Ahmedabad News and Information

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

?State govt not paying enough attention to tourism industry?
2008-05-15 06:53:00
Even though the state has a 1,600-km long coastal line and scores of international tourist destinations, it does not attract much tourists. The reason: The state government has not been able to market and pay tourism industry the attention it deserves. This was stated by S P Jain, senior vice president of Hotel and Restaurant Associations (HRA) of Western India, during a media interaction here on Wednesday. According to Jain, the annual tourist inflow to the state could be trebled from the present figure of one crore if the government focuses on it. Pointing out that there is a tremendous room for growth of the tourism industry, he said the industry can develop fast if the government encouraged private-public partnership (PPP) model as done by the governments in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa. He said the association had recently written to the state government in this regard ?The full tourist potential can be exploited by improving infrastructure through PPP as there i...
More About: Industry , Tourism , State , Attention , Govt

3 NCP members in airport advisory committee
2008-05-15 06:52:00
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has nominated three office bearers of the Nationalist Congress Party in the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVIA) Advisory Committee . The workers nominated include Gujarat General Secretary Ashok Goswami, a city-based businessman and a former Congressman who had joined the party a couple of years ago. The other two are NCP youth wing president Pruthul Mehta and state organising secretary Hemang Shah. Mehta drifted from the BJP to the LJP before joining the NCP. Shah is a Maninagar-based transporter. The nominations follow a visit by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on April 23, when he had commissioned the arrival terminal of the airport. Patel had shared the dais with Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Gujarat NCP president Jayant Patel (Bosky). Meanwhile, political observers said that while such an appointment would not have been possible in Gujarat without a green signal from the Chief Minister's Office, such a move at this point ...
More About: Members

23 injured in LPG blast
2008-05-15 06:51:00
AHMEDABAD: More than 20 persons sustained burn injuries in Madhavpura when a leaking LPG cylinder suddenly exploded into flames. Three of the injured are critical, having sustained second and third degree burns. The injured have been admitted to Civil Hospital.Firemen of the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services called it a flashback-fire effect. The incident that took place early on Wednesday spread panic among other residents of the chawl.The incident took place at 8.30 pm when Chandhubhai Rathod, a resident of a chawl in Madhavpura, went to his kitchen to make tea. He detected odour of leaking LPG.When he tried to turn the knob of his gas cylinder, it detached suddenly and gas emanated out. Rathod and his family members dragged the cylinder outside."The flashback fire was caused by some external ignition source. It could have been a gas burner being ignited or even somebody lighting a bidi. By then the gas from the cylinder had spread in the adjoining area. The flashback fire was...
More About: Blast , Injured

Parsoli opens BMW showroom in Ahmedabad
2008-05-15 06:47:00
Known for their Islamic Equity Index, the promoters of Ahmedabad -based Parsoli Corporation are foraying into automobiles through group company Parsoli Motors.The new company will be headed by Talha Sareshwala, who is the younger brother of Zafar Sareshwala, founder of Parsoli Corporation.Parsoli Corporation has just bagged its first auto dealership with BMW India and is planning an investment of Rs 30 crores into the venture. BMW India's dealers are asked to provide showroom, sales, services and systems under one roof. Accordingly, Parsoli Motors has set up a showroom near Thaltej Circle on SG Road and a fully equipped workshop is located at Sanathal on Sarkhej Sanand Highway.The company is planning to extend its dealership network to Surat and Rajkot in the coming few months. "As with our finance products, our strength lies in sales and we are looking at bringing premium vehicles to Gujarat. We see a lot of potential for sales in Mehsana and Unjha along with major cities in the ...
More About: Showroom

