DP-Index-dec07-lead4
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A section of
DOCPOST which is an
extract, executive
summary, index
rolled into one.
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URBAN
INFRASTRUCTURE
High
capacity bus system and the road beyond
The
HCBS (High Capacity Bus System) project being constructed in Delhi
has recently been criticised in the press. Among other things,
concerns have been raised about its implications for the flow of
motor vehicles along the same corridor, but most importantly, the
concept of HCBS, and its appropriateness in cities like Delhi, has
been questioned.
by
Madhav G. Badami. The Hindu. 05/12/2007
Gaining
mileage from pooling
Not
public transport but shared car pooling done on a strictly commercial
basis could be the answer to avoid traffic jams and save our national
energy bill. The
rapid increase in fuel cost is increasing our petroleum import bill.
In such a scenario public transport seems to be the answer but this
is not a very cost effective for the nation. Instead, we should
attempt to utilise the personal vehicles to increase the low
occupancy rate and reduce energy intensity in these vehicles.
by
S K Sood. The Deccan Herald. 14/12/2007
Delhi`s
Three-Year Itch
Economists
and urban planners who met in Mumbai recently at a conference to
discuss the state of the most populous cities in the world described
Delhi's problems as "rapid population growth and large unplanned
urbanization". They deplored its stretched-out infrastructure,
unaffordable housing and growing slums, traffic congestion and
"significant ecological degradation". By 2020, they
predicted, the city's population would touch 23.7 million,
neck-and-neck with Mumbai, Mexico City, New York and Kolkata and
Shanghai will be trailing behind. By 2025 the population is expected
to touch 30 million. But Delhi's planners and policy-makers have only
one target in mind: a fast and furious varnish job before hosting the
Commonwealth Games in 2010. It's called the three-year itch.
by
Sunil Sethi. The Business Standard. 15/12/2007
The
great urban clean-up: an update
About
260 projects worth over Rs 22,000 crore have been approved under the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) since its
launch in December 2005 to provide funds to overhaul urban
infrastructure
by
Vandana Gombar. The Business Standard. 17/12/2007
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Mega
township coming up in north Delhi
Work
has begun on a dream township in north Delhi that promises to be a
greener and better place to live in than Dwarka, Noida or Gurgaon.
The
township, which will be home to 19 lakh people, will have an
amusement park like the Appu Ghar, six picnic spots, a golf course
and a first of its kind city park besides other facilities, according
to a zonal plan of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) cleared on
Wednesday.
by
Amitabh Shukla. The Hindustan Times. 20/12/2007
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BMC's
open spaces policy denounced at NGO meet
The
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation better watch out for a series of
street plays to be staged protesting against the removal of the civic
body's caretaker policy. A letter will be sent to the civic body for
the complete removal of its open spaces policy, following a consensus
taken by various citizen groups and NGOs.
The
Asian Age. 10/12/2007
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BMC
to decide on bill for big water users
Mumbai:
The BMC's Standing Committee this Friday(07/12/2007) will take a call
on two important policy decisions that may change the way the city
uses its water. The first is the "telescopic structure for water
charges" (where households that consume a lot of water will have
to pay through their nose); the second is the controversial move to
instal pre-paid meters in slums that have come up after 1995. Metered
charges for every 1000 litres are Rs 3.50 in residential complexes,
Rs 2.25 in slums and between Rs 18 and Rs 25 for commercial and
industrial units. Once the telescopic rates come into force,
households and commercial establishments — which consume up to 150
litres a person a day — will be 'charged similarly. And rates will
go up exponentially; so, if daily usage exceeds 200 litres for each
person, it will be double the rate for 150 litres. But it will be a
while before the policy is fully in place as more than half the
water-meters are non-functional. "We will be putting up the
proposal, for installing (or replacing) meters wherever necessary, in
the next one month. The process was delayed due to some issues,"
hydraulic engineer M M Kamble said.
by
Shalini Nair. The Times of India. 05/12/2007
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