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90% urban infrastructure projects under JNNURM completed: RMC

Friday, 19 July 2013 10:19 administrator
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The Indian Express                19.07.2013

90% urban infrastructure projects under JNNURM completed: RMC

The Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) has completed around 90 per cent of projects under the Central government-sponsored Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for upgrading urban infrastructure and services since 2006.

"Most of our projects have been completed within the given time limit," RMC Commissioner Ajay Bhadoo said, addressing a meeting of representatives of municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Orissa. The meeting marked the beginning of a two-day exposure visit of Rajkot by eight civic officials from the three states. They included civic officials from Lucknow, Kanpur, Asansol and Bhubaneshwar. The delegates visited water treatment plant in Raiyadhar, sewage treatment plant in Raiya and call centre in west zone office of the RMC.

The tour, called Peer Experience and Reflective Learning (PEARL), is organised by National Institute of Urban Affairs, a premier urban research body based in New Delhi. PEARL is an initiative under JNNURM to "support cities to actively pursue activities in implementation of projects and reforms".

Chirag Pandya, head of JNNURM Cell of RMC, said Rajkot was selected for the tour due to its good record in implementing JNNURM projects. In a presentation, Pandya said the city was awarded 11 projects worth Rs 804 crore so far. These included housing projects (Rs 193 crore) for economically weaker section (EWS) and two projects each for water supply, sewerage, solid waste management, and road and transport.

Of the total funds received under JNNURM, 33 per cent were being spent on sewage projects, 24 per cent on housing and 20 per cent on water supply. The remaining 17 per cent were allocated for road and transport and six per cent for solid waste management, he said.

Pandya said RMC had completed majority of JNNURM projects of urban infrastructure and governance. The civic body has completed water supply projects worth Rs 83 crore. BRTS phase-I, completed at the cost of Rs 164 crore, is the highlight of the JNNURM projects while a railway over-bridge, built at the cost of Rs 51 crore, has also been thrown open to the public, he said. The drainage and solid waste management projects are also nearing completion.

As part of projects for basic services to urban poor, the RMC has built 4,976 dwelling units for EWS in phase I and II. However, 3,688 units, including all the 2,624 of phase II, are still under construction. 

 

Corporation to get sprayers today

Tuesday, 16 July 2013 07:24 administrator
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The Hindu               16.07.2013

Corporation to get sprayers today

Staff Reporter

The City Corporation will receive the first batch of 150 sprayers for mosquito eradication on Tuesday, almost a month-and-a-half after the onset of monsoon.

Officials with the Health wing of the civic body said the unprecedented delay on the part of Kerala Agro Industries Corporation Ltd in finalising the terms of the supply agreement with the Corporation had affected the ‘Bye Bye’ mosquito programme. Kudumbasree workers will be given the equipment to carry out door-to-door source elimination programme.

So far, Health workers with the civic body only carried out fogging in public areas of wards where dengue was diagnosed. Residents had complained that this was inadequate to tackle the menace and hence three Kudumbashree workers were appointed in each ward to carry out a campaign to destroy possible vector breeding sites. Funds were set aside for the ‘Bye Bye’ mosquito programme in the budget.

Though staff members were appointed in at least 40 wards, the scheme failed to take off owing to lack of such equipment. An order had been placed for 300 sprayers. A date will be set for the launch of the programme when workers will fan out across 40 wards and carry out eradication in each house at a nominal fee of Rs. 5.

 

KWA has a grand dream in the pipeline

Wednesday, 03 July 2013 12:01 administrator
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The New Indian Express        03.07.2013 

KWA has a grand dream in the pipeline

If everything goes as planned, waterpipe bursts will be a matter of past in the state, as the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is replacing the existing pipes with new ones.

In an ambitious project, the KWA plans to eliminate pipe bursting incidents in eight years. Priority will be given to corporations and places with thicker population. Though the project is at various levels of implementation, availability of funds remains a major problem. In districts like Kannur and Malappuram, the project is almost completed and in central and southern parts, though at slow phase, the project is progressing.

T C Subran, KWA technical member, said the authority is planning to replace all the existing old pipes by 2021. “Thrust will be given to vulnerable pipes in the corporation limits and areas with more number of consumers. Priority will be given to pumping and transmission pipelines across the state. For the project, Rs 100 crore was allotted in the state budget this year. This will be suitably distributed among various areas in Kerala,” he said.

Experts point out that pre-stressed concrete pipes and asbestos cement pipes are the ones which burst frequently in the state.“Maximum lifetime of these pipes is 15-20 years. But pipes in some areas are about 40 years old. ‘‘This, coupled with the climatic conditions, increases the chance of pipe bursts,” KWA officials said. Subran said KWA plans to replace these pipes with mild steel pipe and ductile iron pipes, with a lifetime of 50 years. K V Mohanan, KWA assistant executive engineer, said high water pressure might have led to pipe bursts in various parts of the state in recent times.

“Many proposals to replace the pipelines in certain areas are yet to be materialised. Fund availability is a major problem,” he said.According to the available data with the the Kerala Water Authority , the state has 14,65,448 water connections.

 
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