Maruti Suzuki announces 2-day shutdown of Gurugram, Manesar plants
New Delhi: India's biggest carmaker Maruti Suzuki today announced no-production days at Gurugram and Manesar plants on 7th September and 9th September 2019.
In a statement to stock exchanges, Maruti Suzuki India said it has decided to shut down the passenger vehicle manufacturing operations of Gurugram and Manesar plants in Haryana for two days, on 7th and 9th September, 2019. Both days will be observed as no production days.
Maruti Suzuki shares were trading 3.5% lower at ₹5,843 apiece as compared to a 0.50% gain in benchmark index Sensex.
Many automakers in Indian have been cutting production as passenger vehicles sales are set to fall for a tenth consecutive month in August. Maruti Suzuki India had cut its production by one-third in August, making it the seventh straight month that the country's largest car maker reduced its output.
The government had in August announced a slew of measures to prop up the automobile sector but industry experts have termed them inadequate.
The auto industry has sought immediate steps from the government, including reduction in GST rates and initiation of scrappage policy, as sales continued to plummet.
Maruti Suzuki India on Sunday reported a nearly one-third decline in sales at 1,06,413 units in August. The company had sold 1,58,189 units in August last year. Domestic sales declined by 34.3 per cent at 97,061 units last month as against 1,47,700 units in August 2018. Sales of mini cars comprising Alto and WagonR stood at 10,123 units as compared to 35,895 units in the same month last year, down 71.8 per cent.
Sales of compact segment, including models such as Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire, fell 23.9 per cent at 54,274 units as against 71,364 cars in August last year.
Mid-sized sedan Ciaz sold 1,596 units as compared to 7,002 units earlier.
However, sales of utility vehicles, including Vitara Brezza, S-Cross and Ertiga, rose 3.1% at 18,522 units as compared to 17,971 in the year-ago month, MSI said.
Exports in August were also down by 10.8% at 9,352 units as against 10,489 units in the corresponding month last year, the company said.
Courtesy: www.livemint.com
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Never entered into pact to operate airport in Kenya: Adani group
New Delhi, Nov 23: Billionaire Gautam Adani's group on Saturday clarified on reports of Kenya cancelling more than USD 2.5 billion in deals after US indictment on bribery charges, saying it had not entered into any binding agreement to operate Kenya's main airport.
On the pact it had signed last month to build and operate key electricity transmission lines in Kenya for 30 years, the group said the project did not fall within the ambit of Sebi's disclosure regulations, thereby not warranting any disclosure on its cancellation.
The group was responding to notices sent by stock exchanges to confirm reports of Kenyan President William Ruto ordering the cancellation of a procurement process that had been expected to award control of the country's main airport after the conglomerate's founder was indicted in the United States.
Adani Enterprises Ltd, the flagship firm of billionaire Gautam Adani's group which houses its airport business, in a filing said it had in August this year incorporated a step-down subsidiary in Kenya to upgrade, modernise, and manage airports.
"While the company was in discussion with the relevant authority for the said project, till date neither the company nor its subsidiaries (i) have been awarded any airport project in Kenya, or (ii) entered into any binding or definitive agreement in connection with any airport in Kenya," the firm said.
It did not confirm or deny reports of Kenya cancelling the airport deal.
Adani Energy Solutions Ltd, the firm that operates power transmission lines, in a separate filing said on October 9 it was awarded the project to construct transmission lines in Kenya. Thereafter, it had incorporated a step-down subsidiary in Kenya.
"We submit that the project does not fall within the ambit of item 4 of Para B, Part A, Schedule III of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, as amended (Sebi Listing Regulations) which requires intimation to be made for any awarding, bagging/ receiving, amendment or termination of awarded/bagged orders/contracts other than in the ordinary course of business," it said refusing to confirm or deny the cancellation.
It went on to state that the award of the project was in the ordinary course of business of the company and its subsidiaries as they are engaged in the business of transmission and distribution of energy (among other things).
"Consequently, any cancellation of such Project will also not fall within the ambit of item 4 of Para B, Part A, Schedule III of the Sebi Listing Regulations," it added.
Under the proposed airport deal worth nearly USD 2 billion, the conglomerate was to add a second runway at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and upgrade the passenger terminal. It was also to operate it on a 30-year lease.
Kenya's President in his state of the nation address on Thursday also stated that he was cancelling a separate 30-year, USD 736-million public-private partnership that an Adani Group firm signed with the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum last month to construct power transmission lines.
That followed US authorities indicting group Founder and Chairman Gautam Adani and seven others for allegedly agreeing to pay USD 265 million to Indian officials to win lucrative solar power supply contracts.
The Adani Group denied the allegations as baseless and said it would seek "all possible legal recourse".
The tender to operate Kenya's main airport was put on hold following local protests.
Adani Energy Solutions Ltd had last month signed a project agreement with the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (Ketraco) for developing three transmission lines and two substations.
