3G spectrum auction may start in Feb.

The much awaited auction of spectrum for 3G mobile services is likely to be delayed by more than a month and may commence from the first week of March next year — schedule for which is to be announced soon.
The auction process may start in the last week of February or the first week of March, a senior government official said, adding that the revised schedule is being worked out taking into account the outcome of the last meeting of an empowered group of ministers, where the defence ministry agreed to vacate spectrum. Last week, the telecom minister, Mr A. Raja, had said that auction would be as per schedule (January 14, 2010).

RPower to generate 3,300 MW

Anil Ambani Group company Reliance Power on Monday said that it plans to become an over 3,300-MW company by the end of the Eleventh Five-year Plan (2007-2012). “By March 2012 we would be able to generate over 3,300 MW of electricity,” Reliance Power CEO, Mr J.P. Chalasani, told reporters while inaugurating the first unit of the company’s Rosa Thermal Power Plant.
The 1,200 MW Rosa Power Project, 600 MW Butibori in Maharashtra and two 660 MW units of Sasan Ultra Mega Power Projects in Madhya Pradesh would be commissioned by the end of the eleventh five-year plan, Mr Chalasani added.

MP HC issues notices over illegal mining

Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued notices to the state government and the Union environment ministry over illegal sand mining and directed them to submit their responses within a week.
The Court’s direction came following a Public Interest Litigation filed by Prayatna, a non government organisation, which has alleged that about 1,000 illegal minings, most of them over five hectares area, are operating in the state without any environment clearances. The petitioner’s counsel, Mr Siddharta Gupta, alleged that the Madhya Pradesh State Mining Corporation Limited operates about 350 such illegal mines.

IIM suggests deregulation in oil sector

The Indian Institu-
te of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, study on the oil sector has suggested radical reforms, including complete deregulation, where the private and public sector firms are free to price fuel as they deem fit.
“Reform of the oil sector is long overdue. The problems in the sector emanate from the structure of central taxes and the system of subsidisation through prices,” the study said.
Currently, the government controls prices of petrol, diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene and compensates public sector firms through a complex mechanism that has squeezed out liquidity with the retailers and drained resources of upstream firms.

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