The Hindu       23.12.2014

GHMC to launch 2nd phase of driver-cum-owner scheme

: The GHMC is getting ready to launch the second phase of ‘driver-cum-owner’ scheme where close to 200 unemployed youth are likely to be given brand new Maruti Dzire cars.

The first tranche of the scheme saw 105 vehicles handed over by Deputy CM Moahmood Ali four months ago.

Special Officer and Commissioner Somesh Kumar said that in the second phase, 90 per cent of the bank loan has been allotted to SC/ST category with 10 per cent beneficiary contribution and for others, it will be 80 per cent bank loan and 20 per cent beneficiary contribution.

All the first phase vehicles are being utilised by the municipal corporation for official use by paying a rent of Rs.25,000 per month.

Special discount

The Maruti Suzuki firm itself is giving a special discount of Rs.76,000 and loan is by the State Bank of Hyderabad for a period of six years. A subsidy of 35 per cent is given to SC/ST beneficiaries under SCSP/TSP component of Industrial Investment Promotion Policy (IIPP) 2010-15.

Unclaimed bodies

GHMC has also constituted a panel of officials including the police and health department to take a call on providing the unclaimed bodies in the Government hospitals in the city to the teaching hospitals for a prescribed fee. Mr. Somesh Kumar also stated that there was a strange situation where medical colleges were not getting bodies for teaching while many bodies were rotting in the mortuaries. Steps will also be taken to ensure that such bodies are disposed of with 72 hours, a press release said.

e-office

The municipal corporation will also become the first civic body in the country to go for total e-office soon and already close to 5,000 files have been digitised with the help of the National Informatics Centre (NIC). Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will be officially launching the e-file after the number reaches 10,000 files, added Mr. Kumar.

The Times of India         20.11.2014  

4 more villages slated for merger with PMC

PUNE : The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is certain to become the largest civic body in terms of area after the law committee on Wednesday approved a proposal to merge four more villages with the city's limits. Its geographical area will increase from the current 243.84 sq km to over 500 sq km.

The four villages are Vadaki, Sanaswadi, Avhalwadi and Sanasnagar located on the Pune-Solapur and Pune-Ahmednagar highways. The proposal will go to the general body and then to the state government before an official merger.

The final process for including 34 fringe villages in the civic limits had started in May 2014 with the state government issuing an official merger notification. According to the notification, issued by the state urban development department then; 34 villages located along the fringe areas of Pune will be brought in the municipal folds.

After the approval at the law committee, Vadaki, Sanaswadi, Avhalwadi and Sanasnagar have cleared first step for becoming the part of PMC. These villages are located around Pune Solapur highway and Pune- Ahemadnagar highway. The The proposal will go to GB and then to state government before official getting merged.

"These four villages were left out of the process, so we decided to include them with the corporation's limits," said Ashwini Jadhav, head of the law committee. Some MNS corporators opposed the merger which was supported by the Shiv Sena, BJP, NCP and Congress.

Some elected members have said that while considering the merger, issues about illegal constructions can crop up. The civic administration should consider making rules and regulations to deal with illegal constructions in these villages, they said.

The proposal states that building permissions given to developers in these villages should be cancelled and constructions allowed on amenity spaces should be halted. The same rules and regulations will be applicable for the new four villages, it said.