The Hindu 28.07.2009

Huge drop in applications for building plans

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA: The cause or factors could be anything – recession, revised building rules, high prices and so on. But, the effect is a steep decline in the number of applications submitted for approval of building plans this year. Though the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is receiving applications for approval of plans for individual buildings now and then, the scenario is worst with regard to apartments and multi-storeyed complexes. The VMC has, literally, “not received even a single application” for construction of apartments in the city during the last three months.

According to official sources, the corporation received 10 to 15 applications during the last six months for construction of apartments or multi-storeyed complexes. The scenario was entirely different a year and half ago.

The corporation used to sanction building plans for apartments and group housing more than 60 a year. Sometimes, it even touched 80.

The corporation received 1,055 applications for approval of plans for houses in an area of less than 300 sq. yards, and 60 applications for buildings/houses in more than 300 sq. yards from January this year. A major chunk of these 1,055 applications were for sanction of approval for individual houses. The VMC, earlier, used to receive 1,400 to 1,500 applications a year. In the city, about 50 apartments and 2,500 individual houses used to be constructed every year on an average.

The town planning wing used to process 250 to 300 building applications a month, sources say.

Likewise, the town planning wing’s receipts have also fallen to a greater extent.

The officials cite various reasons for decline in receipts, including withdrawal of ‘infrastructure fund’ that was earlier raised, collection of double amount of security deposits and so on. Officials point out that the Corporation is not collecting any security in view of the new building rules.

The builder/house owner would have to mortgage a portion of their building.

This clause was incorporated to ensure that building norms were followed rigorously.

The Corporation received only Rs. 2.57 crore from January this year. The building licence fee collected in 2006-07 was Rs. 3.5 crores.

It was Rs. 4.65 crores in 2007-08. The total receipts jumped to Rs. 23.15 crores in 2007-08, as two unusual components – infrastructure fund and Building Regulation Scheme – supplemented the receipts. The infrastructure fund was about Rs. 6 crore.

Times of India 27.07.2009

Rs 38-cr project mooted to draw waters from Narmada

VADODARA: To meet the water requirement in western part of the city, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation has mooted a Rs 38-crore project to draw water from Narmada canal, sources in the civic body said. The project, which is awaiting a go-ahead from the state government, will entail the construction of an intake well at a private land near Sherki village on the outskirts of the city.

According to civic body officials, following an approval from the government, VMC will invoke the urgency clause no. 17 of Land Acquisition Act ( whereby government gets special powers in case of urgency and directs the collector to take possession of any land needed for public purpose) and take possession of 9,500 square metre of land near Sherki.

Explaining the project, the official went on, "An intake well at the cost of Rs 3 crore will be built on this private land. The water drawn from the canal will be pumped to the intake well, which will be constructed in its vicinity. The pumping station will also be built next to the land." The water will be transported to a water treatment plant (which will also be newly constructed) and the treated water will be distributed to the western parts via pipelines.

"The plan is to draw 1.5 crore gallon (75 million cubic litre per day) of water from the Narmada canal," the official said, adding that the tendering process for the project has already begun from the month of June. Once the plan is put into action, authorities of Narmada canal will be handed over a design for the base.

At present, the water distributed to the western parts are drawn from seven water tanks including
Sama, Gorva and Harinagar areas. The water at these tanks is collected from wells of Poicha and Rayka-Dokda. To this, the addition of the water of Narmada will fulfil the requirement. The rest of the city is supplied water from Ajwa and river Mahi.