Archive for the 'METROS/CLUSTERS' Category

OCL’s announcement of cement related investments in Orissa

Bhubaneswar-Cuttack- Kalinganagar, Cement, Cuttack, Rourkela- Kansbahal, Rourkela-Jharsuguda, Sundergarh, Thermal Comments Off on OCL’s announcement of cement related investments in Orissa

Euitybulls reports on these announcements. Following are some excerpts.

… capital expenditure of Rs 142 crore (+10%) for setting up another cement grinding unit at Kapilas Cement Works, Kapilas Road in Jagatpur Tehsil of Cuttack District of Orissa.

… capital expenditure of Rs 250 crores (+10%) for setting up 2×25 MW Thermal Captive Power Plant and Coal Beneficiation Plant at Rajgangpur Cement Works, District Sundergarh, Orissa.

… capital expenditure of Rs 7.66 crores (+10%) for setting up 1.0 Million Tonnes per annum Hammer Mill at Lanjiberna near Rajgangpur works, Orissa.

Betel cultivators’ yes to Posco steel project

Iron Ore, Jagatsinghpur, Paradip - Jatadhari - Kujanga, Ports and waterways, POSCO, Steel Comments Off on Betel cultivators’ yes to Posco steel project

Business standard reports that some of the betel cultivators have accepted POSCO’s compensation for these Betel farms.

Also, It must be noted, that these Betel cultivation was being done in Govt. enroached land. Currently out of 4004 acres required by POSCO, 3567 acres is Govt. land and 438 acres is pvt. land.

Excerpts:

In a major breakthrough in the imbroglio over land acquisition for Posco’s 12-million-tonne steel project near Paradip in Orissa, betel cultivators at Nuagaon village, within the project site, have dismantled their vineyards in lieu of compensation.

According to sources, four betel farm owners have accepted compensation to the tune of Rs 4.8 lakh, while 20 more who had surrendered their claim on betel vineyards are expected to be paid around Rs 15 lakh in a couple of days.

The farmers are being paid according to the rate fixed by the state government. Company sources said they had received about 200 applications from local farmers for payment of compensation for the surrender of their claim.

These were being verified and would be cleared in a phased manner, they added.

It may be noted that betel leaves are mostly cultivated over encroached government land in the proposed Posco plant area. There are about 1,600 betel farms in Nuagaon alone.

Posco required for its plant 4004 acres of land in three grampanchayats, namely Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gada Kujanga. Of this, 3567 acres is government land and 437 acres is private land. Most of the government land, however, is encroached upon by betel cultivators.

It may be noted that about 3,000 people working at the betel farms in Gadakujanga, Dhinkia and Nuagaon are among the most vocal opponents of the project as they fear loss of employment.

They have become soft targets for anti-Posco agitators. Keeping this in mind, the state government is framing a separate package for these workers, in addition to the existing rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) policy formulated last year.

According to state Chief Secretary Ajit Tripathy, the stalemate over land acquisition is gradually giving way and people in the site area are coming out in support of the project.

Ram Vilas Paswan assures POSCO and Arcelor-Mittal

Arcelor Mittal, Coal, Iron Ore, Paradip - Jatadhari - Kujanga, POSCO, Steel Comments Off on Ram Vilas Paswan assures POSCO and Arcelor-Mittal

In the last two days couple of press releases have come out from the Minister of Steel, Chemicals and Fertilizers, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan. The first one assures POSCO of all help and the second one assures Laxmi Mittal about his support for ore linkages for his proposed steel plants in Jharkhand and Orissa.

Some numbers regarding IOC’s plan in Paradip

IOC, Jagatsinghpur, Paradip - Jatadhari - Kujanga, Petrochemicals, Refinery 1 Comment »

Business Standard in a report mentions the following numbers in regards to IOC’s plan in Paradip.

IOC is also planning around Rs 6,000 crore petrochemical complex at its upcoming 15 mtpa refinery in Paradip, Orissa.

Infosys in Bhubaneswar: Project Genesis; Possible second campus; possible BPO; IIIT Chair

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Infosys, IT 6 Comments »

Following are excerpts from a New Indian Express report on this.

