Urban Infrastructure

City to get more night shelters soon

Monday, 20 January 2014 05:29 administrator

The Hindu 20.01.2014

City to get more night shelters soon

Seeking to set up more night shelters in the city, the GHMC on Saturday night carried out a preliminary survey to identify locations where the homeless sleep.

A full-fledged identification process would be taken up at midnight on Monday.

The GHMC presently has a total of 14 night shelters spread across different circles of the city, with a total capacity of 387.

The civic body plans to immediately start two more shelters. Realising the need for more such facilities, it had decided to take up a survey of different points where the homeless usually gather around to sleep in the nights.

“As of now, we propose to set up two shelters – below the Begumpet flyover and one near the Basavatarakam Cancer Hospital,” an official said.

“The visit [on Saturday] was a bit early in the night. We realised not many had returned to the usual haunts frequented by the homeless. Thus on Monday, our teams will start late and carry out the assessment beyond midnight,” an official said.

Review meet

At a recent review meeting, GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar asked the Urban Community Development (UCD) wing to form teams for the survey of places in the city where homeless sleep and also wanted them to identify open spaces or buildings which could be converted into night shelters.

Work on drainage system to begin in three months

Monday, 20 January 2014 05:21 administrator

The Hindu 20.01.2014

Work on drainage system to begin in three months

The government approved a Rs. 66-crore underground drainage project for Moodbidri town, said K. Abhayachandra Jain, local MLA and Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Sports and Fisheries.

He was addressing a gathering at a function organised by the government to lay the foundation stone for building an eight-lane 400m synthetic track at Swaraj Maidan here. M. Veerappa Moily, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister for Environment and Forests (MoEF) laid the foundation stone.

Mr. Jain said that the Union government would bear 80 per cent of the project cost under the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns. The balance would be borne by the State government.

The Minister said that the work would begin within three months. Meanwhile, sources in the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board told The Hindu that the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada had issued the preliminary notification for acquiring 23 acres of land for the project.

Mr. Jain said the synthetic track in Moodbidri, to be built at an estimated cost of Rs. 4.25 crore, will have water sprinklers, which the synthetic track laid in Mangala Stadium in Mangalore does not have. It will also be green inside, unlike the Mangalore track. The Moodbidri track will be useful for all, including students from engineering and polytechnic colleges in the taluk.

Mr. Moily said that a project on how to develop sports talent in Moodbidri taluk could be submitted to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for financial assistance.

He told M. Mohan Alva, Chairman, Alva’s Educational Institutions, Moodbidri: “If you want to promote sports, please make a project and come to Delhi, from the corpus fund or running fund, we can do something so that athletes can shine at the national and international level.”

Mr. Moily said that a post-graduation centre of Mangalore University could come up in Moodbidri. He also laid the foundation of a Kannada Bhavana for Bharat Scouts and Guides in the town.

Rs. 7-crore aid for new Iron Bridge likely

Friday, 10 January 2014 05:35 administrator

The Hindu 10.01.2014

Rs. 7-crore aid for new Iron Bridge likely

Special Correspondent

The State government has assured allocation of Rs.7 crore required for constructing the approach road for the new Iron Bridge across the Kollam canal, Mayor Prasnna Earnest has said.

The construction of the bridge was nearing completion, she told the Corporation Council during its meeting on Thursday.

Ms. Earnest said that lack of funds for constructing the approach road was a cause for concern and the Corporation had written to the State government requesting the required fund.

She said the road overbridge across the Police Commissioner Office junction level crossing would be commissioned by the end of this month.

With the commissioning of the overbridge, the railways intended keeping the level crossing permanently closed. But the closure would create hardship for the people living in the area.

Level crossing

Therefore, the council would pass a resolution seeking to keep the level crossing opened during the day time and the same would be submitted to the railway authorities, she said.

Need for spillway

Saline water intrusion into the Vattakayal lake in the city was causing concern and the Corporation will request the State government for an allocation of Rs.1 crore for the construction of a spillway to prevent the saline water intrusion.

The Corporation would construct 40 lockers for the traditional fishermen based at the Vaddy fishing harbour to store their fishing gadgets like nets and outboard engines.

The decision was taken in the wake of the December 31 blaze, which destroyed the palm frond tents on the Vaddy beach where these gadgets were being stored.

Financial relief

A decision to grant financial relief to the dependants of the person killed in the blaze and others injured would also be taken.

Council member Uliyakovil Sasi pointed out that for the past 13 years the post of a police surgeon was lying vacant at the district hospital.

This was causing hardship to people when it came to cases involving autopsy.

Mr. Sasi wanted the Corporation to bring the situation to the urgent attention of the Health Department.

40 lockers for traditional fishermen based at the Vaddy fishing harbour.

Nine new traffic signals to be set up

Thursday, 09 January 2014 07:17 administrator

The Times of India 09.01.2014

Nine new traffic signals to be set up

NASHIK: The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has identified nine locations for setting up traffic signals across the city in view of the forthcoming Kumbh mela.

The NMC has plans to put up the traffic signals during the next financial year and a provision of around Rs 1 crore is to be made for the purpose in the budget for the fiscal year 2014-15.

Of the nine proposed traffic signals, three each are to be set up in Nashik Road and Nashik West divisions of the civic body, two in Panchavati division and one in Satpur division.

Speaking to TOI, an NMC official said, "We are planning to set up nine new traffic signals in view of the forthcoming Kumbh mela. All the proposed traffic signals will be operational before commencement of the mega event. We have identified nine locations across the city where these traffic signals are needed considering the flow of traffic. Accordingly, the places where signals are to be set up are at Shivajinagar in Jail Road area, the square behind Anuradha theatre and Sinnar Phata square in Nashik Road division, Old Gangapur Naka, the square near City Centre Mall and Yeolekar Mala in Nashik West division, Tarwalanagar Chowk and RTO Corner in Panchavati division and ABB Circle in Satpur division."

"The work of setting up the proposed traffic signals is to be included in the budget of the NMC for the next financial year," he added.

Nashik is one of the four cities where Kumbh mela is held every 12 years. The next Kumbh mela is to be held in 2015. Around 70 lakh people and three lakh sadhus are expected to visit the city during the mega event. Therefore, monitoring the traffic will be a challenge for the police administration as well as the civic administration. In this backdrop, the NMC has also started preparation of traffic measures that can be taken during Kumbh mela.

Town Hall to Get Facelift at a Cost of Rs 5.6 Crore: BBMP

Wednesday, 08 January 2014 07:23 administrator

The New Indian Express 08.01.2014

Addressing a news conference at the Palike office, he said they will repair and replace seats, studio system, stage and green room and also improve various other facilities at the building.

A committee headed by theatre artiste Prakash Belvadi has been constituted to suggest changes and improvements, he said.

Basavaraju said tenders have been called to build a hospital at a cost of `1.25 crore in Ward No.103 for the benefit of the poor people in the surrounding villages.

The BBMP Commissioner has directed executive engineers to hold public meetings to redress grievances at ward-level once in two months and submit reports regarding the same.

BESCOM, BWSSB and other department officials will be present at the meeting, he added.

‘BBMP IS in Financial Crisis’

The BBMP is in doldrums with a loan of Rs 9,000 crore and has failed to cash in on the available resources, said R Prakash JD(S) opposition leader in the BBMP.

More Articles...