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Soon, Chennai's budget canteen in Chandigarh

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The Times of India        17.09.2014 

Soon, Chennai's budget canteen in Chandigarh

 

CHANDIGARH: If all goes well, Amma Unvagam, a budget canteen run by the Tamil Nadu government in Chennai, will soon come to city. With that, delicious idlis and a plate of sambhar will be available for just Rs 6 as against the price of Rs 30 to Rs 90.

The team of 20 municipal councillors, which recently went on a study tour to Chennai, was so fascinated with the food subsidization concept that they listed it on top of agenda to be produced in the upcoming House meeting.

"We are not comparing Amma Unvagam (literally meaning Mother's Canteen) with the night food street. It is a different concept and can be introduced at several places throughout the city. We observed that the prime purpose behind these canteens in Chennai was only to provide food to common people at cheap rates. Such a concept is missing in Chandigarh," said a councillor, who wished not to be named.

Mayor Harphool Chand Kalyan, who headed the tour, said, "We decided to introduce it in the House meeting as the concept is in public interest. Though in Chennai only South Indian dishes are served in Amma canteens, we are proposing to change the food items here."

Interestingly, the councillors also observed that Amma Unvagam has caused losses to the state exchequer in the last few years. A senior councillor, who was the part of tour, said, "If it works in public interest, losses can be fulfilled from somewhere else."

Pocket-friendly

Amma Unavagam is a food subsidization programme run by the government of Tamil Nadu. Under the scheme, municipal corporations of the state-run canteens serve subsidized food at low prices. The losses incurred by the corporations for offering food at cheap rates are often talked about. Coimbatore municipal corporation suffered a loss of about Rs 2.64 on an idli, Rs 9.73 on a unit of sambhar-rice and Rs 4.44 on a unit of curd rice, thereby incurring a total loss of about Rs 2.70 crore. 

 

Armed with hi-tech gadgets, BMC begins tree count

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The Indian Express            11.02.2014

Armed with hi-tech gadgets, BMC begins tree count

Additional Municipal Commissioner SVR Srinivas supervises  the tree census at Oval Maidan on Monday. Express 

Two minutes to record the GPS location of the tree, another two to measure the girth using a measuring tape, another 5-7 minutes to identify it and note its characterisitcs and that’s one tree down. For an entire year, 30 people, including surveyors and botanists, will record information of trees as part of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC’s) tree census, which began Monday at Oval Maidan in Churchgate.

For the first time, the surveyors will use Trimble GPS units to note the location of a tree. This information along with a unique ID for each tree with its characteristics will be superimposed on the civic body’s geographic information system (GIS) map. While citizens can zoom in on the map to get the basic details, junior tree officers in each ward can access the entire data on the tree using a code, according to the gardens department.

“BMC will for the first time have data about the geographical distribution of a particular species in the city. We will now be able to store data of the city’s tree cover on a live platform and the trees will have unique IDs, making it easier to track them,” said SVR Srinivas, Additional Municipal Commissioner. “We urge citizens to cooperate and allow access to the surveyors to record trees inside their property,” he added.

Besides the location and girth, information such as the tree’s canopy diameter and type, the tree’s condition as well as the carbon sequestration potential (potential to trap atmospheric carbon dioxide) will be available. Special remarks indicating whether the tree is diseased, was mechanically cut or had been uprooted or whether it has a cement collar around it, will also be included in the report. Photos of rare species, trees of “heritage and cultural value” as well as endangered species will be available after the census is done.

Monday’s counting was part of the pilot survey, which will have information of 1,000 trees and will be ready in three-four days. “The target is to record information of at least two-three lakh trees in a month,” said Dhanya Nambiar, chief taxonomist in charge of the census.

The census will cost the civic body Rs 2.7 crores and is being conducted jointly by Mumbai-based SAAR IT Resources and Nagpur-based Apex Spatial Tech Solutions. The tree census includes survey of all existing trees within municipal limits irrespective of ownership, excluding trees in Aarey Colony, BARC, Navy Nagar, and forests area like Sanjay Gandhi National Park and mangrove areas.

 

BBMP budget for 2014-15 to be presented on February 17

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The Hindu             11.02.2014

BBMP budget for 2014-15 to be presented on February 17

The BBMP has outstanding loans of Rs. 3,000 crore and pending bills ofRs. 2,000 crore— File Photo: K. Murali Kumar
The BBMP has outstanding loans of Rs. 3,000 crore and pending bills ofRs. 2,000 crore— File Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will present budget for the financial year 2014-15 on February 17.

Mayor B.S. Sathyanarayana told presspersons here on Monday that the 2014-15 budget would be realistic. The Standing Committee for Taxation and Finance is reviewing the draft budget.

