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Municipal body to give Rs 33 crore to PMPML

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The Times of India          31.10.2013

Municipal body to give Rs 33 crore to PMPML

PUNE: The financially-strapped PMPML will get Rs 33.29 crore from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for meeting the expenses it incurred for issuing free and concessional travel passes to students and citizens.

The beleaguered city transport body is monetarily dependent on the municipal corporations of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) released its share of Rs 22.5 crore in August. The PMC's contribution was pending as it sought to recover all previous loans given to the PMPML.

The transport undertaking gives free travel passes to over 50,000 students of primary and secondary schools besides senior citizens and other groups. The PMC and the PCMC had agreed to reimburse the expenses which runs into crores. The PMPML, however, struggles to recover the amount from the two corporations.

PMPML officials said the transport undertaking had spent over Rs 33.29 crore in the last financial year for the free and concessional travel passes issued to students, senior citizens, and other groups. Accordingly, the PMPML had asked the municipal corporation to disburse the amount. PMPML officials said the municipal corporation has agreed to pay the amount.

The PMC had earlier tabled a proposal before the general body which listed a series of conditions that the PMPML was required to meet before the amount could be disbursed. The conditions were so harsh that the PMPML could have never fulfilled them.

Of the many conditions, one was that the amount was to be disbursed from the current financial year's (2013-14) budget and it be regarded as disbursement for bus passes for the year 2013-14.

Various civic departments had examined the details of the PMPML's expenses on the pass schemes. The departments said that Rs 30 crore should be allocated and the powers to disburse should be given to the municipal commissioner. Another condition was that the PMC would first recover Rs 10 crore which was given to the PMPML before as a temporary loan. Also, all amounts given by various civic departments to the PMPML were to be recovered first.

The municipal corporation had earlier disbursed a loan to the transport undertaking through a fixed deposit of Rs 30.2 crore. The corporation also sought to recover the principal amount along with the interest. PMC's proposal said that PMPML should repay all its loans before March 2014, and also issue free travel passes to employees of PMC's municipal secretariat.

 

Water tariff hike awaiting nod

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The Hindu            30.10.2013

Water tariff hike awaiting nod

The Urban Development Department’s proposal to hike water tariff is still awaiting the Chief Minister’s nod. The department, which sent the proposal on October 10, is planning to remind Chief Minister Siddaramaiah about it. Sources in the department told The Hindu that they were hoping he would examine the proposal at the earliest.

Sources in the Chief Minister’s secretariat said Mr. Siddaramaiah was planning to convene a meeting of all civic service providers in the city.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 October 2013 04:42
 

Mayor ready to give space in parks for plant nurseries

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The Hindu            29.10.2013

Mayor ready to give space in parks for plant nurseries

Special Correspondent

This is to ensure availability of plants at nominal prices to promote urban horticulture

The efforts to promote urban horticulture in Bangalore got a boost on Monday with Mayor B. S. Sathyanarayana expressing willingness to provide space in Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) parks for production of vegetable seedlings to ensure availability of plant materials to residents in their localities at nominal prices.

The commitment in this regard was made by the Mayor at the valedictory of the two-day ‘Urban Krishi Mela’ organised by the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, (UAS-B) on its campus to encourage Bangaloreans to grow vegetables and fruits at home, through methods such as terrace gardening, vertical gardening and kitchen gardening, to not only ensure availability of fresh and nutritious vegetables, but also to fight food shortage.

“We are ready to provide space ranging from 100 ft x 100 ft to 100 ft x 150 ft in each of the BBMP’s 120 parks,” the Mayor said, while declaring that the civic agency was willing to join hands with the university to promote urban horticulture.

According to UAS-B Vice-Chancellor K. Narayana Gowda, the varsity plans to train unemployed youth to take up plant production at these ward-level nurseries. “People of Bangalore are really interested in urban horticulture. Appropriate technologies for facilitating urban horticulture in residential premises are also available. But what is hindering the process is the lack of access to quality plant materials and other inputs. It is possible to motivate people to take up urban horticulture if plants are available in their neighbourhood at nominal rates,” he said.

Dr. Gowda suggested that the BBMP take care of a portion of funding for raising the proposed nurseries while the remaining portion should be arranged by convincing big IT companies to adopt these nurseries.

Referring to this, the Mayor said he would take up the issue when he would hold interactions with IT companies as per the plans by the BBMP to enter into memoranda of understanding (MoU) with them by November 10 to maintain and develop parks and major lung spaces in Bangalore under public-private partnership.

Mr. Sathyanarayana said the BBMP was willing to transport wet garbage being generated at K.R. Market to the university for converting the waste into compost. However, Dr. Gowda said transporting waste was a costly exercise and instead suggested that it was better to set up ward-level biogas plants that would take care of not only waste management, but also generate electricity. The manure, which would be available after generating power, could be sold to residents at nominal rates to support urban horticulture, he suggested.

S.R. Vishwanath, Yelahanka MLA, who was present at the valedictory, offered to provide funds and space for locating two nursery units in his constituency.

He appealed to the UAS-B to develop demonstration terrace gardens in his constituency to create public awareness.

Motamma, MLC, who attended the mela, said she too would develop a terrace garden at her house.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 October 2013 05:44
 


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