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Sights, sounds and smells from Bangalore
The Bangalore Blog: Boom or Doom? Tracking India's Silicon City's growth pangs.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Finally, welcome to Greater Bangalore
The Times of India
Bangalore: Bangalore has become bigger! On Tuesday evening, the municipality of Bangalore officially became Greater Bangalore or Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike.
The final notification was issued by the state government on Tuesday evening. This means the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, BMP, the citizenry’s favourite punching bag, ceases to exist.
The city’s area now boasts of 741 sq km, an exponential increase from the BMP area of 225 sq km. Greater Bangalore is divided into eight zones; BMP had three.
The government has decreed that the present set of people including commissioners and officials at various levels would continue in their existing designations. Which means, the administrator and commissioner of the hitherto BMP would continue with their present dispensation.
Explains Gaurav Gupta, special commissioner, BMP (now BBMP): “In accordance with the government’s notification we will be issuing an order that commissioners and officials at various levels in the CMCs too would continue with their post until a redeployment is done. We need a huge workforce, engineers, revenue officials, health officials. It is a huge administrative challenge”
Just like Mumbai’s Bruhan Mumbai Corporation, Bangalore is now Greater Bangalore, a single monolith entity comprising BMP city areas, the 7 CMCs, 1 TMC and 111 villages.
For a backgrounder, various governments in Karnataka have been mulling over the option of merging the city areas with the peripheral urban local bodies, for 10 years now. The proposal got a concrete shot in the arm with the H D Kumaraswamy government taking a decision in September 2006, on having a Greater Bangalore.
Following discussions at various levels, a draft notification was issued in late November. In the interim periods leading up to the final notification, various citizen groups could put out objections and suggestions to the proposal. It is not yet clear what suggestions of the citizenry have been incorporated in the final notification.
The 111 villages along with the following CMCs and TMC — Mahadevapura, Yelahanka, Bommanahalli, K R Puram, Dasarahalli, Byatarayanapura, Kengeri — are all part of Bangalore.
Govt develops cold feet on land bank proposal
Deccan Herald
The State government seems to be backing off from its professed commitment to infrastructure development, if its draft Infrastructure Policy is any guide.
The State government seems to be backing off from its professed commitment to infrastructure development, if its draft Infrastructure Policy is any guide.
A key proposal that would have committed the government to building a “land bank” -- a bank of plots of land that could be used for various infrastructure projects -- has been dropped from the draft.
The proposal to set up a land bank, already implemented in States like West Bengal, was aimed at taking up infrastructure projects by using land in government possession so that there is no delay in their implementation.
The bank was proposed in the light of roadblocks being faced by the government in acquiring land for various mega infrastructure projects.
In fact, it is because of the delay in land acquisition and disputes related to it, that several big projects like an interface for Devanahalli International Airport and the Mysore airport have suffered delay.
Stiff opposition
The concept invited stiff opposition from the State Revenue Department, which argued that it is unfair to acquire farmers’ land in advance. It has warned against misuse of such a concept, sources said.
“If the Government had taken the land in its possession in advance by setting up a land bank, these projects would have been implemented well on time,” sources in the State Infrastructure Development Department told Deccan Herald.
The draft policy only speaks of putting in place a “suitable mechanism” for speeding up land acquisition for these projects. It also notes that bringing in a “specific legislation” for this purpose is under the government’s consideration. The land bank proposal was based on a study by the Asian Development Bank in the country.
New law
The draft policy proposes a new law to ensure that land acquisition process is not as time-consuming as it is now. For this, the Infrastructure Department is in touch with various departments like Industries and the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board to formulate guidelines for the new law.
Official sources say the new policy mainly aims at attracting private participation in infrastructure projects.
Besides, the policy proposes several project-specific incentives/concessions to ensure active private partnership.
REVERSE GEAR
*Govt reportedly drops the idea of land bank
*Revenue Dept opposes the concept
*New policy moots law for easy land acquisition
Will February bring freedom from garbage?
The Hindu Team
Come February, garbage collection will become mechanised in Bangalore. Will it mean a cleaner environment or will we continue to live with the sight of cows and dogs feasting on overflowing heaps of garbage? The Public Eye team finds out.
BANGALORE: Will Bangalore roads, at least the main and arterial ones, see cleaner days with the ushering in of mechanised collection of garbage from February? This is what the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) promises us.
The 2,200 tonnes of garbage that the city generates will be segregated at source under the new system. Specially designed vehicles called "closed compactors" will be used instead of containerised autorickshaws and open lorries to transport the waste. This will prevent the spilling of garbage on the roads and help in quick transportation. The waste is compressed in the "closed compactors." Commercial areas will be tackled at night.
As many as 11,000 pourakarmikas, or conservancy workers, including 4,000 permanent employees, are engaged in cleaning the city. Though the BMP has made it mandatory for the contractors to provide the workers with gloves, gum-boots, raincoats and uniforms, this rule has been violated in most instances.
Under the new contracts, pourakarmikas who are now paid between Rs. 1,200 and Rs. 1,500 a month have been promised Rs. 2,075. This apart, they will also get ESI and PF benefits.
The BMP will spend Rs. 390 crore in the next three years on cleaning the city. While Rs. 270 crore will go to private contractors, the remaining will be used on salaries and other expenses.
Officials justify the increase in expenditure from Rs. 38 crore to Rs. 90 crore, pointing to the increase in the number of "health wards" cleaned by private contractors from 182 to 253. The BMP has divided its 100 wards into 332 health wards for administrative convenience. Of the 332, private contractors are handling 182. The number of houses to be covered by the contractors will increase from 6.8 lakh to 9.5 lakh. This will increase fuel costs and the service tax for the contractors. Besides, the contractors will have to use machines. Will the BMP be wasting taxpayers' money on the same set of contractors for the same kind of "shoddy" service they have been providing so far?
According to a study by Basavanagudi MLA K. Chandrashekar, the BMP will be spending over Rs. 4.2 crore extra on cleaning the additional 71 health wards.
"This additional expenditure is almost double the amount the BMP is now spending on cleaning the 182 health wards entrusted to private contractors," the study points out.
A comparison of the amount spent on cleaning the six wards of Govindrajnagar, Chandra Layout, Jagjeevanramnagar, Hanumanthnagar, Padmanabhanagar and Hombegowdanagar in 2003-2004 and the outlay for 2006-2007 shows that the BMP will spend over Rs. 62 lakh extra just for deploying 532 additional workers, five extra lorries and 16 additional autorickshaws.
Pollution causing slow death of trees
New Indian Express
BANGALORE: It is alarming to note that vehicular emissions have affected tree-growth in the City. Scientist say trees are not only sensitive to pollutants, but show specific reaction to them.
A recent study pointed out at the higher lichen growth on trees, which is a sure bio-indicator of high pollution. Also, the presence of bacteria pseudomonas on leaves affect their physiological activities and can lead to the shedding of leaves.
The study was sponsored by the UGC to learn the effect of air pollution on trees, and was done by a Ph.D student K M Bhoopathi Gupta. He is working under the guidance of Dr R V Rao, Head Wood Properties and Uses Division, Institute of Wood Science and Technology. For this research work, three tree species of African tulip tree, copper pod tree and gulmohar were selected. They were exposed constantly to pollutants in areas like Peenya, Yeshwantpur Circle, Hudson Circle and Mekhri Circle where vehicular traffic is very high.
According to Dr Rao, leaves exposed to pollution are highly prone to invasion by bacteria. A healthy tree will not have accumulation of bacteria.
Moreover, branches of trees collected for study under the microscope, show accumulation of stored energy on leaves. This unused accumulation of starch and protein points out change in internal physiology.
Gupta said that the city’s rapid growth and the resultant increase in number of vehicles are the main cause of air pollution. In these areas, air impurity is high with pollutant gases like sulphur dioxide, hydrogen fluorides, carbon monoxide, ozone and nitrogen dioxide. ”The effect of pollution is based on factors like locality and species adaptability. We will study the variations for atleast two consecutive seasons,” he said.
According to Dr Rao, the study will lead to local and resistant tree species to be mapped according to their resistance to various air pollutants.
