As the indefinite, nationwide strike by some 23,000 AIR and DD employees entered the second week on Monday, the authorities remained insistent that no talks would be held with striking workers.

"No talks are being planned at any level," Prasar Bharati CEO OP Kejriwal told UNI. The employees, who have been barred from entering the office premises, met Kejriwal and said they be allowed to enter the office. The CEO told them to give the request in writing, spokesman of the striking employees Dipak Dholakia said.

Meanwhile, the agitating employees took out a demonstration against the Prasar Bharati Board and information and broadcasting minister Pramod Mahajan.

India's first classified ads websitelaunched
India has plugged into the world of global networking with the launch of a website dedicated to classified ads specifically for the Indian market.

Launched by India's first listed internet-focussed company - Millennium Infocom Technologies Ltd (MIT), the website can be accessed through www.mitclassifieds.com. The company has decided to allow potential buyers and sellers to place their classified ads on the site, free of cost, during the launch year. The site has been tailored specially to meet the domestic requirements of the local and non-resident Indian internet user.

Conference on `Business on the Net' from April 28
More than 100 web content developers, information technology professionals and internet service providers (ISPs) from all over the country are expected to participate in the three-day conference on `Business on the Net' to be held from April 28-30 in the Capital.

The conference, organised by Internet Consortium India (ICINDIA), is expected to discuss latestadvances in the field of internet and maximisation of commercial profits by providing value-added services.

Prudential ICICI AMC launches website
Prudential ICICI Asset Management Company has launched India's first inter-active personal finance portal - www.indiainvest.com. This internet innovation takes the company even closer to creating a worldwide brand that is seen as a preferred provider of financial solutions. Indiainvest.com offers the investor a one-stop financial shop focussing on investing and personal finance in India and is divided into three parts - information, daily market changes and utilities.

ICO appoints chief executive officer
ICO Global Communications, the global mobile satellite communications company, has appointed Richard Greco as chief executive officer, effective May 17. Greco will be responsible for the company's day-to-day operational management and execution of the ICO business plan. Prior to his appointment with ICO, Greco was president of Loral OrionInc.

Nitish Kumar takes additional charge of transport ministry
Union minister of Railways Nitish Kumar has taken over the additional charge of the ministry of surface transport. The ministerial berth fell vacant after AIADMK leader M Thambi Durai resigned from the BJP government. His resignation, along with that of K M R Janarthanan, was accepted by the Prime Minister last week. Taking over the charge on Monday, Kumar directed officials to attach importance to the maintenance of national highways apart from taking up more roads as national highways.

Oil PSUs staff call off strike
Oil sector officers have deferred the two-day strike against delay in salary revision following an assurance by the managements that the issue would be settled within four weeks. The strike was to commence on April 15. The Oil Sector Officers' Association (OSOA), umbrella organisation of ONGC, OIL, IOC, HPCL, BPCL, MRL, CRL,IBP, BL,GAIL, LIL and BRPL officers, announced here on Monday that keeping in viewthe interest of the nation, the agitation has been deferred in the hope that the issue would be resolved within a period of one month. OSOA had given the strike call as salary revision for executives in oil sector public undertakings had been due since January 1, 1997 for a period of five years and though nearly half the period had elapsed yet there was no sign of government doing so.

PGCIL to set up transmission highways
Work on the proposed transmission highways criss-crossing the country to be set up by Powergrid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) will begin by 2001 after all the five trunk routes from the power surplus eastern region will become operational. The proposal for establishing the Rs 30,000 crore highways for transmitting high voltage power between various regions is being currently discussed with the government. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) which clears the proposal has slowly started agreeing to setting up of highway which is based on the concept of the nationalgrid.

Some of the routes awaiting completion are the 1800 Mwraipur-Rourkela, Bhudipada-Korba (150 mw), Sasaram, (150 mw) and Dheri-Khamra. New projects like Bakreshwar and Buj Buj are also coming up in the east.

Montek for railways corporatisation
Planning Commission member Montek Singh Ahluwalia has suggested corporatisation of the railways and commercial use of its surplus land to help it expand faster, induce greater efficiency and operate on user charge principle. Addressing members of the Assocham, Ahluwalia said, the railways should be trifurcated into the passenger traffic corporation, railway freight corporation and railway line network corporation. This would end the cross subsidisation in certain freight items, charge commercially viable freight with a view to maximising earnings. The corporation looking after passenger traffic will then be forced to charge commercially viable fares.

An increase in fares to bring them to economic levels will be inescapable, he said. Besides, therailways are involved in providing rail linkages to the backward and hilly areas for bringing them into the national mainstream. One of the major responsibilities of the railways is to correct regional imbalances through providing rail connectivity. This involves a social cost which the railways have been incurring since they began operations.