Punjab - Projects and Development

[phaedrus]

Punjab plans projects worth Rs.250 bn in three years

Even as Punjab goes powerless for 6 to 10 hours everyday in summer months, the state government is planning to have air-conditioned bus terminals in various cities as part of major infrastructure projects worth Rs.250 billion to be executed in the next three years.

Chief secretary Ramesh Inder Singh, who on Monday presided over a meeting of the Punjab infrastructure development board (PIDB), said that 75 projects, including expressways criss-crossing Punjab, flying clubs, super-specialty hospitals, ring roads and five-star hotels would be completed within three years.

Among the projects, a Rs.86.3 billion expressway between Pathankot town in north Punjab and the shrine town of Ajmer in Rajasthan would reduce the distance between both places by 200 km from the present network of highways. The 340-km project will be executed by the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group (ADAG), Singh said.

Other expressways include one from the upcoming international airport at Mohali, adjoining Chandigarh, to Phagwara town (Rs.22 billion), an expressway around Mohali (Rs.23 billion) and a ring road around the Sikh holy city of Amritsar (Rs.25 billion) will be constructed.

Singh said other projects include air-conditioned bus terminals at Mohali, Patiala and Bathinda, five-star hotels at various places and a sports complex at Mohali.

source economictimes.com

[zhiemi]

RComm plans to set up varsity in Punjab

Anil Ambani led Reliance Communications (RComm) has proposed the Punjab government to set up an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) university in the state. The company has planned to offer courses like BTech (ICT), MTech (ICT),and MS (IT).

The university is coming up on the lines of Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology (DA-IICT), Gandhinagar. These ventures aim at building confidence, capacity, global mindsets and communication skills among young people.

Reliance has asked the government to provide 60 acres to build the campus and plans intake of 1,260 students for different courses. If all goes as planned then the university is expected to come up in 2010 and it will be non-affiliated university.

Talking to FE Mohanbir Singh Sidhu, additional director, department of technical education, Punjab said, “The government had offered land in Birla Farm in Ropar where 800 acres is lying vacant and in Fatehgarh Sahib in February.

The company has now shown interest in taking the land in Ropar. It has submitted its complete proposal and given its strategy. The land will be given on the mutually agreed price.”

However, he did not divulge investment details of the project. RComm also has a plan to come up with a similar project in Jammu and Kashmir and Kolkata. In the technical education sector in Punjab, 65 engineering colleges, 72 MBA colleges, 33 pharmacy institutes and 97 diploma courses are being run.

Apart from Reliance various private players have shown interest for setting up specialised universities for different academic streams. These players include Bharti telecom (Airtel group), Lord Diljit Rana, (Chitkara group), Ryat and Bahra group and the SGPC which are keen for setting up universities in the state.

[hinda]

Ambulance service in 15 minutes
Govt to launch Public-private scheme
Our Correspondent

Pathankot, August 2
The Health Department will provide 74 ambulances at major towns under public-private partnership this year and by 2009-10, the entire state would be covered under the scheme.

This was stated by health minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla after inaugurating a trauma centre at the local Civil Hospital here today. It has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore

She said each ambulance would have the driver and an emergency medical technician.

The minister said the government had decided to provide emergency response services under public private partnership. As many as 224 ambulances would be purchased by the department and managed by the private partner. Out of these, 56 vehicles would be advanced life saving ambulances and the remaining basic life saving ambulances.

She said the ambulances would be so located that those could reach the place of emergency within 15 minutes. People could seek the service on the toll-free number 108. The tenders had been invited and the shortlisted parties would be allotted the work by September 15.

Transport minister Master Mohan Lal, MD, Health System Corporation T.R. Sarangal, director of health services S.P. Sohal, civil surgeon, Gurdaspur, R.S. Rana and SMO Ravi Dogra were also present.

[Euromast]

Aeren R Enterprises to invest Rs6,350 cr in infrastructure projects

Two residential townships have been planned by the company in Ludhiana, to be ready by 2010

New Delhi: Real estate firm Aeren R Enterprises plans to pump in over Rs6,350 crore in developing two projects in North India despite hardships faced by realty players on account of high interest rates.
The company plans to develop two premium residential complexes in Ludhiana, of which one would come up on a 12-acre land. The other township, to be spread over 175 acres, would also have a nine-hole golf course. It has already acquired the land for both the projects which will be developed by 2012.
“The projects will be constructed at an estimated cost of over Rs6,000 crore,” Aeren R Enterprises president, corporate affairs and CEO Prabhu Dutt told PTI. He confirmed that investment on the other project would be about Rs350 crore.
The company is currently awaiting regulatory approvals for ‘International City´ construction for which is expected to start within nine months, he added.
On any possible tie-up in developing the project, Dutt said, “We are open to private equity participation and currently talking to some international players. It is likely to be finalized in the next four month.”
The other township, Queen’s Court, spread over 12 acres in the same city has already received the necessary approvals and it is expected to be ready by 2010. An estimated Rs350 crore will be infused in this project which will house atleast 650 high-end residential units

