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Corporation spends 73 % plan fund for development

Thursday, 22 January 2015 09:20 administrator
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The Hindu       22.01.2015   

Corporation spends 73 % plan fund for development

By spending 73 per cent of its plan fund and implementing landmark projects, Thrissur Corporation has made its mark in the State, said its Mayor Rajan Pallan.

Addressing the corporation council meeting on Wednesday, the Mayor reviewed the performance of the UDF-led Corporation so far in this term.

The projects including Rs. 35-crore road repairs, KSRTC junction development and decentralised waste management plants were major achievements of the UDF council, he noted. He highlighted the works such as development of East Fort and Naduvilal junctions and Pattalam Road, and rehabilitation project for slum dwellers at Mattampuram as feathers in the caps of the UDF council.

“The file adalats began to handle the pending complaints were a huge success. The adalats were conducted at Corporation offices and the zonal offices every 100 days. Two sessions of adalats have been held so far and the third session will be held in February. An amount of Rs. 1 crore was recovered during the adalats,” Mayor said.

For Pattalam road development the Corporation managed to get the green signal from the postal department and BSNL to demolish the buildings and compound wall to remove the bottleneck at the post office junction. The Poonkunnam road development is another landmark success,” he noted.

Listing the achievements, the Mayor said more than 22 shops were removed at the East Fort for the road widening. The shoppers have been successfully rehabilitated.

Each division was given Rs. 50 lakh for public works alone. A new system was set up to handle the complaints on streetlights. A toll free number was set up for the public to file complaints.

Councillor Annam John demanded the Corporation to complete the development works at Aquatic Complex road and Palace road before National Games. Councillor Lally James alleged irregularities in selecting the beneficiaries of housing project for physically challenged.

The Mayor said the development of Chettiyangadi will be completed soon after removing the dilapidated buildings. The Nehru Park will be renovated at Rs. 5 cr in two phases. The work for development of North and Sakthan bus stations will also start soon, he said. The initial discussions have been started for the development of Koorkkanchery junction, he added.

 

Street vendors protest delay in issuing licence

Wednesday, 21 January 2015 09:34 administrator
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The Hindu       21.01.2015      

Street vendors protest delay in issuing licence

Street vendors say in the absence of legal documents they have to pay bribes to operate. —File photo
Street vendors say in the absence of legal documents they have to pay bribes to operate. —File photo

Street vendors from across the Capital on Tuesday protested outside the offices of the municipal bodies against the delay in issuing licences to hawkers.

The three municipal corporations and the New Delhi Municipal Council were supposed to conduct a survey before allotting vending licences as per the Street Vendors Bill, 2014.

The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) that organised the protests, said that the vendors had to pay bribes to be able to operate in the absence of legal documents.

NASVI national coordinator Arbind Singh said the corporations had set up town vending committees, but “not a single vendor was given a licence in the past 10 years”.

The street vendors handed over a memorandum to the three municipal commissioners and the chairperson of the NDMC.

According to the NASVI, the officials assured the vendors that challans would not be issued till the surveys were completed.

 

No takers for VMC’s parking lot plans

Wednesday, 21 January 2015 09:23 administrator
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The Hindu       21.01.2015  

No takers for VMC’s parking lot plans

Private bidders decline to respond to as many as 3 tenders

There are close to four lakh vehicles in the city, and each day nearly 150 new vehicles hit the road. With the rising vehicular population, the demand for parking space is also going up. Unfortunately, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation’s plans to open more parking are yet to fructify.

At present, the VMC has 11 parking lots, and it has identified 12 locations for opening new parking lots. Since June last year, the VMC has invited tenders thrice for operating the lots, yet the bidders seem to be not interested in the offer.

The new locations identified are near Raj Towers close to the Congress office on Eluru Road, Liberty Hair Styles, Swagruha Road, Sriram Chits office and A.V. Opticals. Depending on the size and location, the tender bid amount ranges from Rs. 60, 000 to Rs. 11 lakh for each lot.

There are several reasons for the poor response from bidders. Though the parking lots are planned in prime locations, most bidders are apprehensive about their success, as many vehicle owners in the city still do not park their vehicles in lots, says a senior VMC official.

“Unless the Traffic Police enforce parking rules strictly, parking lots will not serve any purpose. Perhaps, this is the reason why most bidders are apprehensive about operating the lots,” he adds.

The VMC operates three lots on its own, but things did not materialise as expected, thanks to staff crunch. Parking lots are operated from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and to operate one lot, at least three persons are required. “Moreover, they need to work in shifts, and utilising their services for operating the lots is not financially feasible, as the income generated by the lots is not enough to pay staff. That is the reason why private bidders are invited to operate the lots,” he says.

 
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