Towards a pollution-free Diwali: According to CPCB, 95% of the crackers available in the market violate noise and air pollution norms. Anumita Roychowdhury, Co-ordinator, ‘Right to Clean air campaign’, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), remarks, "The real impact in this field was created by the public awareness campaigns carried out by various non-governmental organisations and children from various schools. The efforts of the school children led to a sizeable decrease in the sale of crackers. Such campaigns can become even more effective if the medical community gets actively involved by providing more health-related data and information. People mush be made aware of the various hazards these fire crackers can cause and thus refrain from their use."
Source: The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, 6/11/2004

Gasping for breath? Blame the Delhi air: Living in Delhi can leave you breathless, literally. The air you breathe is so polluted that two out of every five Delhiites suffer from some form of lung impairment. There’s more: polluted air alters immunity, impairs liver function, affects genetic changes and causes blood-related abnormalities. These frightening facts emerge from a study commissioned by the Central Pollution Control Board. The survey covered 2,379 individuals through questionnaries and clinically examined 1,270 people aged between 20 and 75 years, CPCB member secretary B Sengupta said.
Source: The Times of India, New Delhi, 25/10/2004

Ranchi’s Capital problem: Air and noise pollution: Once known for its year-round pleasant weather, Ranchi stands a transformed place. Capital of the newly created Jharkhand State, it is like any other polluted State Capital in the country today with high pollution and noise levels. An unfortunate transformation from a few decades ago when it was the summer capital of undivided Bihar and its conducive climate had led authorities to construct two mental hospitals here. A survey conducted by Metallurgical and Engineering Consultants India, a Government of India undertaking, reveals that smoke pollution is rising by the day here which can prove to be serious health hazard. Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) has seen a sharp increase after the State was carved out from Bihar in 2000. For instance, SPM has increased from 308 micorgrams per unit volume in 1996 to 487.61 micrograms per unit volume in 2004.
Source: The Pioneer, New Delhi, 13/10/2004

Green mirage: Delhi’s air is murkier: Buses and autos may not be blowing as much smoke into your face now, but that doesn’t mean Delhi is breathing easier. Every day, 500-700 private vehicles are added to the city’s burden, and with this category accounting for 65%-70% of the city’s air pollution, the view is indeed dim. The latest air quality survey, conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), at 10 city locations, shows that the respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM), nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide levels have exceeded permissible limits in many parts of Delhi.
Source: The Times of India, New Delhi, 22/9/2004

Clean air going up in smoke: From October to January, while we celebrate Diwali, Dusshera, weddings, Christmas and New Year, thousands of animals live and die in misery. Birds fall out of their nests, stray animals go into hiding and starve to death, some go deaf, some lose their homes, and many rush out in panic onto the roads and are killed by vehicles. The sights and sounds are unfamiliar to them and they react as a child would in the middle of an unfamiliar battlefield. All animals are terrified of fireworks. Fireworks produce light, noise and air pollution. There are thousands of noxious chemicals released by these crackers and all contribute to blindness, cancer, emphysema and asthma. The sulphurs and nitrous oxides they release cause lung disease.
Source: The Pioneer, New Delhi, 29/9/2004

Ashok Leyland to roll out BS III vehicles from Jan: Ashok Leyland Ltd has drawn up plans to roll out the entire range of Bharat Stage (BS) III compliant vehicles from January 2005 to meet the Union Government’s pollution control norms to come into force on April 1, 2005. Speaking to newspersons on Wednesday, Mr K.N. Krishnamurthy, Special Director, Customer Care, said that the BS III compliant vehicles would be launched across segments and be available in various options of diesel-powered vehicles and CNG-based ones for both passenger and goods vehicles. However, these would be initially available for 11 major cities that are required to be BS II compliant.
Source: Business Line, New Delhi, 3/9/2004

