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After 16 years, Sursagar Lake to have boating once again

Wednesday, 23 September 2009 11:26 administrator
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Indian Express 23.09.2009

After 16 years, Sursagar Lake to have boating once again

Barodians may soon enjoy boating in the Sursagar Lake. The Standing Committee of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) is likely to take the final decision on the proposal on September 25.

The proposal to start boating services has come from Dolphin Entertainment and it has been included in the meeting agenda for final decision, said officials at VMC’s tourist department. They said it is only a formality to bring the proposal in the Standing Committee meeting and will be passed without any problems.

“Barodians will soon get the experience of boating in the lak after a gap of 16 long years,” said a senior official at VMC.

While three firms had come forward to offer their services for boating facilities, Dolphin Entertainment was selected. It will be allowed to function against a licence fee of Rs 5.22 lakh per year.

Though tenders for the project had been floated in December 2008, because of stringent rules and regulations imposed by VMC, not many came forward for the project.

In 1993, VMC had stopped boating facility in the Sursagar Lake after 22 people, including nine children, had died after a boat capsized. The mishap raised several questions about the loopholes in the system and the case went on for years together in court.

More than a decade later, VMC decided to bring back the fun of boating after instituting several stringent rules and regulations for the operator.

VMC plans to introduce five two-seater boats and 10 four-seater pedal boats. Half hourly rides will come at a cost of Rs 25 and Rs 40 respectively.

According to the new conditions considered, the number of the boats will be limited and the material of the boats will be fibre and not wood.

The boats will not be motor-driven; they will be pedal boats. Further, life-saving equipment are a must on board as well as for rescue operation in case of any untoward incident.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 September 2009 11:29
 

WR, BMC to exchange land for rly station facelift

Tuesday, 22 September 2009 10:45 administrator
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Indian Express 22.09.209

WR, BMC to exchange land for rly station facelift

The Western Railway (WR) has decided to exchange a plot of land with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to facilitate the makeover of Borivali railway station. At present, construction of a building and the home platform is going on at Borivali station (east). After the exchange of the land, work on laying tracks will proceed towards Dahisar, according to railway sources.

While work on the home platform is going on smoothly on the east side of the railway station, a piece of land that belongs to the civic body has become a hurdle for the WR to lay tracks towards Dahisar. “So, WR has decided to give a plot of railway land to BMC in exchange for a piece of land that belongs to the civic body. We have already finished the paperwork and got the Railway board’s nod to exchange the land with BMC ,” said a senior official of WR.

According to WR officials, it will take around nine more months to complete the construction of the home platform (platform no.6) and a single storey building at Borivali (east) station’s south end. The WR will shell out around Rs 9 crore to construct the new building and Rs 14.5 crore for the new platform.

According to sources, tenders for the construction work were floated on July 22. Apart from this, Western Railway has also given its approval to construct a road overbridge (ROB) towards the south end of the platform no.8 at Borivali station for the convenience of commuters. According to WR officials, a contract worth Rs 30 lakh has been awarded for the same.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 22 September 2009 10:51
 

GHMC keels over to lay road for Rosaiah

Tuesday, 22 September 2009 09:27 administrator
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The New Indian Express 22.09.2009

GHMC keels over to lay road for Rosaiah

S Bachan Jeet Singh


HYDERABAD: It is a classic case of VVIP syndrome having struck the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and perhaps an indication that Chief Minister K Rosaiah is here to stay. The fairly well-maintained stretch from Dharam Karan Road, Ameerpet to Nature Cure Hospital, Balkampet of about 1 km is being recarpeted with bitumen by the GHMC which by spending a neat sum on the work. Rosaiah who lives in the locality, uses the road for shuttling from his home to office at the Secretariat.

When the residents of other localities complain about the poor state of roads, GHMC cries off saying it cannot take up road works during or before the monsoon.

But in this case, the GHMC has gone out of its way to make an exception.

Because of the heavy rainfall in early September, potholes dot several main roads in the Twin Cities.

A few days ago, the corporation Commissioner S P Singh had made it clear that the GHMC would take up restoration work on battered roads only from the next month.

But out at the Dharam Karan Road, work is progressing at a brisk pace, come rain or sunshine. About 30 GHMC workers are on the job which began a couple of days back. Officials say the work will be completed in about three days.

Speaking to Expresso, GHMC officials said that the recent rains have damaged more than 85 to 100 km of roads in different stretches of the Twin Cities.

The GHMC proposes to spend Rs 20 crore for recarpeting of BT roads that have been damaged.

In the GHMC limits, about 2,280 km are laid with BT roads, CC roads (2,030 km) and other roads (1,660 km). In fact, even after the blanket ban on road cuttings during the monsoon, utility departments and cable companies like HMWS&SB, the Central Power Distribution Company Limited of Andhra Pradesh (CPDCL), APTransco, BSNL, VSNL and some other private companies are on a cutting spree.

Many of the companies had taken permission from the GHMC to lay optic fibre cable lines by cutting roads but they are taking up the works now.

Distress calls from citizens in localities where roads have been cut are ignored by the GHMC officials.

The ditches turn into huge potholes are eventually filled with mud or stones by the hapless residents.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 22 September 2009 09:32
 
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