‘US companies keen to collaborate on infra projects’

September 29, 2014

Noting that US companies have plenty to offer for India, USA’s minister counsellor for commercial affairs, John McCaslin, said that a core group of 30 US companies have expertise in IT-enabled services and data analytics, which are crucial elements for developing smart cities.

Participating in a session on ‘Doing business with USA’ organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in the city on Thursday, McCaslin said that

USA wants to work with any state government that is keen on taking up infrastructure projects.

Meanwhile, USA consular chief-visas, Sutton Meagher said that getting visas is easier than most people think, especially when it comes to B1/B2 visas for travel to USA. She said that visa applicants can get their visas in less than a week following interviews by the concerned authorities.

While noting that an online application makes life easy for applicants, she urged people attending interviews for the visa to be honest. She said that even translators are available during the visa interview process if applicants have difficulty in communicating in English.

Source:Times Of India

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Smart City

Better planning, designing must for smart cities

September 29, 2014

Smart cities are not just smart in providing services but the very basics of planning, designing and construction should also conform to the standards. Keeping this in mind an awareness programme was organized by Geospatial Media and Communications, dedicated to advocating and promoting judicious usage of geospatial technologies in building smart cities, here on Wednesday.

The Delhi-based company has started a series of presentations in tier-II cities, identified to be developed as smart cities in near future and Ranchi was the fourth in the series following Guwahati, Dehradun and Bhubaneswar. Geospatial media director (Asia Pacific) Prashant Joshi said they have been advocating smart planning, designing, building and maintenance for which modern tools are used right from the stage of mapping to enhance concept and make the projects cost effective.

“The plans, three-dimensional maps are drawn with the help of digital data obtained through GIS and building information management, chances of error are minimized,” he said.

Ranchi mayor Asha Lakra appreciated the presentations and, along with a team of ward councilors, agreed to use best-available technologies while making the plan for Ranchi as a smart city. “We would like to make Ranchi the smartest city in the region and for that purpose we need to know the modern technologies available globally,” she said. Attending the presentation, principal secretary of the department of information and technology, N N
Sinha, agreed that technology effectively cuts down on wastage and proper planning could speed up work execution.

“As spatial data forms the very foundation of all planned human activities, technologies such as GIS, GPS, satellite data, surveying, mapping, laser scanning, photgrammetry, and others, are significantly proving to be critical as decision support tools that can decisively help in planning and informed decision making in these initiations,” Joshi said. Citing examples of some of the projects like Lvasa and airports being built in the country he said all such construction are aided by 3D mapping based on spatial data.

Experts from Mecon and Coal India Limited, which have been widely using spatial data in engineering designs and mining, shared their experiences of incorporation of modern technology and tools in project execution.

Technologies such as GIS, GPS, satellite data, surveying, mapping and laser scanning are proving to be as critical as support tools that help in planning and decision making while designing smart cities.

Source:Times of India

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Smart City

Toll charges at five entry points to city will go up from Oct 1

September 29, 2014

From October 1, toll charges at the five entry points of Mumbai, where private firm Mumbai Entry Point Ltd (MEPL) has recovered nearly 40 per cent of its total investment within the first three years, are set to increase for all categories of vehicles as per a schedule decided earlier.

While toll charges for cars and light commercial vehicles will increase by Rs 5 to Rs 35 and Rs 45 respectively, toll rates for trucks and buses, and multi-axle vehicles will jump to Rs 90 and Rs 115 from the existing Rs 75 and Rs 95 respectively.

This is the first increase in toll rates at the five entry points of Mumbai ever since MEPL commenced toll collection as part of the securitised contract in November 2010. These charges will remain constant for three years, after which there will be another revision.

Data obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act shows that from November 19, 2010 when MEPL started toll collection, till February 2014, the company has earned a revenue of Rs 863 crore at the five entry points of Mumbai. During the same period, nearly 18.5 crore vehicles have passed through the five entry points of Vashi on the Sion-Panvel Highway, Mulund on the Eastern Express Highway, Dahisar on the Western Express Highway, Airoli and the Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg.

MEPL had secured the toll collection contract for a period of 16 years by paying a securitisation fee of Rs 2,100 crore. In exchange, the firm has to maintain 27 flyovers and allied structures in Mumbai.

The state government has given the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) the right to collect toll till November 2027, while MEPL’s concession period of 16 years is scheduled to end in October 2026.

An official from MSRDC, which has given the toll collection contract to MEPL, said, “The MSRDC will, at the end of 2015, conduct a review of the traffic flow, increase in the number of vehicles, total revenue earned, and revenue expected till the end of the contract as against the expected cash flow figures that MEPL had submitted to us. If there is any possibility of incremental revenue, then as per contract, it will be shared equally between MSRDC and MEPL.”

Source:Indian Express

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Toll Pricing

GIFT City project gets Centre’s nod

September 29, 2014

The Centre has given a formal approval to sponsor the ambitious Rs 78,000-crore Gujarat International Finance Tech-City (GIFT) project which is being developed as the country’s first smart city near Gandhinagar.

This approval will now make the GIFT project eligible for funding from central government and will also help in faster clearances, said a senior official associated with the project.

