The Indian Express             18.09.2013

MMRDA invites bids for underground Metro corridor

Hoping to start construction by May next year, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has invited bids for pre-qualification for the construction of the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro, which will be Mumbai's first underground Metro corridor and one of the most expensive infrastructure projects in the city.

Separately, the Union finance ministry's Department of Economic Affairs Tuesday formally signed a loan agreement for the Metro project with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Delhi for the disbursement of the first tranche of Rs 4,553 crore or 71,000 million Yen. The agreement was signed by Rajesh Khullar, joint secretary of the department of economic affairs and Shinya Ejima, the chief representative of JICA in India.

UPS Madan, metropolitan commissioner at MMRDA, said, "The loan would be disbursed in three tranches. A formal agreement will be signed for every tranche before disbursement. We have called for requests for qualification for the civil works to construct the corridor as a cash contract."

PRK Murthy, chief of the transport division at MMRDA, said, "We will evaluate the pre-qualification bids by November 30 and call for request for proposals by the first week December. The shortlisted companies will be given 60 days to submit their tenders and work orders will be issued by March. The disbursement of JICA's loan will be as per construction schedule."

The Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro will be a 33.5-km corridor with 26 underground stations. The project cost is pegged at Rs 23,126 crore. JICA is providing a loan for 57.2 per cent of the project cost with a tenure of 30 years at an annual interest rate of 1.4 per cent.

The Central and state governments are contributing an equity of 10.4 per cent each and a subordinate debt of 4.4 per cent and 7 per cent of the project cost, respectively. The Mumbai International Airport Limited, which has agreed to construct three stations as stakeholder contribution, will account for 3.4 per cent of the project cost. Besides, the MMRDA is looking to raise 4.3 per cent by either property development, or levying an impact fee on the areas that will benefit from the project. The rest is expected to come from a Central government scheme meant to bolster exports as the Metro corridor will boost connectivity to SEEPZ, an exports promotion zone.

The MMRDA has invited the bids for the civil work in seven packages. As per the bid documents, the tunnels would be constructed using boring machines instead of the blasting or drilling method. This will limit the disturbance caused to the surrounding area.  

The Times of India               17.09.2013

Aurangabad to get 10 new day care centres by Oct-end

AURANGABAD: The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is planning to offer day care services at ten new destinations in the city by the end of October. As of now, the civic body is running only two such centres - one each at Naregaon and Motikaranja.

In the first phase, the civic body will open five centres while the remaining centres will be opened in the second phase. In charge of women and child welfare cell in the AMC, Premlata Karad, said that after completion of the second phase, the city will have a total of 12 day care centres.

Karad said that the civic body had earmarked Rs 1 crore in its current annual budget under its women and child care cell for the centres. "We have planned to go about it in two phases ," she said. The civic body has recently identified five locations in five different areas including, Milind Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, Chikhalthana, Mukundwadi, and Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). "We are starting the centres in areas close to slums or markets with a minimum capacity for 50 kids," she said.

Karad said the centre at GMCH would be dedicated to HIV patients who visit the hospital regularly for treatment. "We have a number of patients from nearby places that come to the hospital every day. Some of these belong to economically weaker section and cannot afford accommodation. Thus the municipal body is starting a day care centre close to the hospital with a capacity to accommodate about 100 kids," she said. The civic body assigns the centres to NGOs and pays honorarium based on the number of inmates. Karad said the civic body was spending Rs 60 per day per kid on the project. "NGOs provide milk, snacks and lunch to the kids every day. The centre will function between 9 am and 5 pm for kids in the age group of 5 to 14."

K V Deshmukh, president of the NGO - Aapulki Samaj Seva Santhsa - welcomed the move. However, he emphasised on improving facilities in the existing centres. "Normally, kids do not like to stay in the centre. They find the place quite similar to a school. We should provide them attraction like games and toys," he said.