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MALAPPURAM: The sub-RTO office of Tirurangadi is creating awareness on traffic and road safety rules.But in a novel way! And that too through post cards.
The office has introduced a programme on creating traffic awareness through postcards and visiting cards with an aim to reduce the number of accidents in the region.
It is sending the post cards, on which different types of traffic safety messages are printed, to the all the applicants who are approaching the office. Staff are also distributing the visiting cards with the road safety rules and acts to the visitors of the office. Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) M P Abdul Subair said that the initiative is aiming to make the people aware of traffic rules so as to save their lives and also of others. The necessity of wearing helmets, wearing seat belts, the directions to avoid usage of mobile phones while driving and the messages which are discouraging drunken driving also would be there among the messages on postcards and visiting cards.
The Highway Jagratha Samithis and Jana Jagratha Samithis are also functioning in the Tirurangadi region in the backdrop of the increasing number of accidents on the Tirurangadi region of NH 66. A squad of around thousand local people including autorickshaw drivers and salesmen on the highway is active with their 24/7 trauma care service along the stretch. The squad which was formed by Tirurangadi police, Vigilance Task Force (HVTF) is active in trauma care service.
The MVI said the initiative is expected to be a success and it will help reduce the number of accidents. “Awareness is the only way to prevent accidents and the fresh model of initiative will receive the attention of public easily,” he said.
(The NHAI (Amendment) Bill, 2012 was passed in the Rajya Sabha today. The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha in September last year.)
NEW DELHI: A bill seeking to increase the number of members of National Highways Authority of India was passed in Parliament today with the government promising steps to improve the condition of highways and check corruption in NHAI.The National Highways Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2012 was passed in the Rajya Sabha today. The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha in September last year.
“The bill has limited scope, that is to increase the number of permanent and part-time members in NHAI,” Road Transport and Highways Minister Oscar Fernandes said in the Upper House.
Responding to queries of some members on pitiable condition of roads causing accidents and growing corruption in the system, he said “I am very much concerned about this” and adequate measures will be taken to address these issues.
Fernandes said advanced technology is being used at present to repair roads wherever necessary to ensure maintenance-proof highways.
A direction has also been issued to see maintenance work on roads are completed much before monsoon season, he added.
At present the NHAI consists of a chairman, up to five full-time members and up to four part-time members.
The Bill seeks to expand the Authority and it will now consist of a chairman, up to six full-time members and six part-time members.
It mandates that at least two of the part-time members must be non-government professionals with knowledge or experience in financial management, transportation planning or any other relevant discipline.
Induction of outside professionals is expected to enhance the capacity of the NHAI to take strategic decision, widen its perspective, bring in the best management practices, and assist in achieving the goal of higher private participation.
Earlier, participating in the discussion on the bill, members expressed grave concern over the pitiable conditions of national highways leading to a large number of deaths due to accidents.
Gyan Prakash Pilania (BJP) said there was hardly any logic to increase the number of full-time member by just one, particularly when 16 people die on Indian roads every hour.
“It is not a matter of BJP or Congress or any other party …1.43 lakh people died on Indian roads in 2011. India tops the list in the world…,” he said.
“This is because of bad roads, bad management,” he said. Narendra Kumar Kashyap (BSP), who said his party would support the amendment, attributed deaths on roads to mismanagement and wondered why the government could not find a solution.
Highlighting the pitiable condition of roads, particularly NH-31 that passes throughWest Bengal, Prasanta Chatterjee (CPI-M) said the present functioning of NHAI was not up to the mark.
Arvind Kumar Singh (SP) said till efficiency is brought in the functioning of NHAI, amendments will serve little purpose.
N K Singh (JD-U) said the Bill has failed to address the “endemic” problem afflicting the highway sector and wondered as to why NHAI chairman’s post was lying vacant for 17 months.
He said that while expanding the size of the NHAI Board, government should ensure that induction of a member from the private sphere does not lead to any conflict of interest.
K P Ramalingam (DMK) alleged that the “attitude of some political parties” are delaying execution of highway work in Tamil Nadu, a suggestion contested by V Maitreyan (AIADMK).
