The minister told reporters after reviewing the condition of national highways in Bihar at a high-level meeting in Patna that an estimated Rs 110 crore would be spent on renewal of 700 km national highways in Bihar for which the state government had been asked to send the estimates.

Ray for streamlining steel
Steel minister Dilip Ray has stressed the need for the public and private sector playing a pivotal role in streamlining steel policy and initiatives. Talking to UNI, the minister attributed lack of investment in infrastructure projects and adverse conditions in the export market to `sluggish' demand being faced by the steel industry.

Ogden willing to wait
The US-based Ogden Energy Inc was "willing" to wait another year before pulling out from its investment commitment in the 240-mw Bongaigaon Thermal Power Station (BTPS) in Assam, according to company sources. The public limited Ogden's executive consultant in India, Sreejit K Tagore told reporters in Guwahati that state government and Centre had "delayed" response to its 1996 proposal for venturing into the power sector in the state.

Haryana abolishes octroi
The Haryana government has decided to abolish octroi in the state with effect from Monday, an official communique said on Sunday. The decision to abolish the octroi in the municipal areas was taken by the council of ministers in its meeting held on October 29, presided over by chief minister, Om Parkash Chautala, the communique said. The draft of the ordinance to amend the State Municipal Act, 1973, and the State Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, to abolish octroi were also approved in the meeting.