7-Dec-2020: NHSRCL adopts aerial LiDAR Survey technique to conduct the ground survey for Delhi-Varanasi High Speed Rail Corridor
National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited will be adopting Light Detection and Ranging Survey (LiDAR) technique using Laser enabled equipment mounted on a Helicopter for conducting ground survey for the preparation of Detailed Project Report for the proposed Delhi-Varanasi HSR corridor.
The alignment or ground survey is a crucial activity for any linear infrastructure project as the survey provides accurate details of areas around the alignment. This technique uses a combination of Laser data, GPS data, flight parameters and actual photographs to give accurate survey data. Based on the findings of the survey, designing of the vertical & horizontal alignment, structures, location of the stations and depots, Land requirement for the corridor, identification of project affected plots/structures, Right of Way etc. are decided.
The aerial LiDAR survey technique, for the first time for any railway project in India, was adopted for the Mumbai- Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor primarily because of its high accuracy. The ground survey using aerial LiDAR for MAHSR alignment was done only in 12 weeks against the 10-12 months if had been done through traditional survey methods.
Keeping in mind, the magnitude of the project and adhering to the timelines to submit the Detailed Project Report of DVHSR corridor, the ground survey using aerial LiDAR technique has already started. Reference points on the ground have already been marked and data collection through equipment mounted on a Helicopter will commence from 13th December 2020 (depending of the weather conditions) in a phased manner. The requisite permissions from the Ministry of Defence for flying the Helicopter have been received and the inspection of the aircraft and equipment are underway.
The proposed Delhi-Varanasi HSR alignment covers mixed terrains including densely populated urban and rural areas, Highways, Roads, Ghats, Rivers, Green fields etc., which makes this activity more challenging.
NHSRCL has been entrusted with the work for preparing Detailed Project Report for the Delhi-Varanasi HSR Corridor by the Ministry of Railways. The tentative length of the corridor is about 800 km, the alignment and stations will be decided in consultation with the government.
6-Jun-2020: RCF crosses Rs. 100 Crore mark in cumulative sales of its industrial products in current financial year
Despite the current COVID19 situation Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd- RCF a PSU Under the Department of Fertilizers government of India has been successful in keeping its operations running and has crossed Rs. 100 Crores in sales of its Industrial Products in the first two months of the current Financial year 2020-21.
Major Products are : Ammonia- as refrigerant, for nitriding of steel, rocket fuel, pharmaceuticals.
Ammonium Nitrate- in explosives for coal mining etc.
Ammonium Bi-Carbonate- for bakery products, tanneries.
Methyl Amines- in pesticides, dyestuff, pharmaceuticals.
Concentrated Nitric Acid: in explosives, pharmaceuticals.
Dilute Nitric Acid: in Jewellery, propellant.
Argon - arc welding.
Formic Acid - in rubber, leather.
Di-Methyl Formamide - as solvent for fibres, spandex, polyamides.
Di-Methyl Acetamide - as solvent for polyester film, acrylic fibres.
Sodium Nitrate : in propellants, explosives
RCF’s Q4 2019-20 Profit after Tax rises over 190 % over Q4 2018-19
Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd. (RCF) tripled its standalone profit after tax in the March quarter to Rs.142.28 crores from Rs.48.47 crores in previous year registering an increase of 193.54%.
RCF’s Profit after Tax For FY 2019-20 rises 49 % over FY 2018-19
Profit after tax for financial year ended 31st March 2020 surged to Rs.208.15 crores from Rs 139.17 core in previous year.
Annual revenue from operations jumped 9 % year-on-year (y-o-y) to Rs. 9698 crores, which is the highest ever since inception. Annual EBIDTA before exceptional items grew 36 % y-o-y to Rs. 711.96 crores.
Despite various challenges being faced by the Company, the financial performance for the current year has been better as compared to previous year.
Fertilizer industry got some relief as Government approved vintage allowance of Rs. 150 per tonne to certain plants (30years old + converted to Gas) and additional fixed cost of Rs. 350 per tonne of Urea as per Modified NPS III which was long awaited. RCF has accounted for the same in Q4 of FY 2019-20.
The Board has recommended a dividend of 28.40%, its highest-ever dividend declaration in the history of the Company.
S.C. Mudgerikar, CMD RCF, has stated that during the FY 2019-20 the overall sale of manufactured & traded fertilizers increased by 7% over previous year. Company's Complex Fertilizer-Suphala sale increased by more than 15% over previous year. RCF launched two new products during FY 2019-20 viz. Organic Growth Stimulant & Water Soluble Silicon Fertilizer. RCF commissioned 15 million litre per day capacity Sewage Treatment Plant during FY 2019-20. RCF also got recognized as a State Trading Enterprise for import of Urea on government account & imported 16 lakh MT of Urea.
Going forward, the farming sector is expected to get help from a good monsoon forecast in FY 2020-21. In the ongoing current Covid-19 pandemic, Company is fully geared -up to face the upcoming challenges and ready to capitalize on the opportunities coming its way.
19-Nov-2019: IOC develops a special diesel for use in Ladakh
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) launched a special winter-grade diesel for the high-altitude regions of Ladakh that can withstand extremely low temperatures during the winter months. IOC is a Public Sector Unit (PSU), and is India’s largest commercial oil company.
Indian Oil has come up with an innovative solution to the problem of loss of fluidity in diesel by introducing a special winter-grade diesel with a low pour point of -33° Celsius which doesn’t lose its fluidity function even in extreme winter weather conditions.
The fuel is developed for motorists in high-altitude sectors like Ladakh, Kargil, Kaza and Keylong, who face the problem of freezing of diesel in their vehicles when winter temperatures reach -30 deg Celsius.
Regular diesel fuel contains paraffin wax which is added for improving viscosity and lubrication. At low temperatures, the paraffin wax thickens or “gels” and hinders the flow of the fuel in the car engine. Special types of diesel are thus used at low temperatures that contain additives enabling the fuel to remain fluid in such conditions.
The winter-grade diesel developed by IOC has a low pour point (the temperature below which the liquid loses its flow characteristics) of -33° Celsius, making it capable of withstanding the extreme winter weather conditions in Ladakh.
Arrangements have been made for pumping the winter-grade diesel from the Panipat Refinery to Jalandhar. From Jalandhar, the fuel will be carried to Leh depot by road, so that it would be available petrol pumps at the highest altitude in Ladakh on a regular basis. The company expects the sale of the winter-grade fuel to be around 4 lakh litres for the period December-March.
Indian Oil’s winter-grade diesel meets BIS specifications and has been successfully produced and certified for the first time by Indian Oil’s Panipat Refinery on 08th Nov 2019.
IOC also said that it had set up an LPG bottling plant of 6 TMTPA (thousand metric tonnes per annum) capacity at Leh, the highest of its kind in the world, to ensure uninterrupted supplies in the region.