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Stadium work resumes, MC assures completion by 2015

Friday, 31 January 2014 00:00 administrator
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The Times of India              31.01.2014       

Stadium work resumes, MC assures completion by 2015

LUDHIANA: Given the inordinate delay in the completion of the Pakhowal Road Indoor Stadium project, the municipal corporation officials has finally declared to complete the project by 2015. After much hurdle, the project would finally gain momentum on Friday with the floating of the tender for the phase II construction of the stadium, inviting interested companies to come forward. After the finalization of the company, the Rs42 crore project would be initiated by June.

Phase II of the project includes wiring of the building, bidding for shops, air conditioning, fabric sheeting on the roof, implementation of fire fighting equipments, installation of lifts and other such work.

While the civic body claims of completing the phase II construction in 15 months, past instances of missing several deadlines in the project, leaves a serious doubt about the declaration. The project has faced a number of hurdles from various corners ever since its construction began after a wait of seven long years.

The project was proposed in 2003, however, due to various hiccups it was stopped midway in 2007. The construction resumed in 2011, and since then various deadlines were proposed by the MC, but it failed to near its completion.

MC notifies encroachers

The MC has begun work of removing encroachments in the city, by issuing notices to the defaulters. The initiative comes after a high court order to act against the encroachers. A total of 1,700 encroachments are to be removed.

In all, 30 such notices were issued to the defaulters in all the four zones of the city. The notice serves the encroachers with their last chance to remove the illegal encroachments themselves. While the encroachers have been served with a chance, the civic body has made all the arrangements on its parts. The major reason for MC's failure in the past has been removed with the addition of another 300 police personnel to the previously 53 personnel in the squad. Concluding that encroachments are the major reason accounting for the traffic snarls across the city, the high court had issued an order to take action against such encroachments.

 

AMC to get Rs 10cr under National Urban Health Mission

Friday, 31 January 2014 00:00 administrator
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The Times of India              31.01.2014

AMC to get Rs 10cr under National Urban Health Mission

AURANGABAD: The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is likely to receive about Rs 10 crore for improving health services in the city - especially in the slum areas - under the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM).

The NUHM is a healthcare programme of the Union government to be implemented simultaneously in various cities across the country. In July 2013, the civic body had submitted the project implementation plan (PIP) of Rs 43.38 crore to the state government.

AMC health officer Jayashree Kulkarni on Thursday said that the civic body is expecting about 25% of the total plan in the current fiscal. The municipal body would receive the fund for current fiscal within next eight to ten days. As per the requirement, the AMC will open a separate bank account so that the funds can be transferred, she said.

In addition to this, the directorate of health services has, on Monday, also asked the civic body to prepare the draft PIP for the next three financial years till 2017. The plans for upcoming financial years will be submitted before February 3, 2014.

"Initially, we are looking at renovation of the existing hospitals, besides providing better infrastructure facilities. From the next financial year, the civic body will certainly plan to increase the number of health centres and hospitals," she said.

She added that the directorate of health services has allowed them to carry forward the unutilized funds to next financial years.

"We have only two months left in the current financial year and thus if not utilized in the current fiscal, the AMC will use them in the next fiscal," she said.

The AMC can utilize the funds even if the election code of conduct comes into effect. In the wake of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the code of conduct will come into effect any time in next two-three months. "We can carry out the developmental work after taking a special permission of the government," Kulkarni said.

The AMC is also planning to set up a full-fledged eye hospital and a blood bank in the city. The civic body is looking forward to develop one hospital and add five new dispensaries through the NUHM funds. At present, the municipal body runs six dispensaries, but there is no general hospital. The city has five maternity homes. The proposed plan has, however, not suggested any additional maternity home.

Last Updated on Monday, 03 February 2014 07:09
 

GMC considers issuing food licenses in residential areas

Friday, 31 January 2014 00:00 administrator
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The Times of India              31.01.2014

GMC considers issuing food licenses in residential areas

AHMEDABAD: Even though food licenses have been made mandatory for all eateries as per the Food Safety Act, Gandhinagar is the only municipal corporation that allows eateries to function in residential areas without these licenses. Interestingly, till date there has not been any effort in the capital city to monitor food licences in such areas.

What the eateries would show you is the copy of the commercial tax permits that have been issued to them. "We do not have a food laboratory of our own. The food and drugs laboratory of the state is where any food that has questionable quality is sent for tests. The municipal corporation is yet to get its own food safety laboratory," says a senior official at GMC

The official adds, "A representation from Gandhinagar Snack vendors association was accepted by the GMC and soon procedures to issue licenses may be taken up."

Gandhinagar was declared a municipal corporation on March 2010 and got its first elected municipal corporation council in April 2011 and since then it has a meager budget. While essential civic services like drainage, water supply and roads are still handled by the notified authority-which functions under the roads and building department, the GMC just handled the sanitary department.

 
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