Urban News

The Deccan Herald  20.09.2010

Weeds and waste dominate most TMC parks in making

Bangarpet: Sep 19, DHNS:

The Town Municipal Council allotted a space for a park in the Shantinagar Ward. However, it did not bother to manage the plot.

The land is filled with weeds, waste and even drain water emitting an offensive odour.

Foresight
The Council allotted the space for a park with an intention of beautifying the Town. There would also be several places for children and elders to spend time and relax. Greenery will increase, which would be a positive step towards saving the environment, planned the Council.

It therefore allotted spaces in all developing layouts in Town for such parks. Thus, various plots of land of different measurement were allotted for parks at different places in Shantinagar.

Implementation of the plan, however, seemed missing from the agenda of the Council. The allotted plots have thus far been ignored by the Council for several years.

Civic problems
The worse part of it is that while on the one hand, the parks are not coming up, on the other hand, people living near the plots in the different layouts are experiencing difficulties as a result of the ignored plots.

Lack of hygiene is the foremost in the list of problems. Weeds have grown tall and taken up most of the area on the plots. This also conveniences snakes from the nearby Karahalli Doddakere lake, which slider onto the plots. Rain water too settles on the land, leading to foul smell in time.

The plot for the park has now become a dumping ground for waste from construction plots. Heaps of mud and bricks stand out on the land. This, in turn, has encouraged the people in the layout themselves to use the plot as a garbage dump, adding to the unhygienic condition.

Further, in combination of the garbage and the rain water, the land has become a drain. People living adjacent to the plot live forever fighting mosquitoes, flies and other such insects, and thereby, diseases like dengue and chikungunya.

Repeated requests
The people sent several pleas to the Council to maintain hygiene in the area allotted for the park. Due to lack of response from the Council, the people are forced to live with the problems.

In addition, the plot is being slowly encroached upon by neighbours. The Council therefore has the responsibility of preventing the parks planned from having no space to develop at all, ever.

Shantinagara Krishnamurthy says parks are like the hearts of a town. If kept clean and beautiful, the population of the entire layout will use them. Children will play, while elders would use the parks as discussion places.
Indirectly, parks contribute to the overall development of the town. Therefore, the land allotted should be taken charge of by the Council and the parks developed as early as possible, Krishnamurthy requests.

Business Standard  16.09.2010

While companies have benefited from the Centre’s special package for buying buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the states have not got their share.

The UPA government had approved Rs 4,723.97 crore to jointly fund 14,504 buses for states in the second stimulus package in early 2009, of which Rs 2,088.84 would be borne by the Centre. However, an internal report of the Urban Development Ministry said it has released Rs 1,067.42 crore to the states so far.

Minister of state for urban development, Saugata Ray, cited the lack of reforms initiatives for the non-release of funds. “According to the memorandum of agreements with the states, they were supposed to have undertaken many reforms like creation of an unified transport authority in the cities where these buses would ply. The states had also agreed with the Centre to roll out smart ticketing systems and a dedicated urban transport fund, among other things. Most of the states have failed to do so.”

But the companies have done good business. Tata Motors have bagged most orders. An official of the UD ministry said, “The Tatas had launched modern buses ahead of other competitors. That may be the reason why maximum orders went to the company from the states.”

The second stimulus package announced by the Government on January 2, 2009, said: “States, as a one-time measure up to 30.06.2009 will be provided assistance under the JNNURM for the purchase of buses for their urban transport systems.”

Tata Motors had received orders for 5,888 buses of different types for state undertakings across the country, over a period of time beginning February 2009 up to March 2010. Of these, the company has till date delivered 4,656 buses. The remaining are under various stages of delivery.

Tata Motors makes buses at its plants in Lucknow and Dharwad and that of its associate company, ACGL – Goa. The company has the capacity to make about 2,000 buses per month.

A company spokesperson said, “We will not be able to share revenues, because the company does not disclose revenues, specific to lines of business.”

Ashok Leyland received orders for 5,209 buses, of which the company has already delivered 3,342 buses. A company spokesperson said, “The JNNURM program helped STU (state transport undertakings) volumes pick-up last year. There was significant growth in the bus market at 23 per cent due to the initiative last fiscal.”

Volvo received orders for around 800 AC low-floor buses. The buses are priced at '80-85 lakh. Around 95 per cent of the orders have been delivered.

Akash Passey, managing director Volvo Buses India Private Limited said, “We saw about 35 per cent growth in volumes last year and JNNURM was a good contributor. A good part of our revenues came from the initiative.”