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Corporation seeks better FRIENDS

Friday, 26 September 2014 05:26 administrator
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The Hindu        26.09.2014  

Corporation seeks better FRIENDS

State turning a blind eye to centre’s plight, says resolution

The city Corporation has urged the State government to take immediate steps to make the FRIENDS counter, a single-window citizen service centre, more efficient rather than turning a blind eye to its plight.

A resolution moved at the council meeting here on Thursday said the centre had found good patronage among people of the city. It was very handy for the citizens as services such as paying electricity and water bills; ration card fee; and motor vehicle, professional, and building taxes; were available under one roof. The centre had also bee admitting examination fee of the Kerala University, the resolution said.

Token system

The highlight of the centre was the token system. People could wait in the relative comfort of an air-conditioned room rather than wait in serpentine queues. The government had systematically done away with the token system. This was causing inconvenience to the people.

There were 20 counters and the employees worked in two shifts. Now, there were only nine counters, the resolution said.

Welfare standing committee chairman Palayam Rajan, who moved the resolution, said the system introduced when E.K. Nayanar was Chief Minister was functioning without hassles till recently. The government’s neglect caused its present plight, he said.

V. Sivankutty, MLA, on Thursday, visited the FRIENDS centre in the wake of a report in The Hindu . Mr. Sivankutty interacted with the employees to get first-hand knowledge of the prevailing situation. Mr. Sivankutty said he would take up the matter with the State government.

Steps sought to make FRIENDS efficient Will take up matter with government: Sivankutty
 

GHMC to set up shelters for daily wage earners

Wednesday, 24 September 2014 05:17 administrator
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The Hindu         24.09.2014  

GHMC to set up shelters for daily wage earners 

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) would set up shelters with amenities such as drinking water and toilets at different ‘labour addas’ of the city for daily wage workers hanging around in search of work.

At a meeting on ‘Unorganised Labour and Social Protection-A Programme for Inclusive Cities’, which was held as a pre-event to Metropolis-2014 meet on Tuesday, GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar said 50 plus labour addas were identified where workers hang around braving sun and rain each day looking for daily wage.

“We will construct facilitation centres with basic amenities and ensure the unorganised sector workers do not have to stand on the roads,” he said. The civic body has also finalised setting up shelters at seven major hospitals for patients’ attendants. These facilities with a capacity to accommodate 300 to 400 persons would be equipped with toilets, lockers and beds and set up in next six months, the Commissioner said.

Towards making Hyderabad a slum-free city, the GHMC has completed designs for approximately 500 sft two bedroom housing facility and the first of this scheme would be taken up at IDH Colony, Bhoiguda. “Tendering process is to be taken up and we expect it to be ready within five months,” Mr. Somesh Kumar added.

In his address, Labour and Employment Minister N. Narasimha Reddy said the Telangana government was committed to uplift the living conditions of workers in unorganised sector. “A change in society could be brought about by addressing the issues of these workers, who are not organised, scattered and are denied of privileges,” he said.

Labour Department Commissioner D. Ashok said schemes were being taken up to develop skills for unorganised workforce.

Sharad Rao, National President, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Suneetha Eluri of International Labour Organisation and others participated in the one-day colloquium.

 

Panel constituted to split BBMP

Tuesday, 23 September 2014 10:43 administrator
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The Times of India         23.09.2014 

Panel constituted to split BBMP

 

BANGALORE: The Karnataka government on Monday constituted an expert committee to split BBMP.

Former chief secretary BS Patil will head the committee, while former BBMP commissioner Siddaiah and urban affairs expert V Ravichander are its members. The panel will recommend the ways and means to split the palike and take up administrative matters. It has been given three months to submit a report.

Bangalore district incharge minister Ramalinga Reddy had written a letter to chief minister Siddaramaiah in August 2013 batting for splitting BBMP. Besides Reddy's letter, promise of splitting BBMP found mention in the Congress manifesto of the 2013 assembly polls.

The government has cited administrative set ups in London, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi cities for the reason for splitting BBMP, which has over 800sqkm
An official order says Mumbai has 603 sq km and has 8 municipal corporations and 9 city municipal corporations (CMCs). Kolkota with 186 sq km has 100 wards and 38 CMCs.

The government has also compared London and said that the capital of England has the same population of Bangalore but has 32 independent city regions.

Sources in the urban development department (UDD) said that a proposal to split palike on the lines of Delhi is also working.

The 272-member Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was split into three in 2012 by creating new North, South and East MCDs. The north and south MCD has 104 counselors each, while the east MCD is a 64-member body. All three MCDs have elected mayors. New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) consisting of VVIP areas and Lyten's Delhi also exists, but is governed by Union ministry of home affairs (MHA).

BMP was upgraded to BBMP in 2007 and poll was held to 198 wards was held in March 2010. The election to BBMP is scheduled in March/April 2015.


 

 
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