Aventis Pharma launches SoloStar in India
2008-05-14 05:25:00
Aventis Pharma Limited, a Sanofi-Aventis group company, has launched a new prefilled disposable insulin pen SoloStar for use with the 24-hour insulin Lantus."The insulin market in India is about Rs 410 crore and we have captured a market of about 7% with Lantus. The launch of SoloStar will boost our market share by another 1-2%," said Susheel Umesh, senior director, Cardio-Metabolism Business Unit who was in Ahmedabad for the launch. The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design awarded the 2007 Good Design award to SoloStar.Lantus has a global market of 2 billion Euros. SoloStar reduces the injection force by 30% or more in comparison to other leading disposable pens, he added.According to diabetologist Sanjeev Phatak after Tamil Nadu, Gujarat has highest prevalence of diabetes. "There would be 30-40 lakh diabetes patients in Gujarat of which about 4-5 lakh would be in Ahmedabad," Phatak said.Source: business-standard.com
More About: Aventis

Reaching home has just got longer for them
2008-05-14 05:25:00
AHMEDABAD: For more than 15,000 residents of Bopal living near Basant Bahar road -- which connects to Sardar Patel Ring Road -- reaching home is a big exercise. The reason being that residents are suddenly faced with a rather long detour to cross the main road as their approach way, which passes through many gaps in the road divider, to the residential bungalows and societies have been blocked, much to their surprise and anger.And, the most interesting question is whodunit? Neither Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) officials, nor the panchayat, or the police seem to know exactly who plugged the gaps in the road divider.Resident of Aarohi Residency, Bopal, Dr Ipsid Brahmachari said, "The work got over on Sunday and we thought this was part of the road repair work. However, we later realized that they had actually blocked our way. Now we do not have any option, but to take a three kilometre drive to reach the other side of the road."Senior AUDA officials feigned ignorance o...
More About: Home

New animal helpline begins, will offer free services
2008-05-14 05:24:00
AHMEDABAD: See an injured animal or bird writhing in pain, just call up the newly launched Navkar Animal helpline and help will be on the way to treat them that too free of cost! On Sunday, Navkar Treatment Centre, in association with Mahendra Shrimali, an animal lover, launched a dedicated Navkar Animal Helpline in Ahmedabad for animals in distress.The helpline will be run entirely by animal lovers who will take care of animals and also organize vaccination programmes for them. Shrimali says, "The helpline will provide medical assistance on the spot to injured animals and birds. We have a pool of volunteers and veterinarians who will reach the injured animals when required.""On the first day of helpline launch, we received more than 20 distress calls, mostly about the injured stray dogs.In Vejalpur, we rescued a dog who was about to be stoned to death. Local residents thought the dog was suffering from rabies," says Shrimali. "Running a helpline is not about money alone, it require...
More About: Services , Free , Offer

Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram airports get nod to impose user fees
2008-05-14 04:59:00
The government has approved the imposition of a user development fee from next year for the Ahmedabad and Thiruvananthapuram airports that are being developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).These will be the first AAI-run airports to impose the fee, which, the aviation ministry officials say, could be in the region of Rs 300 per passenger. The government had earlier approved the imposition of such fees for the new Bangalore and Hyderabad airports being developed under public-private partnerships.Ahmedabad and Thiruvananthapuram are among the 35 smaller airports being developed by the AAI, all of which are entitled to approach the government for permission to impose the fee. Their modernisation plans are scheduled to be implemented by February or March 2009.AAI is spending Rs 12,434 on development of airport infrastructure, according to the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007 to 2012).Aviation ministry sources said Kolkata and Chennai, which are also being developed by AAI, may a...
More About: Fees , User

Phoenix nears Rs 800 cr deals
2008-05-13 06:49:00
Phoenix Mills Ltd, a Mumbai-based real estate developer, is close to acquiring three 30-acre plots in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Nashik for close to Rs 800 crore.A real estate source said the deals are likely to be sealed in the next few weeks. Phoenix Mills plans to develop malls and entertainment zones.Anand Sundaram, executive director and CEO, Phoenix Mills, "We are looking and acquiring lands for our projects, but we cannot comment on any particular deal. If any deal is sealed, we will inform the exchanges."The Phoenix group is developing Market City Projects, spread across 214 lakh square feet, in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Raipur, Agra and Indore. Sundaram said it was a lot tougher in metro cities than in smaller cities. Phoenix has already bought land in Raipur, Indore, Chandigarh, Udaipur, Bhilai, Vadodara, and Kandla, and development has begun in Raipur, Indore, and Agra.The company is seeking to establish long-term relationships with developers in its bid to achieve ...
More About: Phoenix

