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Following is an excerpt from a report in Hindu.

Indocopters, a Vectra Group company and distributor of Eurocopter in India, is planning to invest close to Rs. 150 crore in expanding its three maintenance, repair and overhaul centres located in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

The company will set up another MRO centre at Bhubaneswar in Orissa during the second half of the current year …

Following is an excerpt from a report in Hindu.

The broad gauge railway line between Naupada and Parlakhemundi, a long-cherished dream of people in parts of Srikakulam and Gajapthi districts, is ready and the mandatory trial run of train on this 40 km new rail track, which was postponed because of election code, will be carried out anytime after April 23.

…

The 40 km. stretch between Naupada and Parlakhemundi is part of gauge conversion project between Naupada and Gunupur covering a total distance of about 90 km.

According to authorities concerned, the trial run would be followed by introduction of departmental trains and heavy duty machines. Then the Commissioner of Railway Safety, an independent authority with headquarters at Kolkata, would issue clearance for running regular passenger trains. The total cost of the project was Rs.168 crores and so far Rs.120 crores had been spent. The remaining work between Parlakhemundi and Gunupur is also progressing well and is likely to be completed soon.

Work on major bridges in this stretch had already been completed. According to authorities, linking work is likely to be completed by June. There is some problem in procuring ballasts for this track. However, authorities are confident of overcoming this.

The Orissa government should push for a passenger train in this line to be included in the new budget.

Following is an excerpt from a report in the Hindu:

Five wildlife sanctuaries in the country will soon be getting tiger reserve status for better management of the conservation plans for the big cat in its core habitat.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority in a meeting held recently has given an "in-principle" approval to four new reserves, a senior official said on Friday.

These are Sunabeda Tiger Reserve in Orissa, Shahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh and Ratapani Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.

… At present, there are 28 tiger reserves in the country.

Hindu Business line has a nice article on the current status of ship-building industry in India. The existing ship builders in India are:

• ABG Shipyard
• Pipavav Shipyard
• Bharati Shipyard
• Cochin Shipyard
• Hindustan Shipyard
• Alcock Ashdown
• Tebma Shipyard
• L & T Hazira

Some of the new entrants are:

• Ruia group
• Shipping corp. of India
• Mercator Mech Marine
• Goodearth maritime
• Adani group

With respect to Orissa, Bharati shipyard together with Apeejay plan to have a shipyard in Dhamara. Following is a report in today’s Dharitri about the land acquisition effort for that. (The last sentence that got cut says: This project is to start in 2008 and is scheduled to be completed by 2016.)

Following is an excerpt from a report in Hindu. (See also http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/?p=526, http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/?p=480  and http://www.orissalinks.com/orissagrowth/?p=319 )

Construction companies eyeing the access controlled, six-lane expressway projects of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) are likely to get investment opportunities for at least four such projects spread over 495 km over the next few months.

They are Chandikhol-Jagatpur-Bhubaneswar (70 kilometre length, estimated cost Rs 761 crore), Delhi-Hapur (47 km, Rs 474 crore), the 198-km stretch of Vijayawada-Elluru-Rajamundri (Rs 1,602 crore) and the 180-km stretch on Delhi-Agra highway (Rs 1,918 crore). The feasibility reports for these projects are already completed and the work is likely to be awarded in about six months, said NHAI officials. Toll collection

These projects are for widening the current four-lane highways into six lanes and operating them for certain durations.

Companies would have to bid competitively for these projects on a revenue-sharing basis. Thus companies would have to bid on the extent of toll revenue that they are ready to share with the Government if they are allowed to operate the roads.

Since these highways are already four-lane stretches, the road operators can start toll collection even during the project construction phase from an ‘appointed date’ (within six months of winning the project), mutually decided by NHAI and the road operator. The toll revenues will be routed to an escrow account.

… From the NHAI perspective, these projects have emerged as money-spinners, with companies willing to foot the entire construction cost and part with two per cent to 48.06 per cent of their revenues in the initial leg of the project.

At the end of the concession period, which is about 12 to 15 years duration, the winning firms have agreed to part with 12 per cent to 59 per cent share of toll revenues.

Following is an excerpt from a PTI report in Hindu.

Kalinganagar: MESCO Steel Group plans to invest $2.8 billion (over Rs 1,000 crore) to expand its existing steel making capacity and set up a greenfield project that would together take its total capacity to 6.5 million tonnes per annum. MESCO, which owns Mideast Integrated Steel Ltd (MISL), would enhance its existing pig iron plant here into a 3.5 million tonnes steel plant with an investment of $1.2 billion, company’s Managing Director Rita Singh told reporters here.

Ms Singh said that the company would pump in $1.5-1.6 billion through joint venture route in setting up a greenfield steel plant here. The project is likely to be finalised within 2-3 months.

"We have already acquired 800 acres of land for this greenfield steel plant,” she said, adding that this project would be set up by MESCO Kalinga Steel. Both these projects would be completed by 2010-11, she said. The funds for these projects would be arranged through suppliers credit and cash equity.

… MESCO, which has become debt free recently, is also planning to ramp up its pig iron production from the current 4 lakh tonnes to 7 lakh tonnes by 2008-09. The products would be utilised by its steel plants, she said. – PTI