VAI said.


Source:Yahoo news

Siemens VAI, Shriram EPC consortium wins order from SAIL

Source:Yahoo news

A good news for Bengal at last! This old steel plant needs value added products in order to be survive competition. It will also generate much needed employment in this township.

Duo to tap Bengal coal block

NMDC Ltd and Coal India Ltd (CIL) may form a joint venture to develop the Deocha-Pachami coal block in Birbhum.

CIL has sought the permission of the coal ministry to develop the block, one of the largest in India, with reserves of around 2 billion tonnes.
The steel ministry has also written to the coal ministry to push for NMDC’s participation. NMDC is India’s largest iron ore miner and exporter.

The block was reserved under the “state dispensation route” whereby the coal ministry would have allotted it to a state government agency — in this case the West Bengal Mineral Trading & Development Corporation (WBMTDC).

NMDC and the WBMTDC had signed an agreement in November 2008 to jointly develop the block. However, Bengal has not received any coal block from the Centre after December 2007.

Rana Som, chairman and managing director of NMDC, said, “I have taken the initiative along with CIL chairman Partha S. Bhattacharyya to develop the mine so that it helps everyone. We will set up a joint venture where both companies will have an equal share.” He said NMDC was keen to honour its commitment to the Bengal government. “We also want the WBMTDC to participate in the venture,” he said.

Som said a separate venture was needed since production would be as high as 30 million tonnes.

NMDC’s expertise in removing the overburden (the earth matter over the mineral) will be of help in Deocha-Pachami since coal is hidden beneath a layer of basalt rock. The block is spread over 9.7 square kilometres.

Sabyasachi Sen, chairman of the WBMTDC, said the Bengal government was in favour of an equal joint venture for the project. The state chief secretary has written to the coal ministry about it. “We have no problem if CIL joins in as coal will be available to the state,” Sen said. The Telegraph

Duo to tap Bengal coal block

Calcutta, July 19: NMDC Ltd and Coal India Ltd (CIL) may form a joint venture to develop the Deocha-Pachami coal block in Birbhum.

CIL has sought the permission of the coal ministry to develop the block, one of the largest in India, with reserves of around 2 billion tonnes.

The steel ministry has also written to the coal ministry to push for NMDC’s participation. NMDC is India’s largest iron ore miner and exporter.

The block was reserved under the “state dispensation route” whereby the coal ministry would have allotted it to a state government agency — in this case the West Bengal Mineral Trading & Development Corporation (WBMTDC).

NMDC and the WBMTDC had signed an agreement in November 2008 to jointly develop the block. However, Bengal has not received any coal block from the Centre after December 2007.

Rana Som, chairman and managing director of NMDC, said, “I have taken the initiative along with CIL chairman Partha S. Bhattacharyya to develop the mine so that it helps everyone. We will set up a joint venture where both companies will have an equal share.” He said NMDC was keen to honour its commitment to the Bengal government. “We also want the WBMTDC to participate in the venture,” he said.

Som said a separate venture was needed since production would be as high as 30 million tonnes.

NMDC’s expertise in removing the overburden (the earth matter over the mineral) will be of help in Deocha-Pachami since coal is hidden beneath a layer of basalt rock. The block is spread over 9.7 square kilometres.

Sabyasachi Sen, chairman of the WBMTDC, said the Bengal government was in favour of an equal joint venture for the project. The state chief secretary has written to the coal ministry about it. “We have no problem if CIL joins in as coal will be available to the state,” Sen said.

Ore pipeline

NMDC will build a Rs 3,000-crore pipeline from Bailadila in Chhattisgarh to Visakhapatnam to transport iron ore. The pipeline will be ready by 2012, Som said.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100720/jsp/business/story_12704097.jsp

Projects (completed/ongoing) by WBIDC

http://www.wbidc.com/







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BEML vies for majority stake in JV with CIL, DVC
Wednesday, 21 Jul, 2010

BEML is keen to hold a majority 52 per cent stake in the JV company - MAMC Industries. The JV is set to acquire the closed facility of the Durgapur based Mining and Allied Machinery Corporation (MAMC) in West Bengal.

According to the original understanding between the consortium partners, BEML was to hold 48 per cent stake as the lead partner and CIL and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) 26 per cent each.

The consortium partners on 7 July 2010 have completed payment of the entire bid value of Rs 100 crore to the High Court-appointed liquidator. Now, it is awaiting the handover of the assets by end-July 2010.

BEML has been holding discussions with CIL and DVC. However, final decision is yet to be taken. BEML's proposal on revised equity structure was not readily accepted by other consortium partners as it will convert the joint venture into a subsidiary of BEML, according to sources.

Also, the proposed dilution of stakes of DVC and CIL from the critical 26 per cent to 24 per cent each is expected to convert them into mere investors in MAMC. However, it is learnt that both DVC and CIL had agreed to give the management control to BEML (with 48 per cent stake).
http://projectstoday.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?nid=31897

UNIQUE EFFORT
UIDAI data collection in state to start soon
ET
Writankar Mukherjee KOLKATA
THE unique identification number project is slowly taking shape in West Bengal.The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) had earlier this month inked an agreement with the West Bengal government to roll out the initiative and has also shortlisted the names of enrollment agencies for data collection.
The data collection process in the state is expected to kick off around September-October.Some leading local companies who have been empanelled to undertake data collection include Srei Infrastructure,Nexus Connexions,Peerless General Finance & Investment Co and Webel.
This apart,companies which have won national contracts like IL&FS,ITC Infotech,TVS Electronics,Wipro and SQL Star may also undertake some work in the state phase of data collection,sources in the state government said.The project is also
slated to open up new employment opportunities since several of these companies are expected to ramp up their hiring.
The West Bengal government has just set up a state level empowered committee,under the chairmanship of chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee,to oversee implementation of the project in the state.
The task force includes members from departments like IT,home,development and planning,IT,panchayat and rural development,and civil supplies among others.We are also trying to make state-owned Webel a registrar for West Bengal, said West Bengal IT secretary Mr Siddharth.
Registrars are government agencies with whom UIDAI partners for successful implementation of the project.
Nexus Connexions,a Kolkata-based BPO that has been empaneled for West Bengal and Bihar,plans to roll out 200-odd booths by March 2011 for collection of data.This will be through a mix of fixed and mobile booth,and Nexus plans to install them mostly in government premises.
Each of the booth will require an investment of around Rs 3 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh,and UIDAI will pay us as per the number of people whose data we collect.For this mammoth task,we plan to recruit some 3,000 people, said Nexus Connexions executive director Neeraj Poddar.It currently has some 500 people on rolls.
Mr Poddar expects to start the data collection process in Bengal from October.We will do localised recruitment to ensure smooth roll out.These people need to be trained and certified for the process, he said.
He,however,does not expect much profit out of the venture but hopes to break-even the approx.Rs 6-crore investment he has to make for the initiative.
The immediate returns may not be that high,but since it is a prestigious project,we expect to bag future government projects, Mr Poddar said.

Railways mulls axle factory, diesel multiple unit in West Bengal

The Indian Railways (IR) is planning to set up an axle factory at New Jalpaiguri and a diesel multiple unit (DMU) in Sankrail, both in West Bengal.

Both the projects were announced in the Rail Budget 2010-11. The details of the projects have been worked out and are to be presented before the Union Government for approval soon. These projects are to be implemented in PPP mode and IR is likely to offer the land.

As the setting up of a DMU project is a fairly complex exercise, the IR is mulling to set up an incubation centre at an estimated cost of Rs 70 crore. Rail Vikas Nigam has been asked to work on it. In this regard, the tender is likely to be invited soon.

Further, the IR is likely to team up with any firm having surplus forging capacity for the axle factory project so that estimated cost of Rs 280 crore, could be reduced substantially, to around Rs 120 crore.

CESC achieves financial closure for Haldia project

CESC has mopped up funds for its proposed Stage I 2x300 MW project at Haldia in West Bengal.

The project is estimated to cost Rs 3,000 crore and the cost of evacuation, including that over the Hooghly river, is likely to be another Rs 300 crore. The company has tied up Rs 2,400 crore from the IDBI and ICICI Bank.