Going For Gujarat ? Leading Asian Show Moves Up Country (none)
2008-05-13 06:48:00
Organisers Gattaca Communications report that the third Indian Ceramics exhibition enjoyed three successful days in Mumbai in March and attracted quality visitors from all manufacturing sectors. This well established event in the South Asian calendar now features key suppliers not only from India itself, but also from the UK, all over continental Europe and also China. The presence of decision makers is paramount and is evidently why these companies are participating in greater numbers, added the company.The demand for new technologies and extra production capacity in India continues unabated ? 20% per year growth by some estimates ? making the Indian Ceramics series an increasingly important meeting point. From its establishment, close ties with all the leading bodies in the industry were established and their continued involvement has helped boost the event?s reputation year by year.Some 70% of India?s ceramic manufacture takes place in the north-western State of Gujarat and it ha...
More About: Country , Show , Leading

IBM working on talking website
2008-05-13 06:15:00
IT: Even the unlettered will be able to access information for business transactions.In an effort to take technology to the grassroot level, IT major IBM India Private Limited is now working on a talking website at its India Research Laboratory. This will ensure that even the unlettered can create a website and access information from others for business transactions.The India centre is leading the global project that is being carried out in all the eight IBM research centres. Disclosing the details to Business Standard, IBM India Research Laboratory Director Guruduth Banavar said pilots of the project have been completed and were in the final stages.The highlight is that it will be a spoken website. An individual can call up the registry (agency) to create a site for him. There will be a list of services and products available, the price and time frame set for him. The clients will call up the same registry to perform a 'search'. Instead of keying it on a computer, they will spel...
More About: Website , Talking , Working

Arvind eyes Rs 4000 crore revenue by FY10
2008-05-12 18:55:00
MUMBAI: Arvind Ltd is targeting revenue of Rs 4000 crore in 2009/10 and plans to sell off some of its non-strategic assets over the next three years to pay off its debts, top officials said on Monday.The revenue growth will be led by expansion in its retail unit Megamart, they said. The company is targeting an 8-fold rise in revenue from Megamart to 10 billion rupees in the next three years."Most of the growth in revenue will come from Megamart and brands," Chief Financial Officer Jayesh Shah told reporters at a press conference on Monday.Megamart's revenue for FY08 was 1.4 billion rupees. Arvind's net sales for FY08 was about 22.7 billion rupees. Brands and retail contribute around 19 percent of Arvind's annual revenue. "We see that becoming almost 40 percent in two years from now," Shah said.The company, which earlier in the day said it had changed its name to Arvind Ltd from Arvind Mills Ltd, plans to invest about 4 billion rupees on retail expansion in the next three years, h...
More About: Eyes , Revenue

AIA Engineering exits from 100% EOU scheme for unit at Sanand
2008-05-12 18:54:00
AIA Engineering Ltd has announced that the Company has established a 100% EOU unit at Survey No. 423/P,. 426/P and 427/P, Mahagujarat Industrial Estate, Sarkhej-Bavla, N.H.8A, Village Moraiya, Post Changodar, Taluka Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad vide letter of permission dated June 09, 2006 received from Deputy Development Commissioner, Kandla Special Economic Zone (KASEZ).Further the Company has informed that, on the request of the Company for debonding of the above unit from the 1OO% EOU Scheme, the said Deputy Development Commissioner, KASEZ has issued Exit Order from 100% EOU Scheme vide their letter dated May 06, 2008. On account of this Exit Order, the Company have de-bonded the said unit with immediate effect.The stock closed the day at Rs.1554.90, down by Rs.2.95 or 0.19%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.1575 and low of Rs.1511.10.The total traded quantity was 642 compared to 2 week average of 2350.Source: Equity Bulls
More About: Unit

