Idea Cellular to invest Rs.1,000 crore in Tamil Nadu

October 3rd, 2009 CHENNAI - City-based Repco Infrastructure Development Co is in talks with the Tamil Nadu government to develop vacant land on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. "We are discussing various BOT projects with the Tamil Nadu government, the total value of which is around Rs.100 crore," M.

September 2nd, 2009 CHENNAI - Former Tamil Nadu chief minister and the current Leader of the Opposition J. Jayalalithaa has demanded regularisation of 1,600 casual workers at Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd (TNPL), the country's second largest paper maker.

August 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Thursday said it would convert loans taken by state-owned Tamil Nadu Telecommunications Ltd (TTL) to equity as part of efforts to revive the ailing company. TTL is a joint venture between Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL), a public sector telecom consultancy and engineering company, and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corp.

August 5th, 2009 MUMBAI - Construction and engineering major Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Wednesday said it had bagged contracts worth Rs.853 crore for setting up coal handling plants in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. L&T has received a contract from Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam (UPRVNL) and Neyveli Lignite Corp for setting up coal handling plants at Anpara in Uttar Pradesh and Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, the company said in a regulatory statement.

July 13th, 2009 CHENNAI - The Tamil Nadu government is developing country-specific industrial parks to attract investments from business units located in those countries. According to the Industries Department policy note submitted by Deputy Chief Minister M.K.

July 9th, 2009 MUMBAI - Telecom major Idea Cellular has received shareholders' approval to hive off its tower business into a subsidiary company Idea cellular Towers Infrastructure, the company said Thursday. Its rivals Airtel and Reliance Communications had earlier demerged their passive infrastructure - towers and base stations - business to save costs.

June 24th, 2009 CHENNAI - Tamil Nadu's seven state transport undertakings (STUs) will purchase 3,500 buses this fiscal with funding assistance from Tamil Nadu Transport Development Finance Corp and the central government. Some 1,600 buses will be bought under the central government's Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission - an initiative to promote planned development of cities, according to a policy note of the state transport department submitted in the assembly by Transport Minister K.N.

June 20th, 2009 CHENNAI - The Tamil Nadu government, planning to set up windmills to generate 1,000 MW, has sought financial assistance from the central government for the project, state Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veeraswami said here Saturday.

June 10th, 2009 CHENNAI - The Tamil Nadu government has sanctioned Rs.550 crore for the first phase of the Chennai Metro Rail project, Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said here Wednesday.

May 31st, 2009 CHENNAI - The Tamil Nadu government Sunday announced huge increases in the salaries of its employees ranging between Rs.1,774 and Rs.7,300 per month. The pay hike is expected to shoot up the government's annual expenditure by Rs.5,155.79 crore, while the initial cost would be around Rs.11,093 crore, an official statement said.

May 16th, 2009 CHENNAI - The counting of votes cast for the 15th Lok Sabha polls began at 8 a.m. Saturday in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

April 25th, 2009 CHENNAI - At least 25 people were arrested Saturday in Tamil Nadu for attempting to burn the Indian flag while protesting the killing of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka, police said. The 18 people held in Chennai and seven in Thanjavur district, 300 km south of here, belonged to various Indian Tamil extremist factions associated with Tamil nationalist leader P.

March 13th, 2009 HYDERABAD - Telecom operator Aircel Thursday announced it will invest $5 billion over the next three to five years to expand its operations across the country. Aircel, part of Malaysia-based Maxis Communications Bhd, will invest $1 billion this calendar year, and expects to nearly double the existing subscriber base of 17 million.

January 10th, 2009 CHENNAI - Tea, vegetables and perishables worth nearly Rs.2.5 billion (Rs.250 crore) were stranded in various parts of Tamil Nadu as the truckers' strike continued Sunday for the seventh straight day. Tamil Nadu will celebrate the annual harvest festival of Pongal Jan 14 and for the first time Tamil New Year will start the same day.

January 9th, 2009 CHENNAI - Tea, vegetables and perishables worth nearly Rs.100 crore (Rs.1 billion) are stranded in various districts in Tamil Nadu on account of the truckers' strike, which continued Saturday for the sixth straight day. 'Tea worth over Rs.15 crore (Rs.150 million) is stranded in Ooty (in the Nilgiris district) due to the strike,' a United Planters' Association of Southern India (UPASI) spokesperson said.