Haldia Energy, a SPV floated by the company, has acquired 298 acre for the project.

A good news from another automobile project in Bengal:
Allahabad Bank inks pact with Ural India


A Hindu report :

Kolkata, July 24

Allahabad Bank has entered into a strategic partnership with Ural India Ltd, the manufacturer of heavy vehicles, to boost the bank's commercial vehicle financing, according to a release issued by the bank.

Under the MoU signed here on Saturday, the bank will provide one-stop financial solutions through its 2,318 branches, to customers keen on purchasing buses and other heavy vehicles manufactured by Ural India. The MoU was signed by Mr B.K Srivastav, General Manager of the bank, and Mr A.Kanoi, Director of Ural India, in the presence of Mr J.P Dua, CMD of the bank, and Mr J.K Saraff, Chairman of the company.







More Stories on : Consumer Finance | Alliances & Joint Ventures

Durgapur, July 24: Construction of the airport for the proposed Aerotropolis project in Burdwan’s Andal will begin in September and be completed by April 2012, its developers said today.

Primary work on the Rs 10,000-crore project, such as land filling and labelling, fencing and air route map study, has been completed, said Subrata Paul, the CEO of Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd.

Source: The Telegraph
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100725/jsp/bengal/story_12723778.jsp

Videocon SEZ on track :

Videocons north Bengal IT SEZ project is on track,its chairman Venugopal Dhoot said on Friday.Sources said the facility would develop 2 million sq ft of built-up space for use by clients.Meanwhile,Dhoot and Coal India chairman Partha S Bhattacharyya were conferred the Distinguished Management Fellowship Award by IISWBM,Kolkata.Bhattacharya said that the aim of his company is to increase the availability of coal at 7-8 % per year.

RBU set to open campus in North Bengal

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: Rabindra Bharati University is all set to throw it gates open to the students of North Bengal.The new campus of RBU is going to come up at Fanshidewa just 20 km from Siliguri.Classes for the first batch will start from the end of July.
Initially,masters courses on visual arts and performing arts will be offered.Later,we plan to introduce Rabindrasangeet and other vocals.Gradually,we will start bachelor of fine arts courses in the undergraduate section on our north Bengal campus, said Rabindra Bharati vice-chancellor Karuna Sindhu Das.
The reason why the authorities have planned a campus in the region is to cater to the demands of students spread across the northeast,North Bengal and the neighbouring countries.There are a few good institutions in the region offering performing arts and visual arts courses.Very recently,Tripura University started some such courses.There is also another institute in Dibrugarh.Rabindra Bharati University has a tradition of teaching such courses for the past 50 years.As a result,we wanted our presence in the region, said the V-C.
He further pointed out that as quite a few students of the university come from the northeast,North Bengal and countries such as Bhutan,Nepal and Bangladesh,RBU wanted to set up a campus close to their respective homes.
This is also being done to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, said Das.
The state government has already provided 50 acres to set up the campus.Two months ago,the campus was inaugurated by higher education minister Sudarshan Roychaudhury, said Das.The authorities have already submitted a five-year plan and asked for Rs 32 crore.
We have to start around 10-11 departments on the campus in a short time.There will be an auditorium with a stage to perform for students in the dramatics department,a guest house to accommodate faculty members and visiting teachers,a library and even a laboratory for the mass communication and videography courses.The auditorium will be built on the lines of Ahindra Mancha, said the vice-chancellor.
At present,RBU offers a masters course in museology on the Jorasanko campus.The centre for Tagore studies also remains on the first campus of RBU.Most of the other courses have been shifted to the second campus on B T Road.The Salt Lake campus offers distance learning courses.The campus in North Bengal will be the second to offer courses in which the university specializes, said Das.

Godrej Agrovet plans to invest 70 crore in 3 units

ET KOLKATA


GODREJ Agrovet,the diversified agri-business of the Godrej Group,is planning to set up plants for manufacturing animal feed in Varanasi,Bihar and West Bengal.The company plans to invest around 70 crore on these three facilities,which will grow its annual capacity from 1 million tonnes to 1.3 million tonnes by end-2011.
While Godrej Agrovet expects to commercialise its Varanasi plant by December,it is on the lookout for land for its Bihar and West Bengal units.The animal feed business contributes the largest chunk ( 1,100 crore) to Godrej Agrovets 1,600-crore revenue.
We just spent 40 crore in setting up a plant at Lucknow and acquiring one at Bhubaneswar.This is part of our strategy to expand manufacturing base in the East,since all the existing plants are located in the North,West and South, said Godrej Agrovet managing director Balram Yadav.
The company expects its animal feed business to grow by 12-15 % for the next few years.It also claims to be the market leader in cattle and poultry feed and also owns the largest animal feed R&D centre in Asia.
Godrej Agrovet is owned 75% by Godrej Industries and the balance 25% is owned by the Godrej family.
This apart,Godrej Agrovet is betting big on its palm oil business.The countrys largest cultivator of palm oil plans to triple its existing revenue of 100 crore over the next five years.
It currently has some 40,000 hectare under contract farming for palm tree which produces 20,000 tonnes of oil.

CESC in site hunt to up Bengal capacity
Telegraph
Calcutta, July 23: Power generator CESC Ltd plans to add 2,000mw fresh capacity in Bengal.

Sanjiv Goenka, vice-chairman of CESC, said the company was ready to look at new locations in the state apart from Haldia and Balagarh, where new plants are coming up.

“We have to build ahead of time. If we start planning now, it will get executed over the next five years. The way demand is growing, we must be prepared,” he told reporters after the annual general meeting of the company.

He said the financial closure for the first phase of the 600mw unit at Haldia, involving an investment of Rs 3,000 crore, was completed yesterday. The plant will come up in 36 months.

The Balagarh project, revived after almost a decade in April, will kick off with a capacity of 660 mega watt. However, it is yet to get coal linkage and environment clearance.

“Apart from Haldia and Balagarh, we are willing to look at a third location in Bengal,” he said.

He also announced the company’s foray into the renewable energy sector. CESC has acquired 200 acres near Bikaner in Rajasthan where a 200mw solar plant will come up. He said the plan was to produce 1,000 mega watt from solar energy.

CESC’s retail subsidiary Spencers’ had started making profits at the store level from June.

It has reported a net profit of Rs 110 crore in the first quarter of 2010-11, a rise of 4.76 per cent over the corresponding period last year. Net sales were up 33 per cent to Rs 1,082 crore during the quarter compared with Rs 809 crore sales registered in the corresponding quarter of 2009-10.

FLIGHT RESUMPTION
Cooch Behar airport set to take off
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Kolkata: After lying idle for over two decades,flight operations are expected to resume at Cooch Behar Airport in late August or early September.Though efforts to kickstart operations at the airport had failed three years ago when Air Deccan conducted a test flight but never went ahead with commercial operations,AAI regional executive director Gautam Mukherjee said he was hopeful that flights would begin within the next month or so.
Non-scheduled flight operator Deccan Charter has applied to Director General of Civil Aviation and Airports Authority of India for a daily service between Kolkata and Cooch Behar with an 18-seater Beechcraft 1900 Delta aircraft.If the service becomes popular,they may introduce more flights and encourage other airlines who operate small aircraft to touch down at Cooch Behar, Mukherjee said.
Deccan Charters Kolkata pointsman said the Beechcraft would do one trip to Cooch Behar in the morning and three trips to Jamshedpur thereafter.We hope to start next month.The fare structure is being worked out, he said.
Though the airline is yet to get a state government commitment for at least eight bookings per flight to make the operations viable,aviation industry experts said 48-seater ATR operations would be more viable as fares would be a lot lower than an 18-seater Beechcraft.Trains to Cooch Behar are always packed.A lot of businessmen and traders will travel by plane if the fare isnt exorbitant, he said.
At present,the runway length is 1,069 m.AAI is adding 60 m and there is a proposal to increase it by a further 259 m to allow ATRs to operate comfortably.
The last airline to operate a scheduled service to Cooch Behar was Vayudoot in the late 1980s.After that,the airport lay idle for a while before AAI expressed its intent to upgrade the airport in the mid-1990 s.But nothing much happened for another decade till the Captain Gopinathled Air Deccan evinced interest after being prodded by the state government.But soon thereafter,the airline was merged with Kingfisher Airlines and plans to start operations to Cooch Behar were dumped.
Meanwhile,AAI invested nearly Rs 40 crore to construct a new technical block and terminal building with a capacity to handle 100 passengers or two small aircraft at a time.But with the airport shut for over two years since April 1,2008,AAI has to get permissions from DGCA and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) afresh.Getting the requisite permissions should not be a problem.We will send a fire tender from Patna to Cooch Behar and instal a baggage X-ray machine.Around 35 AAI staff have already been identified for deployment at the airport.The state government will provide security till CISF takes over, Mukherjee pointed out.