Raising the issue of the condition of highways in Maharashtra especially the condition of Mumbai-Pune corridor, Bharatkumar Raut (SS) favoured decentralisation of powers of NHAI for better road maintenance.
Anand Bhaskar Rapolu (Cong) suggested that toll plazas could be put to good use with provisions for attending to accident victims immediately.
Pyarimohan Mohapatra (Ind) suggested that the chairman of NHAI should be of the rank of secretary as against the provisions in the Bill where an officer of the additional secretary rank has been proposed to be the chairman.
Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP) wanted to know when the Minister was “going to free national highways of corruption”.
Bharatsinh Prabhatsinh Parmar (BJP), R N Mohapatra (BJD), and D Bandopadhyay (TMC) also spoke.
The project will cost around 6,300 crore rupees and the total estimated additional central assistance is about 4,450 crore rupees.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved funding for procurement of ten thousand buses and ancillary infrastructure for urban transport under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for all cities with special emphasis on hill states.
Decision to this effect was taken at a CCEA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday evening.
The project will cost around 6,300 crore rupees and the total estimated additional central assistance is about 4,450 crore rupees.
The funding will improve urban services particularly urban transport in cities and towns.
The much-awaited e-challan project of the traffic police has finally kicked-off in the city though the official inauguration of the project will take place at the end of this month.
“We made all 1,200 e-challan devices operational a few days ago. However, certain technical glitches remain which are being sorted out. We hope to formally launch the project by end of the month and make available the e-payment option in the devices,” said Anil Shukla, additional commissioner of police (traffic).
On Sunday, the police issued 2,239 e-challans to traffic violators in the Capital.
The e-challan has replaced a traffic policeman’s age-old challan book. It aism to help the police catch repeat offenders as it will be linked to the central database and will provide the policeman a record of previous traffic violations, if any. Traffic police claim the device will enable them to raise at least Rs. 120 crore per annum through e-challans, about three times the average annual amount of Rs. 45 crore.
With the launch of this project, Delhi has joined the league of Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai, where such a system is already in place, though sources said the devices are showing some glitches like heating up and connectivity problems.
The hand-held devices have been distributed among policemen in all traffic circles and are together likely to generate nearly 2,500-3,000 challan receipts every day, said a senior traffic police official.
The police have also received a go-ahead for the e-payment gateway from the ministry of home affairs and have tied up with State Bank of India for the facility, said officials.
The e-challan project had faced a number of administrative and technical roadblocks. These included the machine malfunctioning due to weather conditions and the inability of policemen to operate the devices.
MUMBAI: Trying to cover up for its shoddy job so far, the BMC on Tuesday told the Bombay high court that it is working towards utility mapping and coordinated placement of underground cables to ensure conditions of roads did not suffer in future.
The BMC explained its proposals to the HC, which took a suo motu cognizance of potholed stretches in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. “Your paperwork is good but results are not there,” the HC told the civic body.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Tuesday told Bombay High Court that it is working towards utility mapping and coordinated placement of under ground utilities to provide for good roads in future for Mumbai.
Highways leading to Mumbai were excellent but one realizes “you have entered the municipal limits by looking at the condition of the roads”, a division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M S Sanklecha observed. “All of us want proper roads. Property prices are so high, people cannot afford to buy flats in south Mumbai. They stay far away and commute the distance. Roads are the arteries of a city. If you give good roads, people don’t mind staying 50km away,” said Justice Shah, adding that good roads cut down , adding that smooth roads and good connectivity can cut down on commute time.
Defending the civic body, municipal commissioner Sitaram Kumar claimed that indiscriminate digging of roads to lay underground cables for services such as phone, water, gas, electricity and petroleum led to potholes. “We have 1,941 km roads in Mumbai and every year, we have to allow digging of 400-450km, either to lay cables or repair them,” he said. When the judges asked if the ducts could be laid in such a way that roads did not have to be dug up every time service providers had to work on cables, Kunte said they had come up with two measures that might solve the problem-utility mapping and coordinated placement of utility cables. “We are working on a road map. Once we get our hand on the utility problem it will be an enduring solution,” said Kunte. The judges asked what civic bodies across the world did to maintain roads. “There is coordinated placement of utilities. Whichever city manages utilities properly, has cut down on digging,” said Kunte.