“There is a need to find out indigenous species that are tolerant to pollution in urban areas. Later, these trees can be grown as a belt around urban areas to serve like a buffer zone to check and reduce air pollution,” he said. Urban forestry should look at trees that are pollution resistant, wind tolerant and grow trees that are not very tall, he added.
No takers for TDR
Vijay Times
BBaanng gaal loor re e: : The Bangalore Mahanagara Palikes (BMP) efforts to promote the concept of Transferable Development Rights (TDR) to widen some of the congested roads in the City is yet to see the light of the day.
In a bid to find an easy solution to curb traffic menace and enable easy vehicular movement, the BMP came up with the TDR plan to widen 85 roads in the City.
Initially, 45 roads were taken up for widening in the first phase. However, last year, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had directed the BMP engineering staff to take up the work on 12 roads on a priority basis where government land was available to widen the roads.
Though the work is underway at a snails pace, landowners on other roads identified for widening are yet to come forward to part with their lands in lieu of the TDR.
Under the TDR, the City has been divided into three zones - zone A as intensively developed area, B as moderately developed area and C as sparsely developed area.
Earlier, the TDR belonging to A zone could not be sold in any part of the City other than A zone, while lands under B zone could be sold in B and C zones and C had to be sold in C zone only. However, the BMP withdrew this clause recently and permitted for selling of TDRs in any zone. Inspite of this there are no takers for TDR.
The TDRs were touted as a remedy by the BMP to rectify the deviations and avoid demolition of buildings. With a view to create a market for TDR, the civic body wanted to create a land bank for TDRs and enable the contractors to procure the required TDR.
‘‘LLaan nd d oow wn neer rs sggaaiin n ffr room m T TDDRR’’
The TDR is beneficial to a land owner. According to a BMP engineer, in exchange of his land, the respective owner would get development right in the form of additional Floor Area Ratio (FAR), which is 1.5 times the area of the land surrendered.
For instance, if a owner surrenders 1,000 sq ft of his land for road widening on a plot measuring 10,000 sq ft, the owner would be given a TDR in lieu of the land acquired. If the owner is permitted for a maximum built up area of 20,000 sq ft on a 10,000 sq ft of land, even after losing 1,000 sq ft, he can still construct 20,000 sq ft of built up area.
In addition, the owner, whose land has been acquired, is also entitled to build an additional 150 per cent of land surrendered. If the owner has lost 1,000 sq ft of land, he can build up to 1,500 sq ft.
Another advantage is that the owner can sell the TDR to a builder who wishes to utilise it in other parts of the city or the owner can utilise the same for building another structure, provided the space permits.
The TDR is enforced successfully in cities like Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The BMP has identified some areas where for four-laning and two-laning of roads will be taken up in various areas depending upon the need, the engineer said.
In a bid to find an easy solution to curb traffic menace, the BMP came up with the Transferable Development Rights (TDR) plan to widen 85 roads in the City
Helmet rule to stay
The Hindu
`It helped to bring down number of head injury cases in Bangalore City'
# State human rights panel to be set up soon
# Law University to be established in Hubli
BANGALORE: The Government will not revoke the rule making helmets mandatory for two-wheeler riders in the limits of Bangalore City and five other city corporations in the State, Minister for Home, Law and Parliamentary Affairs M.P Prakash has said. The rule came into effect from November 1 last.
Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, he said that more than 95 per cent of two-wheeler riders had been wearing helmets in Bangalore City. This had reduced the number of cases of head injury and the public had welcomed the government decision, he said.
Following protests against the rule, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy recently said that the Government would reconsider the decision.
The rule applies in the limits of the Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority; Mysore; Mangalore; Gulbarga; Hubli-Dharwad; and Belgaum city corporations. The Bellary City Corporation has been exempted from the rule in view of the high day temperature there.
Wearing of helmets by two-wheeler riders is mandatory under Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Mr. Prakash said the State Human Rights Commission would be set up before the commencement of the State Legislature session on January 25. Mr. Prakash said the Government had set aside Rs. 5 crore for providing interim relief to the victims of "atrocities" committed by the Joint Special Task Force set up to apprehend Veerappan.
The Karnataka Law University would be established in Hubli. It would be functional in the 2007-08 academic year, he said.
'City city jam jam, says kids'
Vijay Times
BBaanng gaal loor re e: : Four-year-old Nishant zealously collects toy cars of all size and shapes. Theres nothing amusing about the hobby, except that Nishant collects these cars to compete with his friends to recreate a largest traffic jam possible.
Many parents opine that with growing instances of traffic jams in the city, playing traffic jams have replaced the craze of car racing with friends.
Nihar K Rao, a parent of a four-year-old, says "In my childhood I played with toy cars to zoom across the room, not create traffic jams and remain static to admire what a jam I have created, which my son keeps doing on noticing the real action on roads." Psychologists also feel that children are subliminally affected by the frustration adults exhibit because of traffic jams.
Yashaswini Kamaraju, a child psychologist says "Children always simulate real life situations while at play. Nowadays traffic jams are widely discussed with lot of frustration. Therefore it comes as no surprise to me." Ali Khwaja reputed psychologist-counsellor says "While earlier traffic jams wouldnt matter to a child, these days traffic jams does hinder childrens plans for an outing." "There is an increasing craze of buying more and more toy cars amongst kids," says V Subramaniam, manager of Vellare Avenue, a toy shop in Koramangala. He says kids are buying both small and large toy cars and sales have been increasing for a while now.
However Khwaja feels there is a larger problem on hand.
"Many a times, traffic jams bring out the worst in a person often leading to road rage. Care should be taken that children do not witness road rage actions of parents. It is quite possible that they try and replicate it themselves."
Many parents opine that with growing instances of traffic jams in the city, playing ‘traffic jams’ have replaced the craze of car racing with friends
Turning the metro route verdant
New Indian Express
BANGALORE: The mammoth Bangalore Metro Rail project has slowly started moving on the tracks of progress, what with utility shifting and finalisation of via duct consultants underway. The actual construction is also scheduled to begin in the next few days.
However, officials at the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) are all set to dispel these fears by planning to ‘green up’ the metro rail route.
Officials said that this would be done by imaginative landscaping along the route and along the elevated portions. Though the exact specifications have not yet been thought out, the project will try to maintain the ‘green look’ that the Garden City bears.
Thousands of trees around the City have already been cut to make way for the project. While the environmentalists raised hue and cry over the environment impact, BMRCL has already planted 15,000 saplings around the City.
Sources at BMRCL said that the Forest Department, Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) have been roped in to help plant and maintain the saplings.
The company has paid BMP Rs 8.10 lakh, BDA Rs 13.76 lakh and the Forest Department Rs 19.42 lakh to cover the cost of saplings, tree guard, maintenance, security and watering of the plants. This is for a period of three years.
All the species of plants that are being planted are those that will grow to a height of 8-10 feet. All the chosen species are those from which enormous benefits can be derived. The saplings that do not survive will be replaced suitably. However, planting of more saplings is not being planned immediately, added the sources.
What’s in store for Bangalore?
New Indian Express
BANGALORE: Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is bringing all stakeholders of Bangalore on a single platform on Jan 27 to get them to present a report card on what they have done in the last one year, and to unveil their plans for the future. The CM’s initiative is timed to coincide with his first anniversary which falls in the first week of February.
BDA, BMP, BWSSB, Bescom, BMTC, BMRDA, BMRCL etc, all have been told to make presentations on their performance and the long-term and short-term goals they have set for the future at the day-long session at Jnanajyothi Auditorium, Central College. The Chief Minister will personally sit through these sessions. The BDA has been asked to coordinate the event.
The Government will invite CEOs, industrialists, educationists, intelligentsia, industrialists, students, NGOs to attend as delegates and seek clarifications on the role and work of different agencies and make suggestions on how they can improve their functioning so as to ensure overall development of Bangalore.
The event is tentatively named, Bangalore - Today & Tomorrow, and the idea, according to officials, is to bring all the agencies related to Bangalore’s development together, and get them to work with better coordination.