Arvind Mills changes name to Arvind
2008-05-12 18:54:00
City-based textile manufacturer Arvind Mills Ltd has changed its name to Arvind Ltd. The name change is effective from May 10, the company announced Monday. When contacted, company secretary R.V. Bhinani said the new name reflects the the new business structure of the company which has a presence across the value chain in textiles.A week ago, the Kholapur (Maharashtra)-based Abshiek Mills Ltd, a 100 percent export oriented company, also changed its name to Abshiek Corp Ltd as it had made forays into construction business.Arvind Mills, the flagship company of the Lalbhai Group, started with a share capital of Rs.25.25 million in 1931.Whenever the textile industry in the country faced crises, Arvind has come up with new strategies that helped the company overcome such crises and achieve better growth rate, the company said.With the Indian economy booming, Arvind with its domestic brands like Flying Machine, Newport, Excalibur and Ruf & Tuf and international licenses of Lee, Wrangler, ...

AIA Engineering exits from 100% EOU scheme for unit at Sanand
2008-05-12 18:54:00
AIA Engineering Ltd has announced that the Company has established a 100% EOU unit at Survey No. 423/P,. 426/P and 427/P, Mahagujarat Industrial Estate, Sarkhej-Bavla, N.H.8A, Village Moraiya, Post Changodar, Taluka Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad vide letter of permission dated June 09, 2006 received from Deputy Development Commissioner, Kandla Special Economic Zone (KASEZ).Further the Company has informed that, on the request of the Company for debonding of the above unit from the 1OO% EOU Scheme, the said Deputy Development Commissioner, KASEZ has issued Exit Order from 100% EOU Scheme vide their letter dated May 06, 2008. On account of this Exit Order, the Company have de-bonded the said unit with immediate effect.The stock closed the day at Rs.1554.90, down by Rs.2.95 or 0.19%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.1575 and low of Rs.1511.10.The total traded quantity was 642 compared to 2 week average of 2350.Source: Equity Bulls
More About: Unit

SpiceJet announces launch of cargo operations
2008-05-12 18:51:00
NEW DELHI: Low cost airline Spice Jet Monday announced the launch of its cargo operations in the country. Initially, the service would cover eight major cities and would be expanded to all 18 destinations of the airline in the second quarter of the current fiscal.With its Boeing 737 800/ 900ER fleet, SpiceJet can carry 2-3.5 tons of cargo on each of its flight. The airline operates 118 flights every day to 18 destinations and can offer a capacity of about 350 tons per day."SpiceJet ventures into the cargo operation, is in line with our strategy to increase our ancillary revenues to seven per cent by the end of the current financial year. The strategy to grow the ancillary services is ably supported by our modern fleet of aircraft which offers substantial belly space that can be effectively used for cargo services, SpiceJet Chief Commercial Officer Samyukth Sridharan said in a statement.The airline has put in place its own infrastructure at various airports for cargo operations. In th...
More About: Launch , Cargo

Armymen accused of rape in Ahmedabad
2008-05-12 05:50:00
A woman working as a domestic help in the town's red light area was allegedly gangraped by three Armymen, police said on Sunday.In a complaint filed in the Kotwali police station on Sunday, the 42-year-old woman alleged that three Armymen assaulted and gangraped her in Bhagat Galli late on Saturday evening, they said.One of the three, identified as Venkatesh Venkaih Dwandvawadi (32) of the Armed Corps Centre and School was caught by locals while fleeing from the scene after the victim started crying for help, the police added.Meanwhile, a local NGO alleged that the police and Army personnel were pressurising the victim not to file a complaint on the night of the incident during which Venkatesh is suspected to have fled.The victim lodged a complaint against Venkatesh and two others on Sunday afternoon after being motivated by some activists.Police inspector Tukaram Mohile said the victim is not a prostitute and that she did household chores like cleaning and mopping for various brot...
More About: Ahmedabad , Rape