Skoda to launch diesel version of Elegance soon: Car manufacturer Skoda Auto India is gearing up to launch a diesel automatic version of the Skoda Elegance in the next few weeks and will follow this up with a spate of launches till 2009. Other than a Mercedes, no other car offers this option in diesel and this could mean that we get to tap a new segment of the potential luxury car buyer. Meanwhile, the company is expecting the newly launched Skoda RS, to fuel growth with its distinctive positioning as the family rallying car.
Source: Business Line, New Delhi, 10/9/2004

Suzuki plans $91.5 million plant to build diesel engines in India: Suzuki Motor Corp. said it will spend 10 billion yen, or $91.5 million, to set up a diesel-engine plant in India to meet demand for diesel vehicles in the country. The Japanese car maker, an affiliate of General Motors Corp. of the U.S. also plans to set up its second automobile-production company in India together with its local joint venture unit to meet expected brisk auto demand.
Source: The Asian Wall Street Journal, Hong Kong, 14/9/2004

Diesel sales decline 9% in August: A strike by truckers and weak agricultural demand pulled down India’s domestic oil products sales by state refiners by 3.1 percent to 6.89 million tonnes in August an industry official told.
Source: Business Standard, New Delhi, 15/9/2004

India to induct Bharat -II by April: India is poised to move another step forward in controlling vehicular pollution in its cities. It will introduce Bharat Stage II norms, which are equivalent to Euro II across the country by April 2005.
Source: The Statesman, New Delhi, 15/9/2004

Tata’s dream car in three years: Tata Motors may come out with its dream car for Rs 1 lakh in the next three years. The Tata group chairman Mr Ratan Tata group told that the car is in the concept stage and the company is trying to make it a reality in the next three years.
Source: The Asian Age, New Delhi, 17/9/2004

Nagpur duo finds petrol in plastic waste: Even as international concern grows with crude oil prices, a couple from Nagpur is well on course to keep their promise of a cheap, eco-friendly alternative. Alka and Umesh Zadgaonkar hope to deliver it by December. Refused support by the Oil Industries Development Board (OIDB), the government-funding agency in the petroleum sector, the Zadgaonkars approached the State Bank of India (SBI) for a loan to set up a Rs 8-crore project to produce petroleum from waste plastic. The country produces 7,000 tonnes of waste plastic daily. With the SBI Technical Cell okaying the proposal after a thorough study, their Unique Waste Plastic Management and Research Company Pvt Ltd's plant in the Buti Bori Industrial Estate, 30 km from Nagpur, is set to start production by December.
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi, 19/9/2004

Record rise in production of petroleum products: The first quarter of the current fiscal witnessed an all-time high rise in India's production of petroleum products. As per official data, the rise was 12.6% during April-June against mere 3.6% in the same period last year. On an average, in any quarter the increase in production of petroleum products is around 3-5 per cent. Senior government officials told FE that finance minister P Chidamabaram, while reviewing the current state of the economy, had asked the petroleum ministry to explain the reasons behind this sudden increase.
Source: The Financial Express, New Delhi, 20/9/2004

Gas price rationalisation likely from January: The Government is planning to `rationalise` the gas pricing structure in phases from next year instead of going in for a complete deregulation so that power and fertiliser would continue to get supplies at regulated price. "We plan to `rationalise` the gas prices against deregulation. From January 2005, there could be a scenario where power and fertiliser companies continue to get gas at a regulated price, while other industry would have to pay the market price for their supplies," said Petroleum Secretary S C Tripathy. He said this rationalisation will happen "gradually and in a phased manner." The regulated gas prices for power and fertiliser will also be removed gradually and in a phased manner, he added.
Source: The Pioneer, New Delhi, 20/9/2004

Piaggio Vehicles to launch `quadri-cycle` next year: Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd plans to launch its "quadri-cycle" for the cargo market in the second half of 2005. Currently, extensive tests of the vehicle are underway. It has got the design for the quadri-cycle - a four-wheeler goods and passenger carrier - from its Italian parent and has got ready a prototype that has been modified for Indian conditions, according to Mr Ravi Chopra, Managing Director, Piaggio Vehicles Private Ltd. From a "few thousand vehicles" exported last year, Piaggio Vehicles hopes to increase exports to 20 per cent of total sales in the next couple of years. Its turnover is expected to grow from Rs 450 crore in 2003 to Rs 600 crore this year and the target is to increase it to Rs 1,000 crore by the end of 2005. Its profit before tax was "12 per cent to 13 per cent."
Source: Business Line, New Delhi, 21/9/2004

