The Times of India      29.09.2010

60m main roads to be built around new city colonies

GURGAON: With the city's roads already choked, Haryana government seems not to be taking any chances when it comes to planning roads in Gurgaon's upcoming sectors, so as to be able to accommodate future traffic growth. On Tuesday, while approving the revised Gurgaon-Manesar Urban Complex Plan, the state government also approved a plan to construct 60-
metre roads, with 50-metre green belts alongside them, around the peripheries of upcoming sectors.

Similarly, to check haphazard and unauthorized development, the government has decided that all major roads will get 50-metre wide green belt alongside them, and that a 200-metre wide institutional belt along them will be developed by government or semi-government organizations.

The government seems to have learnt from the current Gurgaon experience, with almost all the city's roads having breached their carrying capacities and with very little scope of widening the roads much farther.

A committee chaired by chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda approved the development plan of the Gurgaon-Manesar Urban Complex-2025. The new development plan has been prepared to accommodate 40 lakh people -- the city's current population is 20 lakh -- with the year 2025 in mind. The government had added six more controlled areas (meant for planned development) to the existing 41 controlled areas.

According to a government spokesperson, a 60-metre wide road with a 50-metre green belt on the far side has been proposed along the outer periphery of Sectors 59, 60, 63, 64 and 67. Similarly, the sectors will get 24-metre wide inner roads.

He added that the committee found the major roads leading from sectors 58/61, 59/61 to 59/60; 61/62 to 60/63; 62/65 to 63/64 and the arterial roads of sector 65/66 to 64/67 were ending abruptly at the end of the development plan area. ``So, the committee has proposed the building of a 60-metre wide main road at the edge of these sectors which will improve traffic circulation, said a senior official of the town and country planning department (DTCP).

The government has also decided to realign and cover Kost Nallah along the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) up to the SPR and Sohna Road intersection. This is likely to bring huge relief to the residential sectors 58 to 66.

The new development plan for 2025 has made provisions for 15,148 hectares of residential area, as opposed to the 14,930 hectares for development plan-2021.

Hindustan Times  29.09.2010

Following the tussle between residents and hawkers during the eight-day Mount Mary fair at Bandra this year, the Bombay High Court has asked the deputy municipal commissioner of the zone to “work out a proper strategy for the future”. A division bench of Justices Ranjana Desai and RV More, on Tuesday, disposed of the petition filed by 250-odd Bandra residents who had sought that the high court restrain the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) from granting permission to hawkers to set up stalls on the roads and footpaths.

“We hope and trust that the corporation will take into consideration the grievances of residents, contentions of stall owners, the commissioner of police, BEST and fire brigade and work out a proper strategy,” the bench observed.

“In a matter where religious sentiments are involved and the right of residents to live free of inconvenience, the court has to strike a balance,” the bench observed.

Advocate Pooja Thorat, counsel for the petitioner, pointed out that the Supreme Court had framed guidelines concerning hawking and no-hawking zones.

The PIL contended that as per the committee set up by the SC, the area surrounding Mount Mary Church falls in the no-hawking zone. It questions the corporation’s authority to permit hawkers in the no-hawking zone.

The high court has asked the corporation to keep the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in mind while working out a strategy for the future.

The court has also asked the police to maintain law and order in the area during the fair.

Two different applications were made before the court — one supporting the petition, and the other opposing it.
The high court has asked the deputy municipal commissioner to hear them as well. The HC has asked each group to appoint a representative who would put up their case before him.