Taking its ‘Campus connect programme’ a step ahead, Infosys BPO on Monday launched ‘Project Genesis’ here to train lecturers on BPO skills for raising the employability potential of students in the ITES sector.

The project has achieved a resounding success in states like Karnataka, Maharashtra and Rajasthan and helped students not only gain employment in Infosys, but develop confidence in their abilities. Since its launch in October 2005, Infosys BPO has worked with more than 1,000 lecturers in 360 colleges in these states and trained more than 12,000 students.

The project would be extended to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu apart from Orissa this year.

Launching the programme, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged Infosys BPO chairman Mohandas Pai, present on the occasion, to start a BPO unit in the State. “We are open to the idea but we would first seek to build a pool of skilled professionals in the State and test their skills before coming up with such a centre,” he said while talking to mediapersons later.

Pai also evinced keen interest for a second campus in the city with the provision of SEZ status. The existing campus, which clocked Rs 570 crore in export last fiscal, would soon touch its full capacity with 4,500 employees.

Project Genesis would train 300 teachers from both government and private colleges from across the State. It would focus mostly on imparting language enhancement techniques and analytical skills, key attributes for BPO industry. On completion of the fortnight-long programme, the teachers would groom the students. Each student would have to pass through three tests. The programme would be be held periodically.

Pai said, Infosys plans to recruit several thousand students from the State in the coming years and engage actively in strengthening academic collaboration with colleges. “We would also tie up with universities for systematic intervention in updating course curriculum.”

He announced that Infosys would be funding a chair in the upcoming IIIT campus here for computer science with a corpus fund of Rs 1 crore.

Food plaza to be built in five Orissa ECOR stations

Berhampur- Gopalpur- Chhatrapur, Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Cuttack, ECOR, Ganjam, Khordha, Puri, Rayagada- Therubali, Sambalpur, Sambaplur- Burla- Bargarh- Chipilima Comments Off on Food plaza to be built in five Orissa ECOR stations

Following is Sambada’s report on this.

food-plaza.JPG

Towards metered 24 hours water supply in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Khordha, Metered water supply, WATER MANAGEMENT Comments Off on Towards metered 24 hours water supply in Bhubaneswar

There have been various news reports on this. Following are excerpts from a news report on this in Pioneer.

The Public Health and Engineering Department decided to supply water round the clock in the city soon, but every home having piped water supply would get a meter installed to determine the quantum of water used. The consumer would have to pay bills regularly according to the meter reading. In the first phase, the scheme would be implemented at Sahid Nagar on a pilot basis from August, according to PHED sources. The Japan Bank of International Cooperation would provide technical assistance for the scheme, which is expected to determine the quantity of water being wasted.

Earlier, the department used to supply water intermittently at fixed hours. PHED is supplying water to 60 per cent areas of the city. According to a survey, the water consumption per person in the city is nearly 135 litres. The city’s water requirement is 120 million litres, but the quantity of water supplied is quite higher at 212 million litres.

Paradeep Phosphates does well

Chemicals, Fertilizers, Jagatsinghpur, Krishi Vikas Yojana, Paradip - Jatadhari - Kujanga Comments Off on Paradeep Phosphates does well

Deepika Global reports on Paradeep Phosphates’ record production this year. Following are some excerpts.

The Paradeep Phosphate Limited (PPL) has registered a record of 13.18 lakh tonnes production in last fiscal and earned a net profit of Rs 109 crores while raising its income to Rs 2067.2 crore. … of the total production the DAP alone accounted for 8.2 lakh tonnes.

Among the intermediary products, Phosphoric Acid, he said was 2,80,300 tonnes, registering an increase of 8.6 per cent over the previous year.

Similarly, Sulphuric Acid registered an increase of 3.4 per cent in comparison to last year with 7,60,610 tonnes.

He said in addition to 13.10 lakh tonnes production, the PPL also sold 1,42,152 tonnes of imported Mauriate of Potash (MOP), 3,13,470 tonne of Gypsum and exported 31,000 tonne of fertiliser to Nepal.

Mr Nandrudikar claimed that the Navaratna Krushi Vikas Yojana implemented in Orissa and Chhatishgarh had been very successful in increasing the yield with the use of improve techniques of agriculture.

