Mumbai, June 14: The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) on Thursday completed its hearing in the proposed 100 per cent stake sale of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (RInfra)'s integrated Mumbai power business to Adani Transmission Ltd (ATL), an official spokesperson said.

The MERC's order in the matter is likely over the next few weeks and the two companies expect to close the transaction, estimated at Rs 18,800 crore, next month.

The RInfra has already secured the approval of Competition Commission of India and its own shareholders for the deal.

The RInfra and ATL signed a Definitive Binding Agreement for 100 per cent stake sale of the integrated business of generation, transmission and distribution of power for Mumbai last December.

The RInfra will utilise the proceeds of this transformative transaction entirely to reduce its debt, becoming debt-free and up to Rs 3,000 crore cash surplus.

This is the largest ever debt-reducing exercise by any corporate in the country and the monetisation is a major step in RInfra's de-leveraging strategy for future growth.

The RInfra's Mumbai power business, Reliance Energy, is India's largest private sector integrated power utility distributing power to nearly three million residential, industrial and commercial consumers in Mumbai suburbs over an area of 400 sq.km.

It caters to a peak demand of over 1,800 MW, with annual revenues of Rs 7,500 crore with stable cash flows.

Going forward, RInfra will focus on upcoming opportunities in asset light EPC and defence businesses.

For its defence business, the company has set up the Dhirubhai Ambani Aerospace Park at MIHAN in Nagpur to manufacture the Rafale fighter jets with French collaboration, besides the Reliance Naval & Engineering Ltd, which houses India's largest dry dock facility to build warships and other naval ships.

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Mumbai (PTI): Aviation watchdog DGCA on Friday eased the flight duty norms by allowing substitution of leaves with a weekly rest period amid massive operational disruptions at IndiGo, according to sources.

As per the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, "no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest", which means that weekly rest period and leaves are to be treated separately. The clause was part of efforts to address fatigue issues among the pilots.

Citing IndiGo flight disruptions, sources told PTI that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to withdraw the provision 'no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest' from the FDTL norms.

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"In view of the ongoing operational disruptions and representations received from various airlines regarding the need to ensure continuity and stability of operations, it has been considered necessary to review the said provision," DGCA said in a communication dated December 5.

The gaps in planning ahead of the implementation of the revised FDTL, the second phase of which came into force from November 1, have resulted in crew shortage at IndiGo and is one of the key reasons for the current disruptions.