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SC tells Reliance to clear Rs 182-cr BSNL bill
Virgin Airlines wins 10 new routes to India
IA flies out of red
Central aid to clear cane arrears
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Subsidy on LPG to go by 2007
New ADC regime to reduce telecom tariffs
Board set up to revamp CPSEs
Chinese models dressed in Indian clothes designed by fashion designer, Ritu Beri, at a ramp show held in Beijing on Friday as part of the second 'Made In India Show', organised by the CII and the Indian Embassy. — PTI
photo
7 more Imax theatres on cards
Farmers try out a new model of a tractor at the CII Agro-Tech 2004 in Chandigarh on Friday.
— Tribune photo by Parvesh Chauhan
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SC tells Reliance to clear Rs 182-cr BSNL bill
New Delhi, December 3 Since Reliance has already made a payment of Rs 84 crore in two instalments, a Bench of Mr Justice N. Santosh Hegde and Mr Justice S. B. Sinha directed the company to pay the remaining amount of Rs 84.07 crore within four weeks. The direction came on a Special Leave Petition (SLP) of BSNL against the Delhi High Court order of November 5 asking Reliance to pay only Rs 40 crore in addition to Rs 58 crore paid by it after the public sector company had raised a bill of Rs 182.07 crore. The apex court, meanwhile, directed the Delhi High Court to expeditiously decide by January 2005 Reliance's petition against the BSNL demand. It also directed the Reliance counsel Harish Salve to file an affidavit in the high court about correction in the Caller Lino Identification (CLI) regarding distribution of international long distance (ILD) calls through its system as per the undertaking given to it earlier. Former Attorney-General Soli J. Sorabjee, appearing for BSNL, alleged that the public sector company had raised the amount against Reliance after detecting the "fraud" on the part of the company. He said the total liability of Reliance as on November 5 was more than Rs 257 crore and a bill of Rs 182.07 crore has been so far raised against the company. After Salve gave an undertaking about making the payment of remaining Rs 84.07 crore, the Bench asked the BSNL not to raise any further demand till the case is decided by the high court. Sorabjee said the "investigation revealed that calls originating from foreign countries which ere meant for a BSNL customers in India being
routed through the Reliance exchange with the changed caller line
identification (CLI) were being handed over by it at the (distribution) port meant for local calls." Placing a chart on record, the BSNL said while rate for long distance international calls (ILD) is Rs 4.55 per minute, the company was
merely paying 30 paise per minute to BSNL, which is the local call charges, Sorabjee said, accusing Reliance of showing distribution of calls to over 10,000 of its "fictitious" telephone numbers. Despite enacting a "fraud", Reliance had sought to justify its action on the ground that it was a "unique feature" of Home Country Direct (HCD) system for distributing the international calls, he said. The Reliance had said since they were only forwarding the local calls, they were not liable to pay BSNL at the ILD charges as per the agreement. But the Bench said that this issue has to be decided by the High Court. Sorabjee also opposed the plea of Salve for referring the matter either to the Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) or arbitration, saying it was not a telecom dispute but a "fraud" enacted by the Reliance, which has to be adjudicated by the court of law.
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Virgin Airlines
wins 10 new routes to India
London, December 3 Virgin Atlantic received the rights to operate 10 new weekly return flights between the two nations, while BA got seven and BMI four. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Britain’s aviation regulator, carved up the 21 new services on offer following a bilateral agreement between the two countries’ governments earlier this year. The direct routes from London to airports in Bombay, Delhi, Bangalore and other Indian cities are invaluable for airlines as high demand outstrips limited existing services, which are dominated by the BA.
— Reuters
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IA flies out of red
New Delhi, December 3 In the previous fiscal (02-03), the government-owned carrier had recorded a net loss of Rs 196.56 crore. Company’s chairman and managing director Sunil Arora said the turnaround was mainly because of strict cost control measures, improved physical performance and increased aircraft utilisation. IA earned operating revenue of Rs 4,649.8 crore, an increase of 13.37 per cent compared to the previous year’s revenue of Rs 4,101.5 crore. The profit-before-tax totalled Rs 48.17 crore and operating profit stood at Rs 125.1 crore against the operating loss of Rs 134.72 crore in 02-03. “The improved financial performance in 2003-04 was despite increase in average domestic air turbine fuel
(ATF) price to Rs 21,000 per kilolitre as against Rs 19,900 per kl in 02-03,” Mr Arora told reporters after the IA board meeting today.
— UNI
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Central aid to clear cane arrears
New Delhi, December 3 Minister State for Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Akhilesh Prasad Singh said in a written reply that the UP government has received the highest Rs 490.21 crore assistance for 2002-03 season. UP was followed by Haryana (Rs 84.73 crore), Bihar (Rs 39.91 crore), Uttaranchal (Rs 32.25 crore) and Punjab (Rs 30.96 crore).