Petrol from rock and water: Long-dead plant matter may not be the world's only source of hydrocarbons. Beneath its surface, in hellish temperatures and high pressures, the earth may be generating methane, say researchers who have squeezed common rock and water together to reproduce these conditions. The finding was made at the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, a leader in studying geology at high pressures, and is being reported in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A team led by Henry Scott, now at Indiana University, conducted it.
Source: Deccan Herald, Bangalore, 27/9/2004

CNG move, Capital to Gurgaon: Haryana has finally woken up to CNG. Private operators were recently issued permits by the state government to ply 28 CNG buses between Gurgaon and Delhi. ''At the moment, Haryana Roadways' doesn't have CNG buses of its own. However, that may change soon with our department set to add another 1,000 buses to the existing fleet,'' said V.S. Hooda, Haryana Roadways' general manager at Gurgaon Depot. ''These new CNG buses are all private.'' The decision to give permits for CNG buses, officials say, followed the response to bus services introduced in Gurgaon and Faridabad. ''It was being increasingly felt that inter-city service should be introduced between Gurgaon and Delhi. And it was high time Haryana tested CNG,'' said a Transport official.
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi, 27/10/2004

CNG for Noida by January: The UP Principal Secretary, Environment, Mr Vinod Malhotra, said CNG would be made available in Noida by January 2005. To begin with, daily 2 million cubic feet CNG will be available. The first four stations will be set up at a cost of Rs 54.48 crore while in Greater Noida, four stations will cost Rs 27.65 crore. The issue of uniform rates in Meerut, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Bulandshahr like in Delhi, was also discussed. In any case, the supply will be made available by January 05 in Noida, he declared. Law will soon take its on course against the municipal committees, which fail to manage the solid waste in their cities and towns. The environment department of the state government was examining the replies received from all municipal committees to the notices sent by the department a month ago. This was stated by the principal secretary in a meeting of the state environment department in Noida. Mr Malhotra had reprimanded the officials from Ghaziabad, Noida and Meerut for the tardy work.
Source: The Tribune, New Delhi, 17/10/2004

Gas pipelines for Greater Noida: The residents of Greater Noida will get Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) through pipelines connected to their kitchens. The Greater Noida Industrial Authority (GNIDA) and Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding this. In addition, the authority has identified eight places to start Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations. To make it a world-class city, the GNIDA has planned, in the first phase, to provide the LPG through pipelines. After the completion of the project, the residents would not face the hassles of carrying gas cylinders. The residents would get gas in their kitchens directly through the pipeline and a meter would be installed at the main gate of the house.
Source: The Pioneer, New Delhi, 11/9/2004

Gail draws up mega 22-city piped gas plan: Buoyed by the success of Mahanagar Gas, Gail India has chalked out an ambitious expansion plan for supplying piped natural gas to 22 cities across India. Gail will form joint ventures (JVs) for supplying gas in each of the cities with either of the three public sector refiners - Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL). The total investment for the 22 projects will be around Rs 11,000 crore. Gail and the JV partner will hold a 22.5% stake each with the state government being offered another 5%. Gail has decided on a cap of 50% for the promoters, the balance to be distributed between institutional and retail investors.
Source: The Financial Express, New Delhi, 4/10/2004

‘Bio-fuels must be given tax sops’: Pointing out the need to have bio-fuel alternatives for fossil fuels, the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, on Thursday favoured giving tax incentives to make bio-fuels economically feasible. "If bio-fuels have the same tax as petrol and diesel, they will not be economically viable," he said while speaking at an international conference on bio-fuels organised by non-profit organisation Winrock International Ltd. "As is evident from the experience of some countries, bio-fuels have enough external benefits such as generating employment and income in the rural areas and emitting less green house gases, among others, all of which make it worthwhile for the Government to encourage bio-fuels by providing tax benefits," he added.
Source: Business Line, New Delhi, 17/9/2004

