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City may soon ride Merc buses

Monday, 27 September 2010 11:18 administrator
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The  Times of India          27.09.2010

City may soon ride Merc buses

KOLKATA: The city may well be able to carry on with celebrations beyond the festive season. After Volvo hit the roads to pamper residents, earlier jostling for space in rickety and rundown buses, a number of private operators are now vying for Mercedes buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission ( JNNURM) to give people a smooth ride after Puja.

The success of Volvo operations in the city has apparently accentuated this sudden enthusiasm for Mercedes buses. Stating that they had received a number of proposals from private operators to run Mercedes buses in public-private partnership, transport minister Ranjit Kundu added, "We have already struck a deal with Daimler Chrysler India Limited (DCIL), the manufacturer of the vehicle,"

The Volvo experiment has reportedly shattered many myths, the biggest being a dearth of takers for the luxury bus. On the contrary, Volvo services have made many car owners shun their vehicles for a bus ride to their workplace or airport. "A clean, air-conditioned public transport is any day a much better option than taking your car to burn expensive fuel while negotiating the chaos on road," said Pratik Chakraborty, who takes the Volvo to his VIP Road business-outlet from Deshopriya Park.

The Volvo experiment is all set to be replicated with the 45-seater Merc coach which comes with fire-retardant upholstery, LCD screen, laptop-charging point, temperature control, seats with mechanical reclining, ample leg room and a unique suspension system that allows the driver to lift the floor height of the vehicle up to six inches to ensure a smooth ride on bumpy roads.

"The more the merrier. If one bus can replaces ten cars, what else is required. This will take increasing traffic pressure off the roads, reduce fuel-consumption and thus diminish emission and ensure a safe journey," said Dinesh Mohan, transport expert from IIT- Delhi, one of the biggest propagator of bus-rapid transit system.

At present there are five service centres for Merc buses in the south and the west but none in the east. A Merc bus bears a price tag of Rs 85-90 lakh against Rs 82 lakh for a Volvo in Kolkata. The German company expects the demand for high-end buses to grow with the improved road network in the country and increasing need for efficient public transport systems.

 

6,000 trees block Metro rail track

Monday, 27 September 2010 05:50 administrator
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The Deccan Chronicle  27.09.2010

6,000 trees block Metro rail track

Hyderabad, Sept 26: The GHMC has found that 6,000 trees stand in the path of the 71-km Hyderabad Metro Rail Project. This apart, 3,000 private and government properties, electric poles, water and sewerage lines as well as cables will also need to be removed — at an estimated cost of `1,000 crore. It costs up to `20,000 to translocate a tree.

The Metro Rail will run on three corridors; Miyapur to LB Nagar (29.8 km); Jubilee bus station to Falaknuma (14.7 km) and’ Nagole to Shilparamam(26.5 km).

According to Mr Veda Kumar of the Forum for Better Hyderabad, the GHMC also has to consider objections being raised by environmentalists who are concerned about the translocation of the trees. The environmentalist, Mr K. Purushotham Reddy, said that the government should constitute a committee of officials and environmentalists to help in the translocation of trees. Mr Kumar said, “The Tree Protection Committee that has jurisdiction over Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts should be consulted.”

The GHMC additional commissioner, Ms P. Anuradha, said a report to the trees will be sent to the Hyderabad Metro Rail officials and an action plan will then be decided on.

The additional commissioner (electrical and works), Mr Rajendra Prasad, confirmed that joint inspections are being conducted to list the number of electrical poles, transformers, drainage and sewer lines, cables and other infrastructure that need to be shifted.

When contacted, the managing director of Hyderabad Metro Rail, Mr N.V.S. Reddy, however, said that only a small number of trees would need to be translocated.

Last Updated on Monday, 27 September 2010 05:52
 

CM has an urban transport plan

Friday, 24 September 2010 08:59 administrator
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Deccan Herald     24.09.2010

17 traffic-transit centres for State
CM has an urban transport plan
Bangalore, Sep 23, DHNS:


The State Government plans to build 17 Traffic and Transit Management Centres (TTMCs) in Karnataka, including 10 in Bangalore, that will offer integrated transport facilities along with other amenities to the citizens.

While three of the TTMCs have already been set up in Jayanagar, Kengeri and Bannerghatta, the rest will come up in Vijayanagar, Koramangala, Domlur, Whitefield, Banashankari, and Yeshwanthpur in the coming days. Further, other TTMCs will be built at Hubli, Belgaum, Udupi and Shimoga.  

Announcing this after inaugurating the largest and the costliest TTMC in the premises of the BMTC Bus Stand in Shanthinagar here on Thursday, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa hoped that it would go a long way in offering first and last mile connectivity through parking and ride facilities.

According to Yeddyurappa, he was initially reluctant becaus of the high cost of the TTMC- Rs 108.5 crore. "I didn't believe the high cost. But I'm told the Centre would fetch an annual rent of Rs 10 crore and thereby recover the investment in nearly 10 years,” Yeddyurappa said.

Yeddyurappa also promised that the MG Road-Byappanahalli stretch of the Bangalore Metro would not miss its deadline and all works related to it would be completed by November. Earlier, Minister for Transport R Ashok said that the TTMC was the first such project to be funded under JnNURM. "Although the Mission has funded various infrastructure projects, it's for the first time that it has funded a TTMC," he said.

The Transport department is considering introducing a single ticket for travel in BMTC and KSRTC buses and the Metro once the latter chugs from December. "We are thinking about it as it would be very useful to the citizens," he said.

Highlights

* The TTMC at Shanthinagar has been built on nine acres at a cost of Rs 108.5 crore. It has a built up area of 57,582 square metre.

* Work on the Centre began in July 2008 and it has been inaugurated on time.

* It has four waiting lounges, passenger enquiry and pass distribution counters, an internet café, retiring room, hospital, traffic control room, sitting lounges, and a garage.

* The parking lot at TTMC is the largest of its kind to be built by a government corporation and can accommodate 560 cars and 1,200 motorcycles.

* The Centre will have bus services to 286 routes with a total of 2,845 trips.

* 35% funds have been piped in by the Centre Government whereas the rest has been borne by the state government.

 
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