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NDMC wants part of Connaught Place revamped before Diwali

Monday, 28 October 2013 12:05 administrator
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The Times of India              28.10.2013

NDMC wants part of Connaught Place revamped before Diwali

NEW DELHI: The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has asked Engineers India Limited (EIL)-consultant in the Connaught Place redevelopment plan-to finish the first phase of redevelopment before Diwali, as the contract between the two agencies is expiring this month.

EIL has to finish the remaining work in the outer and inner circle by this weekend. "As per the contract, EIL hadto handover the areas in a phased manner. These areas will now be maintained by NDMC. As the contract for the first phase is coming to an end, we have asked EIL to handover the areas to us by Diwali,'' said Jalaj Srivastava, chairperson, NDMC.

The project has missed several deadlines, but the work is still nowhere near completion. EIL will handover areas under phase I, including inner and outer circle, to NDMC and will continue to work in CP. The underground cabling work is still pending. "They (EIL) were supposed to handover phase I a month back. But they couldn't start whitewash due to rains. Now they are doing the touch-up,'' said Srivastava.

EIL is still carrying out tunneling work. The two subways in outer circle, near Barakhamba road, are almost complete. "In this year alone, the consultant has missed four deadlines. They have just been buying time. The chief minister had asked NDMC and EIL to finish the work by July as she was keen on inaugurating the project before elections. But it couldn't happen,'' said a source.

EIL officials, however, claim a majority of the work is over. Cabling work had to be done again after a transformer installed in the tunnel was damaged due to waterlogging. "Now, we are in the final stages,'' said an official.

 

Aurangabad Municipal Corporation unlikely to achieve local body tax target from fireworks dealers

Monday, 28 October 2013 12:01 administrator
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The Times of India              28.10.2013  

Aurangabad Municipal Corporation unlikely to achieve local body tax target from fireworks dealers

AURANGABAD: While the rain gods smiled and pockets are flush for Diwali firecracker shopping, the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), which is eyeing a figure of Rs 10-12 lakh as local body tax (LBT) from fireworks dealers in the current season, could miss its target. Blame it all on 2012's leftover stock: dealers sitting on a pile from last season are keen to push these products, ones on which they have already paid the tax.

An officer in the civic body's LBT department said that in 2012, the AMC had mopped up Rs 10 lakh as LBT from fireworks dealers. "This year, the AMC has received Rs 2.5 lakh as LBT so far. We hope that the LBT collected would be in a range of Rs 8 to 9 lakh, but chances of it crossing the 2012 figure are very thin," he said.

The officer said that the trade was a short-term business, wherein a major chunk of LBT is collected in the initial days. The AMC has set up a special counter for LBT collection, along with a bank counter. It has issued temporary registrations to more than 250 dealers and has been collecting LBT from them on the spot.

On an average, the city registers a turnover of Rs 2.5 crore in the fireworks trade and there are close to 250 stalls set up at five different places in the city. The market at the Zilla Parishad ground is the main one, where most wholesalers and retailers set up shop. The temporary market is to remain till November 6, 2013 (it was opened on October 22).

Manik Mahitole, president, Aurangabad City Firework Dealers Association, said with poor buyers' response the last season, dealers could not sell the complete stock. "Due to poor rainfall in the Marathwada region in the 2012 monsoon, the trade had witnessed a fall of about 25 per cent. Dealers had to carry forward the stock," Mahitole said.

Mahitole said satisfactory rainfall in the current season has created a positive wave among dealers, who are expecting the business to register at least 10-15 per cent growth, compared to the previous year. "However, most of them have initially ordered lesser quantity of products," he said.

Concerned over the pricing structure, Mahitole said a 10-15 per cent hike in the cost of fireworks was also troubling the dealers. "Although price rise in this range is a routine phenomenon, it would certainly leave an impact on the buying pattern," he said.

Vilas Khandelwal, treasurer of the association who's selling fireworks at the Zilla Parishad ground, felt that customers this time were "quite enthusiastic". "People are buying the products without any hesitation, in good quantities," Khandelwal said.

 

Jaipur Development Authority gives final warning to house owners in nullah's catchment area

Monday, 28 October 2013 11:58 administrator
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The Times of India              28.10.2013  

Jaipur Development Authority gives final warning to house owners in nullah's catchment area

JAIPUR: With the deadline of October 30 for removing encroachments from catchment area of the Amanishah Nullah approaching near, the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) issued final warning to house owners to vacate houses within three days.

Around 56 illegal constructions in the catchment area come under the jurisdiction of JDA, while JMC has charge of over 128 encroachments.

"We have to submit a compliance report in high court on October 31. Due to the festival season the protest might get intense. However, we are prepared to take a strict action," a senior official said.

Despite extension of deadline the civic bodies were unable to complete the work as it was an election year. Also, continuous political party programmes in the recent past have hit the drive.

The high court recently rapped the state government for its lackadaisical approach in rehabilitating and removing house owners from the catchment area. Despite this no action was taken fearing breakout of violent protests in the city when majority of police force was deployed for the security of VIPs and senior leaders coming to the state.

Sources added the drive cannot be carried out in absence of adequate police force. Recently, the JMC officials had to face huge protest while issuing notices to owners of houses. Several times officials had to return empty-handed as hundreds of residents gheraoed them.

An official claimed the latest high court order on Amanishah Nullah, which allowed its width to be maintained between 150-210 feet on whichever side free space is available, has come as a major relief for the JDA. However, as encroachers are densely populated in the area, there is no option other than razing constructions from both the ends of the Nullah.

 
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