Kumaraswamy is said to be keen on the event, through which, he believes he can convey to Bangaloreans all that his administration did for the City in the last one year. He is also said to nurse a feeling that not all his initiatives for the City had been properly conveyed to people, and an interactive session with the members of public will provide them a better clarity on issues.
BMP faces Bruhat challenge in delimitation
New Indian Express
BANGALORE: Delimitation of wards in Greater Bangalore is yet to begin and the the Government has not issued the final notification on formation of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). There is an imbalance in terms of area and population.
According to the 2001 census, area under BMP has a population of 43,01,325 in 9,47,169 households and BBMP is expected to comprise a population of 76 lakh. But there is no rationale in creating wards in BMP areas, as HMT Layout ward has a population of 27,637 in 1,635 acres, while Binnypet ward has 28,069 population in 77 acres. Councilors of both wards are allotted the same amount of funds.
This imbalance is present in other wards, too. Kempapura Agrahara is spread over 86.91 acres, while Padmanbhanagar has an area of 1,735 acres. If the area is large, it means more road works and more drain works.
It also indicates greater enforcement work regarding building bylaw and garbage management. Large wards include JP Nagar with 1,088 acres, Airport with 1,715 acres, Sampangiramnagar with 1,115 acres, CV Raman Nagar with 1,474 acres and Sanjaynagar with an area of 1,364 acres.
On the other hand, Padmanabhanagar has a population of 1,12,407, while Amarjyothinagar has 21,896. Wards with high population include Srinagar (62,163), Hanumanthnagar (62,630), Ganeshmandir (87,307), Kaval Bairasandra (84,461) and Hebbal (74,126), while many wards don’t even have half these numbers.
Kaakshipalya ward has a population of 25,742, Basaveshwaranagar has 23,228 and Shivanagar has 28,121. But the ward with lowest population is Mudalpalya with 15,597 people.
BMP sources said that the matter is under consideration and once the final notification for BBMP is issued, delimitation would commence.
Landfills get dumped?
The Hindu
Bangalore: The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike is in flagrant violation of the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules (2000), which mandate urban local bodies to identify scientific landfills for future use by December 31, 2002, and set up waste processing and disposal facilities by December 31, 2003.
Three years have passed since the deadline and only one scientific landfill at Mavallipura is working, that too at half its capacity. A waste-to-energy project at Mandur has forever been delayed and officials say that it will be completed in a year. Scientific landfills at Kannahalli (29 acres), Kyalsanahalli (45 acres) and Seegehalli (7 acres), were abandoned midway because there is too little land to make the projects viable.
Land for scientific landfills has to be large enough to allow for the non biodegradable waste to be buried for at least 20 years so as to make the investment feasible. Scientific landfills are where the waste is segregated into non-biodegradable (later buried) and biodegradable (turned into compost).
Yet, another 522-acre landfill is being planned at Manavarthe Kaval near Kanakpura Road, for which the BMP Council recently approved a resolution requesting the Government to allocate land. Officials expect trouble from local people and Government departments in the construction of this landfill.
Currently, the 2,200 tonnes of garbage goes into abandoned quarries, raising concerns about the health of people and the ecology around the areas.
Even when the Mavallipura and Mandur landfills start functioning, the BMP would have earmarked scientific dumping space for only about 1,900 tonnes of garbage for the future. With Greater Bangalore coming into force, the amount of garbage generated will increase to at least 3,000 tonnes, thus leaving the BMP short of space for 1,100 tonnes of garbage.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Accept loss of green-belt, or get out of city
New Indian Express
BANGALORE: Bid adieu to the green-belt in north-east Bangalore and get set to welcome the concrete jungle that will arise as part of the development of Bangalore or just ‘Get Out of the City’.
According to the draft Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) 2005 of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), 200 sq-kms of green space in the north-east will be lost, especially between Whitefield and Devanahalli, as they will be converted into residential and commercial spaces.
BDA Commissioner M K Shankarlinge Gowda told this paper that according to the draft plan, the green-belt was opened in 2005 for development.
‘‘If people cannot accept the city’s growth, they should just get out. The area has monoculture vegetation with eucalyptus in large numbers,’’ he said.
Bangalore will have to compromise to a certain extent on the green-belt. There should be more trees than parks. We will build three regional parks like the Cubbon Park in the new layouts, which will balance the green spaces,’’ he added.
Environmentalists, on the other hand, say that the entire area is not fully filled with commercial trees like eucalyptus, but also has land under horticulture.
‘‘Some of the areas are owned by multiple agencies like Town Municipality, City Corporation and Town Panchayats. The areas were earmarked as peri-urban areas in 1995-96 and were notified as the green-belt of the city to promote horticulture,’’ said Akshay Heblikar, Director of Eco-Watch.
The farmers will be forced to look for land elsewhere and this will harm the city’s green-belt in the long run.
The place should be enriched with indigenous species and satellite townships should be developed in areas like Magadi, Hosur and Tumkur Roads,’’ he said. If the areas are notified, it will affect the city lung space.
An alternative should be considered before proceeding further with City’s development and NGOs should also involved, he added.
‘‘The idea of earmarking the peripheral areas was to create a buffer zone. Developed spaces have 42 per cent of vacant spaces, which should be utilised for planting trees and for construction purposes,’’ said Vinay Baindur, an independent urban governance consultant.
Road-widening project still stuck on paper
BMP Says Defence Authorities, Residents Pose Huge Roadblocks
The Times of India
Bangalore: Apart from being New Year’s Eve, December 31 was the deadline for civic authorities to complete widening of 12 roads on priority. A deadline set by chief minister H D Kumaraswamy himself.
And the status: Work in progress, on paper.
Over two years after the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) was entrusted with the task of widening roads in Bangalore, not a single road has actually been widened. For instance, Hosur Road was the first stretch for the exercise. Thirty metres of land on either side were identified, compounds were fenced out and yet, the road remains in the same status. With the same traffic juggernaut.
Widening roads using the provisions of Transferable Development Scheme (TDR), was a scheme approved by the state government in January 2005. In the scheme, a person who gives up his/her property for civic works, gets additional floor area to a tune of 1.5 times of the acquired land. This will be given in the form of Development Rights Certificate, which he can sell to a property owner, who wants to upgrade the building or use it in his own property.
However, many meetings and issual of notices later, the scheme is still stuck with the same initial roadblocks. To start with, BMP officials explain that defence authorities posed the starting stumbling block by prolonging the approval process. A total of 44,464 sq mts of land belonging to the Defence was pending approval, a final nod is awaited still.
Engineers at the BMP explain that the task they face is an Herculean one — convincing people to part with land. “For a year we have been going road to road, identifying the specifics required and trying to convince people that the land required is for public good. We have explained the concept of TDR, but they are just not willing. They are demanding an alternate site with house or market compensation,” explain engineers associated with the project.
PROGESS THUS FAR
Topographical survey completed for 30 roads
Very few private property owners are accepting TDR forms and surrendering land for road widening
Road alignment for 12 roads has been approved and DPRs for 6 roads completed
Land cost for private properties in taken through land acquisition at present market rate for 12 roads amounts to Rs 266 crore
Metro work to make going heavy for city road users
Deccan Herald
Waiting with bated breath to see the Namma Metro work to chug on? If so, brace up for all the traffic woes that lie in wait for you, from early next month.
Waiting with bated breath to see the Namma Metro work to chug on? If so, brace up for all the traffic woes that lie in wait for you, from early next month.
With the metro work set to be launched for the ‘Reach 1’ (the 7-km stretch between Kanteerava Stadium and Byappanahalli), the traffic police and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) officials are now busy drafting a traffic diversion plan.
Major diversion
According to BMRC Managing Director V Madhu, there will be major diversion of traffic on M G Road, CMH Road, Old Madras Road and parts of Indiranagar 100-feet Road, where the metro work will be taken up.
The work — construction of via-ducts (pillars over which the rail moves) — will initially be taken up between Kumble Circle and the Brigade Road junction. There won’t be much problem on this stretch as the work will be confined to the elevated boulevard on one side of M G Road, Mr Madhu said. But a stretch between the Brigade Road junction and Trinity Circle will be the worst-hit. For the work here will be taken up right on the middle of the road and “the contractor will occupy nearly nine meters of the road”.