Advantage Bengal
qDPSsoFGcAg

Advantage Bengal
qDPSsoFGcAg

The video seems too old.

^^that one is..but the other one isn't

the other one is posted in kolkata cityscapes.

:ohno:

Calcutta, July 27: Bengal’s ill luck hung heavy like a bad taste in the mouth when Sajjan Jindal today ushered in the biggest foreign direct investment yet in metal in the country.

Japan’s JFE Steel will pick up a nearly 15 per cent stake in Jindal’s JSW Steel for Rs 4,800-5,000 crore but the milestone also served to highlight how the Salboni project in Bengal has slipped into the sideline and is about to miss a deadline.

“We intend to start construction by the end of this fiscal (March 2011). It will take three years from then to complete the first phase and start production,” Jindal said from Mumbai, responding to a question by The Telegraph.

He was referring to the 10-million-tonne steel plant JSW Steel is expected to build in West Midnapore’s Salboni.

The timetable set by Jindal today means the project is expected to start production at least three years later than originally scheduled:bash:. When JSW signed the agreement with the Bengal government in January 2007, the target for commencing production of 3 million tonnes of steel in Phase I was 2011. Now production is slated to begin in 2014.:ohno:

A scaledown also seems to have taken place. Jindal said a 300MW power plant would be built in the first phase. However, the plan earlier was for an 800MW power plant in the first round and another of matching capacity in the second leg. Company officials said environment clearance had been secured for only 300MW in the first phase.

Jindal and the state government did maintain the timeline more or less till the groundbreaking ceremony took place at Salboni on November 2, 2008.

But a Maoist bombing that day set the stage for tumult in Bengal. The bomb targeting chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee exploded in front of Jindal’s convoy, triggering the events that led to the Lalgarh insurgency and deployment of central forces.

The Salboni project ran into rough weather also because of the global financial crisis. India waded out faster than the rest of the world — one of the reasons JFE invested in an Indian company.

Jindal said the Bengal project topped JFE’s agenda when the companies began talks last year. But JFE decided to invest in the holding company, JSW Steel, as it wanted to wrap up the deal “quickly”.

“We are still in discussion with JFE for their participation in the Salboni project,” Jindal said. The Bengal project of Rs 35,000 crore is being executed by JSW Bengal, in which JSW Steel has around 94 per cent stake.

Biswadip Gupta, the CEO of JSW Bengal, said the funds from JFE would indirectly benefit the local project. “It will help the parent company to shed debt. Consequently, it will be easier for JSW Bengal to raise fresh loans from banks to execute the Salboni plant.”

The Salboni project is one of the few mega steel projects to have land, coking and thermal coal mines, water allocation, environment clearance and special economic zone status. Still, the timeline keeps getting stretched.

Some feel the Maoist insurgency could be a factor but not the only one. Jindal said: “It’s a worry (the local condition), the safety of our people. But the project site is not affected.”

The political instability in the state has not helped either. If construction starts next year, it will coincide with the Assembly election that is expected to result in a change of guard. “All these factors have taken away the state government’s bargaining power. It cannot force an investor to stick to deadlines now,” said an industrialist from Mumbai.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100728/jsp/frontpage/story_12739905.jsp

City schools to branch out in districts
Calcutta, July 27: Several reputable Calcutta-based English-medium schools are planning to set up new branches in the districts, with the government encouraging private players to set up unaided institutions in the state.
The state government has set up a task force to frame guidelines for approving such institutions. The move is in keeping with a provision in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, which suggests that state governments should encourage private organisations to set up unaided schools.
A number of prominent Christian missionary, Anglo-Indian and other private English medium ICSE and CBSE schools have shown interest in undertaking expansion plans.
“We have been told by school education department officials that the government intends to set up new unaided schools in places where there is a scarcity of good schools. We are ready to open branches of schools run by the Christian missionaries under our Churches if the government promises us the necessary clearance,” said Father Faustine Brank of the Roman Catholic Church. He is also the president of the education cell of the Bangiya Christiya Pariseba, an NGO representing the Christian community.
Barry ’Brien, the MLA nominated from the Anglo-Indian community, urged the heads of associations of Anglo-Indian schools at a recent meeting to “immediately respond to the government initiative and set up new branches outside Calcutta”.
Rajarhat, Ranaghat in Nadia, Baruipur and Sonarpur in South 24-Parganas, Asansol in Burdwan, Jalpaiguri, Siliguri and Malda are some of the places where city schools are planning to open branches.
Calcutta Boys’, Calcutta Girls’, St James, Pratt Memorial, La Martiniere, Rammohan Mission and St Augustine are keen on opening branches in the districts. The Methodist Church, which runs Calcutta Boys’, Calcutta Girls’, Mount Hermon, Darjeeling, Methodist Church School, Dankuni, has already begun the process of identifying the locations for setting up their branches.
“We intend to set up a Calcutta Girls’ branch in Nadia’s Ranghat and another of Mount Hermon School in Jalpaiguri,” said Kamalakshya Sardar, the chairman of the Methodist Church. The Church of North India (CNI) has decided to revive its plan to set up branches of La Martiniere, St James and Pratt Memorial on the city outskirts.
The CNI had identified plots on the northern and southern fringes of the city. But it had temporarily shelved the project after the Singur agitation. “Preparations for reviving the scheme have started after the government announcement,” said Terence Ireland, St James School principal.

TEACHER WORRY
3 more medical colleges by next year
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata: The state government will continue with direct recruitment of doctors till May 2011.Health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra on Wednesday announced the governments decision to set up three more medical colleges in the state.
The West Bengal Health Services (Amendment) Bill was passed in the assembly to remove difficulties that had cropped up in the recruitment process of medical teachers.
The Public Service Commission was authorized to appoint doctors in medical colleges.But the process took too much time.The government started direct recruitment to solve the problem.This process will continue till May 24,2011, Mishra said.
The state government has decided to upgrade the Sagar Dutta Hospital and ESI Hospital at Kamarhati,North 24-Parganas,into a medical college along with the Malda district hospital and Behrampore state general hospital.
These medical colleges will have 100 seats each.As many as 695 seats will be added in the existing medical colleges.The new seats will be incorporated from the 2011 academic session, Mishra said.This will take the number of new seats to 995 adding to the 1,205 existing seats in the 11 medical colleges in the state.
The health minister said that the state government needed more teachers.In the last two years,the number of postgraduate seats has gone up by 300.Without more teachers the classes cannot be held, he said.
The recognition of the new medical colleges will depend on the nod from the Medical Council of India which has strict norms.One of the basis requirements is the number of teachers for the MBBS course.During numerous inspections made by the MCI,the state health department was charged with transferring teachers from other medical colleges to make up the numbers.
The Bill states that the state government will not be able to obtain the requisite clearance from MCI.Any medical institution which fails to meet the MCIs criteria is liable to lose its recognition.

THREE NEW MEDICAL COLLEGES :Kamarhati (North 24-Parganas ),Malda and Behrampore
Seats in new colleges: 100 each
Seats to be added to existing colleges: 695
Total new seats: 995

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/1285/20100730c010101001.jpg (http://img17.imageshack.us/i/20100730c010101001.jpg/)

Berger plans expansion, acquisition

Berger Paints India has chalked out an investment plan of Rs 250 for acquisition and capacity expansion by 2015.

