PTI

Bangalore, Jan 19: The reconstituted Board of Directors of Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) today decided to embark on an expansion plan for the airport and fast track construction of a new terminal building.

The Board reviewed the master plan for expansion and decided that the process to start construction of a brand new terminal building T2 would be initiated on an immediate basis.

**The first phase of terminal T2 will cater to passenger traffic of 15 million per annum’’, BIAL said in a statement.The terminal would be further expanded in the next phase to eventually handle 36 million passengers per annum.

Associated airside infrastructure would also be expanded to cater to the new terminal.Design for the new terminal building would be selected through a global bidding process, involving the world’s leading architects, BIAL said.

To cater to the growth of passenger traffic, the existing terminal building would be expanded. Global architectural firm HOK has been appointed to design the expansion. This added development would take the annual capacity of the existing terminal to 15 million passengers annually, it said.

A comprehensive landscaping master plan would be undertaken on the city side leading up to the airport.

The Board was reconstituted with the induction of three members at the Board meeting -- G V Krishna Reddy, Indira K Reddy and G V Sanjay Reddy were appointed as new Directors following the acquisition of 29 per cent stake in the company by GVK Power and Infrastructure Ltd. Electricity consumption in India, which is currently some 600 terawatt hour annually, is set to double by next decade, surpassing Russian levels in the process, a KPMG survey says. KPMG’s Global Advisory Practice released a power industry research -- Think BRIC! -- which reveals that in order to supply this extra electricity, total generating capacity should jump by 90 giga watt (GW) to 241 GW, with an increased emphasis on nuclear, clean coal and renewables, including solar and small-hydro, sources of energy. The survey finds, while the state and federal governments have initiated reforms, legislation designed to supply electricity to all consumer groups, conservative elements, and social programmes, ’systemic weaknesses and contradictions within frequently combine to stifle progress’. Additionally, factors like increasing economic activity, wealth and population, an improved standard of living and infrastructure developments are all expected to underline a continuous increase in demand for power in the next decade. Manish Agarwal, Executive Director, KPMG in India said, ."A rural electrification programme in the 1980s brought electricity to 200,000 villages for the first time.’’ **Generation capacity hit 150 GW in 2006, a 40 per cent increase from the 2000 figure, after reforms in 2003 initiated a much needed restructuring of the power sector. However, one respondent of our survey estimated that at least 500 million Indians still have no access to electricity,’’ he added. 
 

India's Energy Consumption Set to Double in a Decade

Electricity consumption in India, which is currently some 600 terawatt hour annually, is set to double by next decade, surpassing Russian levels in the process, according to a survey by KPMG.

KPMG’s Global Advisory Practice released a power industry research -- Think BRIC! -- which reveals that in order to supply this extra electricity, total generating capacity should jump by 90 giga watt (GW) to 241 GW, with an increased emphasis on nuclear, clean coal and renewables, including solar and small-hydro, sources of energy.

The survey pointed out that systemic weaknesses and contradictions within frequently combine to stifle progress. Factors like increasing economic activity, wealth and population, an improved standard of living and infrastructure developments are all expected to underline a continuous increase in demand for power in the next decade.

Manish Agarwal, Executive Director, KPMG in India said, ``A rural electrification programme in the 1980s brought electricity to 200,000 villages for the first time. Generation capacity hit 150 GW in 2006, a 40 % increase from the 2000 figure, after reforms in 2003 initiated a much needed restructuring of the power sector.

Bangalore: KDA to Take Delegation to Solve Six Issues

Bangalore, Jan 19: Kannada Development Authority (KDA) has decided to take a delegation comprising State MPs, Ministers and senior Kannada writers and artistes, to Delhi on March 7 to apprise the Centre on six issues, including settlement of river disputes concerning Karnataka.

KDA Chairman ‘Mukhyamantri’ Chandru told presspersons on Tuesday that the delegation would stay in Delhi for six days from March 7 and meet Union Ministers from Karnataka and Union Home, Human Resource Development and other Ministers to seek early settlement of issues.

The issues are setting up an expert committee on classical status to the Kannada language and release of funds; implementation of the Mahajan Committee report on boundary dispute; formulation of national policy on providing jobs to locals; making Kannada as mandatory in the primary education, settlement of Cauvery, Krishna, Mahadayi and Hogenakal disputes, and providing autonomy and creating facilities to commence a National School Drama (NSD) at Guru Nanak Bhavan in the city.

Training:

He said the KDA has embarked on a Statewide training-cum-camp for training 1.3 lakh officers and employees in all State government departments for implementing Kannada in administration in cooperation with the Department of Kannada and Culture, Kannada University and Administrative Training Institute, Mysore.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa would inaugurate the programme through video conferencing on January 21 at the Conference Hall of the State Secretariat.

He said resource persons had been trained for preparing the officers and employees to teach their colleagues in various departments.

A three-day camp would be organised for Group A and B officers and C group employees and one day for D group employees. Mr. Chandru said the training modules and material had been prepared.

All the 50 departments would be helped prepare a glossary for each of them within a time frame. The programme will be organised at a cost of Rs. 2.5 crore.