Environment impact assessment process could delay Mopa airport to beyond 2017

PANAJI: The state government’s hopes of throwing open the Mopa Greenfield airport by late 2016 or early 2017, may not happen as no work can start on the project unless the environment impact assessment (EIA) is completed, a process that will take not less than a year. Sources said any agency will require at least a year to conduct a “thorough environment impact study” as it needs to be an all-season study, as per Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) guidelines. This would mean that an agency beginning work this monsoon will complete it next summer, sources said. After the report is submitted, a public hearing will have to [...] read more »

Demolition drives stuck as Gurgaon cops refuse to help

In the absence of police support, the district town planning department’s enforcement wing once again failed to go forward with demolition drives in various parts of the district on Tuesday. “This was the second time in a row that the police did not provide us the assistance. We are disappointed and fail to understand why the police withdrew support in the eleventh hour,” said Anil Dabas, district town planner (DTP), enforcement, adding that encroachment was a major concern. “We had planned the demolition drive nearly a week ago and informed the Gurgaon police with details of the sites. We were supposed to remove unauthorised constructions in Garhi Harsaru, Sadhrana and [...] read more »

Work on MDI Chowk flyover to begin in July

Thousands of motorists commuting through the busy MDI Chowk can expect a sigh of relief. The construction of a 600-metre-long flyover is expected to begin anytime in July, a senior public works department (PWD) official said on Thursday. The intersection connects Old Gurgaon areas with the New Gurgaon through Iffco Chowk and Signature Tower Chowk. According to officials, the PWD’s headquarters in Chandigarh has already given its nod and asked the Gurgaon office to float tenders for the facility. “We have not seen the design to date but all the papers are with the office of the chief engineer in Chandigarh. Once we get the documents, we would need to [...] read more »

GLADA auctions commercial site for Rs 50.33 crore

The Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) on Thursday auctioned one of its commercial sites located near Westend Mall. The auction for this one-acre site was held at GLADA office. The site’s reserved price was kept at Rs 48.15 crore and it was auctioned for Rs 50.33 crore, registering a hike of only 4.52%. Only five bidders participated in the process. The auction was led by additional chief administrator, GLADA, Baldev Singh and R K Popli, estate officer, GLADA. Canal water system: Verma meets CM, World Bank officials At a meeting held with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in Chandigarh on Thursday, MC Commissioner R K Verma discussed canal-based water [...] read more »

Noida trees still rooted in concrete

NOIDA: Despite notices being given by the National Green Tribunal, Noida Authority has failed to ensure that all trees in the city are freed of concrete. In start violation to the orders, the Authority has ordered that all central verges across Noida be concretized, thus resulting in danger to trees and saplings. Earlier, these central verges had iron grills with trees planted in the centre. But now the grills are being replaced with almost 3-feet high concrete choking the trees. The Authority is constructing the cement road dividers at a budget of Rs 100 crore. Residents said that not only will the concrete damage trees, but funds of the public [...] read more »

New dumping yard likely at Pokhari

AURANGABAD: The Aurangabad municipal corporation (AMC) is likely to get a 16-hectare land at Pokhari village on the outskirts of the city for dumping solid waste. In a meeting scheduled on May 20, the district administration is likely to take a final decision. A senior officer in the municipal body said that civic officials had been putting pressure on the district administration to allot the land at the earliest. “It is an open space located about 10 km from the city,” he said. However, the Pokhari gram panchayat has strongly objected to the proposed dumping yard in the village. In its meeting on May 9, the panchayat passed a resolution [...] read more »

फ्यूचर प्लान बदलेंगे निगम एरिया की सूरत

May 17, 2013, 08.00AM IST एनबीटी न्यूज ॥ गुड़गांव निगम एरिया यदि सब कुछ प्लानिंग के हिसाब से चला तो यहां के लोगों को विकास की समस्याओं से नहीं जूझना पड़ेगा। अर्बन लोकल बॉडी की मांग पर निगम ने भविष्य के लिए कामों की सूची तैयार की है। इसके अनुसार 15 प्लान बने हैं, जिनमें से 2 पर काम भी शुरू हो चुका है। बाकी 13 प्लान पर प्रोसेस में हैं और उन पर कभी भी काम शुरू हो सकता है। निगम ने जो प्लान बनाया है, उसमें अतुल कटारिया चौक व महावरी चौक पर अभी भी फ्लाई ओवर की संभावनाओं से इनकार नहीं किया गया है। इसके अलावा कूड़ा [...] read more »

PNB, Axis, HDFC ready to fund poor for housing in Haryana

CHANDIGARH: Private banks including HDFCB and Axis bank have expressed interest in providing loans to poor in Haryana for the housing under the state sponsored scheme. The state government plans to fund Rs 1600 crore to build 3.5 lakh houses for poor in the two years. “A few private banks have already expressed interest in providing loans for the poor being covered under the housing scheme,” principal secretary, rural development Haryana, Ram Niwas said during 124 th state level banker’ meeting at Chandigarh. He urged public sector banks to cash in on the business opportunity. Under the scheme the poor are to pledge their plots to avail the bank loans. [...] read more »

Glittering shopping malls across India become hostage to gloom as vacancy levels go up

NEW DELHI: Malls were supposed to be the symbols of prosperity in India’s ‘boomtowns’. Instead they have turned out to be edifices of gloom. Notwithstanding their bright facade, these half-empty buildings in smaller towns reveal the other side of the India story, as vacancy levels rise and consumption remains low. “The bubble has burst,” says economist Bibek Debroy. “There has been excess capacity in smaller towns and not so much demand. These boomtowns haven’t seen a huge consumption story yet and salary levels too haven’t increased the way they were expected to,” he says. Vacancy levels in malls across the country are growing at an alarming rate, says property consultancy [...] read more »

40% of water wasted daily in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: At least 40% of Hyderabad’s precious water is wasted everyday and unless the age-old pipelines carrying water to the city homes are replaced immediately the shortage of water could spiral out of control, top water board officials said. Unbelievable as it may sound, upto 3 million gallons of water from Osmansagar reservoir gets poured out every day due to leakages in the old lines, installed way back in 1935. “Normally in any country 17% is the admissible rate of water loss. In Hyderabad, however, it is at 40%,” Manohar Babu, director (operations), Water Board told TOI. At a time when thousands of Hyderabadis spend hours waiting in long queues [...] read more »