Gujarat move on jatropha: The Gujarat Government is planning to introduce captive and corporate farming for the cultivation of jatropha plants on wastelands in the state, the Minister for Industries and Mines, Mr Anil Patel, has said. Mr Patel was in Ahmedabad city to participate in a conference on ‘Bio-Diesel’, organised by the Centre for Bharatiya Marketing Development (CBMD), a unit of the Swadeshi Jagaran Foundation.
Source: Business Line, New Delhi, 29/10/2004

Call to perfect know-how for bio-diesel production: The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, today called for special efforts to scale up the technology recently developed by Daimler-Benz in collaboration with CSIR laboratories for the production of bio-diesel using the seeds of jatropha plants. Pointing out that the scientists have been successful in operating a Benz car from Pune to Delhi using a 10 per cent blend of the bio-diesel without any modification to the engine, he said it was time steps were taken to set up a fully integrated plant that would produce the bio-diesel on a commercial scale. Inaugurating a conference organised under the aegis of UN-ESCAP’s Technical Consultancy Development Programme for Asia and Pacific (TCDPAP), he said technical consultants should come out with proposals that would help in setting up such plants. Several foreign consultants have evinced interest in taking up jatropha plantation and commissioning of plants in different areas of the country. Before they establish such plants, the consultants` community in Asia and the Pacific region should come together and enable establishment of model plants with the inputs of jatropha coming from atleast 1,000 hectares in different States.
Source: The Hindu, New Delhi, 13/10/2004

Railways signal drive to promote use of bio-diesel: The Indian railways has seriously taken the government’s call to chip in the country’s efforts to produce bio-fuel. It has started a drive to produce bio-diesel for its captive consumption. The Kharagpur division of the southern railways in this regard has taken the lead. As it is proved that jatropha oil is a perfect blend for diesel, the division has drawn up a plan to gradually increase the ratio of jatropha oil in its blend with diesel.
Source: The Economic Times, New Delhi, 15/9/2004

IOC gives government a bio-breather: Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has made a detailed recommendation to the government to the government on pricing and use of biodiesel, after successful test-runs to prove its suitability as an alternative fuel. IOC proposal comes at a time when soaring global crude prices have triggered off an inflationary trend in the economy. The cost of Jatropha fuel works out to Rs 17/L where as diesel is currently prices at Rs 26.50/L in Kolkata. While IOC has been conducting pilot projects using biodiesel developed at its own R&D division, this perhaps the first time that the cost economies of its use has been worked out.
Source: The Economic Times, New Delhi, 8/9/2004

Andhra Pradesh: CM for biodiesel revolution after green revolution: After green revolution, it is bio-diesel revolution that Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy dreams of to bring in the State in the coming three years. To make it come true, he proposes to encourage paddy farmers to shift to sugarcane or Jatropha crops.
Source: Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad, 8/9/2004

SISI offers training in bio-diesel production: In an effort to offer entrepreneurs innovative employment options, the government run Small Industries Services Institute (ISIS), chennai is offering training in bio-diesel production. The SISI training programme will give entrepreneurs training on how to manufacture biodiesel from the jatropha plant. The two-day training programme will be held in Chennai on October 4 and 5.
Source: The New Indian Express, Chennai, 8/9/2004

Karnataka: Govt to boost cultivation of jatropha: The Karnataka State Government is taking steps to promote cultivation of jatropha and honge, used in the production of eco-friendly bio-fuels, among farmers in the wasteland areas of the State, Agriculture Minister K M Srinivasa Gowda said in Bangalore. Speaking to reporters, he said the bio-fuel derived from the seeds of these plants can be blended to an extent of 20 per cent in diesel and trial tests have already been done in KSRTC buses. Mr Gowda said a farmer would require about 2,500 seedlings per acre, which would cost him Rs 6 to 7 per seedling. He said the State would seek subsidy from the Centre for the seedlings bought by the farmer. A farmer could earn annually about Rs 50,000 per acre, he added.
Source: Deccan Herald, Bangalore, 10/9/2004