The company is likely to revive the shelved automotive paints and power coating project at Jejuri near Pune in Maharashtra. The company has 20 acre in possession and the necessary approvals required for expansion are in place. It is planning to set up an automotive and industrial paints factory with a capacity of 50,000 kilolitres per annum at an estimated cost of Rs 75 crore.

Besides, capacities of existing plants at Rishra (West Bengal), Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir) and Goa are likely to be augmented. In the Goa paints plant, it is ramping up capacity by 72,000 kilolitres per annum and at West Bengal plant, it is adding 60,000 kilolitres per annum capacity.
Further, it is already setting up a 1.50 lakh tpa water based paints unit at Hindupur in Andhra Pradesh. The plant is expected to go on stream by June 2012.

Also, the company is looking at an acquisition in South Asia and it could possibly be a domestic company.

Associated Pigments to set up unit in Midnapore


ET KOLKATA
AT A time when industries are shying away from West Bengal,the Rs 310-crore Associated Pigments Ltd (APL),maker of lead and lead oxides,has taken the decision to set up a Rs 70-crore industrial battery manufacturing unit in Midnapore.
The company has already purchased 11 acres to set up the facility.Construction will kick off in November.APL now supplies lead to Exide Industries,Luminous Batteries and Hyderabad Batteries,among others.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday,Sanjiv N Sahay,MD of APL,said: The plant will be ready by June to July next year.Our aim is to come up with an industrial battery unit during the next summer so that we can leverage rising demand for inverters.Our industrial batteries,which will be sold under the APL brandname,will be used in inverters.With the power crisis expected to continue in the next few years,we expect demand for industrial batteries to continue.
The company has also outlined an Rs 85 crore capex plan at its existing lead manufacturing facilities located in Kanpur,Bharatpur,Kolkata and Midnapore.The total staff-strength of the company is 500.The company now produces 75,000 tonnes of lead and lead oxide per annum.Following the expansion programme,the capacity will increase to 1.5 lakh tpa.The company is also mulling a public offer in the next fiscal.The promoter holding in the company is 72% while the balance 28% is with the public.
The companys shares are now listed on Calcutta Stock Exchange.The process of listing APLs shares on Bombay Stock Exchange is underway.Once we get listed on BSE,we will come out with the public float, said Mr Sahay.APL was referred to the Board for Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) in 2003 as the networth was wiped out.We had taken over the management of the company in 2005,and with fresh working capital facility sanctioned by Allahabad Bank,we restarted operations from October 2006.In 2008-09,the company came out from BIFR and it clocked a turnover of Rs 310 crore, he said.

BP to exit Bengal gas block
Curtain call
New Delhi, July 29: BP is keen to exit its lone coal bed methane block in the country at Birbhum in Bengal because of low prospects.
“BP has put up a request that they would like to walk away from the Birbhum coal bed methane (CBM) block in Bengal. In their view, the prospect is not good. A decision is yet to be taken on it,” S.K. Srivastava, director-general of hydrocarbons, told reporters.
The methane block in Birbhum was awarded to BP in 2006, which owns a 100 per cent stake in the block.
“Drilling results indicate the presence of much lower gas content than anticipated with the absence of commercial gas in all depositional lows in the block according to our assessment,” BP said.
Industry sources said Oil India was interested in the block. Oil India chairman N.M. Borah declined to comment. The PSU has set aside $2 billion for overseas acquisitions.
“We are currently conducting a due diligence for 2-3 assets,” Borah said. He said the company was looking at acquiring stakes in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Africa assets
Essar group CEO Prashant Ruia told reporters here that it was interested in buying BP’s fuel marketing assets in east Africa, which Reliance Industries was also said to be eyeing.
“BP is running a process (to sell its interest in east Africa). It is the early part of the process, it will take six months (to conclude),” Ruia said.
BP is selling its retail outlets, terminals and aviation fuel stations in Botswana, Tanzania, Namibia, Malawi and Zambia to cover costs related to the worst oil spill in US history.
“These are some 150 (retail) outlets. They (BP) are looking at selling (interest) in 5-6 countries (in east Africa). They are inviting participation for all,” Ruia said.

Essar in Raniganj
Essar Oil will begin gas production from its Raniganj CBM block in Bengal by September and will achieve peak output in late 2012.
“Production will begin this quarter ... either by end-August or early September,” Essar oil’s head of E&P, Shishir Agrawal, said.
The Raniganj CBM block will produce 90,000-100,000 cubic metres per day of gas initially and will touch a peak output of 3.5 million standard cubic metres per day by the fourth quarter of 2012, he said.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100730/jsp/business/story_12748886.jsp

Bengal on Bombardier radar
KOLKATA: Those upset with the exit of Tata Motors from Singur may soon have reason to smile. Bombardier, the world's largest transportation company, has shown interest in the railway's Kanchrapara coach facility. If railway minister Mamata Banerjee is able to pull off a joint venture with the Canada-based multinational, she will not only succeed in putting Bengal's languishing industrial scenario back on track but also earn enough brownie points ahead of the assembly polls to wash away the sour aftertaste of Singur.

Bombardier is a world leader in the metro and inter-city train segments. Most inter-city expresses in Europe Regina in Sweden, Electrostar in the UK, Talent 2 in Germany and Spacium in France run on Bombardier coaches. In India, the company supplies coaches to Delhi Metro from its first facility in the country at Vadodara in Gujarat.

The $19.4-billion (over Rs 85,000-crore) firm filed a request for qualification (RFQ) for the Kanchrapara project earlier this week, sources said. The railway minister is keen on roping in the global brand for the proposed railway coach project at Kanchrapara with an eye on the 2011 assembly elections.Soon after Mamata announced the Kanchrapara project in her railway budget, the ministry came out with a global RFQ for the project in June. The last date for submission was July 26.

The RFQ published by the railways says the ministry will form a joint venture for setting up a state-of-the-art EMU, mainline electrical multiple unit (MEMU) and Metro coach unit on 150 acres of land at Kanchrapara. MEMU is used for inter-city trains. "It will be a 74:26 JV, with the partner having 74% stake and the railways the remaining 26%," a railway official said.

Luis Ramos, communications director of Bombardier for southern Europe, Brazil and India, said the company was eager to participate in the rail coach project at Kanchrapara and the locomotive project in Dankuni.

The Kanchrapara joint venture, in which global transportation giant Bombardier has shown interest, would be the first in eastern India to manufacture MEMU and Metro coaches, railway officials said on Friday. "Metro projects are in the pipeline in many cities like Mumbai and Hyderabad. There is also the ongoing East-West Metro project in Kolkata. Though some of these projects are being implemented by private companies, they can buy coaches from this JV unit instead of importing them," an official said.

Going by the RFQ, the JV company will be required to supply a combined number of 500 EMU, MEMU and Metro coaches to the railways every year.

Luis Ramos, communications director of Bombardier for southern Europe, Brazil and India, said: "Bombardier is very committed and working hard on the Dankuni locomotives project and the Kanchrapara railway coach project. The company wishes to submit a very good offer that once materialised can turn Kanchrapara into a Vadodara in Gujarat the only city in the world with a capacity to deliver all key electrical and mechanical components for manufacturing railway vehicles. Over 3,000 highly qualified jobs have been generated in Gujarat, a state that today produces the world's preferred Metro car."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Bengal-on-Bombardier-radar/articleshow/6239070.cms

I think some sections of journalists need to realize that writing news is not the same as writing a Uccho Madhyamik / ISC essay. When are they going to rise above silly cliches like?

"A time when industries are shying away from West Bengal"

"Bengal's languishing industrial scenario"

http://img17.imageshack.us/i/20100730c010101001.jpg

The big bold headline claims "Foundry Park on Hold"

The small text on the other hand says: "The foundry park though delayed, is on track"

:nuts:

FOCUS: ASANSOL DURGAPUR

Driving growth

http://www.frontline.in/stories/20100813271609600.htm

The Asansol-Durgapur region, with its substantial reserves of coal and iron and abundant power, has emerged as an important industrial centre in West Bengal.