Almost the same will be the situation on other roads. “The traffic diversion plan will be finalised by the traffic police. Soon after finalising the tender, we will sit with the contractor to work out all the minute details...We will ensure that inconvenience to motorists is minimal,” Mr Madhu said.
The BMRC Board is holding its meeting on January 19, wherein the tender for the Rs 110-crore project for viaduct construction will be finalised and the contractor named. “The very next day, we’ll issue the work order also,” he said.
The changes in the traffic system will remain in place for nearly three years — the time set for completion of the work.
‘Not much a problem’
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M A Saleem said that in the initial stages, there would not be “much of a problem”. As and when the work progresses, the traffic plan will be modified accordingly, he said.
New Electronics City on anvil
New Indian Express
BANGALORE: To meet the demand from IT companies for space, the State Government is contemplating another Electronic City in 1,000 acres land in the City outskirts.
Though it was previously planned to set up a second Electronics City adjacent to the existing one on Hosur Road, it was forced to shift the location to the Devanahalli international airport vicinity.
Is BRT a cool alternative?
Vijay Times
With rising income and easy availability of automobile loans, more and more people prefer to have personal transport to commute.
Can the metro rail alone meet the challenges posed by the burgeoning number of private vehicles? This raises a much-debated question whether the absence of a fast and reliable public transport system has led to an explosion in the number of private vehicles. Limited capacity of roads with high pollution levels has finally prompted the government to go in for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system on a 38 km stretch of road between Central Silk Board and Hebbal on a pilot project basis to supplement the metro rail in high traffic density corridors.
Described as a perfect answer to make public transport a cool choice and curb the growth of personal vehicles, the BRT also known as High Capacity Bus System has already made in-roads in New Delhi, Pune and Ahmedabad.
Conceptualised almost two years ago by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation to influence change in travel behaviour patterns through grid-based systems, the BRT traffic, experts opine, will be successful if the bus lanes do not have any intersections.
Two of the proven BRT successes are the Trans Millenio in Bogota, the Colombian capital and Curitiba in Brazil. Per hour, about 40,000 passengers use BRT to commute in Curitiba. A certain degree of infrastructural and design innovation is required to achieve this goal. A single dedicated lane Bus Rapit Transit System (BRTS) is known to carry 20,000 passengers per hour per direction. A second lane at bus stops for overtaking has shown to double the system capacity.
CCu ur rr re en ntt ssttaattu uss i inn C Ci ittyy
The JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) is likely to fund the project. The cost per km would be approximately Rs 10 crore if a separate corridor is constructed, otherwise, it would be onetenth of the cost if modifications are planned on the existing outer ring road . Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) India have been asked to prepare a detailed project report.
BMTC MD Upendra Tripathy said, "The BRT could revolutionise the way public transport in perceived by those accustomed to commuting in cars. Apart from making travel by buses faster, we would want to encourage the use of mass transport so as to meet the capacity of 60 lakh daily bus commuters by 2015. Today about 56 to 60 percent of Bangaloreans depend on public transport. BMTC would definitely want this to increase. A core BRT once functional will be supported by 27 grid routes" Jan Vandoven, Head of business (South Asia) Volvo buses, said: "The BRT is easier to implement than a metro. Its implementation will take just 9 months and five per cent of investment costs as compared to a Metro. "The administration should strictly ensure zero interference of other vehicles in the dedicated bus lanes. The buses should be reliable and affordable. The passengers should be given regular relevant traffic information." Prof M N Srihari, traffic expert said, "For BRT to be a success, BMTC should keep certain things in mind such as not allowing vehicle parking on the stretch. There should minimum of 2-3 lanes wherein different kinds of vehicles can navigate easily." Though Delhi model of BRT is ideal, Bangalore should follow the Pune model as that citys roads resemble ours in size.
Srinidhi Anantaraman, an urban traffic solutions provider said, "The advantages of BRT should be very visible to the common public. Apart from the buses being attractive, the authorities should ensure a good travelling experience. When people will notice that public transport is given more preference and is quicker, they will automatically switch to public transport."
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system involves physical segregation of lanes on an designated road which is restricted only to movement of buses preventing intrusion of other vehicles such as four and two-wheelers.
4 Two Wheelers: 20,09,081
4 Light Motor Vehicles: 4,34,428
4 Auto-rickshaws: 89,289
4 Heavy Transport Vehicles: 75,125
4 Heavy Goods Vehicles: 99,397
4 Others: 71,704
4 Dedicated high capacity buses on an identified corridor with physical separation from other traffic lanes.
4 Running 7 to 10 high capacity buses on these corridors.
4 Modern bus stops, bus ticketing and rider information systems.
4 Integrated common ticketing system across different modes such as metro rail.
4 Introduction of advanced, high-speed low floor buses with cleaner fuels.
4 All feeder services to be coordinated including movement of pedestrians.
4 Sky-walks and state-of-art bus shelters and bays on BRT
Monday, January 15, 2007
Residents take out rally against BDA
Deccan Herald
The struggle to safeguard the sole playground at Jeevan Bima Nagar continues, with close to 500 residents taking to the streets in protest against the Bangalore Development Authority, which is building a community centre in the playground.
The struggle to safeguard the sole playground at Jeevan Bima Nagar continues, with close to 500 residents taking to the streets in protest against the Bangalore Development Authority, which is building a community centre in the playground.
Plot No 1 and No 2 at the area have been used as a playground by the children of the colony for the last 15 years, and has been earmarked as an ‘existing sport/ playground’ in the latest proposed Comprehensive Development Programme (CDP), while portions of this land has now been leased out to private parties to build community centres and socio-cultural organisations, the residents accuse.
The residents, irked by the construction activities which have begun in the area, and by the lack of response by the present BDA commissioner, took out a rally in the colony, which was later joined in by MP Sangliana. Mr Sangliana has assured the residents that he would help them resolve this matter and has also promised to meet the stakeholders of the BDA, in this regard, on January 16.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Nitin Deshmukh, resident of the area said that J B Nagar would become completely congested if the community centre came up, as there would be no lung space left in the area. The playgrounds had been divided into five plots, each leased out to the following; Mahaveera Sangha, Humble Charitable Trust, Dakshina Mathu Kannada Gowda Samaja, Orissa Cultural Association and Postal and Telegraph Department. Around 400 children were residing in the area and said that they would fight till the playground is rescued from the “clutches of the BDA.”
Mr Ravidran, another resident says that no government order was issued stating that land conversion had taken place - that is to a Civic Amenities (CA) site. “The BDA has been changing its stand continuously. If they are staking claim that this is a CA site, then the same BDA had displayed the latest proposed CDP in 2005, where these two plots were showcased as playgrounds,” he added.
However, BDA Secretary Rajashekhar said that he was not aware of any of the five parties, and that the CA plot had been leased out to the ISRO, which was planning to build a hospital.
Rise in bus traffic irks Malleswaram residents
The Times of India
Bangalore: The Malleswaram grade separator may well be the solution to traffic congestion in the bustling area in the near future. But, its construction, which is likely to take eight months, has not come without its share of problems.
Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses coming from Tumkur Road, Jalahalli and Yeshwantapur bound for Kempe Gowda Bus Stand, Shivajinagar and K R Market, which previously used to ply on Sampige road, have been diverted to 4th main road. This area, which previously faced minimal BMTC traffic, now suddenly sees a surge of buses of 160 schedules — not a welcome change for the residents.
What makes matters worse, is that there are five schools on this road. “In the morning, particularly between 9 and 10 am, it’s a complete chaos. There are parents dropping their children to school as well as children who come in autorickshaws and buses and one never knows what can happen,” says Sonika Gupta, whose two-year-old daughter studies at Kreeda Ranga Play Home on the road.
Other educational institutions in the area are Hymamshu Jyoti Kala Peetha, B P Indian School, Bangalore Education Society School and Girls’ Pre-University College.
“It’s not just the morning rush hour, but even in the afternoon and evening it is dangerous as children aren’t always careful. Young children are particularly vulnerable to accidents,” says a principal of one of the schools.
