The Times of India            22.09.2010

PUNE: The general body of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has cleared the decks for commercial utilisation of land reserved for the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) depots and termini.

The GB has approved a resolution initiating changes in the development control (DC) rules, which is necessary to allow 2.5 floor space index (FSI) on these prime plots.

As per the resolution, only the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal ltd (PMPML) and the PCMC will be able to develop the plots, said Pimpri-Chinchwad mayor Yogesh Behl.

A short-notice proposal was tabled at the general body on Monday following a letter sent by Dilip Band, divisional commissioner and president and managing director of PMPML. Band said in the letter that the transport body was suffering huge losses and there was a need to increase its income from sources other than buses.

The letter further said that the bus depots in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad are located in prime locations. If 2.5 FSI is granted, depots can be developed on the ground floor while the three to four floors above can be used for parking; the portion above that will be developed on a build operate transfer (BOT) basis for commercial purpose.

"If 2.5 FSI is approved then funds can be generated to help the PMPML cover its losses. It would also mean better public transport in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad," the proposal stated.

To get the FSI approved, changes will have to be made in the DC rules of the PCMC under provisions of section 37 of MRTP Act 1966. In case a site is situated in the bus rapid transit system (BRTS) zone then the premium and other rules which are applicable for the BRTS zone shall not be applicable for the bus stand/terminus/depot.

Satish Kulkarni, joint managing director of the PMPML, confirmed that the transport body has sought permission to commercially exploit all the plots reserved for bus termini/ depots and other purposes for the transport body within the PCMC limits.

A PMPML official said that all the properties and plots that were reserved for the erstwhile Pimpri Chinchwad municipal transport (PCMT) were owned by the PCMC. The PMPML has received possession of only three depots, namely Nigdi, Nehrunagar and Bhosari and one central workshop at Nigdi. The PMPML had earlier sought possession of six plots in various parts of the municipal limits from the PCMC but the general body has kept the proposal pending.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Rajendra Kate said, "The PCMC should develop the plots reserved for depots and termini as it will bring additional income for the PMPML. The civic body has given funds to the PMPML for three years and now the transport body should look after its needs."

The Deccan Chronicle  22.09.2010

Sept. 21: With the city getting more crowded by the day and parking space shrinking on its roads as a result, frustration and anger is growing among commuters and those who bear the brunt of haphazard parking on the streets. Six months ago, a family barged on to the stage at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall, while a play was in progress, to protest against the cars that were parked in front of their house.

While not everyone’s reaction is as extreme, there is mounting frustration with the chaos in the city, particularly around places of religious worship where people arriving for prayers leave their cars or other vehicles parked on the roadsides.

It is a good idea to avoid Mysore Road on Saturdays as there is usually a traffic pile-up for almost an hour on the stretch after the Sirsi Circle Flyover with crowds of devotees making their way to a temple here. Sundays too see several roads of the city blocked while people make their way to temples.

The situation is no different around mosques and churches too, so much so that those who have homes around places of worship have been getting into arguments with people arriving to offer prayers as they often leave their vehicles parked in front of them. “It is almost impossible to take out our vehicle in the mornings as devotees park their cars or have drivers waiting for them in their cars in front of our door,” complains Ravindran, a resident of Malleswaram.

The problem, says civic expert Arun Ganesh, is that most religious places in the city are located in congested areas or in the older parts of Bengaluru, where there is little space for parking. “The government must increase the parking place around temples and other places of worship where a large number of people arrive in their cars,” he says. But neither the police nor BBMP has any action plan in place to manage traffic around temples or other religious places. “There cannot be a specific plan for traffic management around temples. But we do introduce diversions when we anticipate bigger crowds at religious centres,” says a traffic police officer.

A traffic expert suggests that multi-level parking lots must be planned in congested areas to take the pressure off the roads. But that is obviously easier said than done. Perhaps better civic sense among the people could help. And a more hands-on approach by the traffic police and the BBMP to regulate traffic around places of worship is certainly called for.