News Axis

Rolls Royce planning a Joint Venture with HAL

ROLLS-ROYCE Corporation is planning a JV with Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) for manufacturing of engines, components and gas turbines. Rolls-Royce together with Bell Helicopters is bidding for this Indian Army contract of 197 helicopters, where it is piped against a Euro Copter-led consortium. “Our engines have performed very well in the technical trials, which include heat and altitude testing. Now we are looking forward to partnering HAL rather than being just suppliers,” Mr Scott Crislip, global president, Helicopter & Small Gas Turbine Engines, Rolls-Royce, told ET in an interview. The roadmap for the contract is expected to be finalised byend-2006.

The company is also keen on partnering HAL in the indigenous helicopter programme - Dhruv - and has put forth multiple proposals to the Indian manufacturer. Besides, as per the plan, it would also help in marketing the gas turbines manufactured in the JV. HAL is already one of the strategic suppliers of rolled ring forging to Rolls-Royce. Now, Rolls-Royce is looking at a complete technical transfer to indude design, technical development, manufacturing, service et al on the six sigma prindple, “Indigenous capability is extremely important in this business as the cost to capital is very high,” Mr Crislip said.

Rolls-Royce already has more than 1,300 engines operational in India. “With aviation turbine fuel (ATF) hitting an all-time high, the need for Rolls-Royce’s gas turbine engines is expected to escalate,” he said.
Withthehelicopterindustrygrowingat7%, the maximum growth is expected from the US, South America and Asia. Mr Crislip sees the next 10-15 years as the real period of growth for the helicopter business in India as people are replacing older models and looking at long-term service offerings with innovative solutions. While US has one commercial helicopter per 1,000 people, Japan has one per 10,000 people and India has one per 10million people.

Source : ET

Railways to stop refund on confirmed Tatkal tickets

Indian Railways has decided to stop the refund of the confirmed tickets reserved under the Tatkal Scheme. This decision has been taken on the recommendations of the 15th report of the standing committee on Railways presented to Parliament. The decision has been taken to stop the abuse of Tatkal Reservation scheme. The Ministry has told that after the charts are being prepared and if the passenger is not able to board the train, then the vacant Tatkal accommodation will go to general waitlisted passengers.

Reliance Infocomm giving faulty phone bills!!!

Its in the news that the consumer court has issued notice to Reliance Communications Limited’s chairman Anil Ambani to appear personally in connection with a complaint by a subscriber who alleged his telephone was deactivated illegally. He has to appear in court on 30th August this year.

Trilok Chand, a Lawrence Road resident, who complained of getting inflated bills and imposition of a number of additional charges in the bill. He had opted for the Khazana scheme offered by the company in 2003 and soon after he noticed that even an unmatured call - in which a number was dialled but the called person did not pick up the phone - was being billed.

Our Review : After the Reliance Handsets its time that now we’ll have to check our bills thoroughly every time I get it. Can it be true that the company is charging the customers even if the call is not picked up???