Urban Planning

Rs. 53,000-crore plan outlay cleared for State

Friday, 31 May 2013 04:25 administrator

The Hindu 31.05.2013

Rs. 53,000-crore plan outlay cleared for State

Special Correspondent

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has secured the Planning Commission’s approval to a Rs. 53,000-crore plan outlay for the State for 2013-14 as presented before the legislature as part of the Rs. 1.61 lakh crore budget on Thursday.

A sum of Rs. 6,422 crore, which will accrue to the State under Centre-sponsored schemes for the year, will take the overall plan outlay to a high of Rs. 59,422 crore -- 8.2 per cent higher compared to that of the previous fiscal. The plan outlay was finalised at a three-hour-long marathon meeting with officials of the commission in New Delhi.

Mr Reddy, who utilised the occasion to discuss a range of other matters with Deputy Chairman of the commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and other officials, made an impassioned plea, seeking investment clearance to the Polavaram project based on its revised cost (Rs. 16,010 crore) and its recommendation to the Centre to take it up as national project along with Pranahita-Chevella (Rs. 38,500 crore), a mega project being implemented to benefit Telangana.

Accompanied by Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayan Reddy, and principal secretaries of Finance and Planning V. Bhaskar and S. P Tucker, he firmly told the commission that Andhra Pradesh would achieve a 10 per cent economic growth during the 12th Plan -- 1.2 per cent higher than that of the projected national average. The State’s expenditure would take a quantum jump and reach a peak of Rs. 3.42 lakh crore during this period, the per capita being Rs. 75,270 as against the national average of Rs 68,747. The commission complimented the State as Mr. Reddy explained the launching of the sub-plans for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, Bangaru Thalli, girl child protection scheme, and Amma Hastham through which nine essential commodities were being sold to white cardholders at subsidised rates.

At a media briefing later, the Chief Minister, however, ruled out the possibility of implementing the cash transfer scheme for scholarships and pensions as the Centre was meeting only a part of the expenditure on them.

He said as advised by the commission, projects worth Rs. 20,000 crore would be submitted for approval later under Phase II of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

Master Plan 2021 looks to enhance FAR for hospitals

Thursday, 30 May 2013 09:47 administrator

The Indian Express 30.05.2013

Master Plan 2021 looks to enhance FAR for hospitals

As part of the ongoing review of the Master Plan-2021, a proposal for enhancing the floor area ratio (FAR) of hospitals and include a new category of tertiary healthcare centres has been made.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has also sought public objections and suggestions for the proposal.

According to DDA officials, there is part provision in Master Plan-2021 regarding advanced healthcare facilities, such as geriatric centre, but in order to cater to present day needs, more such facilities are required.

"Facilities like super-specialty and multi-specialty healthcare, types of rehabilitation centres can be provided by introducing a single category as tertiary healthcare facility,'' an official said.

Meanwhile, the existing FAR of the hospitals will be augmented, based on the width of the right of way of the road and subject to no objection certificate from agencies concerned.

Also, instead of categorising hospitals on the basis of area and population, hospitals will now be categorised on the basis of available floor area per patient and there will only be on category known as 'Hospital' instead of the the existing system of categorisation under the Master Plan-2021.

"For plots on right of way (RoW) less than 24 metres, FAR of 250 will be allowed. For plots on RoW from 24 to 30 metres, FAR of 300 will be allowed; and for plots on RoW above 30 metres, the permissible FAR will be 375. But plots falling under the influence zone of major transports corridors, like Metro and BRT, will be allowed 50 per cent more FAR,'' an official said.

Ground coverage will also increase by 30 per cent to 40 per cent.

"Up to 25 per cent of the permitted FAR can be for residential use of essential staff, dormitory/hostel for attendants of patients, creche, etc, for both hospitals and tertiary healthcare centres,'' the official said.

GHMC looks at a good haul of rainwater this year

Thursday, 30 May 2013 05:53 administrator

The Hindu 30.05.2013

GHMC looks at a good haul of rainwater this year

While the first shower of the season drenched a scorched city, the GHMC has once again appealed to the citizens, residential welfare associations, voluntary agencies and educational institutions to avail themselves of its help to set up rain water harvesting (RWH) structures.

Mayor Mohd. Majid Hussain and GHMC Commissioner M.T. Krishna Babu told presspersons on Wednesday that the Municipal Corporation would bear 50 per cent of the cost of RWHs in apartment blocks and individual buildings.

Respective residential colony welfare associations and voluntary agencies can also approach the Deputy Commissioner or the Executive Engineer of the municipal circle concerned for setting up RWHs in parks and public places.

