Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Public Health / Sanitation


Rs 10,000-cr plan to modernise GHMC drainage system

Thursday, 16 July 2009 07:50 administrator
Print PDF

The Business Line 16.07.2009

Rs 10,000-cr plan to modernise GHMC drainage system

An 80-km stretch of the 160 km of Outer Ring Road will be ready by the year-end and the rest of the project by 2012.

Our Bureau

Hyderabad, July 15

The Andhra Pradesh Government is considering a proposal to take up modernisation of drainage system in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) which will entail an investment of about Rs 10,000 crore.

Briefing newspersons after a meeting of the State Cabinet, the State Information Minister, Ms J. Geetha Reddy, said that the Cabinet, while reviewing the progress of major ongoing projects in the GHMC, said that this project to revamp the drainage system is top on the agenda.

Referring to the Outer Ring Road project, she said that 80-km stretch of the 160 km planned by the GHMC would be ready by the year-end and the rest of the project by 2012, bringing about a major change in the traffic movement and development of the city.

Apco performance

On the performance of APCO and weavers cooperatives, the Minister said that the Government has decided to extend guarantees till 2012 which will enable it to enjoy access to funds.

The Cabinet was pleased with APCO performance whose turnover has gone up from Rs 112 crore in 2005-2006 to Rs 190 crore in 2008-2009. The performance of APCO in the first half has been very encouraging with support from various Government departments. It registered revenue of Rs 96 crore in the first half, she said.

While one lakh weavers are securing loans from APCO, a committee of Group of Ministers was appointed to study the feasibility of extending loans directly to the weaver rather than to cooperatives. The Finance Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, has been nominated to head the group to study its feasibility.

The Group of Ministers appointed to monitor prices of essential commodities is working out ways to bring down prices and also monitoring them regularly. They have been empowered to take appropriate measures, she said.

INDIAN SILK MILLS

The Indian Silk Mills based in Bangalore has been allotted three acres of land for setting up a spinning unit in Parigi, another 3 acres at Rachepalli for establishing a unit.

The Indian Silk Mills was chosen by the Central Silk Board, Bangalore and the Department of Sericulture for setting up this unit where about 10,000 Eri farmers would benefit. While these farmers will be able to secure additional income of Rs 5,000, besides helping in sale of castor seed and Tapioca tubors. The unit will be set up on a lease for 10 years.

Last Updated on Thursday, 16 July 2009 08:04
 

Special cleanliness drive in twin cities

Wednesday, 15 July 2009 08:14 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu 15.07.2009

Special cleanliness drive in twin cities

Staff Correspondent

It will begin from the slums in the next two days

HUBLI: Mayor Viranna Savadi on Tuesday announced that a special cleanliness drive, beginning from the slums, would be taken up in all wards of the twin cities in the next two days.

The Mayor made this announcement after heated discussions on the issue of lack of cleanliness at a special general body meeting of the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation.

The Mayor said that there were 115 personnel in the Health Department of the corporation and they would be deployed for the special cleanliness drive in each ward for three to four days.

The drive would be completed by August-end, he said.

The Mayor ruled that the work of the contractors looking after solid waste management in the twin cities would be subjected to a third party inspection in the wake of complaints of poor maintenance.

He said along with the cleanliness drive, there would be an awareness campaign in all the localities.

Earlier in the meeting, corporators cutting across party lines took the officials to task for “negligence” in maintaining cleanliness in the twin cities. Senior corporators from the Bharatiya Janata Party Pandurang Patil and Ashok Jadhav, Congress corporators Deepak Chinchore, Ganesh Tagargunti, Janata Dal (Secular) corporators Hazrat Ali Dodmani and Saroja Patil criticised the functioning of the Health Department of the corporation.

They said that the officials of the Health Department did not act while dengue, chikungunya and other diseases were spreading fast in the corporation limits.

They launched “precautionary measures” only a few days ago, the corporators said.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 15 July 2009 08:16
 

BMC sanitary workers to protest privatisation move

Sunday, 12 July 2009 11:54 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu 12.07.2009

BMC sanitary workers to protest privatisation move

Staff Reporter

Talks between the leaders of the BMMKS and Mayor, BMC fail

BMC says it is prepared to face the agitation of sanitary workers

BERHAMPUR: The sanitary workers of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation have decided to take up the path of agitation to protest against attempts to privatise cleaning in parts of the city.

The decision to take up agitation was taken at a meeting of the Berhampur Municipality Mehentar Karmachari Sangh (BMMKS) held on Saturday evening. The BMMKS happens to be the union of sanitary workers working under the BMC. As per Sukant Mukhi, a leader of the union, they have around 850 members, which includes both regular and temporary sanitary workers employed by the BMC. Mr Mukhi said they are working out the details of their agitation plan.