The civic chief said tenders were awarded, as mentioned by the Standard Technical Advisory Committee rules, only to the lowest bidder, meeting all criteria. “Your paperwork is good but results are not there,” Justice Shah riposted, questioning if the BMC could pay contractors over five years, settling only 20% of the cost per year so that the shoddy firms could be exposed. “The contractors will have to hike prices but you are assured of quality,” said Justice Shah.
The judges also questioned why all agencies, such as MSRDC and MMRDA, could not jointly award road contracts. But MMRDA commissioner U P S Madan said the agencies worked under individual boards and the BMC under the Standing Committee. The judges also questioned why all the agencies, such as MSRDC and MMRDA, could not jointly award road contracts. But MMRDA commissioner U P S Madan said it was difficult as state agencies worked under individual boards and the standing committee approved BMC contracts. MMRDA’s additional metropolitan commissioner Ashwini Bhide said the BMC maintained 85% roads, while the state agency had absolutely new roads. The size of tender packages was another reason why the MMRDA attracted bigger players and could construct quality roads, she said.
While urban development department state principal secretary Shrikant Singh blamed improper draining of water for asphalt stretches not stabilizing, Advocate General Darius Khambata said there was no agreement on the technology to surface different roads.
The HC added Mira-Bhayander and Vasai-Virar civic bodies as party to the case and directed the BMC, TMC and NMMC to submit their action plans at the next hearing on September 5.
He added that the city had been undergoing transformation and the constant installation of waterlines, sewerage, Metro and Monorail utilities, natural gas and IT worsened the road condition.
He said utilities is a major problem and there is a move towards a master plan for it in future including ducting and other methods.
MUMBAI: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is considering four options for constructing the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) after the latest round of bidding failed to elicit interest from construction firms.
The MTHL is a 22-km sea link between Nhava and Sewri that will connect Mumbai to the hinterland and offer a quick getaway to Pune, Nashik and Goa.
The four options under consideration include a direct cash contract wherein the government foots the bill; the developer constructs the sea link and is paid back in annual installments; taking up the project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) where the Centre will bear 35% of the cost, the state government 15% and the implementing agency (MMRDA) will bear 50% of the cost; and approaching either the World Bank or the Japan International Cooperation Agency for a loan on the lines of the loan for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project.
Senior MMRDA officials said within a month the proposals will be placed before chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who also heads MMRDA.
The project was proposed in the 70s. However, the first serious attempt to build the bridge was made in 2008 but it fell through because of a dispute between the Ambani brothers. For the third time the government failed to get any bids for the bridge.
The project was to be developed on a build-operate-transfer basis in which the developer was to quote a price with interest, which he would recover in 35 years after building the link over five years. To address some of its financial risks, the Union finance ministry has sanctioned viability-gap funding to the tune of Rs 1,920 crore for the project.
A source said one of the reasons that no bid was made for the project was the uncertainty over the proposed international airport in Panvel. “If the airport does not take off then the projected 60,000 vehicles traversing the bridge daily will also not happen which makes the project will become unviable,” said a source.
PUNE: The Central government has approved a proposal to facilitate smooth transfer of government land for speedy execution of metro projects across the country.State urban development department officials said the decision means that metro projects in cities like Pune could be extended to fringes in the future and seek government land for the same. “The process to get government land was technical and required many clearances. Now, if the state government and the local governing body want government land for metro project, the Centre will approve the same without any delay,” said a state UDD official.
According to the proposal, metro companies formed by the state and local governing bodies will be treated under rules that are applied in the case of Central Public Sector Undertakings (PSU). This will allow transfer/ alienation of land including defence land to metro rail companies having 50:50 partnership with the government of India and the state government concerned, on the same pattern and terms and conditions as applicable to PSUs / statutory bodies.
As per this decision, ongoing and future metro rail projects will be facilitated to get completed within the approved cost and time with subsequent project benefits to the people.
“The state cabinet, in June 2012, gave its nod to the Pune metro project, approving the 14.925-km elevated route from Vanaz to Ramwadi. The cabinet also decided to form the Pune Metro Rail Corporation (PMRC) for the implementation of the metro project. The government decision on land will definitely benefit the city as there are plans to extend the metro in Pune Metropolitan Region,” said the UDD official.
