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BMC firm on demolition, Campa Cola on the edge as Nov 11 nears

Saturday, 09 November 2013 08:58 administrator
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The Indian Express          09.11.2013 

BMC firm on demolition, Campa Cola on the edge as Nov 11 nears

Pressure mounted Friday on the residents of Campa Cola housing society in Worli, with the BMC threatening to cut off water supply, power supply and gas connections for all illegal floors in seven buildings from Tuesday.

The Supreme Court had given the residents until November 10 (Monday) to vacate their flats. The civic administration says it will use force if needed to ensure the order is implemented.

"We will begin the process of discontinuing electricity and water supply from Tuesday. Although we expect that the residents will vacate their flats by Monday, we are ready to use force to ensure that the Supreme Court order for demolition is followed," Additional Municipal Commissioner Mohan Adtani said.

Under Section 488 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, the BMC can start the demolition process of the 35 illegal floors in the compound.

"Some BMC officials had checked the meter boxes earlier in the week. They said they will cut off the supplies on Tuesday. But what about the residents staying in the first five floors which they claim are legal? The demolition will create cracks in these floors, there can be mishaps. We don't know what safety measure will be taken," said Divya Malhotra, a resident of the building.

More than 50 officials from at least four wards will be deployed from Tuesday to ensure flats are vacated and electricity and water supply disconnected.

The first phase of demolition, which involves breaking the internal walls of the flats and making them inhabitable, will be done by the BMC within next two months.

Following the Supreme Court order in February, the BMC had issued a 48-hour demolition notice to residents of the 35 unauthorised floors in seven buildings of the housing society.

However, residents moved the apex court seeking regularisation of their unauthorised floors under permissible FSI. Subsequently, on September 12 this year, the SC granted them permission to approach BMC to regularise the floors under permissible FSI. While the residents of the Campa Cola buildings had submitted their plans to regularise 67,000 sq ft of the total 91,000 ft which was within the permissible FSI, the BMC rejected the proposal.

The regularisation could have saved 72 of the 92 flats that are proposed to be demolished due to FSI violations.

Meanwhile, the state government has made it clear it would not come to the rescue of the residents in the absence of any relief granted by the Supreme Court. The residents have been pleading with Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to issue an ordinance to override the SC's demolition order.

The residents met Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Friday evening. Chavan told them the legal opinion given to the state government was that it could not interfere with the SC order. He asked them to seek an independent legal opinion from senior advocates.

"We will examine the matter if they can suggest a legal remedy," said Chavan.

A senior state official said the residents had the option of approaching a larger bench of the SC to seek relief.

The state had earlier sought Advocate General Darius Khambatta's opinion on the matter.

 

Sewage management charge adds to residents' budgets

Saturday, 09 November 2013 07:54 administrator
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The Times of India          09.11.2013

Sewage management charge adds to residents' budgets

KOLHAPUR: First, an increase in water tax. Now, a sewage management charge. Residents of the city, who are already finding it difficult to keep pace with soaring vegetable prices, are now forced to revisit their monthly budget plans.

The residents will receive the water tax bills with an added 10% sewage management tax for the last six months.

The Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to impose the sewage management tax from June and the amount will be added to the water tax bills.

"The consumers get the water tax bills every two months. They will receive the bills with the increased water tax and the sewage management tax for the last six months. The amount will be added to the water bills for the months of September and October," KMC water superintendent Prashant Pandat said.

The KMC is implementing such a tax for the first time to compensate the treatment charges of the sewage generated and maintenance of the treatment plants.

"The revenue collected through the sewage management tax will be utilized to operate the ongoing construction of the sewage treatment plant (STP) at Kasba Bawda. The tax ranges from 10% to 35%, depending upon the use of water. We have around 96,000 household water connections and can rake in Rs 1.2 crore as sewage management tax every two months," he added.

The civic body is constructing two STPs to treat 120 MLD sewage generated in the city. Work at the Kasba Bawda STP with a capacity to treat 76 MLD sewage has been started and it will become functional by December. The other one at Dhudhali (17 MLD capacity) will become operational by the middle of next year.

"The cash-strapped KMC i is not able to spend money to treat the sewage generated in the city. The STP at Kasba Bawda will incur an expenditure of around Rs 7 crore a year for its operation and maintenance. The expense is not feasible," a civic official said on condition of anonymity.

Besides household and commercial water connections, the sewage management tax will be charged on those using water from borewells. "We have started a survey of the bore-wells in the city. Its users will have to pay the tax as they are contributing to sewage generation," the official added.

The KMC's decision has irked the household consumers as the KMC had effected a 10% hike in water tax in June. The civic body charges Rs 190 per connection as rental charge for every bill and further charges are imposed depending on the use of water.

"I used to pay Rs 600 to Rs 800 as water tax every two months. It increased by around Rs 70 following the hike in the water tax. Now the KMC is saying that the sewage management tax will be added to the bills from this month. The budget will go for a toss," said Vasant Sawant, a resident of the Devakar Panand area.

Burhan Naikawadi, a civic activist, said, "Around 40 MLD of water is lost due to leakages and illegal connections. The KMC should take action on such connections and stop distribution losses. It is running short of money as it is lifting 120 MLD of water and charging for 120 MLD of water supplied to the city." 

 

MCC panel warns contractor for delaying projects

Saturday, 09 November 2013 07:47 administrator
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The Times of India          09.11.2013

MCC panel warns contractor for delaying projects

MYSORE: The contractor of the Rajapatha work will be added to the blacklist if he fails to speed up the work within a week, warned M V Ramaprasad, chairman, Planning and Development Committee, Mysore City Corporation.

The committee has woken up after The Times of India published about "Unfinished projects" of MCC a week ago. It has been five years since the MCC started the groundwork to beautify the surroundings of the Mysore building Raja Marg or Rajapatha. However, the project has hit several bottlenecks and is still not complete. During the Dasara festival in October, the MCC, which is already behind schedule, stopped the works to allow tourists some space.

On Friday, the MCC's empowered city planning and development standing committee inspected the 5.5 km stretch between Hardinge Circle and Millennium Circle via Albert Victor Road, Sayyaji Rao Road and Nelson Mandela Road - the Dasara procession route. The panel also visited other projects like the Town Hall where the MCC is building a parking lot.

Ramaprasad said that the Raja Marg work commenced in 2010, and a year was given for completion. The contractor, Chabbra Associates, has slowed down the work and the project has been delayed for nearly two years. Only 1.45 km road has been completed out of 5.5 km work, he said.

The contractor was served with many notices. Apart from Raja Marga, the contractor had taken up many works like the road around the palace or core heritage zone, basement parking and Town Hall renovation.

The work on the road around the palace too has been delayed. Only 450 metres completed out of the estimated 1.46km road, Ramaprasad said. The project, also known as "core heritage zone", was taken up to beautify the core area by laying the power and telephone cables under the ground. The project was taken up under JnNURM at a cost of Rs 15.9 cr.

A two-storey parking facility for two- and four-wheelers, and an open air theatre at the Town Hall at a cost of Rs 17.66 cr under a JnNURM scheme too has been messed up, he said. As per the plan, it aimed at creating parking facility for 300 cars and 270 two-wheelers for tourists visiting Mysore Palace. It also has plans to construct an open air theatre which accommodates 1,000 people. 

 
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