The Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) has stayed the order of antitrust regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) against two entities which were found guilty of cartelisation. The orders were in favour of Jaiprakash Associates and the Cement Manufacturers´ Association (CMA).

The ongoing unrest in the Kashmir Valley has had a major negative impact on the state´s cement industry. The sector has suffered a loss of nearly Rs 200 crore, as the disturbance has put almost all industries to a halt, thereby further denting the sluggish economy of the state.

Emami Cement, which began operations at its integrated cement manufacturing plant in Chhattisgarh in July this year, expects to clock revenues of around Rs 500 crore for a full year of operations ending March 2017.

In an interview with Business Standard, Benu Gopal Bangur, chairman of Shree Cement has said that he plans to ramp up capacity to 40 million tonnes in the next four-five years.

The refractories business of Dalmia Bharat Group has entered into an agreement with Seven Refractories to develop and supply a wide range of monolithic refractories for the Indian market.

Aditya Birla Group-controlled UltraTech Cement Ltd has won two coal linkages for its cement plants in Maharashtra.

The world´s longest and deepest rail tunnel was officially opened in Switzerland, after almost two decades of construction work. The 57 km twin-bore Gotthard base tunnel will provide a high-speed rail link under the Swiss Alps

In May 2016, Martin Kriegner, Head of Lafarge Holcim - India Operations and member of the Board of Directors for Ambuja Cements inaugurated the augmented Sankrail Grinding Unit in Howrah, West Bengal.

The train carried 5,265 tonnes of clinker, an intermediate product for cement manufacturing, loaded on 58 wagons on the 56-km new stretch between Durgawati and Sasaram, the bastion of late Dalit leader Babu Jagjivan Ram.