Asansol has been identified among the 10 fastest growing Indian cities and is a major attraction to heavy industries because of its location and the ease of access to raw materials such as coal and iron ore.

The ADDA has set up industrial areas in Durgapur, Mangalpur, Jamuria and Asansol, where a large number of small- and medium-scale industries are operating. It has also developed an export promotion industrial park (EPIP) to provide high-standard facilities to export-oriented industries. One of the main focuses of the ADDA is to promote small and medium enterprises as this sector generates maximum employment.

The ADDA has attached great importance to the development of Information and Technology (IT). It has provided land to a number of IT and IT enabled Services (ITeS) companies to set up their units, including Pinnacle Infotech, Hinduja TMT Global Ltd., BNK E.Solution, and Global Infotech Pvt. Ltd. The ADDA has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Shapoorji Pallonji Pvt. Ltd to set up an IT park at Durgapur in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

The project site, on 25 acres, will have office spaces, training facilities, an incubation centre, service apartments, hostels for men and women, and commercial spaces. Shapoorji Pallonji is investing about Rs.500 crore in the project, and the IT park will be the first IT special economic zone (SEZ) in the region.

In the health sector, the ADDA has taken a holistic approach to provide health-care facilities. Working in coordination with the Health Department, it has upgraded some of the rural hospitals in the region and is setting up a super specialty hospital and a medical college in Durgapur.

A trauma centre is being set up in Asansol by Medica Synergie Pvt. Ltd., and land has been allotted to Chittaranjan Advanced Medical Referral Institute to establish training institutes for nurses and paramedics. The ADDA's efforts continue to bring investments in this sector and several important health institutions such as Mission Hospital, Vivekananda Hospital, Anandalok and HLG Hospital, operate in the region.

It is the ADDA's aim to ensure the Durgapur-Asansol region emerges as a major educational hub in the State. The region is home to various quality educational institutions and given its industrial nature, the ADDA is focusing on expanding vocational education.

Recently, a number of law, management, hotel management and engineering colleges have come up in the region, which will soon create a pool of skilled manpower. Some important institutions are Carmel Convent and St. Xavier's schools in Durgapur; St. Patrick's High School and St. Vincent High and Technical School in Asansol; the Durgapur Government College; B.B. College Asansol; and the National Institute of Technology, Durgapur.

Rapid urbanisation and growth of industries in the region is leading to a demand for residential accommodation. To address this, the ADDA has established major residential areas, including City Centre and Bidhan Nagar, in Durgapur. The City Centre area, spread over 450,000 square feet, has been conceived as a hub for education, health, residences, commerce and entertainment.

The ADDA has established another township, Urvashi, in a joint venture with Bengal Ambuja. It has also worked on housing projects with companies such as Bengal Shristi and Bengal Green Field. Bengal Shristi Infrastructure Development Ltd, a joint venture between the ADDA and Shristi Infrastructure Development Ltd., is coming up with the New Asansol project in Asansol.

The first phase of the project involves the development of a township, comprising 130 residential plots, 24 lower income group houses and 346 high income group houses, with all modern civic amenities. In the second phase, there will be an IT centre, a hotel, a commercial place, a club, and more residential housing. The first phase of the project is nearing completion and the second phase is about to begin.

The region has developed considerably in terms of entertainment and recreation as well. It has three major shopping malls – City Centre, Suhatta, and the City Plaza – and a multiplex, 89 Cinemas. A mall with a multiplex, called Junction, is coming up in Durgapur, while in Asansol, the ADDA has taken up a PPP project with Srijan group for a mall with a multiplex. The ADDA is also modernising Troika Park in Durgapur, which has a toy train, a boating lake, and ropeway facilities.

Graphite to set up 50 mw power plant

http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/graphite-set-50-mw-power-plant-541

The K K Bangur-owned Graphite India Ltd (GIL), one of the leading manufacturers of graphite electrodes in the world, is now well set to put up a coal based thermal power plant of 50 mw capacity at Durgapur with a total capital outlay of Rs 214 crore.

As and when this power plant comes up Graphite’s own power generation capacity will increase from 33 mw to 83 mw and enable the company to further optimise its cost of production and increase its global competitiveness. The Company is in the process of obtaining various statutory clearances for this project, which is expected to be commissioned by the fourth quarter of FY 12.

The decision to put up this power plant assumes more significance with the company upwardly revising its electrode capacity expansion plan at its Durgapur Plant from 10,500 MT to 20,000 MT per annum during the last quarter of the last year.

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/2746/20100731ac002101007.jpg (http://img641.imageshack.us/i/20100731ac002101007.jpg/)

Bengal on Bombardier radar
KOLKATA: Those upset with the exit of Tata Motors from Singur may soon have reason to smile. Bombardier, the world's largest transportation company, has shown interest in the railway's Kanchrapara coach facility.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Bengal-on-Bombardier-radar/articleshow/6239070.cms

There is nothing to smile about Bombardier factory in Kanchrapara. Automobile industry is the most labor intensive industry . On a space of 1000 acre it would produce 6000 direct job and many thousand indirect jobs. Bombardier factory would go no where near it. Besides considering the crushing unemployment problem in Bengal I would have a smile if both the factories would start up. In last few months many organization have talked about setting up shops in Bengal but every sensible man have sensed deep social instability. Perhaps external forces could control these instabilities. No matter who wins the next election it will be victory by very narrow margin and society will remain vertically spit. Perhaps an ungovernable Bengal will emerge. This might be food for thought for babus of Bengal.

but what it would do good is set a positive sentiment in the minds of prospective investors that this CAN be a place for investment. isn't it?

Unit to be first Metro coach-maker in east

Kolkata: The Kanchrapara joint venture,in which global transportation giant Bombardier has shown interest,would be the first in eastern India to manufacture MEMU and Metro coaches,railway officials said on Friday.Metro projects are in the pipeline in many cities like Mumbai and Hyderabad.There is also the ongoing East-West Metro project in Kolkata.Though some of these projects are being implemented by private companies,they can buy coaches from this JV unit instead of importing them, an official said.
Going by the RFQ,the JV company will be required to supply a combined number of 500 EMU,MEMU and Metro coaches to the railways every year.
Luis Ramos,communications director of Bombardier for southern Europe,Brazil and India,said: Bombardier is very committed and working hard on the Dankuni locomotives project and the Kanchrapara railway coach project.The company wishes to submit a very good offer that once materialised can turn Kanchrapara into a Vadodara in Gujarat the only city in the world with a capacity to deliver all key electrical and mechanical components for manufacturing railway vehicles.Over 3,000 highly qualified jobs have been generated in Gujarat,a state that today produces the worlds preferred Metro car.

Durgapur Projects plans gas power plant

Durgapur Projects plans to set up a 700 MW gas based combined cycle power project at Durgapur in Bardhaman district of West Bengal.

The company has invited EoIs from consultancy firms for preparation of feasibility study report for the project. The last date of submission of bids is 31 August 2010.

NHAI seeks contractors for Baleshwar-Kharagpur section
Wednesday, 04 Aug, 2010

The NHAI has floated tenders for selection of contractors for the construction of bridges, repair/rehabilitation of existing bridges and construction of protection works from km 0.000 to 119.000 (Baleshwar-Kharagpur section) of NH-60 in Orissa and West Bengal.

