• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager
• Smartbuy

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth
• Events 2007

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Our Bureau

Chennai, Sept. 8 The Hinduja Group is planning to put up a Rs 300-crore, 250-bed hospital in Chennai.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of Ashok Leyland’s diamond jubilee celebrations on Sunday, the Chairman of the Hinduja Group, Mr S.P. Hinduja, said that the group would be looking to acquire land for the project and would need the State Government’s help.

Mr Hinduja said the group aimed to make Ashok Leyland one of the five top commercial vehicle manufacturers in the world in the next 10 years. The acquisition of Czech vehicle manufacturer Avia was a move in that direction, he said. The company plans to acquire related businesses in Europe and West Asia, he added.

The Governor of Tamil Nadu, Mr S.S. Barnala, presided over a function on Sunday to mark Ashok Leyland’s sixtieth anniversary.

The company was set up in 1948 by one Mr Raghunandan Sarin as Ashok Motors. The firm wanted to produce cars in collaboration with Austin of the UK, but Austin was not keen on India, according to a book on Ashok Leyland released by Mr Barnala. The book – an industrial biography – was written by Mr S. Muthiah, noted historian, and Mr K.N. Gopalan, former Company Secretary of Ashok Leyland.

As negotiations with Austin did not take off, Mr Sarin decided to join hands with Leyland of the UK for making trucks. But before the negotiations got over, Mr Sarin died in an air crash. However, the professionals who ran the company pressed ahead with the negotiations and Leyland came on board, the book, Moving India on Wheels, says.

More Stories on : Events | Medical Institutions & Hospitals

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line