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Surendra Narayan Pandey new MCD Mukhya Nagar Adhikari

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The Pioneer  20.08.2010

Surendra Narayan Pandey new MCD Mukhya Nagar Adhikari

PNS | Dehradun

Indu Dhar Baurai has been replaced by Surendra Narayan Pandey, as the Mukhya Nagar Adhikari in Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD). Pandey who was transferred from his earlier posting as the Haridwar ADM will face the challenge of facilitating many important tasks in the MCD like the implementation of house tax, facilitation of civic sanitation and execution of urban development works funded under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) among other works.

It is hoped that the replacement of Baurai will facilitate the execution of various tasks, which are pending in MCD because Baurai was handling the additional charge of MNA while fulfilling his duties as the Chief Development Officer. In addition to this Baurai's tenure as the MNA was also marked for his less cordial relation and lack of communication with the Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli.

The Mayor and Councillors in the MCD had repeatedly stated that the absence of a full time MNA was preventing the effective execution of the important development works and delaying routine works. However, the latest transfer of 13 bureaucrats including Baurai hoped to improve the organisational and functional efficiency of the MCD. Mayor said that issues like the implementation of house tax, which was passed by the MCD Board, could not be executed in time due to the absence of a full time MNA with Baurai also fulfilling his duties as the District CDO. This had also affected the execution of other routine but important tasks like facilitation of civic sanitation in the 60 municipal wards of Dehradun.

Major development works funded under JNNURM like solid waste management facility being constructed with `24.6 crore are also not being executed at the desired pace. Removal of encroachments from MCD land and unauthorised advertisement hoardings as part of implementation of the MCD advertisement hoarding policy were also affected due to the absence of a full-time MNA. It is hoped that with Surendra Narayan Pandey being appointed the MNA, the execution of delayed works in MCD will gain momentum.

Last Updated on Friday, 20 August 2010 06:45
 

Punjab to decentralise urbanisation process

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The Pioneer  19.08.2010

Punjab to decentralise urbanisation process

PNS | Chandigarh

In a bid to decentralise the process of urban development, Punjab Government has decided to extend the jurisdiction of six developmental authorities of Mohali, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala and Bathinda to cover the entire State.

This was disclosed here by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during a media interaction. Badal said that Greater Mohali Area Development Authority would now also look after Ropar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Rajpura in the Patiala district besides Mohali.

Likewise, the jurisdiction of Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority had been extended to Moga, Nawanshahr, Ferozepur and Phillaur in Jalandhar district. Jalandhar Development Authority would cover Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala. Amritsar Development Authority would cover Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran, Patiala Development Authority would encompass Patiala, Sangrur and Barnala and Bathinda Development Authority would now have jurisdiction over Mansa, Muktsar, Faridkot and Ferozepur apart from Bathinda.

Badal further said that these authorities would now provide the services to the public at the local level for the change of land use, licensing of colonies, completion certificates, besides the disposal of grievances of plot holders and regulating process of urban development in the respective areas.

Decentralisation of development authorities would also enable the concerned officers to focus their attention on the integrated growth of the areas in a cohesive manner, earlier it was difficult for officers at Chandigarh to take care the entire State.

On the issue of direct recruitment in various departments, Chief Minister Badal informed that the State Government had launched a massive recruitment drive to give direct employment to 63,552 persons, out of which 44,474 persons had been recruited so far and 18,918 were in the process of recruitment.

Badal said that Maharaja Ranjit Singh Institute of Military Training at Mohali and Maritime Academy near Ropar would be soon made functional to provide tremendous job opportunities to the youth in the defence services, Merchant Navy and other shipping companies.

Chief Minister also apprised the media persons that the State Government had chalked out a detailed programme to provide employable skills to nearly 67,500 youth within a year by involving the State Technical Education Department (35,000), PTU and private engineering colleges (17500), Guru Nanak Dev University (5,000) and Punjabi University Patiala (10000).

On cleaning of rivers, water supply and sewerage project, the Chief Minister said that the State Government had embarked upon an ambitious plan to cover 44 towns at a cost of Rs 2,055 crore.

The objective of the entire project was to check the pollution caused by the discharge of untreated sewage of the cities, villages and industrial waste in Sutlej, Beas and Ghaggar rivers.

An amount of Rs 1,342 crore had been sanctioned for the execution of works in the 18 towns in the first phase and the remaining 26 towns would be taken up at a cost of Rs 713 crore in the next phase. He said that the work on the first phase of the project would be completed by November 2011.

Referring to the steps taken by the State Government to check the menace of industrial pollution, the Chief Minister said that Rs 370 crore would be spent on 35 large and medium scale and 425 small scale polluting industries to prevent them from discharging their untreated waste water and effluents in the rivers by November 30, 2011.

Last Updated on Thursday, 19 August 2010 10:08
 

Corp clears way for mobility hub

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The New Indian Express  19.08.2010

Corp clears way for mobility hub

 

KOCHI: The Kochi Corporation has cleared the way for the Vyttila Mobility Hub by sending the proposal to the state government for including the project in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme. The inclusion of the project in the JNNURM is an important step as far as  fund-raising is concerned.

“We have completed all the procedures in this regard. Now it is up to the state government to take further action,” Mayor Mercy Williams said.

After scrutiny by the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP), the proposal to the state-level empowered committee headed by the Chief Minister for consideration.

After getting the  approval from the empowered committee, it will be forwarded to the Union Government for the final nod. The Vyttila Mobility Hub Society, which has been floated for the construction and running of the Mobility Hub, will be able to start the construction work once the proposal is included in the JNNURM.

If included in the JNNURM scheme, half the cost can be allotted from it. Once the construction work starts, the project cannot be included in the JNNURM.

The state government has already allotted ` 5 crore while the Society has taken ` 20 crore each from the GCDA and GIDA respectively as an interim loan.

If the attempts to get the project included in the JNNURM do not succeed, the Society will have to look for some financial institution for the aid.

Last Updated on Thursday, 19 August 2010 07:12
 


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