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Urban Planning

HMDA identifies land for truck terminals

Friday, 05 February 2010 05:20 administrator
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The Hindu 05.02.2010

HMDA identifies land for truck terminals

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) which identified necessary land stretches surrounding the city and abutting National Highways is looking forward to develop Logistic Hubs that when in place could better traffic conditions.

These hubs or truck terminals would provide parking facilities for the inbound/outbound commercial heavy vehicles, reduce turn around time for them and eliminate parking and loading/unloading instances within the city. Proposed as part of implementation of Master Plan of Hyderabad Metropolitan Area, the Authority has identified government lands on eight corridors with an area ranging from 20 acres to 40 acres. These locations include Peddashapur, Batasingaram, Muraharipally, Mangalapally and Edulabad where the HMDA has taken over the lands.

IL&FS Infrastructure Development Corporation which was appointed as Project Advisors for structuring the project on PPP last year recommended development of these provisions as ‘Integrated Logistic Hub’ and ‘Moderate Logistic Hubs/Truck Terminals’.

While the integrated facility was suggested with 85 to 100 acres on National Highway with connectivity to the ORR, the latter was proposed as Type-II facility with parking, warehousing and wayside amenities in 25 to 40 acres on National and State Highways.

Among others, the hubs would have rest and related facilities for the crew, vehicle repair and maintenance and requisite commercial facilities for sustaining logistics operations and cater the needs of visitors and others.

According to statistics, more than 30,000 freight vehicles ply on the city roads daily with around 1 lakh ton cargo which works out to a demand for warehousing of about 10 lakh sft space and parking demand for about 10,000 cargo vehicles.

For the Integrated Logistic Hub facility, the HMDA is looking at spaces abutting railway line and NH-7 along the Medchal-Dabeelpura-Manoharabad railway stations, abutting the railway line at Thimmapur station and NH-7 towards Bangalore and at Edulabad with connectivity to Ghatkesar railway station and ORR. U

nder active consideration are two truck terminals at Bata Singaram and Peddashapur.

Last Updated on Friday, 05 February 2010 05:22
 

In Delhi, civic body relaxes its norms

Thursday, 04 February 2010 08:27 administrator
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Hindustan Times 04.02.2010

In Delhi, civic body relaxes its norms

Unlike in the NCR towns, consumers in the Capital won’t have to suffer bad network on their mobile phones.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided not to seal any cell phone towers in the city as of now. Besides, the civic agency has finalised its policy on setting up mobile towers on ground and rooftops.

To be tabled in the MCD’s standing committee meeting next work, the new policy has relaxed the norms for setting up mobile towers to ensure that connectivity is not affected.

The civic agency had admitted that out of 4,532-cell phone towers in the city, 2,517 towers were illegal. Hindustan Times was the first to report on illegal cell phone towers in the city, on September 21.

The MCD commissioner had also tabled a policy on mobile phone towers under which they (towers) could not be set up in residential areas.

However, under the new policy the mobile phone operators will be given an option to set up towers in community centres, municipal or government buildings and commercial buildings. In case this option is not available, they will be able to set up towers in colonies as well.

“The operators will have to get it certified from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India that there are no such commercial or municipal buildings in colonies where they want to set up these towers. Our junior engineer will carry out an inspection after that,” said Meera Aggarwal, member of the committee set up to draft the new policy.

As per the proposed policy, all such towers that aren’t regularised will be given 20 days to shift to another location.

Cell phone tower operators were given time till January 31 to regularize their towers.

Last Updated on Thursday, 04 February 2010 08:40
 

Building rules revision draws flak

Thursday, 04 February 2010 08:08 administrator
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The New Indian Express 04.02.2010

Building rules revision draws flak

Express News Service


KOCHI: The amendments to the building rules declared by the State Government two months ago have drawn widespread protest.

Many organisations, including the Indian Institute of Architects(IIA), are up in the arms against the government’s decision. They seek cancellation of the amendments. According to IIA officebearers, the amendments will affect the development of the state.

“The new rules envisage that almost 80 percent of the licences, for all categories of buildings, have to be issued by the chief town planner in Thiruvananthapuram.

This will result in long delays in the clearance of files. If the district town planner is made the authority to issue the licences, it would help reduce the delay in the process,” said IIA, Kerala chapter, chairman Lalichan Zacharia. As per a clause in the amended rule, a person who applies for construction licence should secure no objection certificate(NOC) from owners of the neighbouring properties on all sides of the plot before digging a well or building a septic tank.

“It will not be easy to secure NOCs from the neighbours. Sometimes, they might not be willing to give the permission in writing. This will lead to a standstill in the construction sector,” Lalichan said. If a plot of more than 50 cents is to be developed or sub-divided, there will have to be a seven-metre wide road to the plot. Given the fact that almost all the panchayat roads in the state are only up to six metres wide, developing or sub-dividing such plots will become impossible.

Another clause in the amended rule stipulates a fourfold increase in the parking space, with an additional parking lot for visitors.

Earlier, the government used to hold discussions with all the parties concerned while making such amendments.

Though the government had promised all the stakeholders a year ago that they would be invited for discussions no talks were held.

Last Updated on Thursday, 04 February 2010 08:12
 
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