Urban News

Source : The Hindu Date : 18.06.2009

Puducherry Municipality building cries out for attention

Serena Josephine. M

Photo: T. Singaravelou

in NEED of repairs: A dilapidated portion of the Puducherry Municipality building on Beach Road. —

PUDUCHERRY: One of the popular heritage buildings in town, the Puducherry Municipality building, is in a dilapidated state and in need of immediate renovation. Steps to strengthen the structure have moved at a snail’s pace, causing extensive damage to the historic building.

Situated along Beach Road, the municipality building, popularly known as Marie Building, has been crying for attention for years.

The ceilings have started to crumble, posing hardship to the staff of the local body.

“The building is over 100 years old. A few days ago, the ceiling of the State Finance Commission office inside the building started to develop cracks,” Commissioner of the Puducherry Municipality S. Kuppusamy said.

Around 500 employees are working at the Marie Building. A proposal to renovate the building was placed before the council meeting and approval obtained.

“Tenders will be floated to carry out renovation. However, alternative arrangements to accommodate the municipal office during the renovation works have to be made,” he said.

The council had given the nod to carry out initial works such as the preparation of a report on the renovation at the total cost of Rs. 89,000 through the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

According to S. Kothandaraman, Professor of Civil Engineering, Pondicherry Engineering College, the building was under “structural distress” owing to its age. He submitted a study report to the government on the state of the building almost a year ago.

“A portion of the building is weak. There are wide cracks which might lead to partial collapse,” he said.

“Renovating and retrofitting measures should be implemented immediately. There are a number of ways to protect the building. Meticulous planning alone can protect the superstructure,” Mr. Kothandaraman said.

INTACH had conducted a study of the building along with an expert from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras.

“We submitted a proposal a year ago and another one a couple of weeks ago. We studied the building, made proposals. What is needed is speedy action including funds. Further delay may worsen the condition of the building,” architect co-convener of INTACH Ajit Koujalgi said.

Rafters should be replaced and the building made water-resistant, he added.

Source : The Hindu Date : 17.06.2009

Discoms ask PWD, MCD to get meters for streetlights

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

NEW DELHI: Power distribution companies that will supply energy for the new streetlights to be installed in the Capital have shot off letters to the Public Works Department and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to speed up the process of seeking metered connections for these lights.

According to a Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission order, the discoms would provide metered connections to the streetlights and bills would be generated on the basis of actual consumption.

Prior to the commencement of the Commonwealth Games in 2010, Delhi will have new streetlights with better illumination and a fancier look. “It has come to the notice of the discoms that in some places the PWD and the MCD have started using the new streetlights which use 400 watt fittings instead of the old 250 watt fittings without seeking a proper metered connection,” said a Power Department official.

In some places the civic agencies have been using both the old as well as the new fittings simultaneously. Faced with a loss in revenue, the discoms have now written to the civic agencies to apply for metered connections and get the old ones removed.

“Earlier the discoms used to charge the PWD and the MCD on normative consumption based on wattage (250 watts). Each pole on the main roads and on the streets has two fittings each. So if the PWD and the MCD use the connections meant for 250 watts for lighting 400 watts the discoms stand to lose money,” the official said.

Admitting that some discrepancies have been reported in the use of new streetlights, a discom official said: “We have received 60-70 applications for a metered connection so far. But the process needs more streamlining, especially at the MCD’s end.” Ahead of the Commonwealth Games, old streetlights are being installed that have a higher lux (unit of luminance). While the 250 watt fittings used earlier had a lux level of 15-25, the news ones have a lux level of 35 and above and are mounted on 11.5-metre poles to cover a wider area.