TATA Motors permitted to set up unit at Dharwad: Minister

TATA Motors permitted to set up unit at Dharwad: Minister
UNI - DNA India

Saturday, September 01, 2007 12:57 IST

HUBLI: Karnataka Revenue Minister Jagadish Shettar on Saturday said the TATA Motors had been given permission to set up an automotive manufacturing unit at Dharwad.

Addressing a press conference here, Shettar said the Cabinet had given a go-ahead to TATA Motors after asking them to comply with certain conditions.

The conditions were that the company had to reserve 80 per cent of both direct and indirect jobs to Kannadigas preferably from North Karnataka region and the government would withdraw the permission if the unit did not commence operations in the stipulated period.

Shettar said the company would set up its unit near the present TELCO unit at Dharwad in three phases to manufacture luxury buses, small buses and light commercial vehicles and there would no further land acquisition from farmers.

''Whatever additional land required would be given to the company from the adjoining Belur industrial estate, where KIADB has sufficient land'', he added saying there was no reason for the farmers to worry over land acquisition.

On concessions sanctioned, the Minister said a stamp duty concession to the tune of 75 per cent was accorded and Value Added Tax (VAT) was deferred for 11 years though the company requisitioned it for 18 years.

The VAT had to be paid back with One per cent interest, he added.

Private land will not be acquired to beautify Sadhanakeri Tank: DC

Private land will not be acquired to beautify Sadhanakeri Tank: DC

The Hindu - Staff Correspondent

The tank area will be developed into a tourist spot

For tank rejuvenation: Deputy Commissioner M.S. Srikar speaking at a meeting on the development of the Sadhanakeri Tank in Dharwad on Thursday. Writers Channaveera Kanavi and Kalburgi are seen.

DHARWAD: Deputy Commissioner M.S. Srikar has categorically stated that there is no question of using private property for the development of the Sadhanakeri tank in Dharwad.

Chairing a meeting on the project being implemented for comprehensive development of the Sadhanakeri tank, Mr. Srikar said that eight acres of land forming the Sadhanakeri tank and four acres of land of the Police Department was being utilised for the project.

The objective of the project was to beautify the tank and also develop it as a tourist spot. Steps would be taken to provide information to tourists on literary and cultural importance of the tank, he said.

The Deputy Commissioner said that steps would be taken to prevent entry of sewage into tank. Only rainwater would be allowed into the tank.

A sum of Rs. 2.5 crore had been released by the Union Government for the project which included construction of a jogging track, an open air theatre and a children’s garden.

There would be lighting arrangements and 50 per cent of the power requirement would be met through solar energy, he said.

Chairman of Dr. D.R. Bendre National Memorial Trust M.M. Kalburgi briefed about the plans by the trust to utilise the venue for organising cultural and literary programmes.

Writers Channaveera Kanavi, Sadanand Kanavalli, and Arya Acharya gave their suggestions for the development of the tank.

Assistant Director of the Tourism Department Nagaraj and architect Vyasa were present.

Air Travel in India may get Heavy on Pocket

Air Travel in India may get Heavy on Pocket
The Times of India

Bangalore, Aug 19: Air Deccan’s Bangalore-Hubli route, which witnessed the low-cost carrier’s inaugural flight four years ago, is proposed to be terminated. Reason: Kingfisher Airlines has proven to be more profitable on this sector, and is seen as a better bet on the route.

In other words, what many customers feared is beginning to happen. The recent marriages between low-cost and full-fare airlines — Kingfisher-Air Deccan and Jet-Sahara — are leading to some serious rescheduling of flights to improve the profitability of the airlines. For customers, it implies the withdrawal of low-cost options that they have enjoyed for some years.

“A team from both sides (Air Deccan and Kingfisher) are looking at how best we can service various routes profitably, by drawing on each other’s strengths,” says Capt G R Gopinath, executive chairman of Deccan Aviation.

Garry Kingshott, acting CEO of JetLite (formerly Air Sahara and now a low-cost airline), says the new schedule for JetLite, which will come into effect from September 1, “has been developed with Jet Airways to ensure that there is no cannibalisation”.

Intense competition has led to most airlines bleeding, and rationalisation looks inevitable. The routes likely to be hit the most are the high-traffic ones between New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. These three cities alone account for 60% of the country’s passenger traffic, with over 80% of the traffic being corporate travellers.

“When you are catering to a business market, frequency of a full-service carrier plays an important role in staying competitive,” says Kapil Kaul, CEO of Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation (CAPA) India.

According to sources, Jet and Kingfisher will increase frequencies on these routes during peak hours (morning and evening), even as JetLite and Air Deccan reduce their frequencies during these hours. However, the latter frequencies during lean hours may increase.

Just a few months ago, Air Deccan was planning to make itself more attractive to business travellers. But at least on high-density business travel routes, Deccan is unlikely to take the idea forward. High-traffic routes are witnessing near 30% rates of growth, fuelled by corporate travel and small enterprise business travellers.

Says Gaurang Shetty, VP (marketing) of Jet Airways, “We would like to introduce flights every half hour between Mumbai and New Delhi as that is the densest route in the country.”

Low-cost airlines are expected to focus more on tier II towns, where demand for lowcost travel is seen to be rising by 25%. JetLite, in its new schedule, has increased its number of flights from 90 to 134, but 60% of the increase is into tier II cities.

Air Deccan has recently increased frequency on its Chennai-Coimbatore and Chennai-Madurai sectors. These sectors that were earlier serviced by ATR aircraft, have now been upgraded to one ATR, and one Airbus A320 aircraft for each sector.

STRATEGY RETHINK

Intense competition has led to severe bleeding by airlines, and rescheduling looks inevitable

The Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai sectors are likely to be hit most as they constitute 60% of all airline business

Jet and Kingfisher may increase frequencies on these routes during peak hours (morning and evening), even as JetLite and Air Deccan reduce their frequencies during these hours. However, the latter’s frequencies during lean hours may increase

Jet Air says it will introduce flights between Mumbai and New Delhi every half-an-hour.

Digital work in Central library initiated

Digital work in Central library initiated
New Kerala.com & UNI

HUBLI, Aug 18: Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister Basavaraj Horatti today inaugurated the process for renovation of central library into a digital library at a cost of Rs.2.5 crore and hoped that it would be a model digital library in the state.

Speaking at the function he said such libraries were limited to only Bangalore and Mysore, but now Hubli-Dharwad would also have a model library that would help people, children and students.

Revenue minister Jagadish Shettar who presided over the function expressed happiness over the renovation of the library into a digital library and sought people cooperation in maintaining and utilizing the library.