The Hindu Business Line : NSDRC hopeful of clocking Rs 11-cr turnover this year

THE National Ship Design and Research Centre (NSDRC) is confident of crossing Rs 11-crore turnover by the end of the financial year;, Rs 16 crore by next year and Rs 25 crore by March 2006, according to Prof. P. Sambandan, Director.

He was speaking at the centre on the occasion of its 10th anniversary. He also said that the institute was not receiving any financial aid from the Government, which gave it greater operational freedom.

The institute is expecting several new orders from private and Government institutes.

The Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) administration, in particular, had placed several orders in 2003, including the completion of a 400-passenger vessel that was lying incomplete for 16 years. The centre is expecting orders from the New Mangalore Port Trust for computerisation; currently, the software division is engaged in computerising the Chennai Port Trust.

"The proudest achievement of NSDRC is the order for the design of a 500-passenger vessel of the A&N administration. It is being constructed at Surat and NSDRC has completed over 85 per cent of the basic, classification and statutory designs,'' he said.

Mr K. Ratna Kishore, Chairman of the Visakhapatnam Port Trust, said that the port would give full co-operation and support to NSDRC.