Noida, based in Uttar Pradesh,
and located in close proximity to India’s
political capital Delhi, is fast turning into
a hotspot for IT companies.
Indian software giant Wipro,
has already bought a 40-acre plot of land in Greater
Noida and is looking for an additional 100 acres.
Noida-headquartered HCL is expanding and has identified
a 40 acre plot of land on Delhi-Agra Express Highway.
UK-based IT Company Xansa with
two facilities in Noida, accommodating 1,600 workers,
expects its headcount to more than triple in three
to four years.
Government sources also
revealed that the central government had approved
a 2,500 acre Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for Noida
and the state government was pushing for clearance
for an international airport near Greater Noida.
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| The government
recently put 20 oil and gas exploration blocks for
bidding under the fifth round of new exploration
and licensing policy (NELP-V). The blocks include
six deepwater, two shallow-water and 12 onshore
ones & cover an area of approx 109,210 sq km
(42,170 sq miles). The blocks are estimated to attract
an investment of $1 bln from public and private
sector firms. Over $2.53 bln have already been invested
in the blocks awarded in the first four rounds of
bidding.
In addition,
the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will
offer farm-in opportunities in five deepwater blocks,
including three in the Krishna-Godavari Basin and
one each in the Kerala-Konkan offshore and Gujarat-Kutch
on NELP terms.
The criteria for bidding for the blocks have been
relaxed with the government deciding that companies
with a net worth of $500 mln or more will not be
required to give bank guarantees towards minimum
work programme commitment for on-land and shallow-water
blocks. The threshold, in the earlier rounds, was
$1 bln. This will make more companies eligible to
bid.
The government will exercise its option to take
a share in profit gas in cash or kind for a block
after five years instead of the option being exercised
every year in the earlier rounds. Bids would be
evaluated by giving 60% weight to the work programme.
The weight for fiscal package will be 30, financial
capability four and technical capability six.
Of the deepwater blocks, two each are on the east
and the west coast and two in the prospective Andaman
area. The last date for bidding is May 31, 2005.
The shallow-water blocks are on the west coast while
the 12 on-land blocks are spread across eight basins
— Assam, Arakan, Cambay, Rajasthan, Kaveri,
Ganga valley, Vindhya, Deccan Syneclise and Krishna
Godavari.
The directorate-general of hydrocarbons will conduct
roadshows to attract investors in Delhi (January
18), London (January 20-21), Dubai (January 24-25),
Houston (January 31 and February 1), and Calgary
(February 3-4). Digital data rooms are being set
up in Delhi, Houston, London, Calgary and Dubai.
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