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PMC apex body approves 27 BRTS routes

Wednesday, 05 January 2011 10:09 administrator
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The Times of India       05.01.2011

PMC apex body approves 27 BRTS routes

TNN, Jan 5, 2011, 03.20am IST

PUNE: The standing committee of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday approved a proposal to implement the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) on 27 more roads in the city at the cost of Rs 98 crore. Prominent among the selected roads are Tilak road, Bajirao road, Shivaji road, Fergusson college and Jungali Maharaj roads.

"The total length of the BRTS will be about 101 kilometre. In the first phase, it will be implemented on roads which have already been widened to 36 metres. Such roads will have dedicated BRTS while those which cannot be widened up to 36 metres will have mixed BRTS," said standing committee chairman Arvind Shinde on Tuesday, following a meeting of the standing committee.

"As soon as the infrastructure work is completed, the BRTS will be launched," said Shinde who did not set a deadline for completion of the project.

Leader of the house in the PMC Nilesh Nikam said the Union and state governments have together given Rs 548 crore for the BRTS which are already used by the PMC for road widening and development of other related infrastructure.

"The state and centre together have to further release Rs 133 crore for the BRTS. Road widening of Nagar road, Vishrantwadi, parts of Sinhagad road, Paud and Baner roads is completed and the BRTS will be implemented here on priority," said Nikam.

"Each of the specified road which is 36 meter broad will have seven meter dedicated lane for buses and 0.90 inch cement dividers with 0.30 meter high iron railings. The 101 km BRTS route will have 247 bus stops. Work on this infrastructure will start immediately," said Nikam.

The plan to start the second phase of the BRTS comes at a time when the PMC is already under flak for not being able to complete the pilot project on the 16.5 km stretch from Katraj to Swargate and Swargate to Hadapsar.

The pilot project was inaugurated with much fanfare in December 2006. However, three years later, the project still remains incomplete. It lacks in basic features such as continuous dedicated lanes, proper pedestrian facilities, off-board ticketing facilities, bus-stations, level boarding facilities and frequency of buses.

"The PMC will implement the project with full efficiency since it is the need of the hour. Also, new buses will hit the road soon which will reduce two-wheeler traffic," said Arvind Shinde. Nikam echoed Shinde's views and said that as per the central government's norms there was no other option before the PMC but to implement the scheme as the PMC has received funds for the same.

The BJP and Shiv Sena opposed the proposal in the standing committee while the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) abstained from voting. NCP- Congress voted for the proposal.

Mukta Tilak, BJP leader in the PMC, said the PMC has failed to implement the pilot project and now it wants to go ahead with the second phase without detailed planning. Babu Wagaskar of the MNS said that his party wants the PMC to avoid blunders' committed during the pilot phase. 

 

List of open spaces, parks in twin cities released

Monday, 03 January 2011 05:03 administrator
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The Hindu      03.01.2011

List of open spaces, parks in twin cities released

Staff Correspondent

HDMC seeks details from people about encroachments on public properties

Following complaints about encroachments of parks, playgrounds and open spaces in various localities in the twin cities, the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation has published a list of the same for the information of the public.

The detailed list of the parks, playgrounds and open spaces in various localities along with the city survey numbers is now available on the official website of the corporation www.hdmc.gov.in.

According to the information on the website, which has already been published in the State Gazette UDD 65 AHD 2010, dated May 12, 2010, there are as many as 496 places in various layouts that were handed over to the corporation. While there are as many as 379 such parks, playgrounds and open spaces in the layouts handed over to the corporation before 2005, 117 such sites were handed over to the HDMC after 2005.

In Unakal, there are 165 such sites followed by Krishnapur, which has 67 parks, playgrounds and open spaces. The details of such sites and open spaces in other localities are: Bengeri – 58; Nagashettikoppa – 41; Keshwapur – 50; Amargol – 18; MTS – 26; M. Aralikatti – 6, Gopanakoppa – 18; Ayodhya – 8; Bhairdevarakoppa – 7; Gamanagatti –18; Yallapur –1; Sutagatti – 4; Ahoballapur –1; and Raynal – 8.

The Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation has appealed to the general public to visit the website for information on parks and open spaces in the twin cities. Authorities have urged the public to alert the corporation about properties that have been encroached upon.

Special Officer of HDMC S.H. Nargegal has requested the general public to call the helpline numbers 2213888 and 2213898 (round-the-clock) to register their complaints regarding encroachment of public properties.

  • The list has been uploaded on www.hdmc.gov.in
  • HDMC will receive complaints about encroachments on 2213888 and 2213898
    • Last Updated on Monday, 03 January 2011 05:16
     

    BBMP defers underground parking plan

    Monday, 27 December 2010 09:54 administrator
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    The Times of India        27.12.2010

    BBMP defers underground parking plan

    Aarthi R, TNN, Dec 27, 2010, 05.58am IST
    BANGALORE: Here's some good news. BBMP has deferred its plan to construct the underground parking complex at the Indira Gandhi musical fountain park near Raj Bhavan. Commissioner Siddaiah said, 'the project will be taken up only if the government approves it.'

    "We have no intention of taking up a project that has already invited so much public wrath. We'll go ahead only after consulting the government," he told TOI. Urban development minister Suresh Kumar had also condemned the idea of underground parking within a park, saying that it would set a precedent for similar projects in other public parks.

    Asked if the tenders already floated would be recalled, Siddaiah said: "They can be recalled if necessary. But that shouldn't be a problem for now as we can go ahead with the project only if the land is handed over." The tenders, he pointed out, were floated even before he had taken charge as commissioner. "Neither did I want the military memorial nor this parking lot. I was just executing the projects already planned."

    According to BBMP sources, the tenders were floated exactly a year ago — as records indicate — on December 2, 2009. There isn't much clarity on how they were floated before obtaining permission from the public works department that owns the park land and the horticulture department that maintains it. It wasn't clear why the project was suddenly being taken up. All this came to public notice only after Siddaiah's inspection to the spot on Thursday.

    Over the weekend, TOI had reported that the CM's office saw no dire need for parking space. City police commissioner Shankar Bidari too had said, "Even in my wildest dreams, I haven't asked for a parking lot."

    Rajeev Chandrasekhar, chairman of National Military Memorial, had said that the memorial needed parking space but they had planned a temporary arrangement in the planetarium area. "It's the BBMP's decision to take up this project, considering the parking interests of offices in surrounding areas," he had said.
     
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