Petrol pumps in Mumbai go on strike
Mumbai: More than 2,000 petrol and CNG pumps in Maharashtra are expected to go dry in protest against high sales tax on fuel.

Dealers have now stopped restocking supplies and the Maharashtra Petrol Dealers Association says the 34 pc sales tax levied on fuel in Maharashtra is the highest in the country.
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'India-China trade could touch US $50 bn by 2010'
New Delhi: Indo-China bilateral trade may touch USD50 billion by 2010 and by 2025 both the countries may jointly dominate the world trade completely, according to a study conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.

Bilateral trade between the two countries touched US$13.65 billion in the first half of 2006, an increase of 26.8 per cent over the same period last year. During the period, year on year growth rate of Indian exports to China (USD6.2 billion) stood at 1.81 percent while India's imports from China (USD7.45 billion) registered an appreciable increase of 59.47 per cent, the study released on the eve of Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit, said.

Out of the total FDI of US$67.15 billion cleared by Indian Government during the last 13 years (excluding ADRs/GDRs), China accounts for about 0.30 per cent of FDI approvals of USD 231.7 million according to the study.

However, India's exports account for just about one per cent of China's total imports and the potential needs to be rightly managed and harnessed for China to emerge as one of New Delhi's leading trade partner in the ensuing years. Indian companies have invested in 101 projects with an actual investment flow of USD 79.1 million.
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Six luxury trains to be started
New Delhi: The Indian Railways are starting six more luxury trains. In the South, the railways will launch a service called Southern Splendour on the patterns of Palace on Wheels. Starting from Andhra Pradesh, the train will cover popular destinations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in a 10-day journey. There will also be an exclusive luxury train, Karnataka Luxury Tourist Train, slated to start from Bangalore, and will cover Mysore, Hassan, Hospet, Hubli, Dandeli and Goa.

The Northern Region will have a Punjab Palace on Wheels and a Delhi-Shimla luxury train. The eight-day trip of the Punjab Palace on Wheels is slated to start from New Delhi and pass through Amritsar, Patiala, Chandigarh, Chail, Agra and Jaipur before returning to Delhi.

The Railways also plan to launch a new luxury train from Mumbai to Kolkata via Jaipur, Agra and Gaya to reach Kolkata in a 12-day journey.

As per the plan, all these luxury trains will have on-board spas, multi-cuisine restaurants, conference rooms and adequate modern amenities.

The Railway presently earns about Rs16-cr from the Palace on Wheels and all these luxury trains are functional, it's estimated that earnings will go up to Rs100 cr.
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