The Times of India             05.01.2012

GURGAON: In its drive to make Gurgaon a cleaner and greener city, the HUDA, has lined up many plans. The civc agency is to introduce e-sampark kiosks in different zones for bill payments, information counters and many more facilities. The department has also introduced door-to-door garbage collection in the HUDA sectors starting with Sector 14 and 22 for which nine new garbage collection vehicles have been introduced.

As an initiative for a cleaner city, a new variety of garbage bags is being introduced for the city. It has been planned to bring about some major changes in the city as well as the functioning of the department to make life easier for the common man.

In a meeting chaired by the HUDA administrator, Praveen Kumar, it was mentioned that the concept of the new garbage bags would change the city's level of hygiene. These bags are high-quality plastic bags which wouldn't tear easily and could be used a number of times.

"I have seen the model of the bags and it is functioning successfully elsewhere. An open iron cage-like structure would be created in which these bags would be hanged. The iron cage would be high enough to prevent stray animals hopping into it. The bag would be hanged with it top open onto the iron structure with the rope which would make it easier for the garbage collector to carry it. These garbage bags would be placed in the markets, green belts, roadsides, parks and other locations," said the administrator.

Talking about the e-sampark facility, he said the kiosks would be set up in different localities and would have facilities like bill payments, information counter and many other facilities. An e-sampark kiosk is being planned in every sector. 

The Hindu          28.12.2011

Healthy urban area distribution envisaged

Future thrust on urbanisation along the east-west corridor and connectivity along the eastern stretch of the district will impart a healthy spatial distribution of urban areas of Kannur, according to the District Urbanisation Report (DUR) prepared by the Department of Town and Country Planning.

The DUR, released by district panchayat president K.A. Sarala at a function here on Tuesday chaired by District Collector Anand Singh, shows the urbanisation trend and pattern of development of the district in the present as well as in future. The study of different growth parameters, infrastructure and facilities has been used to derive the present trend of urbanisation of the district, while the future growth pattern is conceived from the study along with a future connectivity pattern, according to officials in the District Town Planning Unit here.

When contacted, Deputy Town Planner K.V. Ranjith said the DUR was a preparation for the Integrated District Development Plan (IDDP) for the district. The district planning committee (DPC) of Kollam district is the first DPC to prepare the IDDP. This model of development planning, sanctioned by the State government, has been extended to the districts of Alappuzha, Thrissur, Idukki, Palakkad, and Wayanad, he said adding that the DUR provides a framework for the works to be done for preparing the IDDP in the next phase.

The report says that the production sectors including agriculture and industrial sectors in the district are showing a declining trend in the district. The only sector which shows growth is the service sector, it says adding that around 60 per cent of urban population depends on the service sector for their livelihood. Even the rural areas are slowly abandoning the primary sectors, it finds.

Population density

The highest concentration of population is seen in the local bodies situated in the periphery of the National Highway and in the coastal region of the district. The major urban areas of Kannur and Thalassery show a negative population growth rate. The tendency of immigrants to the urban centres to settle in the periphery of urban areas rather than within may lead to undesirable spread of urban area and conversion of agricultural land in rural areas for residential and other non-agricultural purposes, the report says.

The land use and its concentration pattern in the district show that compared to other districts in the State, especially to the northern districts, Kannur is having major concentration of areas under agriculture and plantation. Agricultural and plantation areas cover about one-third of the geographical area here. The report also shows that there is a potential for development of primary sector to some extent.

Kannur is no exception to the urban-rural continuum in the entire State. The report finds that the district shows a high level of urbanisation when compared to the State average.

The urban areas of the district show a lower growth rate of population whereas the rural areas surrounding the urban towns shows significantly higher growth rate indicating possible out-migration of people.

Out of 87 local bodies, 38 are listed as urban as per census and they include six municipalities and the Kannur cantonment.