[Euromast]

Fortis plans medical institute in Punjab, to invest Rs 100 cr

Medical service provider Fortis Health Care plans to set up an institute, which will also house a cancer research hospital, in Punjab at an initial investment of Rs 100 crore.
"We have submitted a detailed plan to Punjab Government to upgrade the healthcare services in the state which includes setting a medical education centre that would include nursing school, OPD centre and a large cancer hospital," Fortis Healthcare CEO Shivinder Singh said.
State officials said Fortis' plans include setting up a chain of medical centre on a private-public-partnership model.

The total investments in the initial phase would be to the tune of Rs 100 crore, the officials said.

[zhiemi]

Punjab to explore IT potential in tier II, III cities

Punjab would soon explore the IT potential of tier II and III cities like Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Bathinda as a long term strategy after witnessing IT sector’s impressive growth as a cluster in Mohali in recent years.

The government of Punjab on Thursday reached this consensus after a high level meeting with top decision makers from the IT industry, who are in Chandigarh to participate in e-Revolution 2008.

The formation of a core IT vision group for Punjab was also discussed at the forum. Nasscom chairman, Ganesh Natarajan came out in strong support of such an initiative and said Nasscom will provide all necessary facilitation for the setting up of such a group, which would meet at regular intervals and drive the agenda for growth in the region.

The 11 members delegation from industry then participated in an open house discussion and also supported the view that the government of Punjab should explore the IT potential of tier II and III cities like Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Bathinda as a long term strategy.

The industry participants strongly approved the state’s pro-active initiatives to develop world class infrastructure and human resources in the state—the new IIT at Ropar, Knowledge City and convention Centre in Mohali are key among them.

Recent policy initiatives which include the Super Mega Industrial Park Policy, Industrial Facilitation Act, deemed approval for projects and online submission of forms, were all believed to send out positive signals to the investor community.

The purpose of the interaction was to initiate an informal discussion with leaders from the IT industry and obtain their perspective on the roadmap Punjab needs to chart out for the growth of the IT sector in the state.

A key objective of the government was also to set the course for a future dialogue with industry and co-opt them as a stakeholder in Punjab’s IT success.

[phaedrus]

cross posting from the energy thread


PSEB purchases power worth Rs 6,000 cr

The Punjab State Electricity Board has bought power worth Rs 6000 crore in 2007-08 thus earning the doubious distinction of being the country's largest electricity buyer.

The board's power purchase has increased from three to four times since 2004-05.

The board has bought power worth Rs 6,000 crore in 2007- 08, compared to power purchases of Rs 2,230 crore in 2004-05.

Sources said today the costly power purchases are the results of "ill advised policy" by bureaucrats to go for power purchase instead of adding generation capacity in the state.

The respective governments ignored the professional advice of power engineers 'to add at least 500 MW generations annually'.

The bureaucrats in the state government had reportedly advised that "it shall be cheaper to buy power from national grid than to generate it in the state of Punjab".

A senior PSEB officer said although the present plan to add about 9,500 MW of generation capacity in Punjab is late by a decade but this is a welcome step.

This addition constitutes 6,480 MW power through coal- based thermal plants in private sector. The proposed thermal plants are to be constructed at Talwandi Sabo (capacity 1980 MW), Rajpura (capacity 1320 MW), Gidderbaha (capacity 2640 MW), and Goindwal Sahib (capacity 540 MW).

The government also plans to execute 500 MW extension projects one each at Bathinda and Lehra Mohabbat departmentally.

source economictimes.com

[zhiemi]

SEZ status for Punjab sought

Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday demanded the entire Punjab be treated as a ‘Special Economic Zone (SEZ)’ for agriculture and asked the Centre to bear the cost of free electricity to farmers and canal rejuvenation in Punjab as the country is meeting almost 70% of its food requirements from the food grains produced by the farmers of Punjab. He was presiding over the Independence Day function here.

On the implementation of the fifth Punjab Pay Commission Report in the wake of the acceptation of 6th Central Pay Commission’s recommendations by the GoI, Badal said whenever our commission’s report was ready, we would also implement the same with in no time. He reiterated that safeguarding of interests of the employees would be the top priority, as they all were loved ones to us. He pointed out it was always during the tenure of SAD-BJP government as for as the implementation of the new scales to its employees was concerned. He also mentioned if the need be, the state government could ask the commission to submit its report earlier.