Demand for Patan case trial to be shifted to Ahmedabad
2008-05-12 05:49:00
The Parents? Association of the Patan PTC and the 'Citizens forum against the Patan incident' jointly organised a public meeting on Saturday and demanded that the trial of the Patan gangrape case be shifted to the Ahmedabad Sessions Court.The resolution passed in the meeting also said that the victim, a Dalit girl who was allegedly raped a number of times between September 2007 to January 2008 by her six teachers at the PTC be given the lawyer of her choice.In a written request on April 21 to Amit Shah, minister of state for Home, the victim had asked that Naina Bhatt, public prosecutor in Ahmedabad, be appointed a special counsel in the case. So far, there has been no response from the government on the subject.The trial is being conducted by Shailesh Thakkar, district prosecutor, Patan. Another demand at the meeting was that apart from the six accused teachers, other people responsible should also be put in the dock.Meenakshi Joshi of the forum said, "A complaint of sexual haras...
More About: Trial , Case , Demand

Bar girls, cabarets rocked Bhavnagar 150 years ago!
2008-05-12 05:48:00
AHMEDABAD: Dance bars and bar girls may be a taboo in Mumbai today, but some 150 years ago, even Gujarat was really having a ball. In an age of 'mujras' as adult entertainment, this place was rocking with cabarets.Dalpatram (1820-1898), the famous 19th century social reformer and poet, had enjoyed one such cabaret in 1858 in Bhavnagar, according to his biography written by his son Nanalal, also a poet.Dalpatram, who set the tone for the Independence struggle through his fiery poetry and earned the sobriquet of 'Kavishwar', used to live in Lambeshwar ni Pol off Relief Road. Here, AMC's heritage cell has immortalised him with a life-size statue.Nanalal has recounted how his father went to Mumbai. In those days, there was no rail link between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The sea route was the only way to reach Mumbai in 1858. Bhavnagar used to be an important stop on way to Surat en route to Mumbai.Nanalal wrote: "Dalpatram reached Bhavnagar. He was drawn to a music function where a woma...
More About: Girls , Years

CNG, diesel buses to ply on Ahmedabad BRT
2008-05-12 05:46:00
AHMEDABAD: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has decided to ply buses running on compressed natural gas (CNG) as well as diesel on the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system here, an official said."We have now decided to use a mix of CNG as well as Euro-III diesel buses to ease out financial costs," said Municipal Commissioner I.P. Gautam Tuesday.He told media persons that AMC is veering towards diesel buses as "our purpose is to provide public transportation at affordable price".In contrast to the earlier stance of using only CNG-run buses on the BRT route, the AMC decision to use a mix of CNG as well as Euro-III diesel buses seems to be a major re-think over financial costs."A CNG bus now costs around Rs.75 lakh (Rs.7.5 million) from the earlier Rs.44 lakh (Rs.4.4 million) which is quite high. We have to look at the viability and affordability factor," he said.He said that the AMC was looking for the best option under the circumstances. "We are working on it and we have told the...
More About: Diesel , Buses

Harbhajan, Sreesanth summoned for BCCI probe in slapping row
2008-05-06 07:32:00
BCCI-appointed Commissioner Sudhir Nanavati, inquiring into the slapping row after an IPL match, has summoned Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth in Ahmedabad, the two players involved in the episode ten days ago. "I have summouned them. They have been told to come either on Friday or Saturday. Harbhajan will be coming on Friday. Sreesanth is yet to confirm a date," Sudhir Nanavati said on Monday.Nanavati has been asked by the board to probe the incident which happened after the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab. "I have already recorded statement of one of the umpires of the match, Amish Saheba. I will be meeting the match referee Farokh Engineer tomorrow in Mumbai," Nanavati said.Nanavati is expected to submit his report by 12th April to BCCI disciplinary committee as he was given 15 days time when the board appointed him as the commissioner. "I have received all the documentary evidence and also video footage of the incident," Nanavati said.The inquiry by the BCCI ...
More About: Probe

