The Times of India               07.12.2013

VMC terminates contract for gantries, direction signs

VADODARA: Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has terminated the contract of the agency erecting overhead gantries and direction boards in the city. The VMC commissioner took the step after disputes regarding the payments towards advertising royalty to the civic body.

The VMC commissioner issued an order terminating the concession agreement that the civic body had entered into with the contractor in August 2011. The civic body had earlier rapped the contractor for delay in payment of royalty.

The termination letter states that the agreement had stated that the contractor would pay the royalty when it completes work on the fabrication and installation of the signs or four months after the date of the contract, whichever was earlier. The letter by VMC commissioner Manish Bhardwaj states that the contractor was liable to pay royalty from October 11, 2011, but began doing so only from July 16, 2012.

VMC had issued a notice and also sent other communication to the contractor regarding the issue. The contractor, at the other end, has argued that there were delays on the part of the VMC which led to work starting late and hence the agency was not liable to pay the royalty.

VMC has, however, said the defence was not valid as the contract clearly stated that any delay on the part of the VMC beyond seven days could be considered for an extension of the completion date of the project, subject to VMC's discretion. The contractor has also moved Gujarat high court regarding the issue of royalty. Bhardwaj terminated the contract with effect from Thursday.

The Pioneer               07.12.2013

‘About 254 hectares of MCD land encroached illegally’

Most of the encroachments are done at areas including Dharampur, Indrapur, Garhi, Jhakahan, Kishenpur, Chakshah Nagar, Niranjanpur, Dugal Gaon, Kawali, Dakpatti, Dehrakhas, Ajabpur Kalan, Ajabpur Kalan, Shah Nagar, Adhoiwala Dalanwala, Majra and Brahmanwala of the town.

According to the Tax Superintendent, Rajesh Naithani, MCD used to conduct their checking drive form time to time but unable to remove the encroachment permanently.

The anti encroachment drives is effective only for few days after the drive but again the lands are being encroached by the encroachers after few days.  MCD officials also face much difficulty in removing these illegal encroachments due to the insufficient numbers of employees available at MCD.

Currently, MCD is facing acute shortage of staff in almost all the five departments of the MCD. There is only one Patwari in the land department, who has to hold all the land related responsibility, averred Naithani.

He said that there should be atleast five tax superintendents in the department but only two tax superintendent is available, who has to handle all the land and encroachment related responsibility.

MCD has also approached the district administration Department many times to seek their help in removing the illegal encroachments from these areas of the state capital but to no avail, said Naithani.

He added that most of the time the district administration officials are busy in their high profile meetings or other related works and hardly any attention is given to the demands of the MCD officials.When asked about the land encroachment being done on the river bank side, Naithani replied that encroachment can’t be removed at MCD level from the river bank areas as still the case is under trial in Supreme Court.