Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
General Administration

Corporation cancels NOC to hotel to open bar

Friday, 05 July 2013 11:53 administrator
Print PDF

The New Indian Express               05.07.2013

Corporation cancels NOC to hotel to open bar

The Kochi Corporation Council that met on Thursday decided to cancel the No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued to a hotel near Vyttila for opening a bar. Announcing the decision here at the special council meeting, Mayor Tony Chammany said that there were various technical flaws emerged out of human errors in the certificate issued by the Corporation authorities.

The meeting also witnessed unruly scenes as the opposition members alleged that the decision to issue the NOC was taken without considering the dissent note given by them. The opposition councillors walked towards the Mayor’s chamber shouting slogans. They alleged that the decision to cancel the NOC was an attempt to mislead the High Court.

“The NOC was issued against the norms, without holding discussions at the Council. Now, the decision to cancel the NOC at a special council meeting really will not have any effect if the  hotel owner approaches the Court and obtain a stay. So, a probe should be ordered to find out who is responsible for the error and who issued the NOC,” said opposition councillor M Anil Kumar.

Meanwhile,in his reply, Mayor Tony Chammany said that the decision to cancel the NoC was taken after the Council had found out that there were some ‘technical and ethical’ lapses in the matter. “It was on January 31, 2013, that the application for the NOC was submitted. It was included in the agenda of the Council meeting held on February 11. We took the decision to issue the NOC after holding detailed discussions. But the opposition  staged a walkout,” Chammany said.

 

Cash-strapped BBMP to restart 'unwanted' works

Friday, 05 July 2013 11:50 administrator
Print PDF

The New Indian Express               05.07.2013

Cash-strapped BBMP to restart 'unwanted' works

The cash-strapped BBMP has been orally directed to restart 1,970 “unnecessary works” worth Rs 522.96 crore  that were stopped following a negative report by the Technical Vigilance Cell under Commissioner (TVCC).

“I have directed the BBMP to take up these works, which  are necessary. Many works were stopped as the BBMP officials had given their report on them to the TVCC without even doing a spot inspection,” District-in-Charge Minister R Ramalinga Reddy said.

“The BBMP is yet to get orders officially from the Urban Development Department. Once we get a nod in writing, we will take up the works in a phased manner,” a BBMP official said.

The move has raised many eyebrows. A senior BBMP official said, “The government seems to have given in to pressure from councillors and contractors to restart the stalled works.”

He contended that most of the 23,000 works going on across the city are neither inspected nor verified. “If proper inspection is done, BBMP can save up to Rs 2,000 crore,” the official added.

Reddy, however, said most of the works that were claimed to have been stopped after the TVCC report have, in fact, been completed. “Of the total Rs 522 crore, some Rs 60 crore worth of works are pending. I have directed the authorities concerned to release funds that were sanctioned under MLA grants,” he said.

The decision is likely to snowball into a controversy as the BJP is likely to take it up to corner the government. “We will discuss with our MLAs and councillors and take a stand,” former CM Jagadish Shettar told Express.

In April, the then BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah directed TVCC to inspect all development works sanctioned in 2012-13. Later, TVCC Chief Engineer Devraj and team found most of them, though sanctioned, were not started. Then BBMP Special Commissioner K R Niranjan noted that `762.51 crore has been sanctioned to execute 2,756 works, of which 1,970 works worth Rs 522.96 crore had not be started. “Every year, old wards get Rs 2 crore and new wards get Rs 3 crore each for ward level works. What is the need to take up these other works?” he said.

The decision angered councillors. In May, during the BBMP Council meeting, councillors objected to Siddaiah’s decision and took him, Niranjan and Devraj to task. Siddaiah has retired from service, Devraj opted for VRS and Niranjan sought a transfer.The issue was debated at a recent council meeting, where the new commissioner M Lakshminarayan told members: “The works are not scrapped, but only frozen.”

 

Having spent crores on paver blocks, MC to stall new proposals

Friday, 05 July 2013 11:18 administrator
Print PDF

The Indian Express               05.07.2013

Having spent crores on paver blocks, MC to stall new proposals

After having spent several crores on installing paver blocks across the city, a reprimand from the UT Administration will now put a check on this practice by the municipal corporation. While no fresh agenda for the paver blocks is likely to be mooted, the civic body is planning to coax its councillors to rethink the proposals that have been passed.

MC has spent more than Rs 20 crore on paver blocks. Defying its policy time and again, and tweaking it as per convenience, the civic body has installed the concrete structures in every nook and corner of the city. In fact, a majority of the agenda items that are approved every year pertain to paver blocks.

After being reprimanded by the UT Administration, it was decided that they would be laid only in areas where it was required.

There have been several instances when the structures after having reached the site of installation have been found to be of poor quality.

Councillor Arun Sood said, "Paver blocks are in the unscheduled list of items, so the rates are not fixed. Apart from this, these are causing damage to the environment. Groundwater level is receding, as water cannot percolate down. There is no check on the quality of material used".

These were first installed in the city in 2003. For the purpose, money was allocated from Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds. Gradually, as the budgetary allocation of the civic body increased, the concrete structures also witnessed a rise. At present, these are put on pavements, near market and around parks. These are also eating into the green spaces.

Local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal has also expressed his reservation at its indiscriminate installation. Earlier, they were laid just on one side of V-5 roads. Then it was decided that it would be installed on both sides. Now, these have also been laid on V-6 roads, as well.

Councillors have been indulging in a race to get them installed in their wards. A majority of the agenda items in the meeting of the Roads committee, as well as a substantial part of the meeting of the House, revolve around it.

Recently, in narrow lanes, instead of roads being carpeted it was proposed that paver blocks be laid. The work that began in Manimajra was stalled after residents staged a protest. A similar proposal was mooted for Mauli Jagran that is at present in deep freeze.

Councillor Saurabh Joshi said that there was a need to look at alternate ways of beautify the city. He added that these should be a part of the Master Plan, a vision document for the coming years.

It is now being contemplated that a meeting with the councillors would be held and they would be requested not to insist on laying any more paver blocks.

Mayor Subhash Chawla said that the indiscriminate installation had been objected to by the Administration. "The UT Administration has directed that paver blocks should only be laid where it is absolutely necessary and green pavers, which are environment friendly, should be used," he said.

 
More Articles...


Page 381 of 686