Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Bhel) has successfully developed a circulating fluidised bed combustion (CFBC) boiler, claimed to be the largest in Asia. As per a Bhel statement, the boiler, with a steam generating capacity of 390 tonnes per hour is scheduled for commissioning next month at Surat lignite power plant. Earlier Bhel had successfully manufactured, supplied and commissioned 175 tonnes per hour capacity CFBC boiler for Sinar Mass Pulp and Paper (India) Ltd.

Bhel has established state-of-the-art technology for the manufacture of CFBC boilers up to 400 tonnes per hour steam generating capacity, in technical collaboration with Lurgi Lentjes Babcock of German.

Hudco seminar on public-pvt interface

The absence of proper infrastructure is threatening the survival of the urban centres as a base for a vibrant economy, according to V Suresh, chairman and managing director of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (Hudco). Forging effectivepublic-private partnership is the only way to address the mammoth physical and fiscal requirements of urban areas to make the cities sustainable, he said speaking at the conclusion of the two-day conference on `Business Citizenship for Equitable Cities, organised jointly by Hudco and Asia Pacific Cities Forum.

Textile ministry release enhanced DA payment to NJMC workers

The textiles ministry has decided to release the enhanced payment of dearness allowance to workers of the National Jute Manufactures Corporation (NJMC) mills. This was disclosed by textiles minister Kashiram Rana in Delhi on Thursday. He has already written a letter to this effect to West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Bosu.

In a related development, the ministry has also requested that the Indian Jute Mills Association to initiate steps for immediate amicable resolution of the mater and to advise the management of the jute mills to honour the earlier agreemnent. The ministry's decision comes in the wake of increasing hardships beingfaced by the jute mill workers as already some of mills were shutting down even before the jute industry begins its earlier announced indefinite strike.

The ministry's move also aims at averting the strike, which it feels, would also result in a major disruption in the supply of jute bags to the procesing agencies for packing foodgrains, sugar and urea.

Port, dock workers threaten stir

The port and dock workers at all the major ports of the country would observe `anti-privatisation' day on March 11 and have also threatened to launch a nationwide united struggle against the government's policy of privatisation of port services and facilities. Announcing this in Mumbai, All India Port and Dock Workers' Federation president S R Kulkarni said leaders of the five major federations met and discussed the implications of the proposed amendments to the Major Port Trusts Act and Indian Ports Act to privatise the major ports in India and the policy of giving permanent type of work on contract basis toprivate parties on one pretext or the other.