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PMC plans subway to link sessions and family courts

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The Times of India           29.11.2010

PMC plans subway to link sessions and family courts

PUNE: If the Bombay high court approves it, a pedestrian subway will come up on the rear side of the district and sessions court at gate number 4 linking it to the new family court on the opposite side.

The subway will come up near the SSPMS ground on the road connecting Kamgar Putla Chowk to the road leading to the Pune Municipal Corporation building. It will help lawyers practising at both courts and litigants reach the buildings on either side safely.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has made a budgetary provision of Rs 2 crore to construct the facility. The district and sessions court in Pune has forwarded the letter from the civic body to the Bombay high court and sought its approval for the subway and other development works on its premises. The approval from the high court is mandatory for the project.

A court official said that the principal district and sessions judge Madan Joshi has written to the chief justice of the high court seeking approval before starting the project. The PBA has also urged the high court to permit the construction. The Pune Bar Association (PBA), a lawyers' body, has taken up the matter with municipal commissioner Mahesh Zagade. The association has requested early commencement of the work at the earliest as the funds may lapse if not used by March 31, 2011.

The public works department carries out repairs and maintenance work on the court's premises. The civic body had set aside the funds during the tenure of former standing committee chairman Nilesh Nikam in 2009. Nikam, who is the leader of house, on Thursday said that work on the designs to construct the subway was on and the traffic planner Srinivas Bonala would finalise the modalities of the plan. Nikam said that the PBA has taken up the matter with the PMC, but he will ensure that the funds for the project do not lapse. "As soon as the designs are ready, we will obtain necessary permissions and start the project," he added.

PBA president Milind Pawar told TOI that Rs 1.5 crore would be used for constructing the subway and Rs 50 lakh will be set aside for constructing a pay-and-use toilet, renovating the existing toilets, constructing a waiting room for litigants and a drinking water facility on the court's premises.

Pawar along with vice-presidents Atul Gunjal and Pravin Nalawade and secretaries Vikas Hinge and Abhijit Tikar met Zagade on November 18 and requested him to expedite the work. Zagade told them that he would call for the documents and discuss the matter with the PBA. According to Pawar, the PWD has objected to the idea of the civic body implementing the project after receiving an official communication from the civic body. However, PWD officials have denied creating any hindrance in the project. The civic body and the PWD had not submitted copies of the construction plan and other projects to the district judge, Pawar said.
Last Updated on Monday, 29 November 2010 10:20
 

Water Board short of funds for project

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The New Indian Express  29.11.2010

Water Board short of funds for project

The proposed plans of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) to avail a Rs 1,000 crore loan from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (HUDCO) for phase-I of the Godavari drinking water project has been dashed, as the state government rejected to give counter guarantees for the loan.

The project estimated to cost Rs 3,375 crore was to be completed by December 2011. Because of such a large amount, the state government had to provide counter guarantees for the loan.

According to senior officials, it is learnt the government rejected the HUDCO loan proposal because of the reported precarious financial position of the HMWS&SB. With no income sources, they would not have been able to repay the loan.

It now seems doubtful whether the project will actually go ahead, as the government itself is in a tight financial position and cannot release funds. With the new chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy still to know about the project, it might go on the back-burner.

HMWS&SB officials said the government had to come forward and provide counter guarantees, as it was a huge amount. If the loan was small, HUDCO would have given it, they added.

Execution of the ambitious project has been hit due to lack of funds for the second year running with budget allocation for 2010- 2011 being only Rs 250 crore as against requirement of over Rs 960 crore.

Last Updated on Monday, 29 November 2010 09:27
 

Pedestrians helpless as footpaths occupied

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The Pioneer  29.11.2010

Pedestrians helpless as footpaths occupied

PNS | Dehradun

The footpaths constructed by the local authorities in commercial areas like the Paltan Bazaar have become lucrative feature for the shop keepers and civic officials. While the officials and businessmen are profiting from the construction of footpaths, the people have continued to face the negative effects of anomalies in civic facilitation.

It is pertinent to mention that the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun and District administration have on many occasions in the past tried to remove the encroachment made by shop keepers on the footpaths and roads in the Paltan Bazaar and other commercial areas of the town.

However, due to opposition of the business fraternity with the backing of influential politicians, the authorities have so far failed to rid the commercial areas of roadside encroachments by the shop keepers.

In the meanwhile, sources state that the civic officials, police and shop keepers are profiting from the continued encroachment on the roadsides in Paltan Bazaar and other areas.

It will be recalled that some years ago, the MCD along with the district administration and police had removed the encroachments made by shop keepers on the roadside sewers in Paltan Bazaar and constructed footpaths to cover the drains.

However, so far the public has not been able to take advantage of the footpaths constructed in the Paltan Bazaar and Dhamawala area. Footpaths constructed in such commercial areas have been encroached upon by the shop keepers.

The roads passing through Hanuman Chowk, Raja Road, Moti Bazaar and other areas have also been narrowed substantially due to encroachments by shop keepers.

This is causing major inconvenience to the public and also for the police in trying to regulate traffic in such areas which have become notorious for chronic traffic congestion. In spite of this the authorities have remained helpless and are unable to take necessary action to rid the roads of commercial encroachments.

Last Updated on Monday, 29 November 2010 06:14
 


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