Urban News

The Pioneer  02.12.2010

Staff Reporter | New Delhi

Around 180 parking sites are being run illegally in the Capital by the parking mafia. Even though the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Traffic Police have information about it, but both the agencies have been ineffective in curbing the menace.

This fact came to light on Wednesday when BN Singh, head of Remuneration Project Cell, informed that bids were invited by the MCD for 225 sites in November which includes 30 approved existing locations and 180 sites being run illegally in different zones.

He added the Delhi Traffic Police has refused to grant No Objection Certificate (NOC) for these newly identified parking sites. He was replying to the allegation of irregularities in tender process of allotment of parking made by the members of Standing Committee on Wednesday during the meeting.

He also said the Delhi High Court has also restrained the civic body to go ahead with the bidding of these sites without nod from the concerned body. However, according to its own admission, these 180 sites are still being run by several parking owners illegally. With no approval from the Delhi Traffic Police now the MCD has decided to take up the matter to Lt Governor and appropriate level. Surprisingly, the civic body initiated the tendering process without procuring relevant approval from any of these authorities in November. It was also accepted by the MCD official in the meeting

“In November bids for 225 parking sites were invited. The process also includes 30 existing parking sites and 15 are newly identified. Rest (180) are those, which are presently being run illegally. But the Delhi Traffic Police has refused to grant NOCs for the same,” said the MCD official. He said before allotting these parking sites to successful bidders, it also requires permission from Supreme Court appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority and Delhi Development Authority.

BJP councillor Vijay Pandit and Deputy Chairman Standing Committee Sarita Chaudhary pulled up the officials why the required approval was not taken from the concerned bodies before moving ahead with the biding procedure.

The Hindu  01.12.2010

Minister urges commuters to make use of public transport

Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 10 air-conditioned, low-floor Volvo buses, procured by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation, under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), started plying from the capital to 10 mofussil towns on Tuesday.

At a function organised at the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation's (KSRTC) city garage at East Fort here, the orange-red buses to Kilimanoor, Venjaramood, Varkala Temple, Attingal, Nedumangad, Kattakada, Neyyar Dam, Neyattinkara, Vizhinjam and Kovalam were flagged-off by Minister for Transport Jose Thettayil.

The decision to operate to mofussil towns was taken by an empowered committee as part of steps to discourage personalised mode of transport and to encourage citizens to use the public transport system, sources said.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said the services (using buses procured under JNNURM) in the capital were not profitable for KSRTC compared to Kochi. Commuter patronage to the sleek, ergonomically designed buses in Thiruvananthapuram had been poor, Mr. Thettayil said. He called upon the commuters in the district to make use of the services that are ‘punctual, efficient and cheap.'

Dismissing the argument that the fares were high in JNNURM buses, the Minister said one had to pay only Rs.10 for travelling five km compared to the Rs.10 charged for 1.25 km by autorickshaws. “After the fares were fixed, the diesel rates went up. The operating cost is Rs.52 for one km. We are not getting it from the capital. Legislators should play a role in encouraging commuters to use the service,” he said.

A final decision is yet to be taken on who will run the buses purchased under the JNNURM scheme, he said. The KSRTC and the employees are of the opinion that the buses should be run by the Corporation (KSRTC). Under the scheme, City Corporations should operate and manage the buses by creating a special purpose vehicle.

Minister for Ports and Youth Affairs V. Surendran Pillai presided over the function.

Legislators George Mercier, Varkala Kahar, N. Rajan, and Mankode Radhakrishnan; KSRTC Managing Director in-charge S. Rajasekaran Nair, councillor Usha Satheesh and KSRTC officers attended.

Fares

The fare from Thiruvananthapruam to Varkala Temple will be Rs.86; Nedumangad and Neyattinkara Rs.34; Attingal Rs.56; Neyyar Dam Rs.48; Kilimanoor Rs.64; Venjaramood Rs.44; Vizhinjam Rs.26; Kovalam Rs.26 and Kattakada Rs.38. The services will be from 5.30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on all days.

The JNNURM services were introduced in the capital using eight low-floor, air-conditioned buses in November 17 last year.

Another eight non-air conditioned buses were added to the fleet later and services were extended to the suburbs.

As many as 350 modern buses are to be introduced in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram in phases using Rs.124.5 crore made available under the JNNURM. Under the scheme, 30 low-floor and 120 semi low-floor buses would be introduced in the capital and 50 low-floor and 120 semi low-floor buses in Kochi.