The project to cost Rs 372 crore is to be completed in 30 months time. The last date of submission of bids is 14 September 2010.
http://projectstoday.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?nid=32097

Look West... WITH CAUTION
Vidyasagar Setu Has Opened Up A New World Of Promise For The Over-Burdened City,But Dark Doubts Remain
TNN
Across the Hooghly,a spectacular transformation is taking place.A township of international standards is coming up in an area neglected for decades,but the picture is not all rosy
After the boom in the east,its time to strike gold in the west.Kolkatas growth that was slanted eastwards for decades is now moving beyond the Hooghly,creating a cityscape that is in a league of its own.Take a snapshot of West Howrah now and you could easily pass it off for a European locality.
A 10-km high-speed corridor,modern highrises,exquisite bungalows (with mind-boggling price tags),schools and hospitals by leading brands,shopping malls,swanky car showrooms,logistic hubs,a club fit for an international city... The poor cousin has come of age.And how.
In five years,at least 10 lakh people will start living and working in this zone.West Howrah is the new land of promise.
Former chief minister Bidhan Roy had shown foresight in taking Kolkatas growth towards Salt Lake four decades ago,and those that came later followed his line.The realty boom on EM Bypass followed.And then the massive expansion in Rajarhat.
In the meantime,some growth matrices happened out of which emerged the need to look West.What followed was development that sprawls over 1,000 acres on either side of Kona Expressway,plus National Highways 6 and 3.
While state agency Howrah Improvement Trust (HIT) is setting up housing and retail centres on 750 acres of land along NH6,a little off Kona Expressway,most of the others are private developers.The biggest of these is the Kolkata West International City (KWIC) that is building a township and retail centres on 400 acres.Kolkata Gateway,a housing project by Bengal Unitech is coming up on nearly 50 acres,while the logistics hub,being jointly built by Unitech and KWIC is coming up on 80 acres of land.
The boost for all this was undoubtedly Vidyasagar Setu,which connected the bursting-at-its-seams city to West Howrah that has so far been neglected.It gave an outlet to the increasing pressure of population and infrastructure on Kolkata and its added areas.
In 2000,Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) and HIT,who own most of the land along Kona Expressway and the national highways,starting wooing investors for big projects here.Realtors did not need much persuasion.With the region under the Golden Quadrilateral and Kona Expressway part of the freight corridor,West Howrah was a natural choice.Buyers followed suit.
Every one of the 91 duplex houses that are priced at 1.15 crore has already been booked.So too 800 cheaper duplex houses and several highrises that are yet to come up.Most of the owners are moving out of Kolkata.Some are NRIs who have chosen this new destination over Kolkata.And many have chosen this as their retirement destination.
I scoured many projects in Kolkata before I settled for KWIC.I wanted to avoid the congestion of Kolkata but yet stay at a place from where I could easily drive to the city.This place is a 10-minute drive from Rabindra Sadan,thanks to the high-speed track, said Dubai-based professional Ranjan Sen.You can see this change as you drive down Vidyasagar Setu on to Kona Expressway.After Drainage Canal Road crossing,where old Howrahs residential area comes to an end,the skyline is filled with multistoreyed buildings in varying stages of construction.We have 10 acres where we will build vertical housing for at least 400 families.We are already seeing a lot of enthusiasm among Kolkatans to shift to West Howrah because of the short commuting time and pollution-free environs, said Sushil Mohta,MD of the Merlin Group.Unitech Gateway plans to complete 2,000 dwelling units by 2011.Unitech is developing a logistics hub for Rs 800 crores on 100 acres.South City projects is developing two wholesale-retail zones on NH-3 and 6.School and hospital chains have also gauged this development boom.Julien Day School is already running a branch,and DPS is likely to open one soon.West Bank Hospital,a superspeciality hospital on Andul Road,has started building its specialty cardiac and oncology hospital below Vidyasagar Setu.Apollo Hospitals is also eyeing a unit along Kona Expressway.Such massive development has naturally increased land prices of the area over the past 10 years.KMDA has divided its plots into 19 blocks and will invite tenders from commercial developers,preferably for housing projects.Some commercial and industrial zones have also been identified.These plots add up to 100 acres.Privately held plots are selling for 7 lakh a cottah,a 10-time growth since 2000.

PLUG LOOPHOLES
West Howrah badly needs a booster dose of infrastructure
Kona Expressway must be widened to at least 70 metres from 46.5 metres
All service roads to important projects have to be metalled
Street lighting has to improve.There are dangerous dark stretches on Kona Expressway
Water supply from Puddapukur pumping station needs to be augmented
A new police station is needed for this stretch alone
Transport has to improve

MAJOR PROJECTS
Usha Martin School
Julien Day School
HIT housing project (750 acres)
Kolkata West International City
South City projects
Lakeland Country Club (100 acres)
Kolkata International Logistics Hub (80 acres)
Bengal Unitech Gateway (50 acres)
Merlin Group (15 acres)
Lakeland Country Club

FROM READY: Duplex houses ready for possession in West Howrah.But dont miss the ominous clouds.Infrastructure is a major concern,as evident in this picture of a dark island on Kona Expressway

WORRIES AHEAD
Fear of Rajarhat blunder rerun

TNN

After the initial euphoria that is bound to hit anyone who takes a drive down Kona Expressway and then on to National Highways 3 and 6,reality strikes all too soon.After sundown,the land of promise looks like a ghost town.
Unless immediate steps are taken to develop infrastructure,West Howrah will go the Rajarhat way,where the lacunae in drainage,lighting,water supply and transportation has hit the realty dream hard.Whole condominiums in New Town are lying deserted,years after construction.This blunder is in danger of being repeated.
Vast islands of darkness envelop you as you drive down Vidyasagar Setu and on to Kona Expressway.You feel for commuters,many of them women,who wait on darkened roads for some mode of transport.
While the developers promise basic facilities in their housing and business complexes,even the administration does not have answers to many questions.
Kona Expressway itself is a poser.On any given weekday,you would get stuck in unmanageable traffic snarls that start from the national highway and snake up to Drainage Canal Road crossing.How will the expressway withstand the additional pressure of 10 lakh residents five years down the line
KMDA had developed the expressway and handed it to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) four years ago when it was supposed to be part of NH-117.After that the expressway has been nobodys baby.The new highway never happened.
NHAI was unhappy that the expressway was just 46.5 metres wide and narrowed to 26 metres at some places.It wanted a width of 90 metres.We agree that the expressway has to be wider to take on the additional load,but it is not possible to increase it beyond 70 metres in many places since they are heavily populated, explained Debdas Bhattacharya.
The lack of service roads is also a serious problem.While the firms are building their own service roads to connect to Kona Expressway,at least 20 kuchcha roads are yet to be metalled.By KMDAs own admission,the stretch needs underground soling because of the marshy nature of the soil.
No one wants to take responsibility for the lighting.KMDA says it has handed over the road to NHAI,while the latter says it has handed it to PWD.The PWD does not have any immediate plans to light up the road,apart from a project of a 133-KV substation.
Security is a major concern.Realtors in the area complain of inadequate police protection.The zone is under the shared management of three police stations Domjur,Amtala and Shibpur.Since projects are yet to open up to residents,the administration is taking it easy but there are ominous signs.Recently,a fracas at a project site led to a violent clash where over 20 rounds were fired and several injured.The police reached 15 hours after the incident.
Ideally there should be a separate police station for this stretch.I will negotiate with the police for this, said Howrah mayor Mamata Jaiswal,who is also the ex-officio chairperson of Howrah Improvement Trust.
The other two burning issues are water supply and public transport.The development sites are yet to be connected with HMCs water treatment plant at Puddapukur,which needs to be augmented if so many new dwelling units are to be provided with potable water.As for transport,HMC is negotiating with the state transport department to introduce new bus routes.

Apeejay's shipyard project faces land issues

The proposed Rs 2,000-crore shipyard project of Apeejay Surrendra Group and Bharti Shipyard is facing land acquisition problems.

The shipyard to come up at Geonkhali in East Medinipur in West Bengal will therefore be delayed by another two years.

On the other hand, the logistics park at Haldia, which was earlier facing problems, was now on track. The 90-acre logistics park was also an equal joint venture between the Apeejay Surrendra group and Eredene Capital Plc.

