Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Urban Infrastructure

Cleaner Chennai: 750 more toilets soon

Thursday, 26 September 2013 11:46 administrator
Print PDF

The Times of India                26.09.2013  

Cleaner Chennai: 750 more toilets soon

CHENNAI: The city's hygiene quotient will soon go up as the corporation has decided to construct 750 modern public toilets across the city.

A senior corporation official said they had finalised the locations for the proposed toilets and a tender will be floated in a couple of weeks. Officials said the toilets will be installed at crowded locations like bus depots, markets and slums.

To attract more private firms, this time the civic body has relaxed the tender conditions. "Private firms can use the outer and inside walls for advertising to generate revenue. The firms cannot charge a user fee from the public and will have to maintain the toilets well," said an official.

The body had earlier planned to construct 2,000 toilets but the plan failed to take off as the tender conditions were too stringent. The firms could neither charge a user fee nor hire space for advertisements, which gave them no avenue to generate income.

"Many private firms had expressed their concern about maintaining a large number of toilets. So we have split the 750 modern public toilets into different packages for tender to attract more firms," the official said.

The corporation is also considering the 'namma toilet' model. The commissionerate of municipal administration set up the first sensor-based solar toilet at Tambaram bus station in February. Close to 500 people use it every day. 'Namma toilets' have been set up in Trichy and Ooty.

"The 'namma toilet' design came from public consultation. A feedback book is kept at the toilets to collect complaints and suggestions from users. Unlike normal public toilets, these toilets have proper ventilation, water and lighting," said an official.

TOI's Chennai Patrol highlighted the need for public toilets and suggested the 'namma toilet' model for the city. Its Quality of Life survey found that people in 95% of the wards (190 of the 200 wards) rated toilets poorly.

 

Civic body-run schools in Chennai to get generators soon

Tuesday, 24 September 2013 04:44 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu             24.09.2013

Civic body-run schools in Chennai to get generators soon

Staff Reporter

The erratic power situation in the State has hit many institutions hard, and schools are some of the worst hit.

To cope with disruptions in power supply, the Chennai Corporation has begun efforts to get generators for its schools.

Tenders have been floated for the installation of 20 KVA/30 KVA/62.5 KVA generators in eight schools in Anna Nagar at an estimated cost of Rs. 33 lakh. Eleven schools in Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar will receive 10 KVA/20 KVA/ 30 KVA/ 62.5 KVA generators at a cost of Rs. 54 lakh, a senior Corporation official said. Another 11 schools in Teynampet will get 20 KVA/62.5 KVA generators at a cost of Rs. 47 lakh. All Chennai High and Higher Secondary Schools in other zones will also get generators. A number of private schools in the city use 10 KVA to 50 KVA generator sets. Bigger educational institutions use sets with capacities of 50 KVA to 500 KVA. It was announced a few months ago by the Corporation, in the wake of a number of power cuts. Most Chennai Schools have inadequate ventilation and poor lighting. With power cuts disrupting supply, teachers have reported serious difficulties in the process of teaching and getting students to carry out learning activities. Unscheduled power cuts have also affected students in the laboratory.

As the civic body is planning to begin smart classrooms in its schools, the generators will be essential to their functioning, the official said.

 

Corporation to build 4 feet channel to check water stagnation

Friday, 20 September 2013 06:34 administrator
Print PDF

The New Indian Express                20.09.2013

Corporation to build 4 feet channel to check water stagnation

Local body staff clearing encroachments that were hindering rainwater flow in Shenbakkam zone | express
Local body staff clearing encroachments that were hindering rainwater flow in Shenbakkam zone | express

The Vellore Corporation has taken up the construction of a four-feet broad channel from Mullipalayam to Palar River, to address the problem of rainwater stagnation in Shenbakkam Zone.

Complaints of water stagnation in areas of Mullipalayam and Kalaspalayam under the fourth zone Shenbakkam, especially during the rains, have become regular.

Rainwater, along with drainage waste from elevated areas like Kasba and R N Palayam, has been flowing through this area and stagnating here for the past two decades, it was said.

Following several petitions from the public, Corporation officials led by Commissioner P Janaki Raveendran, engineer Baskaran and Town Planning Officer M Kannan visited the spot on Wednesday and held inquiries. During the inquiry, the officials identified encroachments by around 10 houses in Kalaspalayam area as the reason for stagnation of rainwater flow here. A poclain machine was brought to the spot immediately and the encroachments were cleared.

The engineer said that a residential building, a hut with cement walls and seven thatched huts were cleared.

The Corporation Commissioner said that notices had already been issued to those houses found to have encroached the space identified for the construction of the channel. But no steps were taken by the building owners so far, she added.

She said a four-feet broad channel would be constructed for 120 metres and rainwater would be discharged into Palar River.

A sum of ` 60 lakh had  been allotted for the work under the Integrated Housing Shelter Development Programme. The channel work  would be completed soon to address the issue during the rainy season.

 
More Articles...


Page 30 of 99