Mecon Ltd has bagged an order from IBP Company to set up a petrol, oil and lubricants (POL) depot at Sangrur in Punjab at a cost of Rs 15 crore. Mecon's work includes design, engineering, supply, erection, construction, testing and commissioning of the depot in a tight time schedule of 60 weeks only. After commissioning, the depot will have a capacity to store 14,500 kilolitres of petrol, oil and lubricants. A Mecon spokesperson told The Financial Express that this is the first turnkey assignment for Mecon for a POL depot. Mecon has also got a consultancy job for IOC's Madurai oil terminal. The spokesperson said the post-liberalisation scenario and the recession in the iron and steel industry have prompted Mecon to enter the refinery and petrochemical sectors.

GEB to import coal

The Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) has threatened to import coal for better power generation if the Coal India Ltd (CIL) and other central agencies do not concede to its demandfor allocation of more coal from the Korea Rewa fields of South Eastern Coal Ltd (SECL), a subsidiary of CIL. GEB has conveyed this to the CIL through a recent letter and CIL is expected to take a decision at a meeting in Delhi on Thursday, GEB sources said in Baroda. The boilers of power stations of GEB at Gandhinagar, Sikka, and Wanakbori are designed for higher grade coal, that is +C and D+ grade. GEB was getting 70 per cent of this coal from Korea-Rewa fields and the rest from mainline fields of Korba and Kusmunda.

MSEB unions protest against Enron project

Three major trade unions of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board workers, here observed `protest day' against the commissioning of the phase I of the 740-mw Enron power project. The MSEB Workers Federation (AITUC), the MSEB Employees Federation (BMS) and others jointly organised protest meetings at thermal power projects in Chandrapur, Khaperkheda and Koradi. The unions threatened to intensify their protest if the second phase of the Enronproject was not scrapped by the state government.

Survey on reactivating Cambay port

The survey on reactivating Cambay port, located in central Gujarat, is in final stages and the state government after receipt of the report would take steps in this regard, the state chief minister Keshbubhai Patel said at Baroda on Thursday. Speaking after laying the foundation stone for the 110-kms long road between Vasad and Bagodara in Saurashtra, he said the state government is also interested in activating Ghoghtra port for which it will involve private participation. The cargo traffic to be handled by the ports located in the state would reach to 100 million in next two years, he said, adding it would ensure speedy economic development of the state and provide employment to lakhs of jobless people.

HPL impasse may soon be over

The five-day-old impasse at the Haldia Petrochemical Ltd (HPL) is likely to be over following high-level meeting in Calcutta on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by WestBengal finance minister Asim Dasgupta, HPL chairman Tapan Mitra and former MP from Haldia, Lakshman Seth. After the meeting, Dasgupta told reporters that the meeting was very fruitful and hoped the stalemate, which had stalled work at the project for five days, was over. On the question of providing employment to those, whose land had been acquired for the project, Dasgupta said 750 people had so far submitted applications and they would be absorbed in HPL soon.