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Master Plan

5 bids received for solar city master plan

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 04:43 administrator
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The Hindu 04.11.2009

5 bids received for solar city master plan

Staff Reporter

The firm that qualifies in the financial bid too will be awarded the contract

 

The goal is to promote use of renewable energy in urban areas

Vijayawada is one of the 15 cities across the country chosen by the Centre

VIJAYAWADA: The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has received five bids from interested parties for preparing a master plan for implementation of “Solar City” project. Gurgaon-based Winrock, Mumbai-based Dara Shaw and Company and EPIC Energy Limited of Coimbatore were among the five agencies that filed the bids.

As the last date for filing the bids ended on October 30, the Corporation officials are planning to open the tenders in the next couple of days. The officials would open the financial bids of the agencies that were qualified in the technical bids. The firm that qualifies in the financial bid too would be awarded the contract to prepare the master plan.

Vijayawada is one of the 15 cities across the country chosen by the Union Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE). The MNRE would provide a grant of Rs. 10 lakhs a year to the VMC for implementing the project.

The goal of the project is to promote use of renewable energy in urban areas by providing support to the municipal corporations for preparation and implementation of a road map to develop cities as “solar cities”. The activities in the programme are preparation of a master plan, setting up of a solar city cell, organising training programmes, workshops and the like, says Additional Commissioner (Projects) S. V. Giridhar Rao.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 04 November 2009 04:44
 

Consultant selected to develop master plan

Friday, 30 October 2009 15:10 administrator
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The Hindu 30.10.2009

Consultant selected to develop master plan

Rajesh B. Nair

Plan will cover an area of 72 square kilometres

Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

MORE GROWTH: The urban limit of Puducherry is all set to extend with the development of a new master plan. —

PUDUCHERRY: The Town and Planning Department has selected a private consultant to develop a master plan for town and its urban agglomeration. Work will be awarded to the consultant for preparing the master plan after approval from Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh, a senior government official told The Hindu.

“The Lieutenant Governor has convened a meeting shortly to get a first-hand account about the preparation of the master plan. A presentation would be made to him very shortly,” the official said.

The new master plan would cover an area of 72 sq km, which would include areas that come under Pondicherry, Oulgaret Municipalities and Revenue villages of Ariankuppam and Villianur. The consultant would be given a period of six months to submit the draft plan, officials said.

The existing master plan, prepared in 1982 for an area of 41 sq km, was reviewed in 1997. As per the norm, the master plan had to be reviewed every 10 years, the officials said.

The consultant would identify residential areas, floor area ratio, existing land use pattern to assess the land to be marked for different purposes, earmark agriculture land and industrial area based on the Urban Development Plan Formulation and Implementation guidelines issued by the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation.

The comprehensive draft report would also cover population density, areas underserved by essential commodities, road network, sewerage and drinking water network, bus and rail routes. It would also cover the entire social and infrastructure of the region, the officials said.

Since the review of the last master plan, development had taken place beyond the existing urban agglomeration. Hence, several areas would be added to urban and urban agglomeration limit as the town was fast expanding, the officials said.

Apart from bringing out a new master plan, the Town Planning Department was in the process of developing a regional plan for Puducherry, Cuddalore, Villupuram and Auroville in consultation with Tamil Nadu government and Union Ministry of Urban Development. The plan was to have a coordinated action plan for the region to bring about sustainable development, they said.

“We have already initiated the process. We have communicated our interest for developing a regional plan to Tamil Nadu and the Ministry of Urban Development,” an official said.

The department was also in the process of notifying heritage buildings in Puducherry. The buildings would be first identified based on the guidelines issued by the Ministry, he added.

Last Updated on Friday, 30 October 2009 15:16
 

Govt's nod for city's masterplan

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 07:51 administrator
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The Times of India 30.09.2009

Govt's nod for city's masterplan

TNN 29 September 2009, 11:24pm IST
MANGALORE: The masterplan, a blueprint for the city's future development has received the state government's approval, mayor M Shankar Bhat said here on Tuesday.

Chairing the monthly meeting of City Corporation, the mayor said the governor has given his assent to the masterplan. The Mangalore Urban Development Authority had taken up the work of revising the masterplan, which was hanging fire for long.

Door numbers
Replying to queries raised by corporators on problems faced by people in obtaining door numbers, Bhat informed them about this recent development. "One has to go through the masterplan and see if it has any specific relief for people who are facing difficulties in obtaining door number in view of violations while constructing buildings," he said, adding that both legal and humanitarian aspects of the issue has to be considered.

The Mysore City Corporation has incorporated a provision to regularise up to 20% deviation in building construction after levying a fine in its building by-laws. Likewise, the city corporation now has to study the same and frame its own by-laws accordingly, he said adding that he would consult the legal cell of the civic body, deputy commissioner, and district in-charge minister and announce a final decision at the next monthly meeting.

Corporators cutting across party lines expressed their concern at problems faced by the people in obtaining door numbers. Naveen D' Souza suggested that the civic body could withhold licenses of commercial buildings in case they deviated from the sanctioned building plan, but the same yardstick should not be applied for residential units. Former Mayor Shashidhar Hegde said door number was a necessity for various other purposes.

The mayor while agreeing with the observations of the corporations cautioned that the door number issued by the civic body was also liable for misuse and greater caution needed to be exercised in this regard. "This had also paved the way for corruption among the staff of the civic body," the Mayor said, adding that the civic body is determined, and will work towards providing relief to common man, albeit within the legal framework.

Be patient on SAS
Replying to a query from CPM corporator Jayanthi on the status of self-assessment scheme (SAS) sent by the civic body for government approval, the mayor said the directorate of municipal administration has vetted the same and it is presently before the state cabinet. Stating that he is pursuing the matter with the government, Bhat expressed confidence that the revised SAS scheme would receive approval by end of October.

Water to UPC
The issue of providing water to coal stacking yard of Udupi Power Corporation Limited at New Mangalore Port surfaced at the fag end of the meeting with opposition Congress corporators registering their strong opposition to the proposal. The chief whip Ganesh Hosabettu read through the agenda amidst the din. Bhat had earlier defended the decision to provide 0.05 MGD water to the yard, as the civic body was now water sufficient.
 
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