The Hindu        14.01.2011

e-Auction ensures more money for Coimbatore Corporation

The Coimbatore Corporation, while launching its e-auction drive, ‘inadvertently' networked the auction outcome to its coffers. The primary intention was to eliminate cartels hijacking auctions.

But, the spinoff came in the form of increased revenue. With the auction of every shop, the inflow into the coffers has increased and the Corporation managers are laughing all the way to the bank. “Our revenue increase is around 40 per cent,” says Anshul Mishra, Corporation Commissioner.

The aim of computerising the auction process was to break cartelisation, ensure transparency and make it easy for people to participate, he says and adds that the civic body did not, however, give up the traditional auction system. “The continuance of the traditional system was to ensure that technologically challenged people were not left out.”

M. Sundararajan, Assistant Commissioner, Revenue, Coimbatore Corporation, says the revenue from e-auctioning parking lots, markets, toilet complexes, abattoirs etc. rose by Rs. 1.38 crore. In the last financial year, the civic body earned Rs. 3.33 crore and this year it has increased to Rs. 4.71 crore.

The Corporation has 65 annual lease items and around 2,500 monthly rental items. The latter are shops at commercial complexes, from where it gets revenue on a monthly basis. The annual lease items are those that the Corporation auctions once a year. The revenue from the e-auctioning of shops at the newly-constructed fish and flower markets has also surprised the Corporation managers.

Mr. Mishra says the income from auctioning a few shops, auction hall, parking lot and toilet complex at the new flower market has been very good. The Corporation has so far earned about Rs. 30 lakh and is sure of raking in more once the remaining 18 shops are auctioned. The story repeats at itself the fish market too.

Mr. Sundararajan says the participation has also been good. “One-hundred and nine people took part in the flower market auction and 85 for the fish market shops.”

The Hindu          13.01.2011

Availability, management of data key to disaster planning: expert

taking stock: S. Shanmugavel, Registrar, Anna University; M. Sekar, Dean, College of Engineering, Anna University; Ravi Sinha, Member, Core Group on Earthquake, National Disaster Management Authority, New Delhi; and A.R. Rajarathnam, Director Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management, Anna University, at a meeting in Chennai on Wednesday. — Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

Ready availability, reliability and efficient management of data is key to disaster planning and decision-making, Ravi Sinha, Member, Core Group on Earthquake, National Disaster Management Authority, New Delhi, said on Wednesday.

In his key-note address at the third project monitoring committee meeting and consultation with user departments on GIS information based e-governance for vulnerability assessment of Chennai hosted by the Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management, Anna University-Chennai, Mr. Sinha said the more the data available the better the preparedness and the more effective the decision-making process.

A better understanding of consequences of a disaster such as earthquake is important for launching an alternative plan and reduce severity of impact in circumstances where the first line of action has not been executed, Mr. Sinha said.

It was equally imperative to have an idea of the type of scientific and field information that would become relevant in disaster management.

Noting that only some States had undertaken, on a pilot basis, rapid visual screening of buildings to assess seismic vulnerability, Mr. Sinha said Chennai was the first city to do the mapping on a comprehensive and sustainable basis.

However, it was important to understand that data collection was not an end in itself and that the information had to fit into the larger scenario of impact mitigation.

In his presidential address, S. Shanmugavel, Anna University Registrar, said the e-governance project sponsored by the Department of Information Technology, Government of India, aimed at assessing the quality of buildings and overall seismic safety.

The project involved geological, geo-physical, geo-technical, remote sensing and GIS mapping components.

A seismic hazard map on a GIS platform would help officials take appropriate decisions in an emergency.

Noting that the Asian continent as a whole was vulnerable to disasters — accounting for 83 per cent of the disaster-affected population globally — India alone accounted for 24 per cent of deaths due to disasters, he said. Inaugurating the event, Gabriel, District Revenue Officer, Relief and Rehabilitation, said a reliable database was the backbone of good governance.

He also stressed the need for education and training in disaster mitigation and management.