Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Urban Transportation

State govt sanctions 2.5 floor space index for Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited bus depots

Thursday, 05 September 2013 10:46 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India              05.09.2013

State govt sanctions 2.5 floor space index for Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited bus depots

PUNE: The cash-strapped Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) has some good news coming its way. The state government approved the 2.5 floor space index (FSI) proposal for its bus depots on Tuesday in a meeting chaired by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.

"The PMPML bus depots will get 2.5 FSI instead of the usual 1 FSI," municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak told TOI.

It will help build better infrastructure for the transport utility and raise funds through commercial use now possible through the extra FSI. The allotment of additional floor space index for construction on plots reserved for PMPML bus terminals and depots was discussed by the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad civic bodies.

The transport body had sought 2.5 FSI for constructions wherein the first two floors would be reserved for use for the PMPML and parking while the remaining floors would be for commercial use. During the meeting on Tuesday, discussions centered on allocation of 2% budgetary amount for the utility in the budgets of both civic bodies. While Pune would have to give Rs 72 crore, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation would have to give Rs 40 crore. The state government has responded positively to make such an allotment.

The meeting also decided that the metro project will come up for discussion in the state cabinet this month. Service rules for recruitment and Slum Rehabilitation Authority's (SRA) development control rules (DCR) were also discussed. 

 

Nashik to get 25 new buses under JNNURM scheme

Tuesday, 03 September 2013 11:56 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India              03.09.2013

Nashik to get 25 new buses under JNNURM scheme

NASHIK: The city will soon get the first set of 25 new buses under the central government's Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renovation Mission (JNNURM) scheme from its total quota of 200 buses, which have been allotted to the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), Nashik division.

"The MSRTC is due for a new set of JNNURM buses, and as per discussions held between the MSRTC vice-chairman and managing director, Deepak Kapoor, and the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) commissioner, Sanjay Khandare, the first set of 25 buses will hit the city streets very soon. The rest of 175 buses will follow suit," a senior official from MSRTC, Nashik said.

Nashik city, with a population of 17 lakh people today, requires 680 buses for public transport - given the norm of 40 buses for a population of one lakh people. However, there are only 235 buses available and at any given movement, 190 run on the streets, with the remaining buses kept ready for emergencies. The buses cover more than 42,000 km in the city on a daily basis, transporting over 4 lakh people. The remaining of the city's population travels by other modes of transport - private and public. A large number of areas in the city are still out of reach of the MSRTC buses.

According to the officials, the MSRTC is willing to add new buses to its fleet, but faces the problem of insufficient parking space to accommodate all its buses during the night time. The MSRTC is also toying with the idea of parking its buses at the Nimani bus stand but fears thefts and misuse of the parked buses by anti-social elements during night hours. "We do not have a provision of setting up security and hence there is danger involved", is the excuse that senior MSRTC officials have been giving for not adding new buses to the existing fleet.

"There is hardly any space to accommodate the buses in the current areas. Even then, our central office has decided to take in 25 new JNNURM buses. We have got the funds for construction of the Nashik Road depot. Once that is done, within a period of 12 months, we will be able to accommodate more than 100 buses," the official said.

Under the JNNURM scheme, the central government has given buses to the municipal corporations for strengthening the mass transport system. The MSRTC, Nashik division received the last set of 100 buses from the Centre under the scheme in 2010. The buses were introduced on the city roads in a rally on May 1, 2010.

 

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation may purchase 665 new buses

Monday, 02 September 2013 11:43 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India              02.09.2013

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation may purchase 665 new buses

PUNE: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) plans to purchase 665 buses under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Bapu Gaikwad, assistant transport planner of the civic traffic cell, said, "The Union government has sent letters to various cities, including Pimpri Chinchwad, informing them that it had extended the period of the JNNURM up to March 2014. The government will provide funds to the cities to purchase a total 10,000 buses to improve public transport."

Gaikwad said many of the buses operated by the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad had become old and needed to be scrapped. Moreover, the population of the city was increasing rapidly, necessitating the purchase of more buses to provide good public transport and discourage the use of private vehicles.

The PCMC will prepare a detailed project report on the issue and submit it to the central government. "Some of these buses will be semi-low-floor buses with doors on both sides to ply on BRT routes, while others will include simple as well as air-conditioned buses," Gaikwad said.

The PCMC had earlier procured 150 buses under the JNNURM with funds from the central government.

 
More Articles...


Page 29 of 146