রাজ্য সরকারের দুই দফতরের কাজিয়া

৪ বছরে চালু হয়নি মালদহের ফুড পার্ক

পীযূষ সাহা ² মালদহ

মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর শিলান্যাসের পরেও মালদহে ফুড পার্ক চালু না-হওয়ায় ক্ষুব্ধ জেলার শিেল্পাদ্যোগীরা। ওই ফুড পার্কে কারখানা গড়ার জন্য জমি চেেয় উদ্যোগীরা টাকা জমা দিেয় আবেদন করার পরে ৩-৪ বছর কেটে গেলেও এখনও জমি না-মেলায় কারখানা গড়তে পারছেন না তাঁরা। অথচ প্রায় ১২ কোটি টাকা খরচ করে ফুড পার্কের ভিতরে হিমঘর, ফুড কোর্ট, চারটি শেড, জেনারেটর, বিদ্যুতের সাব েস্টশন, রাস্তা, নালা-সহ সমস্ত পরিকাঠামো আগেই তৈরি হেয় গিেয়ছে। কিন্তু ফুড পার্ক চালু না-হওয়ায় ঝা চকচকে হিমঘর থেকে শুরু করে রাস্তাঘাটে বড় ঘাস গজিেয় গিেয়ছে। রাজ্যের খাদ্য প্রক্রিয়াকরণ দফতরের মন্ত্রী থেকে শুরু করে মুখ্যমন্ত্রীকে শিল্পপতিরা একাধিকবার আর্জি জানানোর পরেও ফুড পার্ক চালু হয়নি বলে উদ্যোগীদের অভিযোগ। দফতরের মন্ত্রী মোহান্ত চেট্টাপাধ্যায় বলেন, “আইনি জটিলতার জন্য জমি বিলি নিেয় সমস্যা হয়। সেই জটিলতা কেটে গিেয়ছে।” ভূমি ও ভূমি রাজস্ব দফতরের সঙ্গে জমি বিলি নিেয় উদ্যান ও ফল প্রক্রিয়াকরণ দফতরের টানাপোেড়নের জেরে ফুড পার্ক চালু হওয়া নিেয় সমস্যা সৃিষ্ট হেয়ছে। মালদহ ইণ্ডািষ্ট্রয়াল মার্চেন্টস চেম্বার্স অব কমার্সের সম্পাদক উত্তম সাহা বলেন, “ফুড পার্কে অ্যাগ্রোবেস শিল্প গড়ার জন্য ৩-৪ বছর আগে ২৪ জন শিল্পপতি উদ্যান ও খাদ্য প্রক্রিয়াকরণ দফতরে টাকা জমা দেন। কিন্তু আজ পর্যন্ত শিল্পপতিরা জমি পাননি। জমি হস্তান্তর না-হওয়ায় কেউ সেখানে কারখানা তৈরি করতে পারছে না।” তাঁর অভিযোগ, ফুড পার্ক চালুর জন্য তিনি রাজ্যের খাদ্য প্রক্রিয়াকরণ মন্ত্রীর সঙ্গে একাধিকবার দেখা করেন। মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর কাছে চিঠি পাঠান। তার পরেও জমি বিলি হয়নি। কেবল প্রতিশ্রুতি দেওয়া হচ্ছে। মালদহ শহরের দক্ষিণ প্রােন্ত কOষি ফার্ম লাগোয়া ২৪ একর জমির উপরে ২০০৫ সালে রাজ্যের মুখ্যমন্ত্রী ফুড পার্কের শিলান্যাস করেন। গনি খান চৌধুরীর উপিস্থতিতে মুখ্যমন্ত্রী দুই বছরের মধ্যে এটি চালু করার প্রতিশ্রুতি দেন। প্রতিশ্রুতি মোতাবেক পরিকাঠামোও গেড় তোলা হয়। কিন্তু ভূমি ও ভূমিরাজস্ব দফতর এবং উদ্যান ও ফল প্রক্রিয়াকরণ দফতরের টানাপোেড়নে আজও জমি বিলি হয়নি। জেলা ভূমি ও ভূমি রাজস্ব দফতরের আধিকারিক খগেন্দ্রনাথ দিউ বলেন, “দুই দফতরের মধ্যেকার সমস্যা মিটে গিেয়ছে। ৮ শিল্পপতির প্রস্তাব রাজ্য ভূমি ও ভূমি রাজস্ব দফতরে পাঠানো হেয়ছে। দ্রুত অনুমোদন চলে আসবে বলে আশা করছি। তার পরেই ফুড পার্কের জমি শিল্পপতিদের হাতে তুলে দেওয়া হবে।” জেলা ভূমি ও ভূমি রাজস্ব দফতর সূত্রে জানা যায়, যে জমিতে ফুড পার্কের পরিকাঠামো গেড় তোলা হেয়ছে সেখানে এগ্রিকািলচার েট্রনিং ইন্সিস্টটিউট ছিল। ওই েট্রনিং ইন্সিস্টটিউট কতOর্পক্ষ ওই জমি সংংগ্রহ করে খাদ্য প্রক্রিয়াকরণ এবং উদ্যান পালনের জন্য। খাদ্য প্রক্রিয়ারণ দফতর ওই জমিতেই ফুড পার্ক গেড় তোলে। পার্ক তৈরির কাজ শেষ হওয়ার পরে জমি হস্তান্তর নিেয় সমস্যা সৃিষ্ট হয়। যা পরিিস্থতি তাতে খাদ্য ও প্রক্রিয়ারণ দফতরের কলকাতা অফিস থেকে অনুমোদন পেলে জমি মিলবে। জমি হস্তান্তর করবে ভূমি ও ভূমি সংস্কার দফতর।

^^a brief summary please

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/5020/iitkgp.png (http://img832.imageshack.us/i/iitkgp.png/)

Bengal Shipyard project yet to overcome land hurdle

The Apeejay Surrendra Group, which planned to set up a shipyard at Haldia with a projected investment of Rs 2,000 crore, is disappointed with the progress of the work.

The Bengal Shipyard project at Haldia which has been lying in a state of limbo for sometime now has seen little progress in land acquisition at Haldia. “We do not think that much will happen on the land acquisition front next year also. Let's see what we can do with the Bengal Shipyard project," group chairman Karan Paul said.

The company, which is present in sectors ranging from tea to real estate, conceived the project almost three years back. It required almost 500 acres for the project titled Bengal Shipyard- a joint venture of Bharti Shipyard and Apeejay Surrendra Group. “We are yet to receive land for that,” Paul told newspersons in Kolkata.

Source: Financial Express

SAIL may form JV with RITES for railway wagon factory

SAIL is holding discussions with RITES, a subsidiary of the Indian Railways, for jointly setting up a railway wagon making factory in West Bengal.

SAIL is expected to provide its surplus land in Kulti near Burnpur, West Bengal for the project. The location of the plant is likely to be near Chittaranjan Locomotive Works.

The proposed factory is expected to produce 1,200 railway wagons per annum. Currently, feasibility study is being undertaken for the project. Details of the venture including the investment required, equity shareholding pattern and other such points are yet to be finalised.

Rs 84,039-cr investment in Bengal

Total investment in West Bengal in 2009-10 amounted to Rs 84,039 crore, the highest since 1981, according to Dr Debesh Das, West Bengal IT Minister. The State was third largest in terms of receiving investments, after Gujarat and Maharashtra, Dr Das said while inaugurating an ICT Summit organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce here on Friday. Mr Jayanta Roy, President of the Chamber, emphasised the need for proper platform for IT and ITeS sector to flourish in West Bengal, and other eastern and north-eastern States.

Source:The hindu business line

Rs 84,039-cr investment in Bengal

Quote:
Total investment in West Bengal in 2009-10 amounted to Rs 84,039 crore, the highest since 1981, according to Dr Debesh Das, West Bengal IT Minister. The State was third largest in terms of receiving investments, after Gujarat and Maharashtra, Dr Das said while inaugurating an ICT Summit organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce here on Friday. Mr Jayanta Roy, President of the Chamber, emphasised the need for proper platform for IT and ITeS sector to flourish in West Bengal, and other eastern and north-eastern States.
Source:The hindu business line

A bit confusing data. Why is the IT minister telling the whole industry picture? Also is it fiscal 2009....because we heard WB implemented some 8-9k Crore of projects in 2009.

^^a brief summary please

In nutshell, its about a food processing park coming up in Maldah the land of which could not be handed over to the industrialists despite they had deposited the money four years back and this is due to a quarrel between two WB govt departments - the land and land reforms deptt. and the garden and food processing deptt.

The foundation laying ceremony was done by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee who promised in the presence of late Gani Khan Chaudhury in 2005 to open the park within two years. so far a sum of Rs.12 crores has been spent to develop cold stores, 4 sheds, food court, elec. sub stations, internal road and drainage system etc.

