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BMC's draft policy may help regularise illegal mobile towers

Wednesday, 10 July 2013 11:29 administrator
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The Indian Express            10.07.2013

BMC's draft policy may help regularise illegal mobile towers

The new proposed cellphone tower policy of BMC, once approved and implemented by the state government's urban development (UD) department, will pave the way for regularisation of the nearly 1,860 illegal towers.

The draft policy, prepared over the last nine months taking into consideration suggestions from citizen groups and cellular operators, was submitted to the UD department in the first week of July. Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte said, "We have drafted the proposal in line with the department of telecommunication (DoT) guidelines and in future, BMC guidelines will be streamlined with those of the DoT."

BMC has agreed to one of the most important demands of citizens that the towers should not be installed atop schools, colleges, hospitals, orphanages, child rehabilitation centres and old age homes. However, it has added a caveat that the final policy would be compatible with DoT guidelines.

Following protests by citizens, DoT in May removed a clause in its draft guidelines which said installation of towers may be permitted for all locations irrespective of land use. DoT's final guidelines are awaited.

To another crucial suggestion that mobile tower antennae should not be allowed on any adjoining building within three metre from schools, colleges, etc, BMC policy says, "The condition can be dropped. The modified condition that the provision of antennae or mobile towers shall be compatible with the guidelines issued by DoT from time to time."

According to a survey conducted in 2011 by BMC, over 1,830 of the total 3,705 cellphone towers were illegal. Even as BMC contemplated action against service providers, they approached Bombay High Court and obtained a stay. BMC plans to put up the list of authorised towers on its website.

BMC has said the new policy, once approved by the state, will be implemented with retrospective effect. So towers in the city — legal and illegal — will have to meet all conditions in the policy.

A critical aspect that citizens' groups would watch for in the final DoT guidelines is its recommendation on mobile towers atop schools, colleges, hospitals, old age homes and orphanages. DoT has said its final guidelines would be advisory in nature and that state governments/ civic bodies can modify them as per local demographics.

Several citizens termed thedraft as an eyewash. "These guidelines do not make sense before the final DoT guidelines are released. Crucial suggestions are likely to be sidelined in case the DoT does not implement them," said Prakash Munshi, a south Mumbai resident.

"The guidelines must be based on technology; we do not want to freeze them," said a senior civic official, adding that "if this means that the DoT guidelines will allow for towers on schools, etc, then the BMC guidelines will be modified".

 

Structural stability policy mooted for old buildings

Tuesday, 09 July 2013 04:20 administrator
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The Hindu                 09.07.2013

Structural stability policy mooted for old buildings

M. L. Melly Maitreyi

In the wake of the collapse of City Light Hotel on Monday, the government mooted a proposal for a suitable ‘Comprehensive Building Structural Stability Policy’ to regulate such buildings.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy directed the officials to formulate the policy to regulate vulnerable buildings in consultation with experts and structural engineers to ensure safety of not only inmates of the buildings in question but also people in the neighbourhood.

Monday’s incident brought into sharp focus the lack of application of scientific mechanism for evaluation of structural stability of old buildings. “The collapsed several decades-old hotel building is not apparently included in the list of buildings notified for demolition based on its visual appearance. Therefore a suggestion also came up to constitute an expert committee to thoroughly examine the lacunae in the evaluation of old buildings in the city,” an official said.

GHMC Commissioner T. Krishna Babu informed the Chief Minister that 307 buildings were identified as old and structurally and visually weak by the JNTU as the third party checking agency.

Due care not taken

A senior official explained that many of the old buildings in the city were constructed with load bearing walls unlike pillar based construction that became a norm much later. When new buildings were constructed in the vicinity of the old buildings, due care was not being taken to maintain a safe distance from them. “The old buildings have no deep foundation and when the soil around them is disturbed, the foundation becomes vulnerable and their load bearing walls weaken,” he said.

It is rather common to see constructions deviating from the approved building plans or modifications to existing buildings without approval. The field staff are lax in putting such constructions on notice or turn a blind eye, a senior official observed. “Even in cases where notices have been served for demolitions, they are contested by the owners in the court of law alleging vested interest by the builders and succeed in obtaining stay orders. The GHMC officers mostly don’t take pains to get the stay order vacated,” said sources.

An independent evaluation committee, structural fitness committee outside of government for a fair assessment without any compromise should be considered without any delay, they point out.

It was also proposed that a census be taken of all old buildings and houses particularly those standing on the load bearing walls for evaluating their structural strength.

Chief Minister directs officials to formulate policy to regulate vulnerable buildings in consultation with experts and structural engineers.

 

A biodegradable bag to end the reign of plastic

Friday, 05 July 2013 08:38 administrator
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Hindustan Times             05.07.2013

A biodegradable bag to end the reign of plastic

Imagine a plastic bag which will vanish completely if you keep it out in the open for some months and will not even harm the environment. It would be akin to a dream of staunch environmentalists which a Delhi resident is set to turn into reality.

Arun Sinha, along with US-based Global Exchange Technologies Inc, is getting GXT ECOgrade Photodegradable Bags — recyclable, non-toxic and degrades by exposure to sunlight — for the vast market looking for a viable option ever since the government has been trying to enforce the ban on plastic.

"This is the right solution to the plastic bag pollution challenge as it breaks down in 40 days, becoming the only viable solution to litter. It completely degrades into a non-toxic residue in less than 240 days. Made from 46 per cent natural materials, these bags emit 35% less greenhouse gas in resin production and 15% less greenhouse gas in bag manufacture," Sinha, 59, said.

A resident of south Delhi's Alaknanda, this St Stephen's College graduate, through his NGO, Society to Create Awareness towards Life & Environment (SCALE), has been on the warpath against plastic for the past 11 years.

"We got into this project because it will benefit the country. The ECOgrade bags - which is ASTM D5272 and D5208 Test Certified in the US and CIPT, Chennai and has passed both the US and Canadian heavy metal test according to BPI standards — is the only degradable product which is compatible to the recycling chain. The gamechanger, however, is that it costs around the same as a plastic bag," the activist said adding that once largescale production is started, these bags will be cheaper than plastic ones.

"That is the reason Arun invited us to India. In Delhi, we have already started manufacturing in a factory in Bawana," said Manas Chatterjee, president and CEO of Global Exchange Technologies Inc. They plan to meet chief minister Sheila Dikshit to give her an overview of the ECOgrade bags.

In 2009, the Delhi government banned use of plastic bags on the directive of the Delhi High Court. Last year, the government also banned its manufacturing. Manufacturers moved the high court against the ban. The Delhi pollution control committee is awaiting a court verdict. The government hopes the ban will return, at least on the use of plastic bags.

"We support the ban but a viable alternative should be there; something which is neither expensive, nor harmful. The ban on plastic bags can cost over 1,00,000 jobs. Around 400 units will be closed. This will bring in a tremendous amount of social stress. We will create job opportunities in Delhi and the NCR and provide support of over R1000 crore in economic activity and tax revenue," Sinha added.

 
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