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BMC to kickstart Marine Drive resurfacing project today

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

BMC to kickstart Marine Drive resurfacing project today

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to begin the resurfacing of the iconic Marine Drive on Friday night.

Crack-mapping will be done on parts of the existing Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Road. The civic body will first fix the cracks on the surface of the road. The BMC will start the resurfacing work from Tambe Chowk to Princess Street to minimize traffic disruptions. Work on the central part of the road will be done during daytime.

This is the second time since 1939 that the five-km stretch of Marine Drive will be resurfaced.

"There are vertical cracks on Marine Drive. It was first resurfaced in 1939. It has been extensively repaired several times and a lot of patchwork has also been done. Previous resurfacing has outlived its capacity. Now, cracks will be mapped, filled and then actual work of relaying of road will begin," said S V R Srinivas, additional municipal commissioner.

In between the cracks, geo-synthetic mesh will be placed that will be covered with a layer of bitumen. "We are also planning to take central two bays along the median of Marine Drive. Most of our work will be done during night time but work on the central portion of the road will be done during daytime," Srinivas said.

As per the plan, 70% of the stretch from Girgaum Chowpatty to Madame Cama Road will be resurfaced with mastic asphalt, while the rest will be concretized. This is expected to increase the road's lifespan by five to seven years.

 

Business-friendly BMC may give traders 5-yr, not annual, licences from one window

Thursday, 30 January 2014 11:04 administrator
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The Times of India              30.01.2014  

Business-friendly BMC may give traders 5-yr, not annual, licences from one window

MUMBAI: The BMC budget for 2014-15 is unlikely to flag off any big-bang projects though it is election year, but several announcements have been lined up to make life easier for Mumbaikars, said civic officials.

Among the beneficiaries will be residents of private layouts - large private townships of which there are more than 196 in the city - as the civic body is likely to extend the full range of its services to these societies.

Residents of BMC buildings, living in fear since one collapsed in Mazgaon in 2013 killing over 60 people, can breathe easy. Civic officials said a large chunk of the budget, to be presented on February 4, will be allocated for repair and reconstruction, particularly after several fire brigade, BMC office and staff quarters buildings were declared dilapidated.

Another highlight will be the BMC's decision to go business-friendly. It will not only start a business development department, but provide single-window access for all licences. Moreover, renewal of most of its licences required by commercial establishments may be needed every five years, instead of annually now.

In the private layouts, the BMC at the moment provides only water supply. Now, they plan to extend amenities such as maintenance of roads and streetlights, collection of garbage, etc to the buildings. The cost-sharing formula is in the works. In 2002, the state government had said the BMC should bear two-thirds of the cost and the rest would be paid by the housing societies within the layouts.

The BMC will also invest to update its IT apparatus, refurbish its website and introduce several online interfaces for the citizens to use. "Mobile apps, online health system, online payment of the civic taxes will be introduced," said a senior civic official.

The online push will be strong in the water department. "We are remodelling the business process in the water department by making it all online. From application for water line to paying of bills, all can be made online," said a department official.

The BMC also plans to introduce spot billing and collection of water bills.

Stress will be laid in the budget on operation and maintenance of the civic infrastructure in the city. The solid waste management department, handling one of the primary responsibilities of the BMC, will undertake three pilot waste-to-energy plant projects to manage waste in the city.

 

Municipal corporations ask chief minister to release funds

Thursday, 30 January 2014 11:03 administrator
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The Times of India              30.01.2014  

Municipal corporations ask chief minister to release funds

NEW DELHI: Faced with a financial crunch, the three municipal corporations want the state government to immediately release funds that have been pending for more than 3 years. On Wednesday, members of the political wings of the three corporations gave chief minister Arvind Kejriwal a list of 23 issues that require immediate attention.

Post-trifurcation, the corporations, especially those of north and east Delhi, have been facing serious problems and have not been able to take up development work. "The past two years have been really challenging for us as we didn't have adequate funds. On top of this, the previous government had given us a loan of Rs 790 crore,'' said Meera Aggarwal, leader of the House, North Delhi Corporation. The corporations want the government to waive off the loan of Rs 1,767 crore which was given to the three corporations at the time of trifurcation.

The BJP-led corporations also want the government to immediately release Rs 1,709 crore, which it was to pay the erstwhile MCD for switching from 'ratable value method' (RVM) to 'unit area method' (UAM) for calculation of property tax. "There are several schemes under which the government was to pay the civic agency, but the Congress-led government didn't release our share. MCD used to get 70% grant for education till 2008, but it was reduced to 56%. Our global share, which is given to corporations for introducing reforms, was reduced from 5.5% to 4%. We want the government to share the burden of the sixth pay commission. We have an additional burden of Rs 2,000 crore,'' said Subhash Arya, leader of the House, South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

In a 30-minute meeting, councillors discussed issues ranging from additional funds to increasing the powers of corporations. They also demanded that all roads wider than 60 feet be returned to the civic agency. 

 
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