Diesel engines on vegetarian diet: Diesel engines, unlike their petrol counterparts, are omnivorous in fuel consumption habits and can easily run on vegetable oils without any major changes in the engine. In the early 1950s, the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, did exhaustive work using oils from seeds of different plants and trees grown in the tropical regions. Using raw oils in diesel engines led to such problems as the sticking of fuel injectors and piston rings due to coking, and the thickening of lubricating oils, resulting in clogging of filters, but these were overcome in a large measure by pre-conditioning of the fuel by a chemical process using methanol or ethanol called "transesterification". This transformed oil, with diesel-like properties, is called bio-diesel. Jatropha oil is a biodiesel derived from the seeds of the plant jatropha - a sturdy plant requiring very little water.
Source: Business Line, New Delhi, 10/9/2004

Bio-fuel board formed: The Uttaranchal Forest Minister, Navprabhat, today announced that the State Government has formed the Uttaranchal Bio-fuel Board. "We have already done Jhatropa plantation in over 1 lakh hectares covering almost all the districts of the hill state to produce bio-fuel. This would give economic benefits to villagers as well as to poor families," said the Minister, who is in the Capital to take part in a national seminar on bio-fuel. The Uttaranchal Chief Secretary, R.S. Tolia, said cooperation of self-help groups, village panchayats and women organisations was also being taken to make this project successful.
Source: The Hindu, New Delhi, 17/9/2004

Biofuels can fuel India's carbon trading potential: India can tap the $52-billion global market for carbon trading by encouraging production and use of biofuels and plantation of trees having oil-bearing seeds and materials, like Jatropha and Pongamia species. Other plantations having oil-bearing seeds or materials are Sal, Mahua, Kokum, Pilu, Phulwara, Dhupa, Neem, Mango, Kusum, Karanja, Ratanjyot, Jatropa, Tumba, Jojoba, Simarouba. Biofuels, apart from enhancing energy security, ensuring employment and development and mitigation environmental pollution, can be instrumental in carbon trading if certain criteria of the clean development mechanism (CMD) of the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are fulfilled, said experts.
Source: The Financial Express, New Delhi, 20/9/2004

Centre pushing for bio-fuel: As part of the effort to reduce petroleum imports, and introduce ecological measures, the Prime Minister’s Office is holding a high level meeting on bio-fuel on Friday.
Source: The Statesman, New Delhi, 23/9/2004

Hydrogen/Electric/alternate technologies
Hydrogen blended CNG to power Delhi vehicles: Delhi roads will see hydrogen run vehicles from next year. To begin with, the government will run about a dozen commercial vehicles in which hydrogen would be blended with CNG in a 1:9 ratio.This would be the first project on hydrogen blending in the country and the cost of installing hydrogen CNG fuel stations and production of hydrogen would be roughly Rs 20 crores.
Source: The Statesman, New Delhi, 27/10/2004

From Bangalore to Chennai on solar-powered car: When Syed Sajjad Ahmed drove into the Marina Beach on Friday on his electro-solar car, it was an amusing sight for other autorickshaw drivers and onlookers.The vehicle moved without any noise; it looked more like a horse carriage, only without the horses. It certainly was nothing like they have seen before. In the words of Mr. Ahmed, a second hand computer peripherals vendor from Bangalore, the vehicle was technically the future: A solar-powered car powered by photovoltaic cells. It weighs a little over 300 kg and can reach a maximum speed of around 50 km. Six hours of charging the photovoltaic cells could run the car for 120 km. If the photovoltaic cells fail, the battery can still be charged from a power line.
Source: The Hindu, Chennai, 10/10/2004