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Subsidy on LPG to go by 2007
New Delhi, December 3 “It is the government’s stated policy that subsidy will be removed by 2007,” he said at the 3rd India Petro conference here. Subsidies on the LPG and kerosene, estimated at Rs 3,500 crore for 2004-05, were to be eliminated from the next fiscal, but the UPA government has decided to extend it by two years. The Rs 22.58 per cylinder subsidy on LPG budgeted in the 2004-05 Budget is likely to be enhanced to about Rs 40 and that on kerosene to Rs 1.10 per litre from Rs 0.81 per litre. Mr Tripathi said a Bill for setting up of an independent regulator for the oil sector would not be presented during the current winter session of Parliament as it has been referred to a Group of Ministers (GoM) for further consultations. Parliament approval is needed for setting up of Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board that will oversee downstream oil refining and marketing of petroleum products, natural gas sales & transportation and product & gas pipelines. The Bill had come in for sharp criticism from Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers and Company Affairs Ministry, particularly on the autonomy of the proposed Board, its powers to fix and regulate prices and its capability in fostering competition.
— PTI
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New ADC regime to reduce telecom tariffs
New Delhi, December 3 “I do believe that tariffs can fall by another 30 to 40 per cent if we give appropriate policy directions. There is a tremendous opportunity for reducing ADC without adversely affecting the fixed line telephones. Tariffs can definitely fall,” Trai Chairman Pradip Baijal told newspersons on the sidelines of a conference here today. Presently, private telephone operators pay Rs 0.80 for local calls and Rs 4.90 for international calls as
ADC. Mr Baijal said presently the mobile subscribers, who stand at around 50 million, are paying to the fixed line users as under the existing ADC regime, these funds are being retained by the fixed line operators. Trai also asked state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to release more bandwidth for enhancing the Internet penetration in India.
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Board set up to revamp CPSEs
New Delhi, December 3 The other members of the Board will be Mr Arvind Pande, former chairman SAIL, Dr. Susheel Khanna, Prof IIM Kolkata, and Mr T.S.Vijayraghavan, former Secretary Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
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Indian home textiles carve niche in the US
Ludhiana, December 3 India has even left behind erstwhile leaders like China and Brazil in certain categories. The data supplied by the department, as depicted in a website apparelresources.com, shows that Indian products are second only to Chinese in the category, which includes bags, table-linen, napkins and curtains, whereas the ranking is third in case of products like cotton bed-spreads and quilts. India also made a mark in the cotton sheets, terry-towels and pillowcases category. Market exporters opine that the country’s USP lay in embellishments and embroidery which will help it sustain its market share across the globe. Mr Dinesh Lakra of Lakra Brothers, which is engaged in export of readymade garments and home furnished items, said: “There has been a major improvement in weaving and handicraft segments. With easy availability of labour, particularly in areas around Delhi, Meerut and in South India, we have managed to carve a niche for ourselves.” According to exporters, despite China having adopted a lower pricing strategy it was quality and variety in this segment that had helped India emerge winner. Apart from scarves with beadwork and embroidery, demand for cotton and silk made ups with plenty of embroidery was also on the rise. Mr Lakra said with quotas on way out the industry could look forward to a further increase in it’s share. “In this category we are also competitive when it comes to pricing,” he added.
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7 more Imax theatres on cards
Hyderabad, December 3 Speaking to reporters here at Prasadz Entertainment Complex, Imax Corporation co-founder Richard L Gelford disclosed that Delhi and Kolkata would have their Imax screens within the next two years, followed by other cities. Dubbed as the ultimate movie experience, Imax is a large-format film viewing that is stunningly beautiful. The Imax brand is recognised worldwide for high-quality family entertainment. Presently, Mumbai, Ahmadabad and Hyderabad have Imax theatres in India. The Prasadz Imax theatre, the first such facility in South India, has a seating capacity of 635. Mr Gelford said there were exciting possibilities in converting regular Bollywood films into Imax format, which would open up the new business opportunities. “But this is possible only when the number of Imax theatres in the country reached a critical mass of 20,” he said, adding an Imax release of Bollywood feature film would be justified then. He said the first-ever Hollywood feature film in Imax 3-D “Polar Express” would hit screens in India on December 23. The extravagant computer-animated film was a big hit in the US, especially in the Imax giant-screen format.
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Many tractor firms skip fair this time
Chandigarh, December 3 The Escorts group has unveiled Farmtrac 70, a world class tractor for progressive farmers. Priced at Rs 4.71 lakh, it is a 60-HP tractor with AVL engine, power steering and 12 forward and 12 reverse speeds. This model also features epicyclic reduction, which is highly suited for heavy loads and hard soils. Its 2400-kg hydraulic is suitable for backhoe as well as tipping trailers. HMT Tractors Limited has used the venue to showcase its high-speed air conditioned tractor Trantor with 65 HP. To be launched in the market in February, it is priced at Rs 6.50 lakh, says Mr Prakash Sharan, General Marketing Manager, HMT. The group also plans to launch a 90-HP tractor in the near future. With a speed of 66.5 km/hour, this model will prove more useful for transportation purposes and for family outings in rural areas as it provides for a seating capacity of 10 men. The tractor has been manufactured in collaboration with UK-based Trantor Vehicles Ltd. On display is also the modified version of the 6522 HMT model, which now has a power steering and an electronic front dashboard. Mahindra and Mahindra has displayed its 7520 4WD model, a four-wheel drive which is at present only being exported. Also on display is Arjun Ultra-1, a unique combination of power and unmatched fuel efficiency with air flow technology. Sonalika has also displayed its latest models of Sonalika International and Sonalika. Its brand Cerus is being exported the world over. The company plans to launch two new models with 80 and 90 HP by the end of this financial year under its Sonalika brand for its Punjab market, the second biggest tractor market in the country.
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