The residents of the area are upset that neither they nor the schools were consulted before this change was made.
BMTC chief traffic manager (operations) Dastagir Sharieff says, “We’re merely following instructions from the traffic police. If we’re asked to change our path to suit citizens’ convenience, we will gladly do so.”
The traffic police, however, feel this is a temporary setback that has to be endured till the grade separator is ready. “However, we could build beakers and put up sign boards. If the need arises, we could also divert extra traffic during rush hour to ensure the safety of children,” says DCP traffic (west) Rama Subba.
With Sampige Road blocked out, the traffic police is left only with Margosa Road, 4th main road and 8th main road and cannot divert traffic from the road in question. “We cannot shift all the 4th Main Road traffic to 8th Main, as that road too has its share of bus inflow,” Subba explains. The residents are also considering approaching Scouts and Guides or volunteers to monitor traffic near schools during the mornings and afternoons. “The schools themselves can ask senior students to control traffic,” suggests a resident.
Gopalan Mall on Mysore Road serves as Namma Mall
New Indian Express
BANGALORE: The Gopalan Mall is the new addition to the mall wagon in the city, except that this mall is not in the heart of the city but on the outskirts.
Gopalan Mall, the first mall on the crowded Mysore Road, is an ideal shopping destination for people commuting from Mysore to Bangalore.
With the theme Namma Mall, Gopalan Mall provides all commodities at reasonable prices to consumers.
With the city undergoing rapid development and urbanisation, the public is being wooed with various malls that offer complete entertainment to the entire family. The shift of focus from the central part of the city to the outskirts has become more obvious with the speedy development that is taking place in faraway places.
Shopping is not confined to central hubs like Brigade Road or Koramangala. They are, instead, at places where people need them most.
As the city is exploding with urbanisation, catering to the needs of the people has become of great importance. Unequal development is not the scenario anymore, as equal importance is given to the outskirts of the city as well. Be it the connecting ring roads or the corporate offices on the outskirts, the city as a whole is not neglected.
Changes are being accepted by the people and promoted in the interest of the people.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
The shadow of crime is lengthening
H S BALRAM
The Times of India
Three young men misbehave with a young couple at a pub on Brigade Road in the heart of Bangalore. The pub staff plead with them to exercise restraint, but to no avail. A bouncer is summoned and they are thrown out. The three return after a while fully armed, chase the bouncer down the road and hack him to death in full public view.
A nine-year-old girl stands watching a pack of dogs feast on left-over meat on a road in Chandra Layout. The dogs suddenly pounce on the girl, drag her across the length and breadth of the road and maul her to death, even as passersby try to rescue her.
Police intercept a bus coming from Bellary to Bangalore. They stumble upon a man with terrorist links. An AK-47 assault rifle, 300 rounds of ammunition, four fully-loaded magazines, five hand grenades, a satellite phone, cellphones, additional SIM cards, and a map with a few locations, including Infosys and Wipro campuses, marked clearly, are found on him.
Scary isn’t it? The three incidents took place in the last one week. Bangalore is imbibing the wrongs of all big cities. Crime is on the rise. Terror is lurking. We used to hear of such incidents only in the North. Now, the South hasn’t been spared. Fast-growing Bangalore, with a booming economy, is bearing the brunt. Not a day passes without news of violence, abduction, rape, murder and road rage making the headlines. The situation may not be as bad as in some North Indian cities. But that crime and terror are slowly engulfing what was once a pensioner’s paradise sends a chill down one’s spine.
The police have been vigilant, given the conditions under which they work. They have managed to nab persons who were getting set to create terror. They have caught anti-social elements within days after they committed crime. So far so good. But they need more personnel, a brilliant intelligence wing, adequate funds, modern weapons and ammunition, good vehicles, sophisticated gadgets and better salaries and perks. After all, Bangalore houses a number of IT giants, defence and scientific installations, and PSUs. Plus it has a sizeable section that has money to splurge.
Citizens too have a role to play. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) must help the police maintain vigil in their respective areas. They must create awareness among residents on how to deal with growing crime, keep an eye on suspicious elements, force the local corporator and MLA to help redress grievances and involve civic authorities and animal welfare organisations in finding a solution to the stray dog and cattle menace. Bangalore must not be allowed to go the way of Delhi and Bihar.
In spite of the shadow of crime and inadequate infrastructure, the world continues to look at Bangalore with envy. Trend-spotters have come up with a new phrase ‘Bangalore envy’, which they claim would shape people’s lives in the US in 2007. The expression, which refers to “movement of much of the world’s smart money to where many of the world’s smart people are’’, is one of the 10 phrases that find place in Next Now, a book compiled by marketing guru Ira Matathia and trendspotter Marian Salzman. ‘‘A new Silicon Valley is rising in India,’’ the authors say. However, they feel the phrase would add to the anxiety of people in the US, as they grow increasingly scared for their jobs and their future.
Two years ago, Bangalore became the second modern city in the world to be turned into a verb — Bangalored — after Shanghaied, a word that broadly means losing jobs or businesses after relocation. An online anti-outsourcing website marketed a T-shirt with a legend “Don’t get Bangalored’’, a term suggesting losing one’s job to outsourcing.
Bangaloreans squirm on hearing these phrases. For, they know that the ground reality is different. But cynicism doesn’t help. They must take advantage of the attention that the world is paying, strive to set right the problems, shun a narrow-minded approach, become more competitive and put the city on the fast track. From the government to industry and trade, civic bodies to citizens, everyone needs to chip in.
Land registrations remain in a limbo
The Times of India
Bangalore: There is still no clarity on what properties can be registered and what cannot be. This follows lack of clear guidelines on what documents can be registered and what can’t be. Sub-registrars are fearing penalty. For over a month now, there haven’t been registrations following the issuance of an ordinance that prescribed punishment for officials involved in land encroachments. Since the law covers subregistrars, the revenue department had sought legal opinion from the law department. The department has referred the clarification to the cabinet for a final decision.
According to Stamps and Registration officials, there has been a slump in property registrations with the impact being more in Bangalore. On an average, only 30 per cent documents are being registered. As against 175 documents which are registered on an average daily, it is not even 40 these days.
Even revenue has dipped, by 80 percent from Rs 1.5 crore daily. “Until there is any clear communication from the government, we cannot risk registering properties as it would attract punishment as per the ordinance,” officials said. The deadlock has put citizens at the receiving end. When reasons are sought for rejecting the registration, violations are not clearly explained.
The ordinance has listed eight offences and punishment: imprisonment of 1-3 years and fine of Rs 5,000-Rs 10,000 against land encroachers and officials involved in the crime.
Accordingly, sub-registrars also come under the ambit: selling agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes without land conversion - 3 years jail and Rs 10,000 fine; creating bogus documents regarding conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural use - one year imprisonment and Rs 5,000 fine; being a public servant entrusted with responsibility fails to report or initiate action against unlawful conversion of revenue lands for non-agricultural purpose - three years imprisonment and Rs 10,000 fine.
Legal opinion
According to the law department’s clarification, it does not see the role of sub-registrars coming under the ambit of the new law. Officials can go easy on old buildings and should not implement the rules with retrospective effect, it feels.
ON REGISTRATION ROLL
Properties in the BMP jurisdiction which have original khata. Properties in CMC and gramathana which have land conversion orders with forms 1 and 12. BDA-allotted properties; BDA approved properties with land conversion. KHB, KIADB and KSSIDC allotted properties.
BMIC: In deep water over lake
The Times of India
When everything appears to be going well for the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project (BMIC) in terms of the peripheral road, the Gottigere Lake issue is hindering further development of the
road connecting Bannerghatta and Kanakapura peripheral road. In view of the environmental aspect, BMIC promoters NICE prepared a blueprint to align the road, instead of constructing pillars over Gottigere Lake.
The government, in violation of the SC interim stay, asked NICE on November 4 to put up pillars on the lake. But NICE chose to comply with the SC directive and went in for alignment. The HC, while dismissing the government’s plea, said: “The respondents are directed not to lay any road bisecting the Gottigere tank, preventing or disturbing inflow of water into the tank.’’
