|
A
Case for the Development of a Credible Port Policy -- P Nair
The
time has now come for the creation of a credible policy
to develop ports in India. This would include financial
structuring, development of a proper bid and tender process
and port regulation. There are a variety of port models
to choose from and one should not get hung up on any particular
model, based upon various preconceived and nationalistic
obsessions. The article discusses port labor and port turnaround
time, and their historic turnarounds. Comparisons are made
historically and with other national and international players.
The functioning of some of the ports in the surrounding
areas, which pose an immediate competitive threat to Indian
ports, is examined. The issue of transshipment cargo (need
for increase) and tariff policy (need for tariff rationalization)
is also discussed. The gradual movement of containerization
and the conversion of many bulk cargo ports to containerized
ports is a crying necessity. In short, a range of measures
need to be taken in order to develop an effective viable
port policy, and they are best taken in consultation with
all parties concerned.
© IUP. All Rights Reserved
BOT
Road Infrastructure Project
-- Nayan C Parikh
Infrastructure
is a symbol of the country's development. It covers road,
bridges, ports, power plants, public utilities, railways
and many more. Investing in these infrastructures, traditionally,
has been considered the responsibility of the government,
where government uses tax revenue or loans from the financial
institutions and covers all project costs and risks. To
avoid such cases, the government has come with the concept
where there should be the direct investments of the private
sector in infrastructure, broadly called as B-O-T Concept.
This concept is broadly used to develop the national highways,
besides port sectors and power utilities.
© Nayan Parikh and Consultants. All Rights Reserved.
SEZ:
This Engine of Economic Growth is Yet to Start Chugging -- BL Yadav
The
overall scenario for Greenfield and Functional SEZs in India
has been mixed. Lots of SEZ projects have been approved
but have not been implemented due to political and legal
problems. The period of past 45-months has merely been a
preparatory phase for Indian SEZs. Tamilnadu and Gujarat
got the first approval of such projects but Maharasthra
was the first state which announced its SEZ policy on October
12, 2001, which includes even relaxations in labor laws.
An attempt has been made to convert Export Processing Zones
in the places like, Kandla, Surat, Kerala and Cochin into
fullfledged SEZs. One needs to examine the business environment
and success factors of establishing SEZs in Indian context.
In India, the government and its operational systems are
highly constrained under the plethora of complex regulations.
The policy makers need to think seriously about this in
order to move firmly and steadily towards its goal by formulating
schemes, finalizing concessions, reliefs, setting up guidelines
as procedures and ultimately coming to the stage of SEZs
Bill which will create independent identity for SEZs. Originally,
the effort was to legislate on the state side, but this
was not working. Therefore, now it has been decided to centralize
the basic port policy issues.
© IUP. All Rights Reserved
Telecom
Convergence: An Overview -- S Latha
The
evolving markets and technology changes are driving forces
into the worldwide telecommunications industry. On the one
hand the digital convergence and on the other hand communications
convergences are taking place. Some examples of such convergence
are transformation of television into a web enabled device
and Internet access through cables, convergence of media
and publishing with Internet, transformation of mobile phone
into a web-enabled device that can access Internet, digital
convergence that combines and transmits voice and video
over Internet. There are many changes taking place in India
in this context. Broadband wagon is taken off by several
companies, BSNL, Reliance Infocomm, Bharti Broadband, HFCL
Broadband, to support the communications convergence. The
Reliance group and the Tata group, two of the largest industrial
groups in India, are laying optical fiber network across
the country. This fiber network will be used as the backbone
for Internet and telephony. This paper covers briefly the
telecom convergence and the evolution of different technologies
and players. Also very briefly touches upon the regulations
and regulatory bodies.