According to the Mayor, though no new projects would be announced the thrust would be on completion of those being implemented, and also revenue mobilisation.

It may be mentioned that the BJP administration is for the first time presenting the budget before the end of the previous financial year. As per the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, the budget has to be approved by the council three weeks before the beginning of the next financial year. The previous three budgets had been submitted much after the fiscal year began.

With the Parliamentary polls round the corner, BBMP sources believe that the BJP, which is the ruling party in the BBMP council, may use the budget to announce some populist schemes.

BBMP sources said that the outlay of this budget is likely to be around Rs. 8,000 crore.

While the BJP administration is claiming that the budget will be realistic, the Opposition differs. Jayamahal councillor M.K. Gunashekar pointed out that only 40 per cent of the 2013-14 budget had been implemented.

“The remaining projects will reappear in the budget. BBMP has outstanding loans of Rs. 3,000 crore and pending bills of Rs. 2,000 crore. This budget is not going to be very different from the previous budgets,” he said.

 

‘India will face water scarcity by 2025’

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The Hindu            05.02.2014

‘India will face water scarcity by 2025’

Special Correspondent

Fifty countries in the world will face stress or scarcity of water by 2025 and India is one of them. While half of India faces physical scarcity, the remaining half faces economic scarcity of water resulting in sale, Professor of the Department of Geo-Engineering of Andhra University P. Jagadeeswara Rao has said.

Speaking on ‘Water resources: issues and challenges- a geospatial perspective’ at Andhra University Research Forum’s programme on Tuesday, he said the country lacked a coherent water policy. The per capita consumption came down to 1820 cubic metres in 2001 from 5,177 cum in 1951. Eighty per cent of the diseases were water-borne and every week 47,000 children were dying owing to diseases caused by contaminated water.

Prof. Jagadeeswara Rao said as against 11 per cent domestic consumption in developed countries in India it was only 5 per cent. However, free supply of water was not possible in view of costs involved in pumping, treatment, and delivery. Contamination of water was a big problem with industrial effluents in cities and use of fertiliser in agriculture in rural areas, he said. The country was also facing increasing scarcity with lakes and rivers drying up, saltwater ingress and groundwater depletion. Water laws and audit were yet to be in place.

Conservation stressed

Prof. Jagadeeswara Rao stressed the need for conservation stating that the forest cover had slipped from 35 per cent in 1947 to 21 per cent now. Deforestation would cause soil erosion and prevent precipitation required for rainfall. Conservation through various means like check-dams, gulley plugging and rainwater harvesting needed to be taken up.

Prof. Jagadeeswara Rao said nano technology was said to have the potential to desalinate one litre saltwater at a mere one paisa but when it would become a reality was not yet known. Andhra University College of Engineering Vice-Principal P.S. Avadhani also spoke. Chief Convener of the forum K.R. Rajani said water-related issues came into sharp focus with bifurcation. Convener S. Adiseshu and co-convener S. Jhansi Rani participated.

 

Take action against Kho-Kho coaches: Mayor

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The Pioneer                31.01.2014

Take action against Kho-Kho coaches: Mayor

Raipur Mayor Kiranmayi Nayak and State unit chief of Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (sports wing) Gurmeet Dhanai on Thursday demanded that a female coach must be appointed in every sports association for the safety of female players.

The demand came in the wake of an alleged sexual harassment that was reported from Bhilai on Wednesday. Four female players of Kho-Kho team accused the coaches in Chhattisgarh Kho-Kho Association of sexually harassing them. They claimed coaches had been harassing them for over two years but it had become ‘intolerable’ since a fortnight.  According to police, a case has been registered against general secretary of the Association S Ramu, office bearers Jagbandhu Jena and Murli Reddy.

“We do not want that after this incident, parents get scared for safety of their daughters and discourage them for taking up a career in sports. Only a stern action against the culprits will do justice,” said Nayak.

They also demanded that the accused Kho-Kho association be either blacklisted or dissolved and strict punishment is meted out to Ram. “Sports Minister, Secretary and Director must take responsibility of this and resign from their posts on moral grounds,” said Dhanai. Taking a pot shot at Raman Singh-led BJP Government in the State, Dhanai said that besides a hat trick win in Assembly elections, Singh has also made a hat trick in ignoring issues troubling the sportsperson of the state, especially female.

Chhattisgarh is set to host National Games this year but the incident raises a question mark on the safety of women players in the state, let alone the guests sportspersons. Earlier too, players like Saba Anjum, Lata Sahu, Anita Shinde had faced safety issues in the state.  “If sportsperson are forced to fight this battle on their own without support from politicians, when are they supposed to focus on sports?” questioned Dhanai. The three office bearers of the Kho-Kho association have been accused of asking undue favours, making indecent advances and showing porn clips to the players.

 


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