NICE said it’s unable to lay road on pillars citing that density and width of the concrete pillars would destroy two-thirds of the lake. “Our contention has been upheld by IISc, which in its study, states that the only viable alternative to the road is to align, instead of constructing pillars.’’
BIAL: BIAL picks partners
The Times of India
Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has made substantial efforts in ensuring that professional concessionaires for various services come on board and on time. After an extensive technical and financial evaluation, BIAL has selected the following service-providing partners: Aviation fuel facility: Consortia of Skytanking and Indian Oil will build and operate the fuel farm and hydrant system of the airport on an open access basis. This means any qualified supplier of aviation turbine fuel can supply fuel and process it through the common facility against a non-discriminatory and competitive charge
Cargo facility: Consortia of Singapore Air Terminal Services (SATS)/Air India and Bobba Group/Menzies Aviation will build and operate two general cargo for both warehouses for domestic and international cargo. The combined area for both warehouses is 15 acres with an initial capacity to handle nearly 3 lakh tonnes of cargo per year. Ground handling: Consortia of GlobeGround India and Air India/SATS will be responsible for providing ground-handling services and for procuring equipment required for operation at the new international airport.
Retail and duty-free: Nuance/Shoppers’ Stop have been selected for retail and duty-free shops in the international departure section and Shoppers’ Stop has been selected for the retail package in domestic departure section. Food and beverage: HMS Host Corporation, a leader in airport dining and shopping innovations, has been asked to operate the food and beverage service in domestic and international departure points.
Flight catering: LSG Sky chefs and Taj SATS.
BETL Watch: Racing against the deadline
The Times of India
Almost all the way down Hosur Road — from the Silk Board junction to Electronics City — you can see feverish activity. Along many stretches, pre-fabricated concrete block drains have been fitted and covered, and in other stretches, it’s in the process of being done. Where the drain work is over, the main road has been asphalted up to the drain. The service roads too have been improved in a number of locations and there’s a lot of traffic flow on these roads.
Wherever the main roads have been broadened, work on the pillars for the elevated expressway has started.
Along several long stretches, the median has been cordoned off and you can see tall piling rigs at work. A National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official said some 70 piles (foundations for pillars) have been done.
“Our first milestone is January and I expect we will meet all the targets fixed,” the official said. All the three construction companies involved — Soma, Maytas and Nagarjuna — are pretty much on target. An overhead launching gantry to fix the pre-fabricated roads on to the pillars, is being fabricated in China and will reach Bangalore this month.
However, the official expressed regret that there was no visible progress in the effort to properly asphalt the road connecting Attibele and Bommasandra to Sarjapur Road, which would help divert heavy vehicles away from Hosur Road. This road is the PWD’s responsibility.
STATUS REPORT
Service roads: Of the 10 km to be done, 4.1 km completed and opened to traffic. Remaining expected to be over this month
Erection of drains: 13 km over. The remaining 7 km was to be fully done by this month, but may spill over to February.
Six-laning of main road: 7.5 km done. 10 km more to be completed. Expected to be over by this month.
Elevated expressway: 70 piles (foundations for pillars) done. The total is over 2,000.
BMRCL: Gets down to brass tracks at last!
The Times of India
The much-debated Metro Rail seems to be poised to finally move out of the confines of paper onto brass tracks. As of January 10, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) authorities had decided to award the viaduct construction tender contract to an agency.
The viaduct construction spells progress in the scheme of things. Explains V Madhu, MD, BMRC: “These are the elevated civic lines through which the tracks run. They start at MG Road and end at Byappanahalli. This lays down a solid groundwork for the Metro Rail work.’’
The tenders are slated to be awarded on January 19.
Meanwhile, the entire stretch of land across the east-west corridor, 10.95 acres, has been notified for acquisition under section 28(1) of the KIADB Act. Accordingly, notices have been issued and objections heard from land owners by the land acquisition officer. The final notification for lands in the stretch of Trinity Circle to Nala at SV Road as also Old Madras Road is slated to be issued by the government by the second week of January.
BMRC officials said Bangalore would follow standard gauge system despite pressure to adopt broad gauge system simply because in Bangalore, the building line was very close to the roads and that roads in the city were narrow with sharp ends.
It is a death trap for road-users
The Hindu
In 2006, there were eighty-one deaths due to accidents on Hosur Road
TOUGH TIME: Pedestrians find it difficult to cross the road because of heavy traffic. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
BANGALORE: Hosur Road, the city's IT artery, continues be a death trap for road-users. Of the 915 road accident deaths in 2006, 81 were reported from Hosur Road, which comes under the Madiwala Traffic Police Station limits.
The reasons for this are shocking, considering that the area has some of Bangalore's biggest corporate names.
According to the Madiwala Traffic Inspector H.T. Ramesh, the lack of streetlights on the stretch between Central Silk Board junction and Electronic City is the main cause for accidents, especially those involving pedestrians. Of the 81 dead, 46 were pedestrians.
The absence of protected pedestrian crossings on the busy six-lane road is another reason for this alarming fatality figure.
Pedestrians have removed the median on the road at many places.
Further, many liquor shops have come up on either side of the road and customers walk straight out of these watering holes onto the road.
Though movement of people is less during the night, 15 people were killed between 9 p.m. and midnight and nine between midnight and 6 a.m.
With no streetlights in place, the vision of vehicle drivers is blocked due to the headlights of vehicles coming from the opposite direction, he noted.
Over 600 of the total 915 road accident deaths occurred on national highways and Outer Ring Roads (ORRs) during 2006. Despite a decline in the total number of accidents between 2003 and 2006 (from 10,505 to 7,561), the number of fatal accidents has gone up from 843 to 880 in the same period.
Hosur Road is followed by the busy Tumkur Road (NH4). Peenya and Yeshwanthpura Traffic Police Stations under which Tumkur Road falls, recorded 72 and 39 deaths respectively. Krishnarajapura
Traffic Police Station under which the Old Madras Road falls recorded the next highest fatality figure with 67 deaths, followed by Byatarayanapura (65) on Mysore Road, Hebbal (34) and Yelahanka (42) on NH 7.
While Madiwala Traffic Police Station accounted for the highest number of accident deaths, Cubbon Park Traffic Police Station reported just one death during 2006.
Though it could be said that accidents seldom occur on Raj Bhavan Road, Queen's Road, Dr. Ambedkar Veedhi, Cubbon Road and Cunningham Road coming under Cubbon Park because of bumper-to-bumper traffic, these roads are relatively traffic-free during nights. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic-East) M.A. Saleem attributed the near accident-free record to introduction of one-ways and keeping traffic signal lights on even during nights.
"Because we have kept signal lights on during nights, the drivers were at least alert, if not followed the rules," he said.
1000 acres for SEZ near Devanahalli airport
Deccan Herald
Cruising along with the aviation boom in the country, Karnataka appears to be seizing the initiative to provide the much needed support infrastructure for the sector.
Cruising along with the aviation boom in the country, Karnataka appears to be seizing the initiative to provide the much needed support infrastructure for the sector.
With construction of the international airport making rapid progress, the State has not only proposed a 1,000-acre Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for aerospace, but also earmarked land for an aviation academy and pilot training schools. Incidentally, all these are likely to come up near the airport at Devanahalli on the outskirts of Bangalore.
Of the 1,000 acre SEZ, 500 acres would be set aside for export-oriented units while the other 500 would be the domestic tariff area, the companies which are part of this will have to sell their wares in the domestic market.
Karnataka Commerce and Industry secretary K M Shivakumar told Deccan Herald on Saturday: “We are getting lot of enquiries from major aerospace companies of the world. We are very confident of the SEZ success. Backward and forward linkages are strong and so is employment generation.”
The SEZ, for which the Government will have to acquire land, will house MROs (maintenance, repair and overhaul), units to manufacture aircraft spareparts etc. Mr Shivakumar added: “One foreign company wants 250 acres to manufacture components for major airlines. It will generate employment to 1,500 people.”
Major names in the aviation industry – such as Airbus, Bell helicopter, CFM engines, Lufthansa, Taneja Aerospace, small aircraft manufacturer ATR – have shown interest in setting up MROs in Bangalore (not necessarily in the SEZ area).