© IUP. All Rights Reserved
Emerging
Private Sector Participation Arrangements for Solid Waste
Management in India -- Kirti Devi
India
produces approximately 48 million tons of urban solid waste
annually. Current urban waste generation is estimated at
0.46 kilograms per capita per day, two to three times more
than rural waste generation, and is increasing by 1.3% per
year. This, when examined against the current urban growth
rate, estimated at 3.5% per annum, has serious implications
in terms of waste quantity. In addition, as GNP and urban
population grow, paper and packaging waste will also increase,
shifting waste composition. These changes will further stress
already limited financial resources and inadequate waste
management systems. This Project Note looks at municipal
waste management in India and reviews emerging Private Sector
Participation (PSP) arrangements as Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)
strive to achieve improved service in response to tightening
environmental rules.
© Indo-USAID Fire (D) Project. http://www.indiaurbaninfo.com/nina/Project
No. 26.pdf. Reprinted with permission.
Agenda
21 and India's Transport Policy --
This
article, chapter 5 of Sustainable Development Networking
Programme -India on Transport, identifies the degree of
convergence between the concerns raised in Agenda 21 and
India's transport policy. The article talks about the different
authorities and responsibilities of different transport
institutions involved with urban transport in India like
NHAI, ministry of surface transport, Railway and local municipalities.
It looks to mitigate the environmental pollution through
various vehicles. The document talks in detail about Agenda
21, which shows the strategy of vision plan and the development
of the rural section. Agenda 21 stresses the need for an
integrated strategy of urban planning, rural development,
and transport infrastructure. It recognizes the importance
of the mobility needs of commercial, private, and public
activities. The overall objective outlined in this document
is to reduce the local and global emissions from all modes
of the transport sector and developing and promoting costeffective
policies to take account of development priorities as well
as social and poverty-related concerns.
© Sustainable Development Networking Programme, India. http://www.sdnp.delhi.nic.in
Urban
Local Bodies: The Route to Viability -- SR Ramanujam
Contrary
to conventional wisdom, both the methods and funds for revitalizing
urban local bodies are at hand. What is needed is commitment
and leadership. Urban local bodies can reform themselves
into creditworthy entities offering acceptable service levels
through two critical internal reforms: Better financial
management and a new performance orientation. Combined with
state facilitation, this can help local bodies to build
a strong financial position and deliver services effectively.
© CRISIL. (http://www.crisil.com). Reprinted with permission.
Drinking
Water Supply and Water Harvesting -- VB Patel
Water
is critical for the survival of mankind. In a developing
country like India with scarce water resources, its exploitation
and conservation have to be done carefully. Its quality
needs to be ensured. Various techniques of rain water harvesting,
soil conservation, check dams and small and large storages
have a role to play for meeting water needs for various
uses. Construction of large storages and long distance transfer
of water is also inevitable.
© VB Patel. All Rights Reserved.
Electricity
Bill Act, 2003 -- P Nair and Deepak Kumar
The
Electricity Bill, 2003 passed by Parliament promises to
usher in sweeping changes. The Bill seeks to provide a legal
framework for enabling reforms and restructuring of the
power sector. It simplifies administrative procedures by
integrating the Indian Electricity Act, 1910, the Electricity
(Supply) Act, 1948 and the Electricity Regulatory Commissions
Act, 1998 into a single Act. The Bill has become an Act
now after the Presidential assent and notification by the
Ministry of Power on June 10, 2003. The Electricity Act,
2003 is based on the principles of promoting competition,
protecting consumers' interests and providing power to all.
The Act has freed the generation of electricity from licensing,
and has liberalized the captive power policy. Moreover,
it provides open access to transmission and distribution
network, and has laidout the stringent penalties for power
theft. The new legislation can usher in paradigm shifts
in the power sector. Competition will be possible not just
in generation, but also in every facet of the sector including
distribution. Moreover, private sector investment will be
facilitated by greater transparency that will come about.
The Bill is a consolidation of the laws relating to generation,
transmission, distribution, trading and use of electricity
and facilitates all measures that are conducive for the
development of the sector.
© IUP. All Rights Reserved
|
