Air collision avoidance system to be mandatory

Stung by the mid-air tragedy last November and the growing incidence of air misses, the Government has decided to ban the movement of all planes with more than 30 seats if they are not equipped with an air-borne collision avoidance system (ACAS-II) and the appropriate class of mode S transponder after December 31, 1998. ACAS is a safety device on board an aircraft which functions independently of the ground-based air traffic control system, and helps in preventing mid-air collisions.

Coal India all set to increase prices

The Union coal ministry has issued a notification allowing companies to revise prices of all categories of lower grade (D and below) non-coking coal with immediate effect. On receipt of the Ministry’s order, Coal India Ltd (CIL) has initiated the process of determining new prices of the relevant categories, consumed mainly by thermal power stations. The CIL board is to approve the new prices at its meeting this week. Informed sources said that there would be, on an average, a 30 per cent increase for all categories as the prices are being revised as per the guidelines hitherto followed by Bureau of Industrial Costs and Prices (BICP).

Pak allows drug input imports from India

Pakistan has decided to permit import of basic raw materials from India for its domestic pharmaceutical industry in an effort to make drugs cheaper in that country. Sources say the decision to allow import of basic raw materials was taken by the Economic Coordination Committee of the Federal Cabinet recently because medicine prices were higher in Pakistan than those in neighbouring countries.