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Speed up development works under JNNURM, Zagade tells staff

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Indian Express 28.08.2009

Speed up development works under JNNURM, Zagade tells staff

Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Zagde on Thursday directed the civic staff to speed up the development work being carried out under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), so that new proposals could be sent to the union government for approval.

“There are various development works of roads, sewage treatment and drinking water that are being executed under JNNURM. The departments have been asked to speed up the work and deadlines have been set for completion of each project,” Zagade told reporters.

He said that the departments have been asked to prepare detailed proposals for new development projects that can be executed in the city for upgrading the infrastructure. “Once 90 per cent work of the existing projects are complete, the new proposals would be pushed for the approval from union government,” Zagade said.

The slum rehabilitation projects under Basic Services of Urban Poor (BSUP) are also being executed by the PMC under JNNURM. “There are problems in executing the projects owing to lack of sufficient area. Thus, the department concerned has been asked to explore possibilities in which the objective of the projects is achieved in the available land,” Zagade said.

In the review meeting on development works, he said the work on the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) was to be speeded up, as there had been delay in completion of the works. The PMC is yet to complete the development work on the pilot BRTS project from

Hadapsar to Swargate and Swargate to Katraj. Though, the development work on various other roads is under progress the BRTS service is yet to be introduced on these roads. All the departments concerned have also been asked to get rid of hurdles by taking up discussions with other agencies.

Last Updated on Friday, 28 August 2009 11:22
 

Delhi, Mumbai rank among world’s cheapest cities

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Indian Express 28.08.2009

Delhi, Mumbai rank among world’s cheapest cities

Delhi and Mumbai, the country’s leading metropolises, rank among the world’s cheapest cities, according to the latest “Prices and Earnings” study released by UBS, one of the world’s leading financial firms. The study is based on a standardised basket of 122 goods and services among data collected from 73 countries between March and April this year. According to the study, the basket costs the least in Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Delhi and Mumbai.

The study further reveals that an average employee in Delhi and Mumbai earns merely one-fifteenth of the hourly wages of his/her Swiss counterpart after taxes. To clearly establish the disparity between wages, the UBS drew upon how long it would take employees to earn enough money to buy a globally uniform product, in this case an iPod nano.

Employees in Zurich and New York would be able to purchase an 8 GB iPod nano after working nine hours, whereas employees in Delhi would need to work 122.5 hours to buy the same product. Employees in Mumbai would need to work 180 hours to buy the iPod; 20 times more than an average Swiss employee.

Delhi employees also have one of the lowest rates for payroll deduction for taxes and social security in the world.

World's most expensive cities
Oslo, Copenhagen, Zurich, Geneva, Tokyo and New York.

World's least expensive cities
Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Delhi and Mumbai

Highest net wages in the world
Zurich and Geneva

Lowest net wages in the world
Delhi, Manila, Jakarta and Mumbai

Longest working hours in the world
Cairo and Seoul (600 hours per year more than employees in Western Europe)

World’s most expensive luxury hotels
Tokyo (US$ 630 per night) Paris (US$ 540) and Amsterdam (US$ 520)

World’s least expensive luxury hotels
Jakarta (US$ 140), Kuala Lumpur (US$ 140) and Mexico City (US$ 130)

Most expensive cities to dine in
Tokyo, Oslo and Dubai

Least expensive cities to dine in
Delhi, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Rio de Janeiro

Last Updated on Friday, 28 August 2009 11:11
 

Civic body employees withdraw agitation plan for arrear payments

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Indian Express 28.08.2009

Civic body employees withdraw agitation plan for arrear payments

Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) employees on Thursday called off their agitation planned for Friday to demand the payment of pending arrears in accordance with the Sixth Pay Commission, after the authorities assured them that the payment would be made before the upcoming festival season. All Municipal Employees Welfare Association (AMEWA) had said they will stage a demonstration at the MCD headquarters on Friday to press for their demands.

The association had pointed out that while the arrear amounts had already been given to MCD’s Group D employees, other categories of employees were still waiting. Mayor Kanwar Sain on Thursday met the representatives of the association and took up the matter with MCD Commissioner K S Mehra, who agreed to release the arrear amount for the remaining employees before the festival season. — PTIMunicipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) employees on Thursday called off their agitation planned for Friday to demand the payment of pending arrears in accordance with the Sixth Pay Commission, after the authorities assured them that the payment would be made before the upcoming festival season. All Municipal Employees Welfare Association (AMEWA) had said they will stage a demonstration at the MCD headquarters on Friday to press for their demands.

The association had pointed out that while the arrear amounts had already been given to MCD’s Group D employees, other categories of employees were still waiting. Mayor Kanwar Sain on Thursday met the representatives of the association and took up the matter with MCD Commissioner K S Mehra, who agreed to release the arrear amount for the remaining employees before the festival season.

Last Updated on Friday, 28 August 2009 11:06
 


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