Airbus has already announced that it will tie up with HAL to set up MROs, costing about $ 300 m.
Maintenance, repair, overhaul
MRO is the need of the hour for most of the airlines because they now have to send their planes to Singapore, Frankfurt or Toulouse for maintenance or repair.
“There is tremendous enthusiasm in the aviation sector because of the boom and Bangalore, which is home to largest number of related industries and laboratories, IT industry and human resource, is the natural destination for these companies. Needless to say, the State government wants to cash in on that,” Mr Shivakumar added.
Aviation academy
Like the state industry department, infrastructure development department too wants to grab the opportunity. Its secretary V P Baligar told Deccan Herald that it plans to offer land to companies willing to set up an aviation academy and pilot training schools in the 400 acre area it has near Devanahalli. “There are several companies, including Air Deccan, interested in setting up an academy and schools. While the schools will train pilots, the academy will be for training ground staff and air hostesses,” he added.
Mr Baligar noted that the Government was willing to approve more academies and schools in other parts of the State, including Mysore where an airport is coming up.
Support infrastructure have become necessary because of the stupendous growth in aviation.
Induction of aircraft at the rate of at least one a week for the last one year, which will go on till about 2012, would make it all happen.
From about 280 planes today to over 500 by 2011 would require a huge support base across the country, says a study conducted by Consultant Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.
Pilots too are a critical component of this growth – the country is currently facing a serious shortage of trained pilots. At the rate of 10 pilots a plane, the country needs around 2,500 pilots in the next five-seven years.
Because of the shortage, one third of the total pilot strength in India are expatriates.
USE OF THE LAND
*1,000-acre SEZ for aerospace
*500 acres for export units
*Another 500 acres for domestic tariff area sector
*SEZ will house MROs
*Aviation industry, infrastructure department show interest
Government planning another electronics city
The Hindu
It will come up on a 1,000-acre plot on outskirts of Bangalore
# Government to scout for land south of Bangalore
# IT companies are demanding one more electronic city
BANGALORE: The State Government is planning to set up yet another electronics city on a 1,000-acre plot on the outskirts of Bangalore with the existing Electronics City on Hosur Road reaching a saturation point.
Sources told The Hindu that it is, however, highly unlikely that the second electronics city would be located in and around the Electronics City owing to paucity of land. The Karnataka Housing Board has acquired a huge extent of land in the vicinity of the Electronics City to develop a massive housing layout (Suryanagar Layout) and is also planning to acquire additional land for the second phase of the same layout.
A senior official of the Industries Department said the State Government would scout for land south of Bangalore or along the south-east corridor since it would help the information technology companies to be in the proximity of the new international airport coming up at Devanahalli on the National Highway-7. Should the second electronics city come up on this stretch, a plan would be proposed to link the Hosur Road with the National Highway-7 by a high-speed corridor.
Minister for Industries Katta Subramanya Naidu said the IT companies had been demanding one more electronic city in Bangalore to set up their units. As there was no space in the existing Electronics City, the Government was planning to acquire 1,000 acres exclusively for another electronic city on the outskirts of the State capital, he said. The IT major, Infosys has made a fervent plea to the Industries Minister to set up another electronics city in the vicinity of Bangalore. Infosys has its headquarters at the Electronics City.
Mr. Naidu said the city had become a major IT hub and its growth has been unprecedented over the last few years. Many international companies set up firms and even headquarters here. With land prices skyrocketing, it was difficult for small software firms to purchase lands. Further, there was also the paucity of land in the city. The Government would acquire land and provide the required infrastructure at the proposed electronics city, he said. The Minister was speaking on the sidelines of a programme "Suvarna Karnataka Udyoga Shikshana Yojane," organised by the Department of Industries and Commerce at the Government Maharani's Arts, Commerce and Science College here.
The Karnataka Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KEONICS), an entity of the State Government established in 1976, had set up Electronics City in the early 1980s during the Ramakrishna Hegde Government. The land for the city was acquired by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board and for nearly a decade there was hardly any demand for land in the Electronics City. Thanks to the boom in the IT sector, the real estate prices in the region have now spiralled.
Underpass work triggers chaos in Malleswaram
The Hindu
Bangalore: Chaos reigns supreme in Malleswaram following traffic diversion because of the construction of a underpass in the area.
Roads that had been one-way for decades have suddenly been converted into two-ways with not many boards to indicate the change. Fourth Main Road with six schools in its vicinity has many buses speeding past.
There are not enough speed breakers to make bus drivers slow down. Eighth Cross, where people throng to during evenings and festivals, has become another bus route adding to the mess.
These were the complaints that residents made to Deputy Commissioner of Police Traffic (West) Ramasubba at an interaction on Thursday between the residents and traffic police, organised by Malleswaram Swabhimana Inititaive (MSI).
Residents and MSI had opposed the project from the beginning. But they seemed to have accepted the reality of the grade separator and had plenty of suggestions to ease traffic congestion, especially on 4th Main Road.
Chitra A. Rao, director of Hymamshu Jyothi Kala Peetha School, suggested that if more changes related to parking and traffic directions were planned, residents should be informed of it at least a day in advance. She also said that the bus drivers could be advised not to horn repeatedly as it disturbed the peace of the residential layout.
Sumathi Rao, president of MSI, said that KSRTC, mofussil and private buses could be diverted to other routes as they did not drop or pick up people along the road, thereby reducing the number of buses plying on 4th Main Road. She also said that the authorities must apply white paint on newly constructed speed breakers to make it visible for people who generally not use the road.
Leela Narayan of Vidyaniketan School said that the traffic police could prohibit driving school cars on 4th Main Road during peak hours, footpath vendors could be asked to shift elsewhere as they attracted large crowds and vehicles that delivered goods to shops along 4th Main Road, could be banned during peak hours.
Play by the rules, warn experts
Play by the rules, warn experts
Deccan Herald
While the reform agenda clearly mentions that States should ensure meaningful association of ULBs in planning function of parastatals and delivery of basic services, experts warn that Bangalore needs to start planning for this transfer of responsibility...
Who should plan a City - the same entity which is to implement the plan or a parastatal body? Whatever the opinion of the experts, transfer of urban planning function to the municipal body is top on the list of mandatory reforms under JN-NURM. The State government has agreed to a timeline of four years for moving towards this reform.
While the reform agenda clearly mentions that States should ensure meaningful association of ULBs in planning function of parastatals and delivery of basic services, experts warn that Bangalore needs to start planning for this transfer of responsibility - from BDA to Brihat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, immediately.
The JN-NURM guidelines list 18 functions that should be directly under the control of municipal bodies, urban planning being the crucial one. However, the parastatal agencies like the BDA or BWSSB, which were founded to make up for the deficiencies of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, will now have to redefine themselves, point out experts.
“Urban planning begins with evolving a city development plan (CDP), which speaks of the vision for the city (and not a mere land use document like the BDA’s master plan). Unless the CDP tackles every other issue concerning the City, its development path in all its layers, urban planning will be a tough nut to crack. It is logical to involve the municipal body as it gives out building permits and checks violations,” says Mr Ramesh Ramanathan, national technical advisor, JNNURM.
A mere transfer of responsibility cannot work miracles, warn experts. “It is not a question of who does it but how it is to be done,” says Mr Ravichandar, a consultant.
“Are the parastatal agencies following transparency? Do we have qualified urban planners in the team to visualise, plan and evolve better models - are questions that need to be answered. Expertise is something we simply cannot do without. So, we should work backwards if we are to handover the function to the local body. Urban planning should look beyond land use and focus on infrastructure, architecture, transport, solid waste management, environment, health among others,” adds Ravichandar.
“The present dichotomy where BDA plans and BMP implements should end. The BDA Act can be repealed as the BBMP and its elected council can ensure more orderly growth by providing infrastructure and urbanising low-density areas,”he added.
Infosys-Government spat continues
No land within 50 km of City, says minister
Deccan Herald
“There is a huge demand for land around Bangalore. If you want to expand your (IT companies) base, then look beyond 50 kilometres. We will provide for you however much land you want beyond this boundary,” Naidu said.
