Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Gas Authority of India (GAIL) have signed an MoU for laying a 1270-kilometre pipeline between Jamnagar and Loni in Uttar Pradesh. The pipeline crosses the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. It will supply LPG to the deficit northern region of the country. BPCL will draw LPG supplies from the proposed pipeline to feed its proposed/existing bottling plants at Ajmer, Loni and Piyala. These plants of BPCL will serve as nodal points for supply of LPG to the neighbouring LPG bottling plants of the Industry. The agreement between BPCL and GAIL will result in substantial savings in transportation costs of bulk LPG for BPCL.

NHPC board meeting on April 29

The Board of Directors of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) will meet on April, 29, to take into record the financial performance of the corporation for the year ended March, 31, 1999.

States to reform power sector

Eightstates have committed to power sector reforms with the financial and technical assistance of the Power Finance Corporation (PFC). As per PFC, nine states have already set up the state electricity regulatory commissions (SERCs) at its initiate. Moreover, following PFC's decision to sanction grants to power utilities for reforms and restructuring studies, a loan of Rs 2.26 crores has already been sanctioned to three state utilities.

CEA examines three projects

As many as three new thermal schemes totalling 450mw in Cauvery basin are being examined by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). These are the 100mw Nanjangud, 189mw Hassa and 165 mw Mandya power projects in Karnataka. Seventeen schemes with a total installed capacity of 1095mw are already in operation in Cauvery basin and a 330mw Pillaiperumalanallu power project is already under execution in Tamil Nadu.

Seminar on energy from April 26

Experts from leading construction companies and government agencies will gather in New Delhito discuss methods of reducing energy consumption specially in air-conditioned buildings and use of recycling material in construction at a seminar beginning April 26. The three-day event on `Environment sustainability through architecture and energy management in buildings' will not only point towards better energy management but also discuss future strategies for green house gas reduction in the atmosphere, said a release from IIT Delhi Centre for Energy Studies. Among the participants will be Hudco, ministry of urban affairs and employment, ministry of non-conventional energy resources along with international organisations like German Development Co-operation and USAID.

IATO demands better facilities

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has suggested that the government should focus its attention on expanding and creating necessary infrastructure to boost tourism. "If the government really wants to make the `Explore India Millenium Year' a success, it should not ignore theinfrastructural needs of the tourism industry," IATO president Subhash Goyal said while speaking at a seminar organised by the Indian Investment Centre. He said, the country must have at least a dozen international airports as a tourist from south Asia willing to visit North-eastern states was forced to fly via Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Calcutta wasting money, time and energy, making these destinations unattractive and costly. They should have their own airports, he suggested.

Reports lament core sector failure

India's weakness in the infrastructure sector is attracting attention of the world. The two reports released this week, the Asian Development Outlook (ADO), 1999 by Asian Development Bank and the World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY), 1999 by the Institute for Management Development, have emphasised that much is needed to be done in infrastructure. Given the enormous resource requirements for improving infrastructure, says the ADO report, the government will need to promote greater privatesector participation.