The Railways are offering three special packages for the millennium celebrations. The packages include exclusive air-conditioned return journey from Delhi to Agra-Jaipur-Khajuraho, Chennai to Mettupalayam-Ooty-Mysore-Bangalore and Calcutta to Puri. Each of these packages would be of five-day duration. The Fairy Queen, the oldest working steam locomotive in the world, begins its tourist package for the millennium season from Saturday. A mini tourist train hauled by this vintage locomotive is carrying tourists to Alwar (Sariska) for the third consecutive year. During 1999-2000, there will be nine runs between Delhi and Alwar on every second and fourth Saturdays of November, December, January and February.

GAIL pact with ONGC

Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) signed a 15-year gas purchase pact with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on Wednesday. The MoU inked by GAIL director, planning, H P Chandna and ONGC director, operations, A S Soni, allows GAIL to purchase natural gas from the existing discoveries of ONGC. According to a Gas Authority of India Limited release on Wednesday, the details of the agreement were still being finalised. The terms and conditions of the MOU will be reviewed after the gas market is deregulated. Natural gas prices, which are partially pegged to a basket of internationally traded fuel oils at present, will be fully attuned to the global market after total deregulation.

SP Rao named new GAIL director

Gas Authority of India Limited's (GAIL) executive director, operations and maintenance, S P Rao has been elevated to the post of director, projects. Rao credited with 30 years of experience in pipeline construction during his tenure with the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Gas Authority of India Limited. He was closely associated with the implementation of Gas Authority of India Limited's Hazira-Bijaipur-Jagdishpur (HBJ) pipeline. Rao is a fellow member of the Institution of Engineers (EIL) and a member of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers.