Supreme Court slams Delhi authorities over lapses in sealing case
The top court of the country told civic authorities and the Delhi government that they might have to walk the Tughlaq way and shift capital if they continued to fail to prevent unauthorised constructions.
SC made it clear that commercial establishments like restaurants and big showrooms cannot continue in residential areas in violation of the law as the authorities cannot put the lives of citizens of Delhi in danger.
“Unauthorised constructions have a direct relation with rising pollution. Delhiites suffer from problems such as pollution, parking and lack of green areas due to the issues arising out of authorized constructions,” the bench added.
It also criticized the Centre for changing the draft Masterplan of Delhi 2021 in order to protect those who were behind illegal or unauthorized constructions.
Source: LiveLaw.in
Navi Mumbai to segregate 100% waste by end of 2018
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation of the satellite town currently segregates 86% waste, the highest by any city in Maharashtra. The civic body had put in a lot of effort to ensure top rank in the country’s cleanliness rankings, as the 2018 Swachh Survekshan survey commenced. The enthusiasm still seems to be high.
“During the Swachh Suvekshan survey, our garbage segregation was 85%. After the survey was over, we directed our officials to pay more attention and we have seen some positive results,” said Tushar Pawar, deputy commissioner of NMMC (solid waste management).
“Everyone was assuming that the percentage of segregation will fall after the survey. We have proved them wrong. Our percentage has increased by 1% after the survey. Given the initiatives taken by us, it will not be difficult to achieve 100% garbage segregation by year-end,” he said.
Source: Hindustan Times
BEST fare hike finalized in Mumbai
Starting April 12th, fares of Mumbai buses operated by BEST will increase by Re.1 for distances above 6 km. Fares for air conditioned buses will increase by ₹5. The minimum fare of Rs 8 will remain unchanged, however. Concessions for school and junior college students have also been reduced.
The new fares were finalized by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after an urgent business proposal was tabled in the General Body meeting of the civic body.
The fare hike was insisted upon by Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta as a critical step needed to reform and revive the transport undertaking.
Source: The Hindu
Delhi starts selling BS VI fuel
All 391 filling stations in the capital have started selling BS VI emission standard (equivalent to Euro VI norms) compliant petrol and diesel after the government advanced the deadline for Delhi, in a bid to control the infamous levels of air pollution in the city. The current plan is to make the higher grade fuel available across the National Capital Region by year-end and across the country by 2020.
But will this significantly reduce levels of pollution?
Using BS-VI fuel in vehicles that meet BS-IV or lower standards do not result in major emission reduction. Higher grade fuel in lower grade vehicles in Delhi could result in a reduction of particulate matter emission by 10-20%, Gopal (B V Ramagopal, Director (Refineries), Indian Oil) said. Had fuel alone been the solution, automakers wouldn’t have had to upgrade their vehicles.
Source: The Economic Times
Free wi-fi service wins over 20K new riders for Ahmedabad BRTS!
The 145 BRTS stations are among the locations where the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has launched its free Janmitra WiFi service (under the Smart City programme) since the beginning of March, and regular commuters are loving it.
“It’s been a month and we are getting good response,” said AMC Deputy Municipal Commissioner Rakesh Shankar. “Not only this, we have seen a rise in ridership of BRTS compared to the previous month. As many as 20,000 more passengers have used BRTS in March compared to February”
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One of the user said the 1GB mobile data given by his cellular service provider was unused last month because of the free WiFi service provided by the civic body. “Since last one month, I am using free WiFi. It’s free and the speed is also good. Now, I don’t like to use the data which my cellular service provider is giving. Literally, I haven’t used mobile data and 1GB data is unused,” said Vivek Desai.
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Another user, Balvant Kunt, said: “This is the best place to update software and apps. It only takes a few minutes and I can do it while waiting for my bus. I told my friends to do the same.”
Source: DNA
All set for rapid rail corridor between Delhi and Meerut
The NCR Transport Corporation has, in principle, acquired the land it had sought to build a Regional Rapid Transit that will connect Delhi with Meerut via Ghaziabad. The decision was taken at the annual budget meeting of the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation.
The land that will be handed over to the transport corporation comprises a permanent category measuring 15,470 sqm and a temporary category measuring 82,104 sqm. “The entire land that will be handed over for the rail transit system are earmarked for public use. Most of it is along green belts. Land categorized as permanent will be used for construction of stations of the RRTS corridor. Those categorized as temporary will be used for construction of pillars for this corridor. The temporary category of land will be handed back to the municipal corporation after development,” said municipal commissioner Chandra Prakash Singh.
Source: The Times of India
Pune, Mumbai cycling initiatives set for big boost
Almost 3500 cycles are already being operated in partnership with private firms as part of a public bicycle sharing service launched in Pune last December. Now the civic body has set up a separate department that will ensure the development of cycle tracks, parking facilities and oversee public bicycle sharing initiatives in the city.
According to PMC’s proposal of bicycle plan, “Pune can be a city where people find cycling, using public transport and walking convenient, comfortable, safe and attractive. The plan is a part of the efforts by the PMC to transform transportation in the city.
Meanwhile in Mumbai, a cycling track along Marine Drive that lay unused due to disagreements between the traffic department and BMC over traffic permissions, advertisements and safety norms, may soon see cyclists back in action.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is likely to manage the 11-km track from next Sunday, after it found no takers for the environment-friendly initiative.The track was shut owing to a tussle between the traffic department and BMC over traffic permissions. Intermittent shutdowns and cancellations because of others events have also dogged the track.
The route covers NCPA, Marine Drive, Babulnath, Pedder Road, Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road and the sea link. It is opened from 6am to 10am on Sundays.
A senior civic official said, “The BMC will run the track now. A proposal will be tabled this next week. We received a good response for the track and shutting it down will jeopardise the initiative.” He said if everything goes according to the plan, the track may be opened on April 15.
Source: The Times of India | Hindustan Times