Now they say that the land and land reforms department will transfer the land after getting the permission from food and food processing department in Kolkata.

A bit confusing data. Why is the IT minister telling the whole industry picture? Also is it fiscal 2009....because we heard WB implemented some 8-9k Crore of projects in 2009.

The minister is just saying "All is well".

^^

I heard the actual statement of the minister. He says 8439 crores. Looks like the newspaper inserted a "0' by mistake and made it 84,039.

V66-NJ_niy8

City Centre to open doors in Siliguri
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Kolkata: Siliguri will soon emerge as a favourite shopping destination for travellers and residents of North Bengal.Ambuja Realty is all set to open City Centre on NH-31 near Darjeeling More.Spread over 10 acres,it is at the entrance of Uttorayan,the 400-acre modern and integrated township.
We have set a December 2010 deadline to inaugurate the first phase at the City Centre,which will offer a 3.5 lakh square feet of shopping experience.In the second phase,which will be opened after a year,another one lakh square feet will be available for shopping, said chairman of Ambuja Realty,Harshavardhan Neotia.
The only mall in Siliguri will offer department stores,a cineplex with four screens,food courts,banqueting facility,restaurants,gaming zones,kiosks,a business centre and more than 200 shops.
City Centre,Siliguri,will also offer 75,000 sq ft of Atrium lobby and an open air entertainment area titled Celebration Square.

NEW ROADS
PWD to improve Santragachhi stn connectivity

TNN
Kolkata: The Santragachhi railway station is conveniently situated close to the city.But the road to Kona Expressway from the station is in a sheer mess leading to traffic jams and inconvenience for passengers.Buses parked on the Kona Expressway along this stretch make the situation even worse.
After years of complaints pouring in from passengers,the PWD is finally taking up major repair and revamp of the area.The road connecting the station to Kona Expressway is merely 14 feet wide.Now,the PWD has decided to widen it to 40 feet.It will also be connected directly to the expressway through wide slip roads.
At present,the road is linked to the other end of the expressway through a lowheight subway that doesnt even have enough space for bigger vehicles to move.The road itself is narrow and not even constructed properly,making a little rain enough for the stretch to become completely muddy.Moreover,the actual link to the Kona Expressway is on the other side of the road,so when vehicles have to take the roads,it leads to traffic violations,but there is no other option for drivers.
The inconvenience has long been reported to the state government and the railways,but nothing was done to improve it.Since long-distance trains take some time to enter the platform at Howrah station owing to so many trains coming in,Santragachhi is a convenient station for many to get off the trains that stop here.This also makes it possible for people to reach Kolkata faster than it would take if they took a taxi after reaching Howrah.But the sheer inconvenience of the road and availability of taxis make people decide against it.
PWD secretary Ajit Bardhan conducted a survey of the area last Thursday,along with officers of the district administration of Howrah and the railways.After the survey,we decided that the link road has to be considerably widened.So it will be turned into a four-lane road.New slip roads will also be added to directly connect the road to the Kona Expressway instead of going to the other side of the road, he said.
If the road is widened and slip roads connected directly to the Kona Expressway,that will itself create an enormous space.The taxi stand will then have enough space for parking,and it will be much less dusty and muddy due to the new road, an officer said.
A regular passenger,however,said that apart from these measures,there is also the need to ensure that the Kona Expressway itself is freed from the bus stand,and illegal parking around this stretch.
http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/TOIKM/2010/08/10/5/Img/Pc0051700.jpg

Sky Mobiles to set up facility in state
Sky Mobiles plans to set up its first desi manufacturing unit at Narendrapur in Bengal. The production capacity will be 1,50,000 handsets annually. The facility, to be developed on an area of about 10,000 sq ft, will be operational by 2011, said company CEO, Rais Qureshi. Total investment will be around 9 crore. In the country, its major market is West Bengal, which accounts for 40% of total sales. Its turnover during 2009-2010 was around 30 crore, which it expects to almost double by 2010-2011.

Lenovo’s consumer business crosses significant milestone of 250000 units

http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/News/Lenovos-consumer-business-crosses-significant-milestone-of-250000-units/4905723823

Lenovo India has recorded a stellar performance in the East, with product sales crossing the 250000 milestone.

Underlining Lenovo India’s strong focus on and the importance of the Eastern market to the company, Amar Babu, Managing Director, Lenovo India, said “The Eastern region is one of the most significant consumer business markets for Lenovo and is the highest contributor to Lenovo’s consumer business in India. Lenovo has made momentous progress in the Eastern market, with West Bengal continuing to lead volume growth."

Wipro in deal with WBUT for faculty training

ET KOLKATA
IN A bid to improve employability of engineering and management grads in the state,Wipro has inked an agreement with the West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) to roll out a programmes for faculty members to improve their teaching methodology.
The initiative will cover all 60 engineering and technical education colleges in the state and directly impact around 1 lakh engineering and technical students.Wipros not-for-profit trust,Mission10X,signed the agreement with WBUT on Thursday,which will be valid for three years.
The programme is not about curriculum but improving learning techniques, said Wipro Technologies senior VP Selvan D.
We used to run this with some of the technical colleges in the state,but now we hope to cover all the institutions by virtue of the WBUT agreement, he said.
Wipro has similar partnerships with a few other universities like Anna University,Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University and Pune University.While the initial focus is on faculty development,the scope of such partnerships also include joint research in creation of educational assets and disseminating new learning.
WBUTs vice-chancellor Sabyasachi Sengupta said the university expects the joint initiative with Wipro will eventually extend beyond engineering courses to cover management and other programmes.
Eventually,this initiative will help the students and improve their employability, he said.
Wirpos Mission10X initiative was launched three years back to train 10,000 teachers by 2010.The company claims to have already empowered some 9,900 faculty members and expects to achieve the target by this month.We will roll out the second phase of the initiative next month, said Mr Selvan.

IOC to revive coker unit at Haldia refinery

IOC is in an advanced stage of preparing a Rs 2,850-crore proposal for setting up delayed coker project at its Haldia refinery in West Bengal, says sources. IOC is likely to seek board approval for the project soon.

The coker unit will replace production of black oil (also known as furnace oil) and parts of naphtha by petroleum coke, thereby enhancing the distillate yield and gross refining margin of the refinery. The project may improve the distillate yield by 10 percentage points and increase the refining margin of Haldia Refinery by $1-1.5 a barrel.

http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/1912/15082010008031.jpg (http://img808.imageshack.us/i/15082010008031.jpg/)

Land acquisition notice for new broad gauge line from Canning to Bhangankhali in South 24 Parganas has been published.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIKM/2010/08/15&PageLabel=16&ForceGif=true&EntityId=Ad01604&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T

I visited IQ City site on 14th Aug. The Medical college campus is being constructed (4-5 floors done). the Housing project will be launched in 1 month or two as they are finishing the sample flats. The current phase entails 100 acres, while a total os 600 acres has been allocated for future.

A ring road connecting Andal airport and Muchipara has been sanctioned. This road will run parallel to NH2 and will connect IQ City with main Dugapur city on one side and the Airport on the other.

heres what IQ City in Durgapur looks like
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yvTBRLjXadE/SWnEW_XXLKI/AAAAAAAAAHY/lL0td5MYq7c/s1600/masterplan.gif

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yvTBRLjXadE/SWnEWuMHo1I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/VssTsFLXcCY/s1600/IQ_City_iqdetailelevation.gif

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yvTBRLjXadE/SWnEWXHv-8I/AAAAAAAAAHI/fjVDaF0DQfY/s1600/IQ_City_iq2-medium-elevation.gif
cc:http://durgapurmycity.blogspot.com/2009/01/mani-groupiq-cityhealth-city.html

Modern Haat in Durgapur

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yvTBRLjXadE/S_awCeejDqI/AAAAAAAAANc/_KMueYPtUp4/s1600/DRD_HAAT+Final_Page_01.jpg

more details here
http://durgapurmycity.blogspot.com/2010/05/urban-haat-at-south-city-centreplanning.html

^^those are only the residential complexes....the university will come up later.