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BBMP reduces betterment fee

Thursday, 30 January 2014 09:34 administrator
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Deccan Chronicle               30.01.2014

BBMP reduces betterment fee

 
Bangalore: With the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in mind, the BBMP on Wednesday reduced the betterment fee, which was approved by palike members on Tuesday, benefiting thousands of people.

Scores of corporators, including former Mayor S.K. Nataraj, de­manded a cut in the betterment fee.

The council passed a re­solution reducing the fee from Rs 300 to Rs 200 per sq metre for core areas of Ben­gal­uru (covering 100 wards) and from Rs 350 to Rs 250 per sq. mtr. for the newly added areas.

Kacharakanahalli corporator Padmanabha Reddy, Yediyur corporator N.R. Ramesh and others sought to know if owners of in­dividual sites were eligible to regularise their property holdin­gs if their sites were converted for non-agriculture purpose.

A few corporators said the fee benefited only builders and re­al­tors, and not the poor.

BBMP Commissioner M. La­ks­hminarayan said the BBMP would be able to sustain itself fin­ancially if both Akarama-Sa­krama and betterment fee are collected to regularise un­au­thorised and deviated portions.

The new rule states that owners of bulk land who have converted their properties for non-agricultural purposes can pay the betterment fee and get ‘A’ khata.

Subsequently, they can develop the land by seeking clearances from the development authority by paying the requisite fee. Certain legalities, however, sh­ould be followed and it differs from case to case, he clarified. 

But individual sites on a converted plot cannot enjoy betterment fee facility unless the layout plan is followed. The other violations should have to wait for Sakrama scheme to be implemented, he said.

Padmanabha Reddy said that since the present Sakrama scheme benefits less than 10 per cent of property owners, the mayor should request the government to extend the deadline to file objections.

The government has called for objections to Sakrama draft rules and January 30 is set as the last date. He suggested that a delegation from the BBMP meet city in-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy for the extension of deadline.
 

Recycled Hussainsagar water to go on sale at Kacheguda, Nampally stations

Thursday, 30 January 2014 09:16 administrator
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Deccan Chronicle               30.01.2014

Recycled Hussainsagar water to go on sale at Kacheguda, Nampally stations

Hyderabad: The Buddha Purnima Project environmental wing of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) will sell eight million litres of non-potable water per day through three filling stations that will be constructed on Necklace Road in the coming months.

Though 50 million litres of treated water from two Sewerage Treatment Plants (STP) flows into the lake daily, Hussainsagar needs only 35 MLD for lake balance. Of the remaining 15 MLD, the civic body will use 7 MLD for landscaping and gardening around the water body and the rest will be sold. This the first time the lake’s water is being recycled and sold.

Member environment, BPP-HMDA R.P. Khajuria said that the non-potable treated water can be used for irrigation, construction, landscaping, gardening and washing purpose.

Two construction firms have approached the BPP and GHMC authorities and Imax has come forward to purchase as well. The price per tanker will be as per current borewell tanker charges.

According to the BPP officials, the South Central Railway has also come forward to accept 1.10 MLD recycled water (0.6 MLD at Nampally railway station and 0.5 MLD at Kacheguda station).

The treated water contains dissolved oxygen less than 3 milligrams per litre (mg/l), residual chlorine from 0.1 to 0.2 mg/l, and other elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, coliform and suspended solids.

“The main pipeline towards each filling station is designed to supply 450 cubic metres per hour to cater to demands in addition to filling tankers,” an official added.

Recycled Water availability

Tanker filling stations: 3 on Necklace Road

Filling points at each station: 4 (total tanker filling point 12)

Volume of each tanker: 10,000 litres

Maximum water flow at each filling point: 69 cubic metre per hour)

Time taken to fill a tanker: 10 minutes

Tanker filling capacity of each filling point: 4 tankers per hour (filling capacity at each station is 16 making it 48 tankers per hour for all centres combined)

Water consumed for tanker filling: 480m3 per hour

Total recycled water supplied through tankers over 8 hours - 3840 m3/8 hrs

 

City has over 1 lakh illegal connections

Thursday, 30 January 2014 09:12 administrator
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Deccan Chronicle               30.01.2014

City has over 1 lakh illegal connections

Hyderabad: There are over 1 lakh illegal water connections in Greater Hyderabad. A survey being conducted by the Administrative Staff College of India has revealed thousands of illegal connections in just the three surrounding municipalities of Malkajgiri, LB Nagar and Kukatpally.

The ASCI survey is also covering the number of families staying in a building, usage of water, sources of water, how much are they willing to pay, the quality of water etc.

“The Board wants to give one last opportunity to people to voluntary disclose their illegal connections and get them regularised,” said a source.

Earlier too, the Board had offered to regularise illegal connections but only 7,000 applications had been received. People had then complained that the penalty and other charges for regularisation were very high.

Keeping this in view, the officials are now being liberal while preparing a revised policy.

“This scheme will be available to those who voluntarily disclose their illegal connections. If the Board identifies the connections, then the penalty and other charges will be three times more than the earlier scheme,” said an official.

The HMWS&SB had earlier offered to regularize illegal water connections on payment of three years’ water consumption charges, two times connection charges and Rs 300 as service charges. The offer was not attractive, citizens had said.

Keeping this in view, the officials are now being liberal while preparing a revised policy and will charge only one year’s consumption charges and one-time connection charges.

“This scheme will be available to those who voluntarily disclose their illegal connections. If the Board identifies the connections, then the penalty and other charges will be three times more than the earlier scheme, besides, criminal cases will be booked against the illegal water connection holder,” said an official.

HMWS&SB managing director J. Syamala Rao said a new, liberal policy for regularization of illegal connections would be announced shortly.

“I appeal to the citizens to utilize this opportunity or face criminal cases including going to jail. We are going to be very stringent with water pilferers and also with our field staff for failing to identify illegal connections before our senior officials do it,” he said.

 
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