However, land acquisition, which has often stalled several projects including the Bus Rapid Transit System in Pune, will not be a problem for the 14.925-km elevated route of the Pune metro rail project from Vanaz to Ramwadi.
About 18.44 hectares land is required for 15 elevated stations and a depot in Kothrud.
Of the total land requirement, 14 hectare belongs to the government and the PMC and four hectare is held by private owners. The 14.925 km stretch is planned on roads that are 30m wide and hence no more land acquisition is necessary to construct this metro route.
Water, water everywhere, not a drop to drink: Samuel Taylor Coleridge had famously written in his poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Were he to write on Delhi’s parking problems, he would have probably started: Cars, cars everywhere, just no place to park.
True, the growing number of cars and finding a place to park them is one of Delhi’s biggest urban nightmares. It has also led to a host of other problems — traffic congestion, encroachments, no walking place, quarrels, road rages and even murders.
Sample this: Parking has consumed nearly 10% of the city’s urban land and green and open spaces. In stark contrast, the share of the capital’s forest cover is just 11%.
And it’s just not about a chaotic present. Worse is in store in the future. The constant addition of cars — 1.6 lakh are registered in a year — means Delhi needs an area as big as 310 football fields to accommodate them every year, studies at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) have shown.
From 39.40 lakh vehicles in 2002-03, the number has risen to 74.38 lakh in 2011-12, an 88% increase. All this for cars that remain parked for 90% of the time, meeting only 14% of Delhi’s travel needs.
“It is physically impossible to find parking space in Delhi. As the number of cars in Delhi grows, the space available for people gets squeezed, and the human living environment gets overrun. Cars are like an invasive species that out-competes people for space,” global parking expert Mark Gorton told HT.
The urban sprawl of Delhi has forced more and more people to use cars. This has led to the creation of a massive car-centric infrastructure. “Flyovers, signal-free corridors and overbridges obstruct and destroy movement patterns needed to promote walking, cycling and public transport. Even more people are forced to use cars…the vicious cycle continues,” said CSE’s expert Anumita Roychowdhury.
About 1% of Delhi’s population of 17 million lives in Lutyens’ Delhi. This has pushed growth to the periphery and increased dependency on cars.
Innovations such as multi-level parking have failed to provide any relief because of the long cruising time and lower charges in surface lots.
“I don’t use multi-level lots because of the time factor,” said Nishant, 20, of Paschim Vihar.
Lack of adequate parking space also leads to all kinds of crimes. Last year, parking caused 27 cases of violence. 15 murders over parking have been reported in the last five years.
Till July 31 this year, a murder and a robbery, besides five cases of molestation, two rapes and 203 thefts have been reported at parking lots.
Markets crammed with vehicles lead to space crunch and overcharging in parking lots — often double the normal rate. A nexus among contractors, officials and corporators ensures the practice goes on.
In residential areas, service lanes of colonies are packed with vehicles and this leads to frequent fights. Residents suffer as emergency vehicles such as those of police and fire services often get stuck.
Parking in residential areas does not cost a rupee. The absence of a parking policy due to lack of political will only add to the woes.
Then, there is no barrier-free walking, no cycle tracks and no playgrounds. Shops have poor visibility and people have a bad shopping experience. Green belts and footpaths have been encroached upon.
“The corporation is planning to convert some parks in Kalkaji into driveways. This is absurd,” said DS Mann Kalkaji F Block RWA.
“When I lived in Munirka, a neighbour had four cars and one fine day, he cut down a huge, old tree because he needed more parking space,” said Smita, 35, a resident of Mayur Vihar phase-1.
JAIPUR: The Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation (JMRC), which aims to replicate the Delhi Metro magic in Pink City, is expected to receive financial support from the Union government. In a public investment board meeting chaired by the Union finance secretary R S Gujral, a recommendation to allocate Rs 630 crore for the Jaipur Metro, Phase -I was made on Tuesday. The final approval to the proposal will be given in the Union cabinet meeting.
