Infrastructure sector picks up in Sept.

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT. 22. The infrastructure sector appears to have suddenly perked up with a 5 per cent growth during September, a far cry from the dismal performance of the previous five months. This is still lower than the 6.5 per cent growth recorded in the same month last year but is much better than the 0.8 per cent growth in August 2001.

Even so, the overall growth rate during April-September, the first half of the current fiscal, remains at 1.8 per cent, far lower than the 7 per cent last year.

The performance in September, however, raises hopes that the scenario will improve in the rest of the year. Much of the improved performance during the month is due to a spurt of 17.8 per cent in cement output as well as a healthy 9.6 per cent rise in coal production.

Even the finished steel sector has shown a 5.6 per cent growth and electricity output is also 4.1 per cent higher. The low points are crude petroleum where output is only 0.8 per cent higher and oil refinery products which have registered a 2 per cent decline.

The latter, however, was only to be expected as the phenomenal 25.2 per cent growth last year in the same month was due to the commissioning of new refinery projects like the Reliance Petroleum giant refinery.

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Section  : Business
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