Latest news with #ArunBansal
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Shy, secretive world of bees
Incredible India houses a dazzling richness of bee diversity. Of the 20,925 species recognised globally, India hosts 755. Further, of the nine traditional honey bee species of the world, India is the home to four of them. Many of the world's prominent land masses such as North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa and Australia have only one honey bee species, the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera). These hard-working insects which play a foundational role in pollination and some yield nature's incredible amrit or nectar in the guise of honey. Despite India fortuitously sporting such an array of bees, these insects are under increasing threat from varied quarters. Apis cerena in a wall and (right) hollow in tree roots, PU. (Arun Bansal) The diversity of bee existence in India was underscored by observations by the naturalist, Arun Bansal, of these insects 'unusually' pouring out of dark hollows in the roots of a tree at the Panjab University's (PU) Dr PN Mehra Botanical Gardens and from a secretive hole in a reddish wall at the Teachers' Flats. The entrance to the cavity nests was small and thus easier guarded against predators such as ants, hornets, wasps, birds and humans. There were multiple hives within. These were not the typical, huge hives one associates hanging in the open from trees, underneath the eaves of buildings and ceilings of tall water tanks etc, and which are formed by the famous Rock honey bee (Apis dorsata). These big Rock bees are the ones infamous for delivering dreaded stings when disturbed. On the other hand, the honey bees coming out of the PU tree and wall cavity were smaller than the Rock bees. I sought their identification from professor Pardeep Chhuneja, an award-winning apiculture scientist and former head, department of entomology, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana. 'It is the native species, Apis cerena cerena (Asian honey bee), in the tree roots and wall of PU. Along with the Apis mellifera (Western honey bee), which is an imported bee for apiculture, these two species are cavity-dwelling ones. These two species are the ones used for beekeeping in India,' Chhuneja told this writer. Scientific research has established that the Apis cerena can forage as far as 1.5-2.5 km from the hive. They gather nectar and pollen from the flowers. Nectar is turned into honey by these 'flying Lilliputians of the natural world' and is stored to provide energy in the guise of carbohydrates for adults and larvae of the bee colony. Honey-making is not an enterprise that nature has predestined for human lip-smacking but is actually for the benefit of the bees themselves. Some forest department employees criminally smoke out, destroy and displace hives of wild Rock honey bees under their protection in wildlife sanctuaries. They steal honey from the mouths of the hungry little ones to oblige senior officers/VIPs by delivering honey jars to official residences. Bees are remarkable, cooperative creatures but we know little of them more vaguely as pollinators. Honey bees are able to maintain temperatures with tolerable limits even when the outside temperatures range from freezing point to searing heat. This task is carried out by the fanning bees which stand at the 'doorway to their hive and produce a current of air by beating their wings, which serves to air condition the hive'. The Apis cerena (AC) resorts to various colony defensive behaviours to ward off predators, such as abdomen shaking, hissing (through wing vibrations) and group defence (including grasping, pulling, and biting, killing by overheating). 'Heat balling is a unique defence of AC to kill predatory hornets. Several hundred bees surround the hornet in a tight ball and vibrate their thoracic muscles to produce heat. The AC workers are able to raise the temperature inside the ball to an average of 46°C for approximately 20 minutes. This is high enough to kill the hornet inside, but not high enough to kill the bees, who can tolerate temperatures up to 48°C and 50°C,' states a research paper, Comparative Study of Apis cerena and Apis mellifera, by DR Katuwal, Alina Pokhrel and Dipak Khanal. vjswild2@
The Print
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Print
Adani Airports clinches USD 750-mn global financing to power next phase of growth
AAHL, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Ltd, raised USD 750 million via external commercial borrowings (ECB) from a consortium of international banks, the company said in a statement. The proceeds to be utilised towards refinancing of the existing USD 400 million debt, and the remaining towards growth capex of six of its airports and AAHL's non-aero business. New Delhi, Jun 4 (PTI) Adani Airports Holdings Ltd (AAHL), India's largest private airport operator, on Wednesday said it has secured USD 750 million in financing from a consortium of international banks, including First Abu Dhabi Bank, Barclays, and Standard Chartered, to finance the next phase of growth. The transaction was led by First Abu Dhabi Bank, Barclays PLC, and Standard Chartered Bank. 'The proceeds will be used to refinance existing debt, invest in infrastructure upgrades, and capacity expansion across the six airports viz. Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Thiruvananthapuram; scale the non-aeronautical businesses, including retail, F&B, duty free and services across the airport network,' it said. AAHL handled 94 million passengers in FY25 with an overall capacity of 110 million passengers. The firm said it aims to triple capacity to 300 million passengers per annum by 2040 through phased development. 'As part of this roadmap, the Navi Mumbai International Airport is expected to be operational shortly, adding 20 million passengers in the first phase, with capacity expanding up to 90 million annually in a phased manner, significantly boosting the Mumbai region's aviation infrastructure,' it said. AAHL operates eight airports across India, including the Navi Mumbai International Airport. 'The trust placed in us by leading global financial institutions underscores the long-term value and potential of India's aviation infrastructure. AAHL is well on its path to deliver exceptional customer experiences, leveraging technology for seamless operations, and prioritising sustainability and community engagement across its airport network,' AAHL CEO Arun Bansal said. 'As we continue our journey, AAHL remains committed to being the gateway to goodness, delivering customer-centric solutions and building world-class airport infrastructure that sets global benchmarks in service and sustainability.' Latham and Watkins LLP and Linklaters LLP acted as English Law counsel to the transaction, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and TT&A acted as Indian law counsel to the transaction. AAHL is India's largest airport infrastructure company, accounting for 23 per cent of passenger footfalls and over 29 per cent of India's air cargo traffic. PTI ANZ ANZ TRB TRB This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
