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North Corporation demands Delhi government to release over Rs 500 crore funds

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The Economic Times              24.06.2013

North Corporation demands Delhi government to release over Rs 500 crore funds

NDMC said fund crunch has affected functioning of education department, developmental projects in resettlement colonies, sanitation works.

NDMC said fund crunch has affected functioning of education department, developmental projects in resettlement colonies, sanitation works.

NEW DELHI: The North Delhi Municipal Corporation has said that implementation of various projects and schemes in the areas under its jurisdiction has been severely affected due to non-payment of over Rs 500 crore in grant-in-aid by Delhi Government.

The BJP-ruled municipal body said fund crunch has affected functioning of education department, developmental projects in resettlement colonies, sanitation works and malaria and dengue control programmes among others.

In a letter written by Standing Committee Chairman Ram Kishan Singhal, the corporation has listed in detail all the funds that the corporation should have received in April and demanded its immediate release.

Peeved by the delay, NDMC mayor Azad Singh on Friday met chief secretary D M Spolia for an "explanation" on the matter and demanded immediate release of the funds.

"We have been assured that the funds will be released by next week. Development works and sanitation work have been severely affected due to this delay," Singh told PTI.

According to the letter submitted to the chief secretary, the corporation has demanded payment of the first instalment amounting to Rs 515.84 crore.

The civic agency has also sought advance payment of Rs 1,031 crore as second instalment of grant-in-aid. "We have been assured that the second instalment will be released on time," added mayor Singh.

"In fact, we have made it clear to the Delhi government that if the funds are not released, we will be forced to start an agitation from Tuesday," Singhal said.
NDMC has also raised the issue of non-receipt of funds under plan and non-plan heads from Delhi Government.

"We should have received Rs 111 crore under non-plan head and Rs 190 crore under planned expenditure in April," Singhal said.

Giving details of the grant-in-aid from Delhi government, he said an amount of Rs 11.183 crore should have been provided as first instalment for educational purpose for 2013-14 while another amount of Rs 11.01 crore is due for projects in resettlement of colonies.
 

KMC's bosses study scope for real plantation

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Hindustan Times              24.06.2013 

KMC's bosses study scope for real plantation

Every year, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation plants saplings in different parts of the city in a bid to expand Kolkata’s dwindling green cover. But for the first time since these green drives began, the civic authorities have opted for a detailed survey defining the scope of plantation this monsoon. The botanists who conducted the survey were asked to give a ward and borough wise analysis of the core city area.

“It is more scientific and logical to go for a survey to determine how many saplings need to be planted than to blindly opt for forced plantation in the city,” Debashis Kumar, member, mayor-in-council (parks and squares), said. The survey conducted in each of the hundred wards in the core city area in May had come up with a requirement to plant 35,000 saplings this monsoon.

The ten botanists, who had undertaken the rigorous job of surveying and locating possible areas for plantation this monsoon, have already submitted a detailed list of the scope of plantation in every ward. A road wise-map has also been sketched. However, municipal commissioner Khalil Ahmed is aiming for a much higher target than just 35,000 saplings — he hopes to plant at least one lakh this monsoon.

Dismissing Ahmed’s rather ambitious target, a civic technocrat associated with the plantation programme said, “At the most we can manage to plant 50,000 to 60,000 saplings this year. However, if you consider the roadside and medium size shrubs in your count, then it would be more than a lakh.”

 

BBMP blacklists company for violating contract

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Deccan Herald              24.06.2013 

BBMP blacklists company for violating contract

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has blacklisted Hype Integrated Communications, a which was given the contract of building bus shelters in the City, for not paying their taxes and violating the terms of contract with the Palike.

According to a press release issued by the Palike, the company was in arrears of annual licence fee, fine, service tax and advertisement tax, all totalling to Rs 4.08 crore.

It had entered into a contract with BBMP in May 2008 to construct 131 bus shelters across the City on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis and was expected to complete the task by October 2008.


While the BBMP provided alternative sites to the company, the latter was unable to complete the work even by January 2010 as a result of which it was slapped a fine, according to the press release.
 


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