Referring to the unprecedented rains in the state over past few days, Badal said all the commissioners and deputy commissioners besides the drainage wing of the irrigation department had been directed to make all out efforts to effectively fight out the situation like floods.

He ridiculed the Centre for its policy on the compensation for natural calamities as its stringent norms did not encompass the beneficiaries who had suffered substantial damage to their shops in the Hoshiarpur city where furniture and grocery items had been vanished but they were eligible merely for Rs.2000 as relief according to the GoI’s norms.

[Euromast]

[zhiemi]

Biocon chief offers to set up Rs 100-cr R&D unit in Punjab

Kiran Mazumdar, chairperson and managing director of Biocon Ltd Bangalore called on Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal late on Wednesday and shown keep interest to set up its R&D centre in Punjab with an investment near Rs 100 crore having an employment potential for about 200 scientists.

Mazumdar emphasised the need to chalk out a joint action programme to involve state’s industry with universities to work together for overcoming all the practical hardships being faced by both the sectors in the field of biotechnology, added the clinical research in the medical units must be promoted with the involvement of pharmaceutical industry. This would also boost the local industry to work in unison with educational institutes in the arena of biotechnology as a partner.

Taking part in the deliberations, Badal said Punjab was taking major initiative for the promotion of biotechnology in the state including the setting up of National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, bio-processing unit and biotechnology park in Mohali. He assured Mazumdar that state government would extend full support to them for setting up of Biocon’s R&D unit.

[ajithv]

Kerala Tourism actively plans to target northern states like Punjab, Haryana and West Bengal to attract more domestic travelers, informed Mr. M. Sivasankar, Director, Kerala Tourism. The recently held road shows are a part of the strategy to strengthen these markets, he said.

Source

[oneman]

www.lotustowersindia.com is it worth investing ?

[jd456]

Is there any new news on what is going on with Amritsar airport and if any new airline are going to fly there anytime in the future?

[JSandhu296]

IS LUDHIANA CITY CENTRE DONE YET and are there any pics??

[Euromast]

Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link by year 2010

Chandigarh, October 11 Almost a decade after its inception, the Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link project seems to be on the verge of completion now. The Rs 566-crore project is expected to reduce the distance between the two cities by 46 kilometres and will provide an alternative to the existing railway route between Chandigarh and Ludhiana.
The 112-kilometre project is divided into three phases, of which phase II (Morinda-Sahnewal) is expected to be completed by 2010 and phase III (Sahnewal-Ludhiana) before March 2009. The first phase — Chandigarh-Morinda link — has been functional since 2006

[phaedrus]

cross posting from the energy thread


Changigarh Co-op mills to generate power worth Rs 200 cr

The Punjab Government has chalked out a plan to generate power to the tune of Rs 200 crore per annum by setting up power plants in co
llaboration with at all the state Cooperative sugar mills in the state.

This was disclosed by Co-operation Minister Kanwaljit Singh here today while presiding over a one day workshop organised by Sugarfed to suggest various ways and means for making the state cooperative sugar mills self-sufficient.

The workshop was attended by the Co-operative Chairman and Board of Directors of all the Co-operative sugar mills.

Singh said that the state co-operative mills have the potential to generate 100-120 MW power annually and the State Electricity Board has offered to purchase the proposed power at the rate of Rs 2.86 per unit thereby creating an additional revenue of more than Rs 200 crore annually.

While, the existing losses of all these mills were just pegged at Rs 77.95 crore.

He said that a comprehensive revival plan to convert these mills into mega sugar complexes has been drafted.

Accordingly the enhancement in the crushing capacity of the mills has become imperative as now these days a mill having a minimum crushing capacity of 5000 MT sugarcane was only sustainable, he said adding.

source economictimes.com

[bains1971]

New ITFT Campus at Hoshiarpur, Just 12 KM from the City Center at Chanigarh. The only campus in Punjab with all the latest Facilities & Infrastructures. ITFT Chandigarh is Leading Institute in Aviation, Hospitality, Tourism, IT and Management Studies

[bains1971]

Steel Strips Towers Derabassi , Punjab
SSL Highway Towers is the setting for luxury and lifestyle apartments coming up at Derabassi. The project comprises of ... SSL Highway Towers is the setting for luxury and lifestyle apartments coming up at Derabassi. The project comprises of 450 units of 2, 3 bedroom apartments and duplex- penthouses in a 17 block complex. Efforts have been focused to meet the needs of discerning consumers and investors. The social infrastructure in the region offers the highest Human Development Index (HDI) in the country, with 4 golf courses in the vicinity, world class sports facilities, state of the art healthcare and education services, and global connectivity via the proposed upgradition of the Chandigarh airport. (more) (less)

[bains1971]

[India101]

Whats the tallest building in Punjab?