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State seeks Rs 1,600 cr under JnNURM for B'lore, Mysore

Tuesday, 28 May 2013 07:35 administrator
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Deccan Herald               28.05.2013

State seeks Rs 1,600 cr under JnNURM for B'lore, Mysore

Projects include purchase of new buses, construction of flyovers and underpasses, and laying of new roads.

With the aim of improving civic infrastructure in Bangalore and Mysore, the State government has sent proposals for at least 30 projects worth Rs 1,600 to the Centre under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) I phase.

The proposals have been sent by the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (KUIDFC). The projects — the bulk of them in Bangalore — will be implemented under the transitional phase of JnNURM, said Darpan Jain, the Managing Director of KUIDFC.

Funds have been sought primarily for projects on decreasing congestion on roads in the two cities. For the purpose, the KUIDFC has suggested the building of flyovers and underpasses, and laying new roads for better traffic management.

At present, the KUIDFC is coordinating with public utility agencies in both cities in order to forward the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) to the Union Government.
Projects worth another Rs 400 crore are being vetted by the KUIDFC.

Training workshops

Some of the projects that have already been sent pertain to procuring better buses for the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). The KUIDFC has also proposed workshops to train the BMTC personnel.

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has proposed at least 10 projects to improve the water supply and drainage system in the City. As for Mysore, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has proposed the procurement of new a fleet of buses for inter-city and intra-city services.

Funds in 2014

Funds under the transitional phase of JnNURM will be available until March, 2014. “We are still getting infrastructure projects for the two cities. We will forward them to the Centre as and when they are submitted,” Jain told Deccan Herald.

In terms of financial completion, 78 per cent of projects under Phase I  of JnNURM have been completed. In terms of physical completion, the civic and transport agencies have completed 27 projects; 39 more are under progress.

One project under the Karnataka Slum Development Board (KSDB) is yet to take off.

 

BMC to use new machines to clean drains, manholes

Tuesday, 21 May 2013 04:12 administrator
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The Times of India                20.05.2013

BMC to use new machines to clean drains, manholes

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Muncipal Corporation (BMC) will be using two new machines to clean storm water drains and manholes in the city before the monsoons.

The highlight of these machines is that they can separate water and silt that is removed from the drains and the water can be used to flush the drain to clean it further.

Bought at a price of Rs 6 crore, this suction jetting machine (recycler), will be useful at water logging spots, where there is a need to discharge water quickly.

The BMC is also planning to buy two more of these machines as so far they have proved to be very useful.

The machine initially runs on air pressure and sucks the silt in storm water drains. After sucking the silt, it can be run on water pressure, which is created by using the water derived from the silt.

The machine can clean the storm water drains without any manual help. It has several features, which are far superior than the traditional suction and jetting machines. The civic body presently has machines of lower capacity to clean storm water drains. These machines can be used to clean drains of only six metres and lower depth and suck solid objects of only up to 75 mm.

However, the new recycler machine can clean storm water drains of more than 10 metres deep and suck objects of up to 125 mm like the wet and dry silt, garbage and other construction materials, said a senior civic official from the storm water drain department.

 

Civic bodies asked to make buses safer, more comfortable

Monday, 06 May 2013 11:37 administrator
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The Times of India            06.05.2013 

Civic bodies asked to make buses safer, more comfortable

PUNE: New buses that will be introduced on city roads will be safer, more comfortable for both passengers and drivers, and will be equipped with in-built ITS technology, if the municipal corporations of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad act on the recommendations of the union ministry of urban development. The ministry has recommended these features to 61 municipal corporations that come under JNNURM.

PMPML, the city public bus transport company has already procured 650 buses under JNNURM funding. However, officials say it plans to make a fresh proposal to procure additional buses that would conform with the new specifications.

Officials of the Pune-based Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT), which was one of the institutions that made suggestions on urban bus specifications, said they took into account requirements of urban commuters while making them. Specifications have also been listed for Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) buses.

According to the report on urban bus specifications, buses plying within the city should also be made more attractive so as to encourage more people to use them. They should also be made accessible to people with physical, sensory and cognitive impairments, it states.

Prashant Kakade, coordinator of the management development centre and a specialist in traffic engineering solutions at CIRT says urban public transport is different from state transport and that make these urban bus specifications significant. In cities, a large number of people, including senior citizens, children, women and even those with physical impairments use public transport. "All these factors have been taken into account while drafting the specifications. For example, the width of the gangway is wider in urban bus specifications because the number of standing passengers is quite high," he said. Another factor taken into consideration is the insistence on low floor buses to help senior citizens board the bus. For BRTS buses, level boarding facilities have been recommended.

The report lists specifications for various types of buses based on the city's requirements. Besides specifications for standard size normal and BRTS buses, mini and midi buses, there are specifications for standard size premium segment, and intelligent transport systems. Kakade said that the specifications are compulsory for JNNURM buses, as there will be a third party inspection when the buses are delivered to the cities by suppliers. The third party inspection will be done by institutions such as CIRT and Automotive Research Association of India, he said.

The cost of travel in these buses would be more than in normal buses, but their performance would be better in terms of fuel efficiency and would be safer, more comfortable for passengers and drivers. Buses will be able to move at improved speed, while noise levels in the buses will be less, Kakade said. Instead of using metal which adds to the dead weight of the buses and affects speed, the buses would be made of fibre, he added.

Incidentally, PMPML has planned to install intelligent transport system requirements in the 650 BRTS buses it has already procured under JNNURM. The undertaking has recently called for offers from private contractors for installation of the ITS requirements. For BRTS operations, the buses have level boarding facility, officials said.

Recommendations made

* Make buses safer, user-friendly

* Make buses accessible to people with physical, sensory and cognitive impairments

* Make gangway wider for standing passengers

* Make buses attractive to encourage more people to use public transport

'Few Indian cities have organized city bus service'

The high powered expert committee on urban infrastructure and the ministry of urban development has estimated that cities in India need about 1.5 lakh buses that would cost approximately Rs 60,000 crores in the next 20 years. The report further cites that only 20 of 85 cities with over 5 lakh population (in 2009) offered an organised city bus service. The recommendations of the working group on urban transport for 12th five year plan includes introduction of organized public transport in all two lakh plus population cities and state capitals, as one of its goals. The report asserts that city bus services have been the major mode of public transport, and this will continue.

Last Updated on Monday, 06 May 2013 11:39
 
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