The Centre is actively considering upgrading the Babatpur airport in Varanasi and Amausi airport in Lucknow to international status to attract foreign tourists, civil aviation minister Ananth Kumar said on Thursday. "A committee will soon be constituted for this purpose,"he said inaugurating the "Explore India millennium year 1999-2000" programme of Uttar Pradesh government at the historic Dashaswamedh Ghat on the bank of the Ganga in Varansai.

Kozhikode power plant to be commissioned before Dec

The Kozhikode diesel power plant will be commissioned before December '99, electricity minister S Sarma informed the Kerala Assembly on Thursday. He told construction works of the 105 mw power plant at Mylatti would be inaugurated in May. Construction works of the four pilot projects of the 18 small hydel power projects to be set up with Chinese assistance would be inaugurated next month, Sarma said.

Controversy over Bina oilrefinery

The delay in starting the proposed oil refinery at Bina, a joint venture of India and Oman, has sparked a controversy with Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh alleging that the Gujarat government was trying to link the issue with the Narmada dam. Talking to reporters on Wednesday, he said the matter had been brought to the notice of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who had promised to discuss it with the Gujarat government during his visit to that state. Singh said a 16 km-long crude oil pipeline for the project had already been received but the Gujarat government was delaying its clearance pipe line under the pretext of wildlife protection Act.

Bhel formulates expansion plan

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (Bhel), Hyderabad unit, has finalised a product-wise expansion plan with an investment of Rs 900 crore to boost productivity, Bhel's executive director, P Sasamka Babu said. The expansion programme, to be carried out in three to four years time, would cover allproducts with upgradation of technology, installing new tools and equipment, Babu told reporters on Hyderabad while announcing the unit's performance for the fiscal year ending March 31, 1999.

Gujarat Annual Plan at Rs 6,550 cr

The Annual Plan for Gujarat has been fixed at Rs 6,550 crore, more by Rs 1,100 crore over the last year's outlay. The plan was finalised in a meeting here on Thursday between Planning Commission deputy chairman KC Pant and chief minister Keshubhai Patel. Pant said that the state should prepare a human development report at the earliest, as this would facilitate monitoring macro connections between economic growth, human attainments, welfare indices and inter-regional impact. Appreciating the state government's overall development effort, the Planning Commission deputy chairman pointed out that the net state domestic product reflected continuing upward pattern, especially in industry, trade and the service sector.

Pant hails user charges on curative services

Thestates which are levying user charges for diagnostic and curative services on people above the poverty line are doing the right thing, said Planning Commission deputy chairman KC Pant. He was speaking at the sixth conference of the Central Council for Health and Family Welfare here on Thursday. If successful, the system can be used for cross-subsidising to aid patients below the poverty line, he said.

Transport congress on April 10

The All India Motor Transport Congress, an organisation which represents around 30 lakh truck and bus owners and transport companies, is holding a national convention in New Delhi on Saturday to discuss the development of the transport sector in the 21st century. The `irrational' diesel hikes, development of road transport in cooperation with Saarc countries, initiating steps to promote trade among countries, highway robberies, road safety and the menace of aids among drivers are the issues that will come up, congress national president O P Agarwal told newspersons.