?IT industry must expand to smaller cities?
2008-05-06 07:28:00
NEW DELHI: As the Indian IT/ITeS industry continues its double digit growth story, much of the action is concentrated in seven cities across India. Of the total direct employment of two million, 90 per cent has been captured by Bangalore, Mumbai, NCR, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Kolkata. But as the industry, which is expected to generate $40.3 in revenue from exports alone, moves ahead, there is a need to expand to other cities as well and balance this growth. Nasscom and BPO A T Kearney have released a study ?Location Roadmap for IT-Growth: Assessment of 50 Leading Cities ? , that for the first time does a comprehensive assessment and gap analysis of the attractiveness of top 50 locations across India as potential IT/BPO hubs. The analysis was based on six key parameters which includes knowledge pool availability, skill set assessment, infrastructure, social and living environment. It categorised cities into four groups. First is the ?leader locations?, the seven cities listed...
More About: Industry

Kids turn radio jockey for a day - and love it!
2008-05-06 07:25:00
New Delhi: Twelve-year-old Aanaya, a student of The Riverside School in Ahmedabad, just can't get over the feeling of being a radio jockey (RJ) for a day. ?Wearing the headphones, using the mike and the console...My experience was out of the world,? Aanaya said of her experience of being an RJ for a day through the ?My Ka Laal? initiative launched by 94.3 My FM Dil Se!?My Ka Laal? is an attempt to garner the raging interest of school-going children in smaller Indian cities like Chandigarh and Ahmedabad to become an RJ for a day. Parents and teachers feel that a show like this adds to a child's personality. ?Apart from the child who becomes RJ, it benefits even fellow students who listen in. It also generates more confidence, more freedom and a feel-good factor as they become a star for a day,? Dhara Parmar, a teacher at Som Lalit School in Chandigarh, told IANS.The show, which began in April, airs every Sunday and has already started in Indore, Amritsar and Jallandhar as well. 94...
More About: Radio , Kids , Love , Love it , Turn

Valuables worth Rs 38L stolen
2008-05-06 07:24:00
AHMEDABAD: Gold and diamond jewellery worth Rs 38 lakh were stolen on Monday morning from a passenger of a bus headed from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. Manish Pandya, a jewellery shop employee has registered a complaint with the Ellisbridge police station.According to the complaint, Pandya, a resident of Satellite, was travelling back to Ahmedabad from Mumbai on Monday when the incident happened. On checking his belongings, he was shocked to find the box containing 3.75 kg gold and diamond jewellery missing."An employee of RB Jewellers on CG Road, Pandya, along with another employee, had gone to Mumbai to sell various new jewellery designs to other associate jewellers and had total 5.56 kg gold and diamond jewellery with them when they were returning,"said SB Gadhvi, sub-inspector of Ellisbridge police station.Gadhvi added that as per the complaint, Pandya had put the jewellery in two large boxes of 3.75 kg and another portion of 1.81 kg in a leather bag between clothes to conceal it. Howev...
More About: Stolen , Worth

B-school academic session to start from July
2008-05-06 07:23:00
PATNA: The newly-established Chandragupta Institute of Management, Patna (CIMP), is all set to start its academic session from July . Necessary preparations for starting a two-year post-graduate diploma in business administration have been made and the process of admission of students to the first batch is already on.The institute, which has recently shifted from the A N Sinha Institute campus to Hindi Bhawan at Chajjubagh, is busy screening the applications received from the aspirants from different parts of the country. Call letters for group discussion (GD) and interview of the short-listed candidates are likely to be dispatched soon. Candidates securing a minimum score of CAT/GMAT examination would be short-listed for GD and Interview.Institute director V Mukundadas said 50 per cent of the total 60 seats are reserved for students belonging to Bihar. Besides, 50 per cent seats are reserved for SC, ST and OBC category students. The institute has also plans to provide special traini...
More About: Academic , School , Start

