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Road Development

Naming of road after BSY flayed

Wednesday, 08 December 2010 05:42 administrator
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The Deccan Chronicle  08.12.2010

Naming of road after BSY flayed

Belgaum, Dec. 7: The Belgaum City Corporation's move to name National Highway-4, which runs through the district, after Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, has been strongly opposed by the Congress and Janata Dal (S) as well as several pro-Maharashtra organisations, which see Belgaum as a disputed territory.

The Congress and Janata Dal (S) contend the corporation’s recent resolution to name the road after Mr Yeddyurappa is objectionable when the Chief Minister is facing serious allegations of land grabbing. They have urged the Centre not to clear any proposal sent by the state government to it for naming a stretch of NH-4 passing through Belgaum, after him.

Leaders of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES), for their part, insist the government cannot name any road or important junction of Belgaum after a Karnataka leader until the boundary dispute between the two states is resolved.

They argue that Marathi culture will suffer if places that are predominantly occupied by Marathis are named after Karnataka’s leaders.

The MES has submitted a memorandum to deputy commissioner Ekroop Caur against naming the highway after Mr Yeddyurappa, alleging that the Rs 100 crore released to the corporation is being utilised only for development of areas in Belgaum occupied by Kannadigas, and demanded that the money should be used for the overall development of the city.

Most MES members had boycotted the meeting of the Belgaum corporation when it passed the resolution to name the road after Mr Yeddyurappa. Mayor N.B. Nirwani, who was under pressure from BJP MLAs in the district to pass the resolution, introduced it at the very first meeting of the corporation. Belgaum South MLA Abhay Patil had objected to the mayor putting off the resolution to another day and made sure it was tabled before any other subject relating to developmental work was raised at the meeting.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 08 December 2010 05:44
 

Progress in the wrong direction

Tuesday, 07 December 2010 05:54 administrator
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The Deccan Herald  07.12.2010

Progress in the wrong direction

K Narasimhamurthy, Kolar, December 6, DHNS:

The efforts taken by the City Municipal Council for development of the city are earning them both bouquets and brickbats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the one hand, the CMC is working to repair roads and drains, but on the other, it is not ensuring completion of the work started or even closure of the pits dug for this work for months. In some cases, since the pits are closed in a haphazard fashion, using the roads causes great trouble for the people, especially in heavily populated areas of the city. The contractors who worked on the roads would already have moved elsewhere, being practically untraceable.

The Old Syndicate Bank Road, which is adjacent to M G Road in Kolar, bears proof for such substandard work by the authorities.

Before and after

The roadside was dug for underground drainage work, but the pits remained open for more than a month, preventing movement of vehicles or even pedestrians to a large extent. The people had to submit several request letters before the pits on the sides of the Road were closed and the drainage work completed some days ago.

This, however, did not alleviate the problems of the people using the Old Syndicate Bank Road. The open drains are now replaced by long mounds of mud, making movement as difficult as before. The only kind of vehicles that can traverse the Road is two-wheelers, not even autorickshaws. Senior citizens and children have to necessarily stay away from the Road.

The contractors employed for the underground drainage work have not taken care to follow the fundamental rule of ensuring that roads become convenient for use. The authorities in charge of ascertaining the quality and result of the work have turned a blind eye to all that has been happening, opines a shop-owner on Old Syndicate Bank Road.

Without permission

Meanwhile, even as people responsible for the development work in the city display a lack of commitment, roads in some parts the city are being dug to lay underground cables for private telephone companies.

The CMC, however, has been denying permission for such work thus far. Members of the Council have raised the matter several times during meetings that companies have failed to pay the required fees.

Yet, work on laying the telephone cables continues, as shown by an incident on Saturday.

A team led by CMC vice-president S R Murali Gowda discovered that the contractors laying cables by the road outside the Ellen Thoburn Cowen Memorial Hospital did not receive permission from the Council.

Everyday issue

Residents of Kolar city have almost accepted pits and dug-up roads as part of their lives. Almost every road where some developmental work is on is sure to have several potholes or open pits. Several such roads lack street lights, making it difficult and sometimes even dangerous for pedestrians and vehicles to travel. People also fear that such roads will become popular haunts of thieves and robbers during nighttime.

Recently appointed Deputy Commissioner Manoj Kumar Meena is expected to seriously consider the issue of city roads in poor condition as well as poor quality of work going on in the city.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 07 December 2010 05:56
 

RTC’s dream terminals along Outer Ring Road

Monday, 06 December 2010 10:04 administrator
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The New Indian Express  06.12.2010

RTC’s dream terminals along Outer Ring Road

HYDERABAD: It’s been almost a year since a proposal has been made to construct city bus terminals-cum-depots (TCD) along the Outer Ring Road (ORR), but things have not moved an inch yet. Not to speak of construction, even land to locate these facilities has not yet been identified by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).

RTC officials proposed to construct 22 TCDs at various locations along the ORR for the convenience of commuters.

They planned these terminals to be full-fledged facilities, akin to malls, providing everything to the commuter from provisions to food courts. Commuters could park their vehicles in the terminals, catch a bus to work, come back and on the way home pick up necessary things at the terminal itself.

The RTC officials held several rounds of discussions with the HMDA officials for identification of suitable government sites to take up construction of the TCDs. However, the HMDA, which is the authority to alienate the government land to the RTC, has not yet moved on the proposal. The issue was even discussed in the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA), the apex body led by the chief secretary to deal with traffic and transport issues under the HMDA jurisdiction, but still there has not been much progress from the urban body’s side.

“With the city expanding fast to the suburbs, there is a need to catch up by providing amenities in the suburbs which are going to be hubs of development in the future,” an RTC official said. “We are hopeful that the land will be allocated to us soon as it is important to provide transport facility between the city and its suburbs,” officials said.

Last Updated on Monday, 06 December 2010 10:06
 
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