The Infrastructure Excellence Awards

Online, December 24, 2009 (Newswire.com) - 'Essar Steel and E18 announce the second edition of the
'Infrastructure Excellence Awards'

~To crown Infrastructure Companies for excellence second time in a row~

Mumbai, December 21, 2009: The second edition of the ESSAR Steel Infrastructure Excellence Awards in association with CNBC TV18 jointly initiated by Essar Steel and E18 have been announced today. These are the biggest Infrastructure Awards in the country. The Awards have been instituted to recognize the 'nation builders' and felicitate infrastructure companies for excellence and strategic initiatives in the field of construction.
A rigorous evaluation program has been designed to select the best and the most sustainable value creator amongst infrastructure projects in categories like Highways & Flyovers, Railways, Airports, Ports, Energy & Power, Oil & Gas, Telecom and Urban Infrastructure. Knowledge Partner, NICMAR, India's leading Construction Management and Research Institute, along with Process Advisor, Grant Thornton will conduct the evaluation process.
The Infrastructure Excellence Awards 2009 received an overwhelming response from the industry with over 110 projects listed for nominations in the various categories. Larsen & Toubro Ltd. was adjudged Infrastructure Company of the Year while Mr. Ajit Gulabchand was honoured as the Infrastructure Leader of the Year. Some of the companies that were nominated included GMR, Punj Lloyd, Afcons, Tata Projects, Nagarjuna Constructions, IVRCL and Gammon among others.

On the occasion of the announcement of the Essar Steel Infrastructure Excellence Awards, Vikram Amin, Executive Director, Essar Steel said,
"At Essar, we are committed towards development of India through infrastructure development. The Essar Steel Infrastructure Excellence Awards aim to bring forward the best infrastructure projects in the country that have set benchmarks in the sector. We believe that these awards will go a long way in encouraging world class infrastructure projects in India."

Commenting on Essar Steel Infrastructure Excellence Awards, Farhad Wadia, CEO, E18 said: "Infrastructure is one of the most competitive sectors in the Indian economy with an exponential growth rate. The Essar Steel Infrastructure Excellence Awards aim to capture spectacular company and individual performances in this sunrise sector and honour these entities for their efforts and contribution."

All Indian infrastructure organizations with construction expertise are invited to participate in the awards. Only projects executed in India in the last five years are eligible for the awards.

About E18:
E18, a division of Network18, is a dedicated Events company which organizes business conferences & summits, world class concerts and entertainment shows. E18 offers its clients the unique combination of live, television as well as internet platforms.

About Essar Steel:
Essar Steel, global producer of steel, is a fully integrated flat carbon steel manufacturer - from iron ore to ready-to-market products. Essar Steel has an expanding global steel production capacity of 14 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). Its products find wide acceptance in highly discerning consumer sectors, such as automotive, white goods, construction, engineering and shipbuilding. Essar Steel produces highly customised products catering to a variety of product segments. It has the country's most extensive and the largest Service Centre capability with an annual capacity of 2.5 MTPA, and the largest network distribution channel with over 230 branded Essar Hypermarts. It has invested in downstream capabilities to evolve from being a product based company to becoming a value added service provider

For more information, please visit: www.infrastructureexcellenceawards.com
Or contact: Jyoti Ahuja on 022 -6618 4680