Collection sources

“The GHMC will provide technical expertise for the structures and reimburse half the cost upon inspection of the same. Each RWH costs between Rs.10,000-Rs.15,000 and the DCs/EEs have been given powers to take up such structures worth Rs.50,000 each,” they said.

Anything costing more will have to be referred to the head office.

Requisitions for RWHs can also be made through the 24/7 call centre – 155304/23302440 and also online – ghmc.gov.in. Sanctions will be given in 15 days.

The target is 10,000 RWHs this year at a cost of Rs. 6 crore and thus far, 2,571 have been built at Rs. 3.1 crore.

The Commissioner pointed out that roof-tops of apartments and buildings are good collection sources for rain water.

“Channelising the water into RWHs will help replenish the depleted groundwater,” he said.

Mr. Krishna Babu pointed out while it was safe to source groundwater up to depths of 300 ft-400 ft, in many areas the ground water had plummeted to 1,000 ft.

“Water sourced from extreme depths may not be potable unless tested as it may contain metals,” he said.

“Alarm bells about depleting ground water are ringing and everyone has to be conscious of it. We will take up construction of RWHs on a campaign mode. We have already requested the Government to make them compulsory for buildings coming up in less than 300 square yards also,” he said.

He hailed the initiative of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) for assisting in taking up RWHs in 32 colonies like Gulmohur, Vasantnagar and other areas.

How green is the plan?

Thursday, 30 May 2013 05:44 administrator

The Hindu 30.05.2013

How green is the plan?

Staff Reporter

Though the Thiruvananthapuram master plan promises to create a network of green belts and zones, it does not have concrete measures to intensify greening. This was among the list of objections raised against the draft of the master plan that was put up for public scrutiny at the workshop arranged by the city Corporation here on Tuesday.

R. Sridhar, programme director of Thanal, an environment research organisation based in the city, said that the document had neglected climate change. Riby Rachel Mathew, town planning specialist with Rajiv Awas Yojana, pointed out the contradiction between plans to maintain Akkulam as a green stretch and to establish a multi-mobility hub there. Proposals that suggested intensive development along the Vizhinjam-Thiruvallam stretch may harm local people, most of whom relied on traditional means of livelihood such as fishing, she said. The master plan envisages outward growth from the city core, and the creation of new ‘growth centres,’ including one at Vizhinjam.

Lack of clarity was another grouse among residents. Officials of the Town Planning Department said that specific project proposals would come later.

Objections

Objections can be raised until June 6, after which the Town Planning Department will incorporate suggestions and come up with a final version of the plan. A translated Malayalam document will also be released shortly.

Elicit views zone-wise on CDP, GVMC told

Wednesday, 29 May 2013 05:32 administrator

The Hindu 29.05.2013

Elicit views zone-wise on CDP, GVMC told

Staff Reporter

Training programme on RAY and draft AP Slum Dwellers Property Rights Act 2012 held

The proposals made in the draft of the revised City Development Plan (CDP) should be discussed at zone or sub-zone-wise meetings taking people into confidence, member of the Prime Minister’s Monitoring Committee on JNNURM R.V. Rama Rao has said.

Addressing a one-day training programme on Rajiv Awas Yojana and draft AP Slum Dwellers Property Rights Act 2012 organised by the Campaign for Housing and Tenurial Rights (CHATRI), he said the-more-than-Rs.6,000-crore proposals made in the plan should not be taken up without the approval of the public. The CDP finally becomes part of the Master Plan.

Since the plan included urban housing for the poor, at the zone-wise meetings the location of slums and government lands should be made public and within the zone the urban poor should be readjusted instead of relocating them hitting their livelihood, he suggested. He cited the examples in Ahmedabad, Surat and Pune where only readjustment was done avoiding relocation. In the JNNURM too the lands that should be vacated have been prioritised. Also when if a slum was cleared from government land if it was used for commercial purpose those vacated were entitled 20 to 25 per cent of the floor space. Relief and Rehabilitation rules applicable to project should be applicable when slums were relocated, he said.

Prof. Rama Rao said not only housing but other proposals should be discussed so that funds available were spent on useful projects. The government land, rights on which would be transferred to the municipality, should not be used for commercial purposes, he suggested.

While tenurial rights were being given for individual houses, whether the same would be made applicable to apartments was not clear, he said. He suggested that a land bank be formed with the land earmarked to the poor in private layouts and it should be used for housing from time to time.

City convenor of CHATRI Pragada Vasu alleged that 12 slums had been sent to the technical committee on RAY under a pilot project but the views of people on whether they accepted the G+3 pattern were not taken. An urban local body-level committee should be formed with those concerned but it was not done. He demanded that GO Rt No.136 that laid down only construction of apartments give way to the Property Rights Act which should be duly modified, incorporating the RAY guidelines issued by the Central Government.

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