Mumbai: Fortis Healthcare has announced plans to demerge its hospitals business (Fortis Hospitals) into Manipal Hospital Enterprises Private Limited (Manipal Hospitals).

According to a statement issued on late Tuesday night, the company said that the proposed transaction is subject to shareholders' approval, creditor's approval, applicable regulatory approvals (including Competition Commission of India, SEBI, stock exchanges and National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)) and other customary conditions precedent.

The company's board has also approved sale of its 20 per cent stake in SRL Limited (SRL) to Manipal Hospitals.

"The resultant entity Manipal Hospitals will be a publicly traded company listed on NSE and BSE. The remaining FHL will be an investment holding company with 36.6 per cent stake in SRL," the statement said.

"As part of the proposed transaction, Dr. Ranjan Pai and TPG will invest RS 3,900 crore into Manipal Hospitals."

As per the statement, the funds will be utilised by Manipal Hospitals to "finance the acquisition of 50.9 per cent stake in SRL (20.0 per cent from FHL and 30.9 per cent from other investors for which discussions are currently underway)".

"In addition, the investment will support the proposed acquisition of hospital assets owned by RHT Health Trust ("RHT") and the growth of the hospitals and the diagnostics businesses," the statement said.

Accordingly, the combination of Manipal Hospitals and Fortis Hospitals will result in the creation of the largest provider of healthcare services in India by revenue with 41 hospitals in India and 4 hospitals overseas.

"The hospitals' complementary geographic footprints and combined clinical strengths will provide significant scale, revenue and cost synergies," the statement added.

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Kottayam(Kerala) (PTI): A 33-year-old man climbed onto a parked truck carrying cooking gas cylinders and set fire to one of them near Thalayolaparambu in the small hours of Saturday, police said.

The incident occurred around 12.30 am, they said.

The fire and rescue personnel soon arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire, averting a major disaster.

According to police, the man is suspected to be under mental distress as he claimed that he was walking from Ernakulam to his home in Marangattupilly here when he saw the truck on the roadside.

An FIR under sections 329(3)(criminal trespass),324(2)(mischief),326(f)(mischief by injury, inundation, fire or explosive substance) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was lodged against him.

Police said that the man was formally arrested, but will be released on station bail as the offences he is accused of are bailable.

"His family is here at the station and he will be released to them," the officer said.

In the FIR, police have said that the man opened the seal of one of the gas cylinders and set fire to it with the knowledge that his act was dangerous to those living in the area.

According to the company transporting the cooking gas cylinders, it suffered a loss of Rs 2,300 in the incident.