Hydrogen Energy Board to discuss panel proposals: The National Hydrogen Energy Board (NHEB), which is meeting in New Delhi under the chairmanship of the Minister for Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Mr Vilas Muttemwar, is to take up the recommendations of the Group on Hydrogen Energy for consideration and approval. The Group on Hydrogen Energy, set up by the Government last year, has recommended, among other things, the setting up of demonstration projects on hydrogen production, storage and distribution and its applications in decentralised power generation and automobiles. Several fiscal and financial measures, including the provision of Rs 250 crore in the next three years, have been recommended by the group.
Source: Business Line, New Delhi, 15/9/2004

Government to allocate Rs 250 crore for hydrogen energy projects: The Government has decided to allocate Rs 250 crore for projects taken up under the hydrogen energy programme over the next three years. The projects include Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) plan to make available hydrogen-blended CNG fuel in Delhi, Mathura and Faridabad by June 2005. The Planning Commission has also recommended an additional corpus fund of Rs 200 crore. This was decided in the second meeting of the National Hydrogen Energy Board (NHEB), which was set up by the Government. "By June 2005, some gas stations in New Delhi, Faridabad and Mathura will start blending ten per cent hydrogen with CNG. This will reduce the pollution levels caused by the fumes generated from the vehicles," said Dr S.K. Chopra, Senior Advisor in the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources. IOC has sought Rs 25 crore for the project.
Source: Business Line, New Delhi, 16/9/2004

Hydrogen energy projects cleared: The National Hydrogen Energy Board today cleared projects on production, storage, delivery and application of Hydrogen that will be undertaken in the first phase of Hydrogen Energy Programme in the next three years for which Rs 450 crore fund has been mooted.
Source: The Hindu, New Delhi, 16/9/2004

Delhi: High capacity buses get Government nod: In its effort to decongest traffic and make Delhi a world-class city, the Transport Department has approved a 130-km long dedicated corridor for high capacity buses (HCB). High capacity buses require dedicated corridors where no other vehicle can ply. "A total of 130 kilometres of dedicated corridor has been approved for the HCB," said Transport Commissioner Rajiv Talwar. In its pilot project, the corridor between Sainik Farms and Moolchand has been approved, which is likely to be further extended to the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) very soon. "We have so far ordered six buses from Tata. We plan to have more buses in the future," said Mr Talwar.
Source: The Pioneer, New Delhi, 6/11/2004

Delhi: To improve transport, Minister in Japan, Secy in Columbia: Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf is going to Nagoya in Japan to study the use of information technology for transport management. Transport Secretary Rajiv Talwar is already in Bogota, the Capital of the Latin American country Columbia to study the functioning of high-capacity buses. Speaking to The Pioneer, Mr Yusuf said that he is going to Nagoya to attend the 11th World Congress on Intelligent Transport System. He said, using information technology in transport will help to locate the exact positioning of the vehicles and also in disciplining the drivers.
Source: The Pioneer, New Delhi, 16/10/2004

Car sales hit the fast lane in Sept: Car sales jumped 20.8 per cent in September 2004 ramming first half sales for the year beyond 24 per cent. Nearly 70,500 cars were sold this September, with 3.85 lakh units sold since April 2004, ensuring leading carmakers make good in their Q3 results. Around 3.2 lakh units were sold April-September 2003 and around 56,700 in September last year, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. This boom is largely due to sales by Tata Motors, Maruti Udyog and arch-rival Hyundai Motors. Even though sales of Maruti Udyog's M800 slumped 28 per cent, its overall sales grew 24 per cent in September to 43,949 units, over 34,543 units last September.
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi, 14/10/2004

Now, electric buses for Delhi: After high-capacity buses, it is now the turn of electric trolley buses to hit the city's roads. The Delhi government recently decided to introduce such a bus system on the Hari Nagar clock tower-Central Secretariat corridor. The transport department has been asked to prepare a proposal for financial sanction of the construction work from the finance department. The work will cost Rs 15-20 crore. The entire project cost is about Rs 80 crore.
Source: The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, 6/9/2004

