LOCOMOTIVE POSITION IN RAILWAYS

    The Indian Railways imported 33 AC three-phase 6000 horsepower electric locomotives from M/s,ABB of Switzerland at a cost of Rs.738 crores with a package of transfer of technology for indigenous manufacture at the Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi. The engines included three as bank of spares. Of these, six were imported during 1995-96 and 27 in 1996-97. The process of indigenous manufacture of the state of the art electric locos has already begun at the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works.

    The Railways manufactured 195 electric locomotives at the Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) in 1997-98 and 164 diesel locomotives at the Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi in the same year. With this, Indian Railways had a total of 7326 locomotives as on March 31,1998.
 
 

PETROL PRICE INCREASE LIMITED TO RE.1 ONLY
    Government have decided to limit the increase in the retail prices of Petrol to Re.1/- per litre (plus applicable local taxes and levies) only, on account of the additional excise duty that has been imposed for augmenting the Corpus of National Highways Authority of India. Prices of Petrol were increased effective mid-night June 1-2, 1998 consequent upon the announcement of additional excise duty and increase in the basic excise duty on Petrol in the Union Budget. Consequent upon this decision, adjustments in basic excise duty as also the basic prices of Petrol are being carried out. As a result, the retail prices of Petrol in different markets will be raised over the pre-budget prices by Re.1/- per litre plus applicable local taxes and levies.

    Instructions have been issued that taking into account the time required for re-calculating the prices in different markets and communications of the same throughout the country, these changes in prices will be from the mid-night of June2-3, 1998.