The tussle between IT giant Infosys and the State government over allotment of land for the former’s expansion plans continues.
With Infosys’ HR head T V Mohan Das Pai complaining again on Saturday about the “inordinate” delay on the State government’s part to allot land for its expansion programme, Industries Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu categorically said that there was no land available within 50-kilometre radius of Bangalore.
“There is a huge demand for land around Bangalore. If you want to expand your (IT companies) base, then look beyond 50 kilometres. We will provide for you however much land you want beyond this boundary,” Naidu shot back as Pai tried to explain to mediapersons on how Bangalore was losing out to other cities in opportunities.
Both were addressing the media at the Maharani’s College campus after inaugurating the Surva Kayaka Udyoga Shikshana Yojane, an ambitious scheme of the State government to help the unemployed educated youth to get jobs in the BPO sector.
Five years after the Infosys requested for land, the government is yet to respond. Had the company set up its second campus as planned, 25,000 youths in the State would have got jobs, Pai said.
“But nearly 20,000 of these jobs were snatched away by states like Tamil Nadu and Andra Pradesh,” he said.
The IT bellwether had asked for 825 acres of land near Sarjapur on the outskirts of Bangalore.
Distance no problem
Pai also said that distance was not a problem as long as there was good road connectivity. “It’s no use if we were located near the City and the roads are bad. We have no problem going away, if the road infrastructure is good,” he said.
The city, which used to attract 80 per cent of the market attention three to four years ago, now only gets 60 per cent as investors were looking at neighbouring States, Pai rued.
Pai, however, said that Bangalore continued to be a star of the country in the IT sector.
“We must build on it and make it better,” he added.
BMP panel to look into infrastructure works
The Times of India
Bangalore: The BMP has set up a factfinding committee, headed by a retired chief engineer, to inquire into complaints on infrastructure works.
BMP commissioner K Jairaj filed an affidavit before the high court listing the steps taken to improve functioning of the Palike. He said before starting work on projects like grade separators, flyovers, underpasses and pedestrian subways, a feasibility report will be placed before the technical advisory committee (TAC) for guidance and approval.
The TAC, set up in September, had suggested the setting up of a sub-committee to effectively review the recommendations and prepare a handbook for implementation of the engineering practices referred to in the recommendations.
In addition, the BMP set up a contract management group (CMG) to ensure proper organisation of work and contracting arrangements prior to the award of works. The CMG is headed by a special commissioner and consists of all chief engineers and department representatives in the BMP.
A division Bench asked the counsel for petitioner A V Amarnathan to file a rejoinder to this, if any, within three weeks and adjourned the hearing to February.
Resurrecting the urban citizen...
Deccan Herald
Ironically, despite the abundant capacity the urban voter cannot voice his opinion for want of a structured platform while his rural counterpart gets to have a say in the decisions made by the local body, thanks to the Gram Sabhas which lend their ears to every voter.
What should mega city Bangalore do to step up its infrastructure to match its rapid growth? Adopt the ‘village democracy’ say experts.
Ironically, despite the abundant capacity the urban voter cannot voice his opinion for want of a structured platform while his rural counterpart gets to have a say in the decisions made by the local body, thanks to the Gram Sabhas which lend their ears to every voter. The rural set-up scores over that in cities in accountability as Gram Panchayats control most vital functions - from delivering basic services, to tax collection to planning.
This lacuna faced by the urban populace will be remedied by Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), which has mandated reforms with the citizens’ participation in urban local bodies.
Enactment of a law to institutionalise citizen participation and introducing the concept of Area Sabha in urban areas are mandatory reforms. The formation of Area Sabhas will be the way forward, say experts.
“Every city will decide its own destiny. For that, we need amendments to the municipality acts - in this case KMC Act. The Area Sabha, smaller fragments of the ward committees, will ensure better participation and also put an end to the government nominations to the ward committees. If ward committees represent a population of about 1.5 lakh, area sabhas will represent just 1500 people who make up a polling booth,” said Ramesh Ramanathan, national technical advisor, JN-NURM.
Reforms
While, reforms like enactment of Public Disclosure Law to ensure preparation of medium-term fiscal plan of ULBs and release of quarterly performance information to all stakeholders will check corruption by helping the voter keep a watch on the ULB spending, suggest experts.
“Some concepts like ward infrastrcuture index will help prioritise spending to end disparities existing between wards,” added Mr Ramanathan.
Carving a City’s destiny-JNNURM way
Deccan Herald
Providing the goodies, yet wielding the stick - that about explains the mode that the Centre will adopt in ensuring the urban renewal of all the State capitals and a few other select cities in the country under its ambitious Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JN-NURM).
Providing the goodies, yet wielding the stick - that about explains the mode that the Centre will adopt in ensuring the urban renewal of all the State capitals and a few other select cities in the country under its ambitious Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JN-NURM).
JN-NURM, which was launched in December 2005 with a seven year timeframe, is generally understood to be a programme under which Rs 50,000 crore of central assistance will flow in for the infrastructure upgradation of the chosen cities. The point that JN-NURM is a reform-driven programme and that there are as many as 12 mandatory reforms expected from between each of the State government and its respective city/ cities is seen to glossed over. In Bangalore’s case, it is over a month since the Karnataka government and Bangalore Mahanagara Palike inked the tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Centre, formalising Bangalore’s eligibility as a JN-NURM city. But the government and the BMP which are quick to quote the projects sanctioned and the crores of rupees that will flow as assistance, have said little on the MoA and what it entails.
The MoA signed on December 8 did not find a passing mention even in the daily press bulletins the BMP has been issuing since the Administrator rule took effect in November.
What is MoA?
The section on MoA in JN-Nurm’s guidelines reads thus: The State Governments and the Urban Local Bodies including para-statal agencies where necessary would execute MoA with Government of India indicating their commitment to implement identified reforms. MoA would spell out specific milestones to be achieved for each item of reform. Signing of MoA will be a necessary condition to access Central assistance. This tripartite MoA would be submitted along with Detailed Project Reports (DPRs).
The central assistance will be predicated upon the State Governments and the ULBs/Parastatals agreeing to the reforms platform.
The Repeal of Urban Land Ceiling and Regulation Act and Reform of Rent Control Laws (balancing the interests of landlords and tenants) are among the mandatory reforms.
Officials have noted that since Karnataka has already dealt with these issues, it can relax on reforms at least for the first two years of JN-NURM reform period. Hence, Karnataka has sought a four year time-frame (up to 2009) for much of the reforms that it has to work on. The State government has to send to the Centre a cabinet note or resolution on its commitment to each of these reforms.
Deccan Herald has obtained a copy of the MoA, with some notable mandatory reforms and what the government and the BMP have said. (Ref TABLE/ BOX )
Meanwhile Rs 686.56 crore worth infrastructure projects of BMP have been approved as eligible for assistance by Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee of JN-NURM. BMP is in the process of submitting projects worth Rs 795 crore more. (see list)
It is to be noted that these projects are apart from those being planned for JN-NURM assistance by agencies like BMTC and BWSSB.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Point to Ponder
What do you call a congenial, captivating, cosmopolitan confluence of software and shopping malls, electronics and environment friendliness, salubrious climate and
cleanliness, modern outlook and old worldliness, precision engineering and pubs? You call it India's best city for business. It is also called Bangalore.
Opening lines of Business Today's survey on India's best cities for business, December 1998.
Does Bangalore resemble any of this today?
Thought for the Times
"We neglect our cities at our peril. For, in neglecting them, we neglect the nation."
-John F. Kennedy
Links
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Disclaimer
This blog aggregates news content related to Bangalore from several sources. The sources of such posts are duly credited. All copyright rests with their original owners.
Previous Posts
- Finally, welcome to Greater Bangalore
- Govt develops cold feet on land bank proposal
- Will February bring freedom from garbage?
- Pollution causing slow death of trees
- No takers for TDR
- Helmet rule to stay
- 'City city jam jam, says kids'
- Turning the metro route verdant
- What’s in store for Bangalore?
- BMP faces Bruhat challenge in delimitation
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