Fire engulfs textile unit in Ahmedabad
2008-05-06 07:22:00
AHMEDABAD: A fire broke out on Monday in a textile manufacturing unit at the Piplaj-Pirana road on the city outskirts, fire officials said.The unit caught fire around 1500 hours, they said, adding "no casualties have been reported yet. Since this is a factory where superfine cotton is made, the fire was spreading pretty fast.""The factory where the incident took place is located in an interior area. Moreover, there is no proper approach road for the fire-fighters to reach the spot," they added.The officials said the windy weather was making it difficult to control the blaze.Also, there was less water available in the periphery which could be used to extinguish the fire, they said."We have about 24 fire-fighter vehicles and 100 men working to control the situation. The fire is under control, but the wind is creating a little problem." they added.The cause of the fire is still unknown.Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
More About: Ahmedabad , Fire , Textile , Unit

Ahmedabad, Bharuch sitting on big oil reserves
2008-05-06 07:11:00
The danger of carrying out drilling and exploration activities in the densely-populated urban areas of Ahmedabad and Bharuch, which sit on huge reserves of oil and gas in the Cambay basin, looms large for the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas now.Under the new licensing policy (NELP-7) released by the ministry recently, about 11 national and international companies have bid for exploration of hydrocarbons in 102 sq km area in Ahmedabad. For the Bharuch blocks covering 257 sq km, as many as 13 companies are in the fray. The last day for receiving the bids is May 16.India's oil ministry has for the first time offered a new category of blocks to attract non-E&P companies. Known as type ?s' blocks (s meaning small), it includes nine of eleven such onland blocks in Gujarat's prospective Cambay basin.The inclusion of such blocks lying amid highly-populated areas and non E&P companies in the race has raised concerns among industry experts."There are techniques like directional drill...
More About: Reserves

Microsoft withdraws offer for Yahoo
2008-05-05 06:15:00
SAN FRANCISCO: - Microsoft Corp has withdrawn its offer for Yahoo Inc and does not plan to go hostile, a person familiar with Microsoft's thinking said on Saturday.Microsoft raised its offer by $5 billion to $33 a share, but Yahoo wanted $37 a share, this person said.Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer has sent a letter to Yahoo Chief Executive Jerry Yang withdrawing the offer, the person said. Source: Reuters
More About: Yahoo News , Yahoo! , Offer

I-T collection 27% up
2008-05-05 06:12:00
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Income Tax circle, comprising four divisions ? Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat ? has registered a growth, 27 per cent its collections for financial year 2007-08 compared to the year before that.Moreover, the region has outstripped other metro centres like Kolkata and Chennai in tax collection.However, the circle failed to meet the annual target of Rs 15,713 crores, with a collection of Rs 11,649 crores. I-T officials cite reasons such as stock market crash as well as merger of IPCL into Reliance Industries for being unable to meet the target. ?The merger of IPCL into Reliance Industries resulted into Rs 828 crores tax of IPLC going to Maharashtra this year,? said a top I-T official.In 2007-08, Vadodara division has failed to surpass the collection as compared with the corresponding period 2006-07. Vadodara division collected Rs 2,712 crores, as against Rs 2,773 crores in 2006-07.The recession in the diamond industry of Surat and the adjoining areas have ...

Emirates to put up a luxurious lounge at Mumbai airport
2008-05-05 06:04:00
MUMBAI: Dubai government-owned Emirates Airline is set to put up a luxurious lounge within the premises of the Mumbai International Airport to cater to its premium travellers."We have got 700 square metre space at the airport to cater to our first class and business class passengers," Emirates Airline's Senior Vice President (Commercial Operations), West Asia & Indian Ocean, Salem Obaidalla told PTI.Emirates, which flies four flights a day from Mumbai, has recently launched chauffeur-driven service for its first class and business class passengers arriving and departing from Mumbai. The company would soon extend the service to Delhi as well.While declining to give the investment the carrier needs to make to put up the facility, Obaidalla said the lounge would be "a good, excellent and nice one".Emirates Airline intends to grow in India by adding new flights and connecting new destinations apart from consolidating its presence in the existing cities.The carrier now connects nine des...
More About: Lounge , Luxurious