New Indian Express
04-06-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Adani Airports raises 750 million dollars to refinance debt, expand capacity
MUMBAI: Adani Airports Holdings has raised 750 million dollars through External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) from a consortium of international banks. The funds will be used to refinance existing debt, invest in infrastructure upgrades, and expand capacity at six airports—Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Thiruvananthapuram. The borrowed amount will also support the growth of non-aeronautical businesses, such as retail, food and beverage, duty-free, and other services across the airport network. The transaction was led by First Abu Dhabi Bank, Barclays PLC, and Standard Chartered Bank. Adani Airports Holdings, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises and the country's largest private airport operator, served 94 million passengers in the financial year 2024–25. The company's total handling capacity currently stands at 110 million passengers, and it plans to triple this figure to 300 million passengers per year by 2040 through phased expansion. As part of this growth plan, the Navi Mumbai International Airport is expected to become operational soon. It will initially handle 20 million passengers, with capacity set to increase to 90 million annually in later phases. 'AAHL is well on its path to deliver exceptional customer experiences, leveraging technology for seamless operations, and prioritizing sustainability and community engagement across its airport network,' said Arun Bansal, CEO of AAHL. Latham and Watkins LLP and Linklaters LLP acted as English law counsel for the deal, while Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and TT&A served as Indian legal advisors.
India Gazette
04-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Adani Airports clinches USD 750 mn global financing to power next phase of growth
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 4 (ANI): Adani Airports has raised USD 750 million via External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) from a consortium of international banks, says the company in a statement on Wednesday. The transaction was led by First Abu Dhabi Bank, Barclays PLC, and Standard Chartered Bank. The proceeds will be used to refinance existing debt, invest in infrastructure upgrades, and capacity expansion across the six airports operated by the group viz. Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Thiruvananthapuram. The non-aeronautical businesses like Retail, F&B, Duty Free and services across the airport network will be scaled up. As per the company, Adani Airports has served 94 million passengers in FY 2024-25 with an overall capacity of 110 million passengers, further, it aims to triple capacity to 300 million passengers per annum by 2040 through phased development. As part of this roadmap, the Navi Mumbai International Airport is expected to be operational shortly, adding 20 million passengers in the first phase, with capacity expanding up to 90 million annually in a phased manner, significantly boosting the Mumbai region's aviation infrastructure. 'The trust placed in us by leading global financial institutions underscores the long-term value and potential of India's aviation infrastructure. AAHL is well on its path to deliver exceptional customer experiences, leveraging technology for seamless operations, and prioritising sustainability and community engagement across its airport network,' said Arun Bansal, CEO of AAHL. He further added, 'As we continue our journey, AAHL remains committed to being the Gateway to Goodness, delivering customer-centric solutions and building world-class airport infrastructure that sets global benchmarks in service and sustainability'. Adani Airports was incorporated in 2019 as a 100 per cent subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Ltd, the flagship company of the Adani Group. In line with its vision to be the global leader in integrated infrastructure and transport logistics, the Adani Group made its maiden venture into the airports sector by emerging as the highest bidder for the operation, management, and development of the above mentioned six airports and have signed concession agreements with the Airports Authority of India to develop all six airports. (ANI)
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Adani Airports raises $750 mn via ECBs from international banks
NEW DELHI: Adani Airports Holdings Ltd (AAHL) Wednesday said it has raised $750 million via external commercial borrowings (ECB) from a consortium of international banks. The transaction was led by First Abu Dhabi Bank, Barclays PLC, and Standard Chartered Bank. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The company says it will 'use the proceeds to refinance existing debt, invest in infrastructure upgrades, and capacity expansion across the six airports — Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Thiruvananthapuram; scale the non-aeronautical businesses, including retail, F&B, duty free and services across the airport network.' AAHL is India's largest private airport operator (in terms of number of airports it operates) and a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Limited. The company saw 9.4 crore passengers in FY 2024–25 with an overall capacity of 11 crore passengers which it aims to triple to 30 crore passengers per annum by 2040 through phased development. As part of this roadmap, the Navi Mumbai International Airport is expected to be operational shortly, adding 2 crore passengers annually in the first phase, with capacity expanding up to 9 crore annually in a phased manner. AAHL CEO Arun Bansal said: 'The trust placed in us by leading global financial institutions underscores the long-term value and potential of India's aviation infrastructure. AAHL is well on its path to deliver exceptional customer experiences, leveraging technology for seamless operations, and prioritising sustainability and community engagement across its airport network…. remain committed to delivering customer-centric solutions and building world-class airport infrastructure that sets global benchmarks. ' Latham and Watkins LLP and Linklaters LLP acted as English Law counsel to the transaction, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldass and TT&A acted as Indian law counsel to the transaction. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now AAHL was incorporated in 2019 as a 100% subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Ltd, the flagship company of the Adani Group. It operates airports in Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram. AAHL also holds 74% in Mumbai International Airport Ltd, which, in turn, holds 74% in Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd. With eight airports in its portfolio, AAHL accounts for 23% of passenger footfalls and over 29% of India's air cargo traffic.