Besides improving the agricultural productivity, the PPL had also undertaken mushroom cultivation and tissue culture of bananas in four districts, two each in Orissa and Chhatisgarh, he added. …

He said the company had already invested Rs 140 crores in first year and another Rs 142 crores last year further adding that it had decided to invest another Rs 140 crore during the current fiscal.

Aricent to open global development and global training center in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, IT, Khordha 4 Comments »

July 22 2007 Update: Thanks to the readers for the correction and the extra information connecting Aricent and Hughes.

Kalinga Times reports that Aricent, a global communication software company, will open a development center in Bhubaneswar. Following are some excerpts.

Global communications software company Aricent on Friday announced its decision to open a Development Centre in Bhubaneswar.

The company will also set up a Global Training Centre in the State.

Manoranjan Mohanty Mohapatra, president and chief operating officer of Aricent, made the announcements at a meeting with Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here.

According to an official release issued by the Chief Minister’s Officer, the Development Centre of the company will have 1200 employees.

The Global Training Centre will have provision to impart training to 1000 students. Subsequently, the student strength in the centre will be increased to 3000 . …

A more detailed report on this is here.

83% of surveyed people in Bhubaneswar feel business conditions have improved

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri Comments Off on 83% of surveyed people in Bhubaneswar feel business conditions have improved

Economics Times reports on a recent survey. Following is an excerpt about Bhubaneswar.

In Bhubaneswar, for instance, a whopping 83% of the respondents feel that business conditions have improved.

Vedanta Alumina’s order from Hindustan Dorr

Aluminium, Anil Agarwal, Bauxite, Jharsugurha- Brajarajnagar- Belpahar, Vedanta Comments Off on Vedanta Alumina’s order from Hindustan Dorr

Equitybulls.com reports on this. Following are some excerpts.

Hindustan Dorr Oliver Ltd has announced that the Company has got an order from Vedanta Alumina Ltd valuing Rs 300 millions for Complete In-plant water circulation and distribution piping system and compressed air piping with accessories for their 5 million ton per annum Aluminium Smelter Plant at Jharsuguda, Orissa. Execution of the said project shall be completed by December, 2007.

The Company is already working alongwith its Chinese partner Chaileco in the above Jharsuguda refinery for a Fume Extraction Plant valuing Rs 2100 million.

POSCO reiterates its commitment to Orissa project

INDUSTRY and INFRASTRUCTURE, INVESTMENTS and INVESTMENT PLANS, Iron Ore, Jagatsinghpur, Paradip - Jatadhari - Kujanga, Ports and waterways, POSCO, R & R, Railways, Steel Comments Off on POSCO reiterates its commitment to Orissa project

Kalingatimes reports that Posco is definitely interested in the Orissa project.
Excerpts of the Article below

… The latest statement from the authorities of POSCO-India makes it clear that they were here to stay – to pursue their 12 million tonne per annum capacity steel mill project in Jagatsinghpur district.

…, the company has said in a statement that it was `confident, determined and committed’ to make its Orissa steel project happen. …

But the company has said that as per its human resource plan, overseas staff deployment in POSCO-India project was purely need based.

“Staff deployment is in relation to specific assignments and the employee moves with the changes in assignment. Accordingly, when the construction phase begins, there would be reallocation of staff from overseas in large number,” a statement from the company said.

Although there had been undue delay in the implementation of the project due to non-acquisition of land for the proposed steel plant, the company has announced it was hopeful of starting ground leveling work by December this year.

“The company is further encouraged by the support extended by Government of Orissa as well as Government of India for expediting the project,’ the statement said.

“Going by the recent developments, the company is happy to note that there is a greater understanding and wider consensus in favor of the project building up at all levels, notably among people in the project site.” …

If official sources are to be believed, … POSCO authorities were ready to wait for several more years to implement the project.

“The main worry of POSCO-India authorities would be over the day they were granted prospecting licence for the Khandadhar iron ore mines by the Central government.

As regards the people’s opposition to displacement by the proposed steel plant in Jagatsinghpur as well as the move to grant of prospecting licence to the company for Khandadhar mines, sources said that POSCO was used to such resistance.

