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Way clear for DDA allotments in November

Friday, 30 October 2009 14:58 administrator
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The Hindu 30.10.2009

Way clear for DDA allotments in November

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: With the Delhi police ruling out tampering of software used in the draw of lots, the Delhi Development Authority on Thursday announced that it would start issuing allotment letters under its controversial “Housing Scheme-2008” in November.

According to DDA, the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi police had not found any irregularities in the process of draw of lots or connivance of any of its serving officials.

“The EOW report based its findings on allegations of rigging of the software and certain other irregularities. The report comprising the EOW findings and software reports from GEQD Hyderabad and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing does not indicate any connivance or favouritism by any serving DDA official or those connected with the draw,” said a DDA spokesperson. After analysing all hard discs of computers used in the draw, its server and software, C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram, has not found any evidence of rigging of the software.

“C-DAC could not find any evidence that the software had any vulnerability to be compromised nor could it detect any evidence of external tampering. From an analysis of the source code, the experts could not find any evidence to indicate that the software shows any type of bias towards any specific applicant or applicants,” said the report.

Nine accused

According to EOW, nine accused had fraudulently got a large number of DDA forms filled up by poor and illiterate persons belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to corner the maximum number of flats.

“Of the total of 5,238 successful DDA applicants, only 1.37 per cent successful candidates fall in the purview of such investigations. The EOW has already arrested the nine accused and further investigations are being done to establish specific roles being played by each of the accused persons. Persons who fall within the purview of the investigation will not be issued any allotment letter till the investigating agency clears these cases,” the report said.

However, a Delhi Police officer said that, software apart, other aspects of the investigations would continue.

The “Housing Scheme-2008” was launched by DDA on August 6 last year. Of a total of 566,906 applicants, 5,328 were declared successful after the draw.

Last Updated on Friday, 30 October 2009 15:02
 

Make rooftop rain water harvesting a must, States told

Thursday, 01 October 2009 01:42 administrator
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The Hindu 01.10.2009

Make rooftop rain water harvesting a must, States told

Gargi Parsai

So far the government has not cast its net on private institutions

CGWA is empowered to issue directions to the States and appoint officers

NEW DELHI: With the realisation that climate change was impacting resources of water, the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA), under the Ministry of Water Resources, has urged the States to make it mandatory for institutions to adopt rooftop rain water harvesting and promote artificially recharged ground water. The principle is to catch every drop where it falls.

Even though Centre provides financial and technical support for such projects, the initiative is yet to catch on. So far 18 States had adopted the scheme, while a few others said they were “in the process.”

CGWA Chairman B.M. Jha said that the States had to be pro-active in giving a momentum to the scheme as water was a State subject. “We undertake demonstration projects for the States which are 100 per cent funded by the Centre and we provide technical support,” he told The Hindu.

The Authority is empowered to issue directions to the States and appoint officers for implementation of the scheme..

Private initiatives

So far the government has not cast its net on private institutions, although the CGWA regulates withdrawal of groundwater by industries/projects in 839 over-exploited, 226 critical and 550 semi-critical assessment units. There had been a few private initiatives but the idea of “catch every drop where it falls” is yet to take off as a movement in the face of such indicators of climate change as retreating Himalayan glaciers, erratic monsoon, floods and drought.

The CGWA has directed group housing societies, institutions/schools, hotels, industrial establishments and farm houses in notified areas of the National Capital Region of Delhi and in Haryana to adopt rooftop rain water harvesting system. Group housing societies located at the NCT of Delhi, where groundwater levels were below eight metres and were still being exploited, have also been directed to adopt rooftop rain harvesting system.

The directions were issued under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

The Ministry has also urged the States to make rooftop rainwater harvesting mandatory in by-laws for new buildings.

The issue was discussed in the recently held meeting of the National Water Board of the National Water Council chaired by Water Resources Secretary Umesh Panjiar. So far rooftop rain water harvesting had been made mandatory for government institutions in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh., Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, NCT Delhi and Puducherry.

Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar are in the process of making such provisions in building by-laws.

Last Updated on Thursday, 01 October 2009 01:51
 

BBMP delegates power to Town Planning

Thursday, 01 October 2009 01:27 administrator
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The Hindu 01.10.2009

BBMP delegates power to Town Planning

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner has delegated the building plan sanctioning and monitoring powers to the civic authority’s Town Planning Department.

In an order issued on September 29, BBMP Commissioner Bharatlal Meena has said that the Town Planning Department would now have monitoring powers too, unlike before when it was just a sanctioning authority.

BBMP sources told The Hindu that the civic authority would initiate criminal proceedings against the officials who failed to check building bye-law violations. They said that the powers had been delegated to the Town Planning Department to avoid overlapping.

Earlier, Assistant Directors, Deputy Directors and Joint Directors of Town Planning Department used to sanction building plans, irrespective of whether it was a residential or commercial building.

For a high rise building, a committee would be formed, which would later sanction the plans.

After building plan sanction, the local engineers were responsible for checking building bye-law violations at the ward level.

They were required to conduct spot visit and also ensure that the building owners did not violate the building bye-laws.

There was not much coordination between the sanctioning and monitoring authorities.

The commissioner had issued the order to avoid this and has thus handed over the monitoring powers to the sanctioning authority, the sources added.

Last Updated on Thursday, 01 October 2009 01:31
 
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