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BMC to outsource CFC services to private agencies

Tuesday, 13 August 2013 10:59 administrator
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The Indian Express              13.08.2013

BMC to outsource CFC services to private agencies

Unable to run its 24 citizen facilitation centres (CFCs) across all ward offices efficiently, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is now planning to outsource these services to private agencies.

The BMC, through the CFCs spread across the city, collects various payments including property tax bills, water charges, shop and establishment licence payments and FSI premium payments. Birth and death cerificates are also collected at the CFCs set up in each ward. Complaints on any department or issue, including RTI queries regarding wards, are submitted at the CFCs. One can also apply for different types of licences for pets, trade, health at the CFCs.

Initially, the civic administration had claimed that setting up of CFCs would minimise inconvenience for citizens. However, long queues, inefficient collecting systems and limited timings of the CFCs failed to make them convenient for citizens.

"When there are tax deadlines or licence renewal deadlines approaching, there is a long queue at the citizen facilitation centre. The waiting time stretches to 1-1.5 hours. Instead of keeping the counters open for 12 hours at a stretch, the work timings should be split. Working individuals have time either before reporting to work or after their work," said Prashant Sakpale, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of H-West ward (Bandra). Currently, the CFC in Bandra west is open from 9 am to 4 pm, he added.

The new centres which will be outsourced to private companies will be set up in the ward offices. However, they will be independently handled by the companies.

The companies running the CFCs will be paid at a rate fixed per transaction. In order to make it convenient for citizens to pay their bills at flexible timings, the centres are scheduled to remain open from 9 am to 8 pm.

Currently, CFCs are operational depending on the availability of staff with the timings varying from one ward to the other.

According to information obtained under the RTI by activist Anil Galgali, from 2005 to 2013, 24 CFCs across Mumbai were open from 9 am to 4 pm.  

 

Municipal Commissioner visits FACOR layout

Tuesday, 13 August 2013 05:51 administrator
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The Hindu              13.08.2013

Municipal Commissioner visits FACOR layout

Special Correspondent

Municipal Commissioner M.V. Satyanarayana on Monday inspected FACOR layout following narration on the plight of residents in the area in Neighbourhood Watch column of The Hindu in the edition dated August 8, 2013. He instructed Zone Commissioner N. Viswanath to take steps for placing dumper bins at various places and collection of garbage on a regular basis. He expressed shock over finding heaps of garbage and leftover food on the middle of the road. He inspected the open space where a park had been proposed and hoped that the State government would accord clearance to it shortly.

 

BWSSB set to make good on disconnection threat

Tuesday, 13 August 2013 05:24 administrator
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The Hindu              13.08.2013

BWSSB set to make good on disconnection threat

The rules:Rainwater harvesting is compulsory for all existing buildings on 60 ft x 40 ft sites or more.— File Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.
The rules:Rainwater harvesting is compulsory for all existing buildings on 60 ft x 40 ft sites or more.— File Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

After issuing notice to nearly 5,000 residents for not installing rainwater harvesting (RWH) units in their buildings, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is getting ready to start disconnecting their water supply and sanitation lines. Officials said the disconnection will start from August 20.

BWSSB, through an amendment in 2009, made RWH compulsory for all buildings on 60 ft x 40 ft sites. As many as 55,000 buildings in the city and 13,531 houses in newly added areas were identified. However, of these, only 46,500 have adopted the system so far.

While all new constructions on 30 ft x 40 ft sites should compulsorily adopt the system, existing houses on sites of this dimension are exempted.

BWSSB engineer-in-chief T. Venkataraju said there would be no leeway after August 20 for those who failed to comply with the rules. The board was legally empowered (under the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage [Rainwater Harvesting] [Amendment] Regulations 2011, which came into force from July 7, 2011) to cut off water and sanitary lines of those who did not adopt the system, he said

“Although we have given several deadlines to people for installing RWH, the response is not as expected,” he admitted. BWSSB would continue to issue notice to all those who have not installed the system. “We will give them a week’s time before disconnecting the lines,” he added.

The board had earlier announced incentives, including a 2 per cent property tax rebate for up to five years for those who adopt the system, and bank loans to install the units.

It has been threatening to disconnect supply from last year, but this time it looks like it’s serious after being pulled up by the Karnataka High Court recently for not supplying clean drinking water to the residents affected by groundwater contamination.

Notice issued to nearly 5,000 residents for not installing the units.

 
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