“They are hopeful that things will slowly start changing and the opposition will lose strength in due course,” a senior government official observed.

Rehabilitation process begins

Meanwhile, the company, in association with the district administration, has started the process for rehabilitating 48 families that had left Patna village under Dhinkia panchayat of Jagatsinghpur following their differences with those who were against the setting up of the steel plant in their locality.

The company was hopeful that a transit camp for the 48 families would come up within four weeks. Simultaneously, efforts were being made to select a site for constructing a full-fledged rehabilitation colony for these families.

A company official said that once the habilitation colony was set up it would attract people from the camp that was opposed to the project.

The families which had come out of their villages on their own and were supporting the project would be given rehabilitation benefits under the provisions of the existing Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy of the State.

Going by the company’s stand, it appears clear that they might start thinking in terms of packing their bags only if the both the Central Government and the State Government expressed their unwillingness to extend help. But going by the eagerness on the part of both the governments to help POSCO-India, such a situation was unlikely to emerge in the next few years. After all, POSCO-India’s steel project still continues to carry the tag of biggest ever foreign direct investment in the country.

This sounds like a good reinforcement of it’s commitment to the Orissa project.

POSCO R & R and compensation ideas

Jagatsinghpur, Paradip - Jatadhari - Kujanga, POSCO, SEZs, Steel Comments Off on POSCO R & R and compensation ideas

Business standard reports on government of Orissa and POSCO’s plans regarding R & R and compensation. Following are some excerpts.

… The government is also working on improving the compensation package for the area’s beetle-vine workers, who are among the most vocal opponents of the project as they fear loss of livelihood.

A joint exercise will be started soon for implementing the rehabilitation package. We will sit with Posco executives to decide what best can be offered to the displaced, in excess of the entitlements prescribed by the government’s rehabilitation policy and the package prepared by the company, …

The proposals which are being examined include a pension scheme for the displaced persons and a job card for all the displaced who are less than 60 years in age.

Low cost airport at Jharsuguda

Airports and air connectivity, Jharsugurha, Jharsugurha- Brajarajnagar- Belpahar Comments Off on Low cost airport at Jharsuguda

Business standard reports on this. Following are some excerpts.

After low-cost airlines, it is the turn of no-frill and low-cost airports. In a bid to encourage regional airlines and provide air links to small cities and towns, nearly 25 greenfield or unutilised airport projects have been identified by various states, which will be up for bidding by the private sector. …

A no-frill airport is built at a minimum cost and allows operation of small jets as well as slightly bigger aircraft like Boeing’s B737 or Airbus’ A320. The investment in such an airport could range from Rs 40 crore to Rs 100 crore. …

The places identified for the purpose include Hassan, Shimoga, Gulbarga, Bidar, Mysore (all in Karnataka), Shirdi, Jalgaon, Solapur, Akola (all in Maharashtra), Kannur (Kerala), Madurai, Tiruchirapalli (Tamil Nadu), Rupsi (Assam), Ajmer, Mount Abu, Kailashar (Rajasthan), Behala, Cooch Behar, Malda (West Bengal), Jharsuguda(Orissa), Muzaffurpur (Bihar), Kamalpur (Tripura) and Passighat (Arunachal Pradesh). …

A budget airline executive said, “A low-cost airport can be constructed at a cost of Rs 100 crore, including land cost. Such an airport can increase its revenue through retail outlets, entertainment sources and hospitality projects.” …

A government official said the airports could act as operational bases of regional airlines. “The identification of regional hubs could be made on the basis of origin-destination surveys, traffic demand and the requirements of airlines,” he added.

Tata Steel’s progress in Orissa

Jajpur, Jajpur Rd- Vyasanagar- Duburi- Kalinganagar, Steel, Tatas Comments Off on Tata Steel’s progress in Orissa

Economic Times reports that Tata Steel has put in an order of 4000 crores for its Kalinganagar steel plant. Following are some excerpts from that report.

Tata Steel’s ambitious 6-million-tonne-per-annum project in Orissa, central to its synergy plans with subsidiary Corus, has finally taken off with the company placing orders worth Rs 4,000 crore for the upcoming steel plant. 

