Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Public Health / Sanitation

New garbage stations, public utilities for New Delhi

Thursday, 25 February 2010 01:45 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu 25.02.2010

New garbage stations, public utilities for New Delhi

Manisha Jha

To save on construction and maintenance costs as well as earn revenue

NEW DELHI: To save on construction and maintenance costs as well as earn revenue, the New Delhi Municipal Council proposes to set up 85 new garbage stations and public toilet utility blocks on a public-private partnership basis north of Rajpath.

The project envisages construction of 25 new toilet blocks and renovation of 42 existing ones. In addition, 18 garbage stations will be constructed, renovated, operated and maintained with advertisement rights in the NDMC area and thrown open to the public free of charge.

Though the civic body had approved the project in June 2008 and invited bids for 113 public toilet utilities, work could not be completed and had to be cancelled midway last September leading to floating of fresh bids for 85 PTUs. The renovation period for the already constructed units will be one month and for units yet to be constructed six months from the commencement date.

During this period, the concessionaire will be expected to complete the project as per the requirements, technical specifications and standards.

The civic body will be earning a concession fee of Rs.26.53 lakh per month from the project with an escalation of 5 per cent every year after the first year for the entire concession period of 10 years.

“These public toilet utilities will be renovated and constructed keeping in mind facilities for persons with physical disabilities, and operation of these units by the concessionaire will include regular cleaning of the utilities and their surrounding areas, functioning of user amenities, provision of dedicated personnel, supervision, ensuring availability of basic infrastructure requirements such as electricity, proper drainage, sewage and water removal. In return, the concessionaire will be given the right to collect revenue from advertisements on a specified area of the toilets,” said an NDMC official.

Last Updated on Thursday, 25 February 2010 01:46
 

Deadline gone, over 15,000 urban poor yet to get house possession

Wednesday, 24 February 2010 11:21 administrator
Print PDF

Indian Express 24.02.2010

Deadline gone, over 15,000 urban poor yet to get house possession

Lalmani Verma Tags : urban poor housing case, lucknow Posted: Wednesday, Feb 24, 2010 at 0138 hrs

Lucknow :More than three weeks after the deadline, over 15,000 urban poor beneficiaries are yet to get possession of houses because the construction agencies and the district administrations cannot agree whether the doors, windows and internal fittings should be installed before or after giving the possession.

The construction agencies fear that the doors, windows and internal fittings may be stolen if these are installed before the houses are actually given to the beneficiaries.

On the other hand, the district administrations say they cannot hand over the possession of incomplete houses and have, therefore, refused to take them over till doors, windows and internal fittings are installed.

On Chief Minister Mayawati’s birthday on January 15, allotment letters were given to 32,180 beneficiaries of Manyawar Shree Kanshiramji Shahri Gareeb Awas Yojna. Under the scheme, houses are allotted free to the urban poor.

Mayawati had announced that all will get possession of houses within 15 days. But according to official sources, only 17,308 allottees have actually got possession of the flats.

Principal Secretary of Ambedkar Gram Sabha Vikas Vibhag, Balvinder Kumar, confirmed that there was a conflict between the development agencies and the district administrations.

“In a review meeting held on Monday, the issue was raised by certain development agencies and district magistrates. But all have been directed to complete the work and give possession by March 10,” Kumar added.

The Mayawati government had announced Manyawar Shree Kanshiramji Shahri Gareeb Awas Yojna in 2008 and planned to make 1.01 lakh houses in various towns in 2008-09.

While the Uttar Pradesh Housing and Development Board (UPHDB) had to construct 69,100 flats, the rest were to be developed by other agencies.

Against this target, 95,550 flats have been constructed and 32,180 of them allotted on January 15.

Allahabad, Lucknow, Aligarh, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Banda, Bulandshahr-Khurja, Rae Bareli, Saharanpur and Greater Noida are among the places where the allottees are still waiting for their houses.

Mishri Lal Paswan, UPHDB Secretary, said: “If internal works were completed and the district administrations made any delay in giving possession, there are possibilities of theft of internal fittings. We are ready to hand over the flats, but the district magistrates are asking for completion of the work.”

Each flat covers an area of 30 sq m and includes a drawing room, a bedroom, a kitchen, a toilet and a balcony.

As many as 68,000 flats are yet to be allotted because the district administrations have failed to find beneficiaries. Apparently, the construction of houses was started without any survey of eligible people. Now, the government has waived the condition that the beneficiaries need to produce a BPL card to prove that they are actually poor.

The principal secretary said that the district magistrates have been directed to conduct a survey and complete the process of allotment of houses by March 10.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 February 2010 11:31
 

CMC seeks help to keep city clean

Wednesday, 24 February 2010 02:08 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu 24.02.2010

CMC seeks help to keep city clean

Staff Correspondent

Hoteliers asked to dispose of waste properly

CMC to invest Rs. 1.5 crore in garbage disposal units

Chitradurga: Admitting that the Chitradurga City Municipal Council (CMC) was short of hands to ensure cleanliness in the city, Municipal Commissioner Vijay Kumar has appealed to residents to cooperate in keeping the city clean.

Speaking at a seminar on solid waste management organised by the council here on Tuesday, Mr. Kumar said that the CMC had only 140 staff members, while the city’s population was about 1.25 lakh.

Blaming hoteliers, vegetable vendors and those running fruit juice centres for dumping waste by the side of the roads, he called upon them to dump waste only in the trash cans provided by the CMC at various places.

He also urged the residents to use the garbage bins provided. “No matter what steps the CMC takes, the city will not be clean unless people realise the importance of hygiene and cleanliness,” he said.

As a part of the modernisation plan, the CMC has decided to purchase hi-tech cleaning machines and garbage disposal units at the cost of Rs. 1.5 crore.

He said that machines had been purchased for segregating waste from the landfill located on the outskirts of the city.

“With the objective of educating people on the significance of cleanliness, the CMC will be holding awareness programmes in all wards of the city,” he said. Mr. Kumar said that the CMC had already received Rs. 85 crore under various schemes aimed at the improvement of basic amenities and infrastructure in the city.

CMC environmental engineer Narendra Babu said that 60 per cent of the waste comprised plastic, which was hazardous to the environment and public health. “Plastic also causes the clogging of drainage and sewage lines.”

Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 February 2010 02:09
 
More Articles...


Page 328 of 416