Hub-and-spoke model for transport mooted: Delhi government's infrastructure consultant has proposed an ambitious plan for operating buses and maximising their potential by dividing Delhi into various zones. Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS), during an hour-long presentation, put forth what it calls the unique 'hub-and spoke' model. In this, the city will be divided into four zones and will be controlled by four big transport operators. The hubs will be the main terminals in the zones and the smaller destinations within the zones will be called spokes. IL&FS proposes 4 zones controlled by 4 big transporters, connected to smaller destinations within zones.
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi, 17/9/2004

Sky Bus promises cheap, safe public transport: A day after successfully testing the Sky Bus technology on a 1.1 kilometre test track at Madgaon in Goa, its inventor and Managing Director of Konkan Railway Corporation, B. Rajaram, today said the technology will be licensed out through a global tender for a royalty and Pricewaterhouse Cooper will manage the bidding process. This, he said, will ensure rapid use of the technology for development of a cheap, reliable and safe public transport in various cities across the country and abroad.
Source: The Hindu, New Delhi, 17/9/2004

Wheel comes full circle: Cycle tracks in Masterplan: Cyclists and pedestrians are being given special attention by the Delhi Development Authority in its Masterplan 2021. DDA officials revealed this in a recent presentation made before Secretary, Union Urban Development Ministry, Anil Baijal. The officials said a dedicated infrastructure is required to be evolved to encourage this environment-friendly mode of transport and DDA has come up with a number of modules.
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi, 26/9/2004

GoM okays Metro stretches, sets 2006 as deadline: The Group of Ministers (GoM) today approved the construction of the Metro stretches from Barakhamba Road to Indraprastha and Dwarka to Dwarka sub-city. The deadline for both stretches was pegged at March 2006. The GoM deferred the stretch from Rithala to Barwala in lieu of which the Barakhamba Road and Indraprastha stretch will be constructed. The Barakhamba and Dwarka stretches were initially proposed for Phase-I (by 2005) but were awaiting approval. The deadline has now passed to Phase-II (2005-2010).
Source: The Indian Express, New Delhi, 1/10/2004

Case for synthesised transport: Ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2010, the Delhi Government is mulling a proposal to revive the transport and traffic management system in the Capital. The proposal aims to establish better coordination between all agencies concerned. According to the proposal, a Delhi Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (DUMTA) will be set up on the pattern of the one in London. The proposal states: "The authority shall prepare an action plan to achieve a sustainable balance between public transport system and multi-modal transport. The proposal will take the help of Indian Railways, Delhi Metro Rail Transport Corporation, Delhi Transport Corporation, Transport Department, Public Works Department (PWD), Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Traffic Police, Airport Authority of India (AAI), and private operators.
Source: The Pioneer, New Delhi, 3/10/2004

A ride in the sky: After years of stumbling and scepticism, Rajaram’s Skybus made its first successful public test run in Goa recently. Though its inventor and engineers were elated, it is still not clear whether they will reap a reward for this mass transit heresy. The skybus is essentially a fusion of a bus and a train. Its carriage looks like a bus, but it runs like a train, and instead of the compartments running on rails, they hang below the rails and slide 10 metres above the regular road traffic.
Source: Business World, New Delhi, 4/10/2004

Cong-NCP hand in glove with oil adulterers: Opposition: In a sensational allegation, the leader of the opposition Nitin Gadkari accused the Congress-NCP government of being hand in globe with a lobby of petrol and diesel adulterators. "There's ample proof that the top bosses of the Shinde government have interests in the petrol adulteration rackets in the Maharashtra," said Mr Gadkari. The CBI has, so far, registered three cases relating to adulteration of petrol and diesel, after it conducted search operations at 11 places with the help of officials of four oil companies across the state.
Source: The Economic Times, New Delhi, 8/9/2004

Lanka to ban 2-stroke vehicles import: Sri Lanka is set to ban the import of the highly polluting two-stroke engine vehicles in a move that could affect Indian motorcycle and rickshaw manufacturers, officals said. The two-stroke engines spew out unburned gasoline and causes serious environmental pollution and the Transport Ministry has prepared a Cabinet paper on slapping the ban, the Transport Secretary, Mr Don S Jayaweera, said.
Source: Business Line, New Delhi, 25/10/2004