The company, the largest steel manufacturer in the country, had signed an MoU with the Orissa government in 2004 for setting up a Rs 15,000-crore complex that will produce slabs and hot rolled coils.

Opposition from locals and official apathy delayed the project which was to come up in the Kalinganagar Industrial Complex of Jajpur district. …

In two separate announcements earlier this week, L&T said it is supplying and installing sinter plant and blast furnace valued at Rs 1,070 crore and Rs 980 crore, respectively for Tata Steel’s project.

Apart from the sinter plant and blast furnace, the company has also placed orders for steel melting shop and slab caster. “The total value of orders placed is over Rs 4,000 crore. We expect to start construction by the year end or early next year,” said Tata Steel spokesperson.

He added that the first phase of the project is expected to be commissioned by 2010. “Tata Steel Parivar — the resettlement and rehabilitation scheme — is underway. Around 600 families have been rehabilitated under the scheme,” said the spokesperson. The company has been allotted 3,400 acres for the steel project .

Cuttack cancer center beds increased

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Cuttack, HEALTHCARE and HOSPITALS Comments Off on Cuttack cancer center beds increased

Pioneer reports on Orissa government’s plan to increase the number of beds in the Cuttack cancer center. Following are some excerpts.

The State Government on Tuesday decided to increase the number of beds in the Acharya Harihara Regional Cancer Centre in Cuttack. This is the only Government institute in the State that offers medical treatment to a large number of cancer patient in and outside the State. The State Government has already accorded autonomous status to this institute.

… However, the State now, boasts of a few private medical institutions which offers treatment to the cancer patients. But, still it is beyond the reach of the common man.

… the State Government has decided to refurbish the medical institutions. …

As per the decision, another 70 beds will be added to the existing strength of 146. With this the number of beds will come to 216. Out of the 70 beds, 50 will be accommodated in the cabins and other in general wards.

Another 150 staff nurses will be given appointment. All the patients will be provided AC room facilities at least for a period of four months and provided with colour TV sets, having cable connection.

… the State Government had approached the Centre to provide at least Rs 7 crore to get modern equipment like the Linear Accelerator. “Once this hospital gets the machine, cancer treatment will be more scientific and the treatment will be made more focused one,” …

Neelachal Hospital and Kalinga Hospital’s ads in Samaja

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, HEALTHCARE and HOSPITALS, Khordha, Websites of Interest Comments Off on Neelachal Hospital and Kalinga Hospital’s ads in Samaja

20070716a_007101004.jpg

L & T consortium receives orders from Tata Steel for the later’s Kalinga Nagar plant

Jajpur, Jajpur Rd- Vyasanagar- Duburi- Kalinganagar, L & T, Steel, Tatas Comments Off on L & T consortium receives orders from Tata Steel for the later’s Kalinga Nagar plant

Myiris and others report on this. Following is an excerpt.

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) announced on Monday that the company led consortium  bagged orders worth Rs 10.70 billion for supply & installation of Sinter plant and other packages from Tata Steel.

Tata Steel is setting up an integrated steel plant with capacity of 6 million tons per annum (MTPA) in Kalinganagar industrial complex at Duburi in Jajpur district of Orissa to be completed in two phases of 3 MTPA each. The orders are for the first phase of this greenfield project.

Sinter Plant

L&T in consortium with Outotec, Germany bagged EPC (engineering – procurement – construction) contract for 5.75 MTPA Sinter plant valued at Rs 8.36 billion. The company`s share of this order is Rs 6.23 billion. This would be the single largest Sinter plant to be built in India. This is scheduled for completion in 30 months.

Steel Melt Shop

L&T has also been awarded the contract for civil and structural steel works of steel melt shop valued at Rs 2.33 billion. This is scheduled for completion in 28 months.

Deepak fertilizers plan in Paradip

Fertilizers, Jagatsinghpur, Paradip - Jatadhari - Kujanga 7 Comments »

Money control reports on this about Deepak Fertilisers And Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd. (DFPCL). Following is an excerpt.

Land acquisition process for the Company’s 300,000 MT Ammonium Nitrate project at Paradip in Orissa is in progress and, in the meanwhile, the Company has completed the process of acquiring key equipment and placed orders for long lead items in addition to commencing the detail engineering process for the new plant.