An official explained that JMRC is seeking financial help from the Central government for the Jaipur Metro corridor-I (Mansarovar to Badi Chaupar), in the form of equity. “Out of the total amount, the government of India will give Rs 472.5 crore as equity and Rs 157.5 crore as loan,” the official said. As part of the joint venture, the Centre is expected to provide approximately 20% financial assistance in the form of equity for the entire project.
The announcement in the meeting was a big relief for the JMRC senior officials as the state government was not in a position to fund the entire project from its own pocket, according to sources.
Initially, when the project was conceived, stage-I was estimated at Rs 1,250 crore with the state government taking up just the civil work. The rolling stock and the construction of Metro from Chandpole to Badi Chaupar was planned to be taken up on public and private partnership. But later the state government decided to fund even these two on its own increasing the project cost to Rs 3,149 crore.
Apart from receiving funds from the Central government, the JMRC will also take Rs 969 crore loan from Asian Development Bank.
The loan will be used to fund development of the underground Metro corridor between Chandpole and Badi Chaupar. According to the Metro officials, the loan process is in the final stages and ADB and JMRC are expected to sign an agreement next month.
The senior urban development and housing (UDH) and JMRC officials in the meeting also said that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is all set to conduct the trial run of Jaipur Metro train from Mansarovar to Vivek Vihar station by next month. The trial run will be held on elevated tracks by rakes (trains having four coaches) recently purchased from Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML).
ETC will enable automatic toll collection, vehicle identification and traffic monitoring.It would be installed at toll plazas on all national highways by the Indian Highways Management Company Limited by March 31, 2014.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways aims to rollout Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) across all the toll plazas on National Highways in the entire country by March 31, 2014.
This was stated by Dr. CP Joshi, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) here today while delivering the keynote address at a discussion organised on” India’s Highways – Next Gen Tolling and Corridor Management”.
Electronic Toll Collection is a system enabling collection of toll payments electronically allowing for near-nonstop toll collection and traffic monitoring. ETC utilizes vehicles equipped with transponders (electronic tags), wireless communication, in-road/roadside sensors and a computerized system (hardware and software) for uniquely identifying each vehicle, electronically collect toll, providing general vehicle/traffic monitoring and data collection.
Here is the text of Minister’s speech:
“I am confident that the daylong discussions would have sparked off ideas that have the potential of revolutionizing Tolling and Corridor Management on Indian Highways. The mission of Government of India has been to make quality highway network across the country and make the system transparent and responsive. In our bid to do so I am glad to share that by the end of this financial year we would complete construction of nearly 3000 kilometers of National highways, which is a record till date.
Along with constructing highways we are also re working our systems to sync with times. To make the system transparent we first introduced e-tendering, followed it with pilot project to Electronically Collect Toll. Now we have a vision to mark national highway network on maps making it compatible to mobile devices and even have apps for highway network.
I will elaborate a bit on our endeavor to implement RFID based Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system across National Highways. The RFID technology shall expedite the clearing of traffic at toll plazas and the need of carrying cash shall also be eliminated when toll plazas shall be duly integrated with each other throughout India.
We started a Pilot Project on ETC last year in April at Parwanoo on NH-5. The pilot is being carried successfully and concessionaires have been requested to work out necessary modalities with the ETC solution providers and banks for setting up of Central Clearing House (CCH).
A few more stretches have also been selected for ETC implementation. They are Mumbai – Ahmedabad, Chennai- Bangalore and Gurgaon – Jaipur – Beawar. I would like to assert that by March 31, 2014 we aim to implement ETC across all the toll plazas on our National Highways. For implementation of nationwide electronic toll collection we have recently constituted Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL) with equity partnership from NHAI (50%) Concessionaries (25%) and institutions (25%).
Government of India is also amending the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 for fitment of RFID tag on vehicles by the automobile manufacturers. I am happy that Feedback Brista Highways OMT Pvt Limited (FBH) has organized this special session to discuss the issues that affect user comfort at the Toll Plazas and how we can develop an effective and efficient mechanism at Toll Plazas on National Highways.
Our endeavor will be to develop policies and systems for happy user experience on Indian Highways through better safety measures and lower waiting time at the Toll Plazas. We will be happy to partner with the Government of Portugal to develop a mechanism for better cooperation and collaboration in this regard.”
