South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) has signed an agreement with two British companies to introduce modern mining technology in seven underground coal mines of its Chirmiri mine. Signed with a unique and innovative concept of sharing profit and loss, the agreement is significant under the present economic scenario where the industry is facing severe cash crunch. The new technology would boost the underground production andproductivity besides envisaging a judicious usage of continuous miner for the first time in the Indian coal-mines.

CII for public-private partnership in housing

Confederation of Indian Industry has mooted forging of partnership between the public sector and private sector along with the cooperative sector in promoting sustainable urban housing in the country. While the public sector can contribute richly to land acquisition, land assembly and infrastructure development, the private sector participation should be regulated to bringin healthy development of real estate sector taking care of consumer interests, the chamber said. In a blueprint for action prepared at the end of a two-day conference on housing in Chandigarh recently, CII said Naredco, the apex body of cooperative in the housing sector, should be strengthened and operationalised to give the guidelines for selection and evaluation of operational efficiencies of private sector.

BHEL recommissions Srisailam hydro electric project

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has recommissioned Srisailam hydro electric project in Andhra Pradesh. The 110 mw project, which was submerged in floods last October, has been recommissioned in a record time of 44 days against committed schedule of 60 days, a BHEL release said in New Delhi. Two units at the same power station were also commissioned earlier by BHEL ahead of schedule and are operating on full load 110 mw each.

New technique for stronger roads

A Delhi-based company has introduced a new bitumen modifier whichimproves the quality of roads and prolongs their life by 2.5 times. ``The application of tbm super involved about ten per cent increase in cost of bitumunous concrete,'' said Vijay Sekhri, managing director of Tinna Oils and Chemicals Limited. He said the new technique substantially improves the vital properties of bitumen and bituminous mixes such as softening point, penetration, marshall stability, resistance to water stripping, aging characteristics, fatigue resistance and modulus of elasticity.

Expressways to connect Delhi satellite towns

High-speed expressways will be built to connect the national capital with its satellite towns in a bid to check increasing pollution and decongest traffic in the city. The 80-km stretch covering two sections -- Kundli (Haryana)-Ghaziabad (KG) and Ghaziabad-Meerut (GM) expressways -- has 2004 as the target year for opening to traffic, according to R C Aggarwal, chief regional planner of the National Capital Region (NCR) planning board. A project to build 56-kmexpressway connecting Faridabad-Noida-Ghaziabad (FNG) is already underway and global tenders have been floated for construction, he said, adding the board aimed to complete this expressway by 2003.

Global trade fair for automotive components in Feb

More than 150 companies from all over the world will come together in February next in the debut event of Messe Frankfurt in India, Automechnica India, which will serve as a platform for the automotive component sector in the Asia-Pacific region. The international trade fair is for exhibiting equipment relating to car workshop and service station, auto parts and accessories.

Microsoft summit on financial industry

The Microsoft Financial Services briefing, an exclusive event for the banking and financial industry will be held in Mumbai on Monday to outline a framework to meet the challenges faced by Indian financial institutions in automating their operations. The event will address the need for the strategic computerisation of 70 per cent ofthe branch outlets in the banking industry by the year 2001 as part of the recent mandate from the Central Vegilance Committee.

Consumer court asks Rlys to give compensation

A consumer court in New Delhi has pulled up Northern Railways for "deficiencies in services" and imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 for not providing safety and security to a passenger and his belongings. Delhi district consumer disputes redressal Commission-II has asked the Railways to pay Rs 10,000 as compensation towards the loss suffered by a passenger, besides Rs 2000 towards "litigation costs and mental suffering."