The BMC has decided to hand over cleaning of nine wards to private parties. It had called up tenders from parties for it. The BMMKS activists had held demonstration in the BMC office premises on Friday while the tender bids were being opened. The talks between the leaders of the BMMKS with Mayor Siba Shankar Das and in charge Commissioner of BMC Bhima Manseth also failed.

The Mayor and the Commissioner were of the opinion that they had to opt for privatisation of cleaning of wards as most corporators were of the view that the existing sanitary workers were failing in their duties. The BMMKS members demanded appointment of more sanitary workers rather than opting for privatisation. Mr Manseth said privatisation is not new in Orissa’s urban bodies. In Sambalpur, cleaning process in 29 wards had been privatised. Most corporators alleged that the sanitary workers of the municipality were using other persons in their place through payment of small amounts. “If sanitary workers can hand over their work to others on contract then why not the BMC opt for privatisation through contract which would have accountability,” corporators like K.K.Mishra said.

The BMC authorities said they were prepared to face the agitation of the sanitary workers as they had the support of the general public who were disgusted with the lack of sanitation in the city. Cleaning of four markets in the city has been already privatised. The wards where cleaning has been privatised by the BMC are ward numbers 10, 13, 14, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 35.

Last Updated on Sunday, 12 July 2009 11:56
 

Can India follow West in saying no to bottled water?

Thursday, 09 July 2009 10:57 administrator
Print PDF

Source: The Economic Times Date : 09.07.2009

Can India follow West in saying no to bottled water?

SYDNEY: Residents of a rural Australian town hoping to protect the earth and their wallets have voted to ban the sale of bottled water, the first

b1.jpg
community in the country _ and possibly the world _ to take such a drastic step in the growing backlash against the industry.

Residents of Bundanoon cheered after their near-unanimous approval of the measure at a town meeting Wednesday. It was the second blow to Australia's beverage industry in one day: Hours earlier, the New South Wales state premier banned all state departments and agencies from buying bottled water, calling it a waste of money and natural resources.

``I have never seen 350 Australians in the same room all agreeing to something,'' said Jon Dee, who helped spearhead the ``Bundy on Tap'' campaign in Bundanoon, a town of 2,500 about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Sydney. ``It's time for people to realize they're being conned by the bottled water industry.''

First popularized in the 1980s as a convenient, healthy alternative to sugary drinks, bottled water today is often criticized as an environmental menace, with bottles cluttering landfills and requiring large amounts of energy to produce and transport.

Over the past few years, at least 60 cities in the United States and a handful of others in Canada and the United Kingdom have agreed to stop spending taxpayer dollars on bottled water, which is often consumed during city meetings, said Deborah Lapidus, organizer of Corporate Accountability International's ``Think Outside the Bottle'' campaign in the U.S.

But the Boston-based nonprofit corporate watchdog has never heard of a community banning the sale of bottled water, she said.

``I think what this town is doing is taking it one step further and recognizing that there's safe drinking water coming out of our taps,'' she said.

Bundanoon's battle against the bottle has been brewing for years, ever since a Sydney-based beverage company announced plans to build a water extraction plant in the town. Residents were furious over the prospect of an outsider taking their water, trucking it up to Sydney for processing and then selling it back to them. The town is still fighting the company's proposal in court.

Then in March, Huw Kingston, who owns the town's combination cafe and bike shop, had a thought: If the town was so against hosting a water bottling company, why not ban the end product?

To prevent lost profit in the 10-or-so town businesses that sell bottled water, Kingston suggested they instead sell reusable bottles for about the same price. Residents will be able to fill the bottles for free at public water fountains, or pay a small fee to fill them with filtered water kept in the stores.

Last Updated on Friday, 10 December 2010 07:26
 

Implement cow slaughter ban, Government urged

Thursday, 09 July 2009 08:21 administrator
Print PDF

Source : The Hindu Date : 09.07.2009

Implement cow slaughter ban, Government urged

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Akhila Karnataka Pranidaya Sangha has urged the State Government to declare Karnataka “a State free of cow and its progeny slaughter”.

It demanded setting up of Karnataka Cow and its Progeny Protection Commission for strict implementation of the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964.

Addressing presspersons on Tuesday, the coordinator of the sangha, Dayananda Swamiji, said that statistics showed that slaughter of cows, oxen, and he-buffaloes had led to decrease in their population. Apathy in implementation of the law and imposing punishment on violators were the causes. “The government should amend the Act so as to ban the slaughter of the cow and its progeny,” he said.

Welcoming the State Government’s move to impose a complete ban on cow slaughter by amending the Act, He said several States, including Gujarat, had already implemented the total ban.

“This issue is not a cause for communal clashes,” he added.

Last Updated on Thursday, 09 July 2009 08:27
 
More Articles...


Page 245 of 250