Oriya Cuisine and Dalema in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Food joints, Khordha, Odia/Odisha cuisine, Puri 2 Comments »

While South Indian food types and Punjabi food types are commonly associated with Indian cuisine, various states of India have their own specialties. Orissa has its own cuisine, besides the world famous roshgollas. Following are some links.

Following are pictures of the menu of the Dalema restaurant near Master Canteen.

dalema-menu1.JPG

dalema-menu2.JPG

Following is a picture of a vegetarian plate of Oriya cuisine. Its very different from a similar plate of south Indian thali (plate) or north Indian thali.

dalema-plate.JPG

Following is the exact address (with phone number of the two Dalema locations). The third one from where the above pictures were taken, is the one near KIIT.

dalema-address.JPG

(Postscript: I have no relation with Dalema, except that I am a satisfied customer,and next time I am in Bhubaneswar I will definitely visit one of their locations. I have also eaten at Odissa hotel in Saheed Nagar. They use copper utensils.)

Club city food court in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Food joints, Odia/Odisha cuisine, TOURISM, ENTERTAINMENT and SHOPPING Comments Off on Club city food court in Bhubaneswar

Pioneer reports on this. Following are some excerpts:

Club City, a leading food court chain known for its unique food fusion concept, opened its 19th outlet at Swagat Palace at Bhouma Nagar on Sunday.

… he food chain successfully mixes Indian delicacies with that of American European, Chinese and Mexican food flavours. Initially, her outlet could manage to bring four food concept brands out of the total 15 — Dosa Plaza, Sanghai Post, Chillzzzz and Club Thai. Dosa Plaza is India’s largest menu of Dosa making and would cater to nearly 27 varieties of Dosas, while Shanghai Post would deal with delicate Chinese items. Chillzzz and Club Thai would offer varieties of Mocktails and shakes along with delicacies of Thailand .

Deepikaglobal has another report which talks about Club city’s further plans.

… about seven more outlets would be opened in Orissa to cater to the customers growing demand of ‘fun dining’ experience. The new outlets would be opened in Jharsuguda, Cuttack, Puri and Bhubaneswar, he added.The CEO also added that the traditional Oriya cuisine would soon be included in the menu.

Efforts on for operating Air Deecan flights to/from Rourkela

Airports and air connectivity, Rourkela- Kansbahal, Sundergarh 4 Comments »

Tathya.in reports on this. It seems initial steps have been taken, Air Deecan is very much interested, and just some snags need to be sorted out before scheduled flights can commence. One major snag is that the airstrip in Rourkela, is labeled as “private”. It must be labeled as “public” before scheduled flights can commence. To expedite the removal of the snags, one may do the following:

  • Send mail to Rourkela Steel Plant MD Mr. B. N. Singh at rkl_mdsecrsp@sancharnet.com (or call him at 2510018) requesting him to request the Director General Civil aviation (DGCA) to change the status of the SAIL built Rourkela airstrip from “private” to “public”.
  • Send mail to CMO office (cmo@ori.nic.in) requesting him to make all out efforts for bringing Rourkela under air connectivity at the earliest.
  • Thank the DM of Sundergarh (Mr. Krishan Kumar), who was ADM Rourkela before, for his efforts on this and request him to keep pushing until it is done. He can be reached by email at dmsng@ori.nic.in.
  • Tell  like minded friends about this and request them to do the above.

Latest HRD roundup from Orissawatch.org

Balasore, Balasore- Chandipur, Berhampur- Gopalpur- Chhatrapur, Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Cuttack, Engineering and MCA Colleges, Ganjam, HRD-n-EDUCATION (details at orissalinks.com), K-12, KBK Plus district cluster, Khordha, Koraput- Jeypore- Sunabedha- Damanjodi, Management institutions, Marquee Institutions: existing and upcoming, Medical, nursing and pharmacy colleges, Odisha and Center, Research institutions, Rourkela- Kansbahal, Sambaplur- Burla- Bargarh- Chipilima, Sundergarh, Universities: existing and upcoming Comments Off on Latest HRD roundup from Orissawatch.org