Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
India Newspapers

Varachha flyover set to generate gardens, income

Tuesday, 16 September 2014 09:51 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India         16.09.2014

Varachha flyover set to generate gardens, income

 

SURAT: Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) doesn't have a pay and park facility under the city's longest flyover. This, when the civic body earns Rs 4 crore annually from its 28 parking set-ups, a majority of which are under the bridges. The SMC officials are unable to explain this dichotomy and why it took them so long to realize the revenue potential of the 2.5-km-long Shreenathji flyover at Varachha.

"We have been losing Rs 2 crore on an annual basis for not having a pay and park facility under Shreenathji flyover. SMC has decided to develop the area under the bridge on a public private participation (PPP) basis. The private partner will operate and maintain the whole facility and sponsors will be allowed to develop the underground area in a phase-wise manner," a SMC officer said.

A detailed plan has been worked out for the beautification of Varachha flyover. It envisions development of 77 gardens, 34 parking slots, 13 road crossings and a number of fountains under the 100 spans of the bridge.

"The work would be outsourced and it will be the responsibility of the private partner to collect parking fees and to keep the area free from encroachments," city engineer Jatin Shah said.

Former deputy mayor Kumar Kanani, who is now BJP MLA from Varachha, said, "SMC should hand over the area for development to a private party."

The SMC plans to give the contract for the beautification project to a private party at the earliest. The private party would develop and maintain the project and share the revenue with the SMC, sources said.

 

Rs 19.37 lakh collected in fines for breaking sanitation rules

Tuesday, 16 September 2014 07:24 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India        16.09.2014

Rs 19.37 lakh collected in fines for breaking sanitation rules

 

AHMEDABAD: The health department of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has filed 197 complaints of sanitation against various restaurants and eateries in concerned courts. The department has levied fines worth Rs 19.37 lakh for violation of health and sanitation rules at these places in the city.

Through mobile courts alone the corporation has collected a fine of Rs 5.25 lakh in the city. Data released by the health department of AMC reveals that cases of waterborne diseases, diarrhoea and vomiting' have increased in the city and 9,012 cases have been recorded in the first fortnight of September. Last year 9,111 cases were recorded in September. Apart from diarrhoea, as many as 104 cases of cholera were recorded in August in the city. However, not a single case of cholera has been registered during this month.

In case of vector-borne diseases, the health department has recorded 614 cases of malaria in the last two weeks. The cases of falciparum and dengue touched 143 in the city this month. The health department has collected over 6 lakh blood samples from various corners of the city to test for malaria.

The health department also conducted several raids in September during which it collected 184 food samples of which 15 were found to be contaminated and adulterated. AMC has served 1,299 notices for violating hygiene norms of food items and water used in restaurants.

In the last two weeks, AMC seized 7,705 kg of adulterated food products. The department also attended to 2,744 complaints related to health and sanitation.

 

DDA amends policy, installing lifts now easier

Tuesday, 16 September 2014 05:56 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India       16.09.2014 

DDA amends policy, installing lifts now easier

 

NEW DELHI: Installing lifts at DDA apartment blocks in the capital is set to become easier with the Authority scrapping a clause requiring an affidavit stating that no modifications have been made to the building's terrace.

The affidavit was the biggest impediment in applications for installing lifts. Over the last few months, several residents and RWAs have written to the Urban development ministry seeking scrapping of the clause. Residents had argued that, in some cases, the flats were over two decades old and that to expect no alterations to the terrace was impractical since the authority has turned a blind eye to the issue all this while.

The policy on lifts, which has been revised several times, was last amended on September 1. In March, Delhi Development Authority had also made it mandatory for residents to get an NOC from residents of the building's ground-floor flat while installing lifts. However, due to a poor response from residents, this clause was later scrapped. A 21-day deadline for processing applications for lifts was also put in place.

"We have been tweaking the policy to make it suitable for everyone. While considering the clause, we felt unauthorized construction was a separate issue that should not be mixed with granting permissions. So, we decided to do away with the clause and simplify the process for residents," said Balvinder Kumar, vice-chairperson, DDA.

Another reason why the authority decided to do away with the clause is because DDA doesn't use of lifts till the terrace, so having a restriction based on modifications to the terrace didn't make sense.

DDA officials said they have received 56 applications since the policy was amended. Three of these have already been sanctioned and other applications are being considered. "We have contacted residents in cases where the paperwork is not complete. So far, we have tried to avoid turning down any applications," said an official, adding that most applications are Vasant Kunj and Alaknanda.

Some residents feel the police on installing lifts should be simplified further. "There is a clause that puts the lift application in abeyance if any party takes the issue to the court. This can happen if a resident, in most cases it may be the people living on the ground floor, takes objection to the plan. The process will become simpler if DDA itself identifies the land on which to build the lift," said R K Sareen, president, Nehru Apartment RWA, Kalkaji.

The revised policy will benefit around 4 lakh homeowners. In the amended form, it has eight requirements that applicants need to fulfil—a recommendation by the lift manufacturer, certificate from a registered structural engineer, four sets of building plans, consent of at least 50% residents who use stairs, certificate mandating proposing members bear installation and operational costs, NOC from the RWA, indemnity bond against claims and NOC from the chief fire officer. DDA amends policy, installing lifts now easier 

 
More Articles...


Page 208 of 4907