We hope Indian Railways would be interested in our product line: Trevor Rowe

20/01/2013 0 Comments read Business and Trade

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 20.01.2013 (Business Standard): Leading Australian train manufacturer and engineering firm, UGL, has a joint venture with India’s rail freight car manufacturer and diversified engineering services company, Texmaco Rail & Engineering of the K K Birla Group, to establish a manufacturing plant in Belgharia, Kolkata. UGL’s Chairman, Trevor Rowe, speaks to Neena Bhandari about the plant, set to start production by July 2012, initially for the Australian market. Edited excerpts:

When did you start thinking about establishing a manufacturing facility in India and why?

The idea crept in about two years ago when UGL was thinking of its long-term procurement strategy. While the other Australian manufacturer of rolling stock and locomotives have been making bogies and wagons sourced from China, we, too, needed an alternative venue to source them. Consequently, we entered into a joint venture with Texmaco. Ours is an equal partnership signed last December, and since then we have had people involved in management, design and engineering of the plant visit India several times.

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Many more cruise liners come calling at Indian ports

05/04/2012 0 Comments read Travel

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 05.04.2012: In the days when journalists used Olivetti typewriters and bromides to make news pages, merchant navy ships making port calls at Mumbai were a major attraction. The narrow pavements of Colaba and Fort would be dotted with hawkers selling the `imported’ Australian Kraft Cheese, the Italian Ferrero Rocher chocolates, American Lacoste Tshirts and airline socks on wooden boxes transformed into tables for displaying wares.

Today, along with cargo ships, many of the world’s renowned cruise liners regularly make port calls along India’s lengthy coastline. Cruising is fast becoming the choice of Indian travellers to explore the world for its all-inclusive nature, relieving the stress of constant packing and unpacking, checking-in and checking out. On a cruise, one unpacks on day 1 and packs on the last day whether travelling for days, weeks or even months.

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Lighting up young lives through mid-day meals in schools

09/03/2012 0 Comments read Education, Health & Science

Pradeep and Sandeep sharing their mid-day meal at Rajkya Prathmik Vidyalaya, Ghanchiyon ki Gufa, Saraswati Nagar in Jodhpur. Photo Credit: ©Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Jodhpur (Rajasthan), 09.03.2012 (WFS): The clock chimes 11 am. Neetu Yadav, 10, and her classmates’ eyes turn expectantly from the blackboard to the school gates. The roar of the approaching autorickshaw carrying their mid-day meal is growing louder, and the 35 students at the government-run Rajkya Prathmik Vidyalaya, Ghanchiyon ki Gufa, Saraswati Nagar in Jodhpur, erupt into a loud cheer.

Jodhpur, located in the vast Thar desert of western Rajasthan, is the state’s second largest city, with a population of around 3.68 million, according to the 2011 Census. The city prides itself on its educational institutions and the average literacy here is 81.56 per cent – with female literacy at 73.93 per cent. Impressive figures, given that the average literacy rate in the state is 67 per cent.

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