Gujarat NRE to invest Rs.1,000 crore for plant in Andhra

Kolkata, May 13 : Metallurgy coke producer Gujarat NRE Coke plans to invest Rs.800-1,000 crore for a plant in Andhra Pradesh, a top company official said Thursday."We are waiting for the land. We plan to build a one-million-tonne coke plant over there with 60 megawatt (MW) power capacity," Arun Kumar Jagatramka, managing director, told reporters here. The project work is expected to begin by December 2010 and end in 2013, he said. With commissioning of the new coke plant, the production capacity of the company would touch 2.25 million tonnes. About coking coal prices, he said prices would touch USD 240-250 per tonne during the second quarter (July-September) from USD 200 per tonne now. About low-ash metallurgical (LAM) coke, he said high demand would push up the price which is around USD 500-550 a tonne now. The company produced 900,000 tonnes of LAM coke last fiscal and is expecting to produce 1.1 million tonnes this year. Jagatramka expected the turnover of the company to touch Rs.2,000 crore in the current fiscal (2010-11) from around Rs.1,500 crore in 2009-10. Asked how much the Australian operations of the company will be hampered as the government there plans to introduce a 40 percent Resource Super Profits Tax on big mining companies that have benefited from burgeoning Chinese and Indian demand for minerals and energy, he said: "It is a draft proposal. It will take another 6-9 months for the blueprint to be ready." "Our company will not be affected as such as we would get deductions for capital investments," he added.
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MCI chief should be punished severely:ISOT

Hyderabad, May 13: The members of the Indian Society of Organ Transplantation(ISOT) today demanded that the Centre take stringent action against the President of Medical Council of India (MCI) and Indian Medical Association(IMA) Dr Ketan Desai who was arrested by the CBI on corruption charges.Addressing a press conference, President of ISOT Prof A Gopal Kishan said the ISOT in its meeting resolved to strongly condemn the alleged corrupt practices of Desai who had brought disrepute to the medical profession as well as the country.He urged the Centre to pursue all criminal cases booked against Dr Desai and leave no loophole.The meeting also resolved to ask Desai to voluntarily quit from all posts including MCI, President elect of World Medical Association, Membership of Royal College of Surgeons as well as teaching, he added.He urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to initiate strong measures to cleanse corruption and also to enact suitable law to restrict the tenure of President and Vice-President of MCI to one term of two to three years.He said the meeting also decided to request the Union Government to scrap the present MCI and bring in a suitable ordinance incorporating every measure to prevent such misconduct in future.He alleged that Desai had amassed money mainly by granting permissions and later recognition to newly-established medical colleges throughout the country without adhering to stipulated norms regarding infrastructure and faculty. He used the money power to maximum extent to retain the presidentship for 14 years.To retain the top position in MCI he flouted the rules and even threatened those who resisted, he claimed.
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Andhra Pradesh reeling under scorching heat, temperatures rise

Hyderabad, May 13 : Andhra Pradesh is reeling under scorching Sun with heat wave conditions prevailing various places and maximum temperatures increasing at all over the state.According to weather office here today, heat wave conditions prevailed over Telangana, isolated parts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema.The maximum temperatures rose at one or two places over Telangana and Rayalaseema and changed little over Coastal Andhra Pradesh. They were significantly above normal over remaining parts of Rayalaseema and at one or two places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh.The highest maximum temperature of 47 degrees Celsius was recorded at Rentachintala.The weather office predicted that heat wave conditions might continue to prevail over Telangana and in the districts of Cuddapah, Chittoor of Rayalaseema and isolated parts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh during next two days.However, isolated rain occurred over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema.Isolated rain or thundershowers would occur over Rayalaseema and Telangana and might occur over Coastal Andhra Pradesh.
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Gold worth Rs.1 crore robbed from Andhra Bank

Hyderabad, May 12: In a major bank heist, robbers broke into an Andhra Bank branch in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh and took away gold ornaments worth over Rs.one crore.Police said the robbers entered the bank at Guduru, about 75 km from Warangal town, Tuesday night through the back entrance, broke open the lockers and looted the valuables. The robbery came to light when the bank staff came Wednesday morning. Bank officials told police that the gold was kept in the bank by depositors who availed gold loans worth Rs.65 lakh. The robbers did not open another locker which had Rs.10 lakh cash. The bank did not have an alarm system or CCTV cameras, which made the robbers' job easy. ================================================

Sri Krishna Committee wants to know people's pulse on T-issue

Hyderabad, May 12 : Justice B N Sri Krishna, Chairman of the committee appointed by the Centre on the Telangana issue, said the committee's main purpose was to know the people's pulse on Telangana.Addressing a press conference along with the members, Justice Sri Krishna said the committee had heard the views of various political parties, groups, individuals and NGOs and trade sector during the three-day stay in the city which concluded here today.He said the committee had received number of representations from various groups and all were meaningful and excellent inputs.Asked how the committee consider the number of groups in each political party, the Chairmain said ''there is no need for committee to educate the political parties. Committee don't bother about the number of groups in each political party. The main purpose of the committee is to hear the views of the groups and take representations from them, whether it is ''pro-Telangana or anti-Telangana''.The committee would again come to the city on a three-day visit from May 17 and hear the views from various individuals and groups, including students' JAC and others.
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Hyderabad records 45 degrees, highest in 20 years

Hyderabad, May 12 : Hyderabad is in the grip of an intense heat wave, with temperature Wednesday shooting up to 45 degrees, a record in 20 years.

According to the Hyderabad met office, the mercury soared to 45 degrees a day after crossing 44.5 degrees, which was the highest in 11 years. For the third consecutive day, the Andhra Pradesh capital experienced scorching heat, rendering the streets virtually deserted. The city Monday recorded 44 degrees, the highest temperature of the current season. Most people remained indoors to escape the heat while those on the roads covered their heads with scarves and caps. The continuing two-hour electricity shutdown in the city further added to the woes. "The weather has become unbearable. I never felt such heat in Hyderabad," said Ramakrishna Reddy, a young software engineer. The met office has attributed the heat wave conditions in Hyderabad and other parts of the state, especially Telangana, to the northwest winds. According to S.V. Rao of the Hyderabad Meteorological Centre, the hot weather conditions were mainly due to the dry winds generated in Rajasthan and blowing through Maharashtra. Ramagundam and Paloncha in Khammam district became a furnace Wednesday with temperature touching 49 degrees, the highest this season. Ramagundam in the past had recorded 50 degrees. Several other towns in Telangana region recorded temperatures of over 45 degrees. It was 45.6 in Adilabad and Nizamabad, and over 44 in Karimnagar, Warangal and other districts. The temperature is five to six degrees above normal in most parts of Telangana and two to three degrees above normal in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra. The worst may not be over for Hyderabd as the weather office has forecast that the severe heat wave would continue for the next four to five days.
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