The Hindu              11.12.2013 

D-Day for key infrastructure projects of city corporation

Four major urban infrastructure projects of Kochi Corporation, to be implemented under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), will come up for scrutiny on Wednesday.

The State-level Steering Committee of the Mission will evaluate the three new urban infrastructure projects namely the public market upgradation programme (Rs.32.68 crore), pedestrian-friendly urban transport scheme (Rs.55 crore) and renewal of inner core area of Ernakulam market (Rs.15 crore). Two projects for alleviating the flooding in central city (Rs.40 crore) and West Kochi (Rs.60 crore) areas too would be presented before the panel. These projects are being proposed to be implemented under the transition phase of the Mission.

The projects would be submitted for funding after obtaining the clearance of the State Committee. Once approved, the local body would get three years for implementing the centrally-supported projects, said Tony Chammany, Kochi Mayor.

The Mayor would attend the Steering Committee meeting to be held in Thiruvananthapuram.

The ongoing schemes, which may not be over within the March 2014 deadline of the Mission, too would be transferred to the transition stage. This would give a leeway of three years for the city to implement them, Mr. Chammany said.

The earlier-sanctioned Ernakulam Market renovation and Broadway heritage project was bifurcated and repackaged and showcased as two different projects.

‘Drop projects’

Meanwhile, the local body has been asked to drop some of the earlier announced projects including the Sewerage Scheme for the Central Area for want of time and resources. The Steering Committee is of the view that the local body should consider the project for the next phase of the Mission projects.

Under the public market renovation project, the aged structures of seven markets in Kochi would be reconstructed. The projects include the renovation of the existing fish and mutton market building and construction of auction hall, toilet block and an effluent treatment plant at Champakkara Market, construction of market building for vending fish, beef and mutton at Pachalam Market.

Similar projects will be implemented at Thoppumpady, Polakandam, Amaravathi, Koovappadam and Pattalam markets.

The local body pitched for these projects as it did not involve any dislocation of people and property and hence no rehabilitation and resettlement components were involved.

The civic authorities are toying with the idea of preparing a detailed project report for the proposal for improving the inland water ways system of Kochi. Efforts are on to make funds available for the project during the transition phase itself, according to civic authorities.

The Times of India             10.12.2013

New civic headquarters unlikely to be completed by January

NAVI MUMBAI: Inauguration of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's (NMMC) new headquarters in Belapur on January 1 seems highly unlikely as only 80% of the construction is complete.

According to civic body officials, many senior leaders from NCP, including local MP Sanjeev Naik, want the building to be inaugurated on the date when the corporation was actually formed. "NMMC came in to existence on January 1, 1992. Hence, many local politicians want the new building to be inaugurated on January 1, 2014. Nearly 80% of the building's construction is complete. But completing the remaining 20% to meet the January 1 deadline is an uphill task," said a civic official. Despite repeated attempts, Naik was unavailable for comment.

In 2008, the general body had passed a resolution sanctioning Rs 79 crore for the construction of the building. The civic body had started construction of the new building on March 2, 2009. Five years after the resolution, the cost incurred for construction of the new headquarters is over Rs 160 crore, double the estimate.

"The general body will soon have to pass the resolution to meet the additional cost incurred on the new headquarters," said a senior corporator.

The ground plus five domed structure is nearly complete and has been designed to depict both traditional and modern aspects.

The iconic structure, coming up on more then 20,000 sq mt plot in sector 15 A, Belapur, is also all set to hoist India's tallest flag post, with the height of the pole being 225 feet.

Meanwhile, to ensure the quality and speedy completion of the project, city engineer Mohan Dagaonkar and his colleagues frequently visit the building. The new structure has rain water harvesting facilities, sewage treatment plant inside the premises to recycle sewage water to be used for gardening and cleaning.