The Times of India            30.10.2013

Udupi CMC meet discuss bad roads, delayed garbage disposal

UDUPI: The first general body meeting of the newly-elected Udupi Municipal Council held under the chairmanship of president Yuvaraj on Tuesday saw heated discussions on issues like delay in garbage disposal, bad roads and illegal renting out of land to migrated labourers.

Bringing the notice of the council to the plight of migrant labourers, Ambalapady ward councillor Vasanthi Shetty said that a person has illegally rented out land to migrated labourers to build huts in his ward adjacent to the National Highway 66.

"There are no toilets in the compound and the labourers use open spaces to attend nature's call," she said. She also asked the authorities concerned to take steps to find a solution to the delay in disposal of garbage in her ward.CMC commissioner Srikanth Rao assured her that necessary action will be taken to resolve both the issues.

Ajjarakad ward councillor, Yashpal Suvarna said that solar lights should be fixed in Bhujanga Park. "Even after several protest, people continue to dump garbage near the park. CMC should take action to shift the garbage to the dumping yard in Alevoor," he added.

Sumithra R Nayak, councillor of Parkala ward, said congested roads in Parkala town are creating problems for motorists. "Road widening works should be taken up on priority basis in Parkala," she added.

Rao informed the council that Rs 70 lakh has been set aside repair works on roads under CMC limits. "The fund is meant for filling potholes. The works will begin shortly," he added.

MLA Pramod Madhwaraj, who attended the meeting, said that he has requested the chief minister to sanction Rs 10 crore to Udupi CMC for taking up road repair works ahead of Paryaya Mahothsav in January.

Opposing a move by the council to form committees in wards represented by councillors belonging to opposition parties, BJP councillors said that it is against the law. The Congress has the majority in the council.

The Indian Express                 29.10.2013

Another bridge above Jagraon bridge?

In order to de-congest the area near Jagraon bridge and relieving the residents travelling to Chandigarh or coming to Ludhiana from Chandigarh, the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation is planning to make another bridge right above the already existing Jagraon bridge.

Not only this, the MC is also planning to widen the already existing bridge by removing the railings and putting the strong pillars from beneath.

While these are both long-term plans to avoid the area turning into a bottleneck as the eight-laning of road from Durga Mata Mandir Chowk to Sidhwan canal will start, there is a short-term plan too which the MC has proposed. This plan is to trim the triangle-shaped green island where the statues of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev stand to widen the road and accommodate more vehicles.

MC Commissioner Rahul Tewari on Sunday visited the Jagraon bridge along with Additional Commissioner Sumit Jarangal and ACP (Traffic) Deepak Hilori, and discussed all three proposals.

Talking to Newsline after the visit, Tewari said, "As eight-laning starts, Jagraon bridge will again be a bottleneck for city. To avoid that, we have made two long-term and one short-term proposals. In our first long-term proposal, we are planning to make another bridge which will run parallel above existing bridge, taking commuters to Vishwakarma Chowk directly from Durga Mata Mandir Chowk."

"In the second long-term proposal, we are planning to widen the already existing bridge with insertion of pillars and removal of railings to accommodate more vehicles. It will be a relief for people coming to Ludhiana from Chandigarh," said Tewari.

He said that since both the plans would require assistance from the railways, the consultancy firm RITES had been given responsibility to contact them and also find out the cost that would be incurred on both the plans.

Talking about the short-term plan, Tewari said that the "green triangle on which statues of martyrs stand will be trimmed to make more vehicles move smoothly".

Asked if there would be any effect on the statues, he said, "The statues will be properly maintained even if the green belt is trimmed for vehicles." Fifteen days' time had been given to the engineers to study the short-term plan's implementation, he added.

'Will make Rose Garden show a weekly feature'

MC Commissioner Rahul Tewari on Sunday evening went to the Rose Garden to see performance of children from the Ishmeet Singh Music Academy. Singh, a Ludhiana-based singer, had won the Voice of India TV reality show and later died. "We are planning to make this performance a weekly feature at Rose Garden for the entertainment of residents," he said.