“Earlier, we didn’t have a forum. We used to face a lot of difficulties in getting the necessary funds and clearances from the Centre. But now the Centre has approved to sponsor the project. This means that the government will be considering GIFT as a smart city, and the project will qualify for funding under different government schemes,” said R K Jha, director of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Company Ltd, which is a joint venture between state-run Gujarat Urban Development Company Ltd (GUDCL) and a private firm Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS)

However, Jha did not disclose the quantum of funds that the company was eyeing from the Centre for the project which has already achieved financial closure of Rs 1,157 crore for the Phase-I on May 20, 2014. The total estimated cost of Phase-I of the project is Rs 1,818 crore.

“The Centre will also form a coordination committee which will be iron out the bottlenecks facing the project. This committee which will be formed in the next one month will possibly be headed by secretary of Union Ministry of Urban Development,” he told The Indian Express.

“This committee is expected to be on the lines of an existing empowered committee formed by the Gujarat government to sort out issues related to the project at the state-level,” Jha added.

The project is facing a number of bottlenecks including the framing of rules required for a International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). The project which was one of the pet projects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conceptualised as a cheaper but world-class alternative to similar financial service centres in Mumbai, London and Tokyo.

GIFT is also seeking height clearances of 300 meters to build taller structures within the . “Currently we are closer to the international airport and are being allowed to build structures with 30 floors (or 120 meters). We have been asking the Centre for a clearance of 300 meters,” Jha added.

Source:indianexpress

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Government (Govt), Smart City

IEEMA applauds GOI’s ambitious project on smart city development

September 29, 2014

Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association in its 67th AGM and Annual Convention in Mumbai applauded the vision of Government of India’s ambitious and bold project on 100 Smart Cities. The scale of this project transcends the ‘Golden Quadrilateral’ and ‘Connecting the Rivers’ projects, said IEEMA.

On the occasion, Venkaiah Naidu, Union minister of urban development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs said “IEEMA is preparing to have two shows in January 2015 on up to 11 KV and intelligent usage of electricity. I would like to see what strength Indian industry has to be able to partner and bring value to 100 Smart Cities Project,” he said.

As per IEEMA, the ‘100 Smart Cities Project’ will entail a huge opportunity for the entire industry across —urban development, power, rural infrastructure development, municipality, hospitals, education opportunities and the entire ecosystem of allied industries. “It is a given that the CEOs of the industry have a big role to play, in planning and deciding the way forward to respond to this project which will unravel immense opportunities of growth in the coming few years”, said IEEMA.

Vishnu Agarwal, Founder and CMD of Technical Associates Ltd, a Lucknow based organization has been appointed as the 55th president of IEEMA. Agarwal in his address said that IEEMA is looking ahead to partner with the Government on the Smart Cities project which will go a long way to enhancing quality of urban life, and also the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana will provide a huge impetus to strengthen the transmission and distribution infrastructure in rural areas.

At present, India has already lost about 35percent market share due to import of sub quality Chinese electrical equipment. “Significant under-utilisation of installed domestic capacity has resulted in loss of employment of qualified Indian engineers, technicians, workers, etc. There is a dire need of presenting a roadmap and addressing the balance of trade which is grossly tilted currently in China’s favour”, said the association.

IEEMA is the first ISO certified industry association in India with 800 member organisations encompassing the complete value chain in power generation, transmission and distribution equipment. IEEMA members have contributed to more than 90 percent of the power equipment installed in India. The Indian electrical equipment industry size in 2012-13 was in excess of USD 24 billion, with exports of USD 5 billion.

Source:Times of India

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Smart City

Bangalore: an access-controlled city

September 29, 2014

Paying a heavy toll to exit, enter or commute within the IT city seems to be the norm. Toll plazas virtually control access roads into the city and in an ever-expanding capital, even a ride from your home to office could burn a hole in your pocket.

Mysore Road – one of the few last surviving un-tolled roads leading out of the city – will also be tolled soon as it is being converted into a six-lane national highway. The project, estimated to cost Rs. 3,000 crore, is being taken up under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

Proposals to take up the development of Kanakapura Road and Doddaballapur Road, two other entry-exit routes of the city, under the BOT model, is pending and the day it materialises, Magadi Road will be the only road without toll booths.

All major entry-exit routes of the city, that include National Highway 7 (Bellary Road, which leads to the International Airport), National Highway 4 (Tumkur Road), Hosur Road, and Old Madras Road, are tolled. Add to this is the peripheral ring road built by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE), where commuters are tolled at seven locations.

The highest toll is being collected on the elevated expressway on Hosur Road, where a single one-way journey for a car costs Rs. 45 for a tollable road of 9.2 km, with a toll rate of Rs. 4.86 per kilometre, followed by Sadahalli gate on National Highway 7 with a toll rate of Rs. 3.4 per kilometre. The toll rates were recently revised amidst virulent protests. NICE Road is the only road that tolls two-wheelers as well.

This has meant that for those moving into the city’s outskirts a separate kitty needs to be reserved for paying tolls, which could even be thousands of rupees in a month, depending on the distance.

Urban experts argue that all entry and exit points of the city being access controlled will have a negative effect“The city with its large migrant population across the socio-economic spectrum of the society, would do better to not send out an elitist message,” said V. Ravichander, an urban expert.

Trade and commerce are adversely affected by the phenomenon, said S. Sampath Raman, president, Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said the cost of labour and of transporting materials has shot up considerably in the last few years.

Farmer leader Kodihalli Chandrashekar said that though they had been demanding that vehicles ferrying farm produce be excused from tolls, it had not materialised. Even farmers who gave up land for these roads were suffering. He said that this may lead to inflation in vegetable and fruit prices in the city.

Source:The Hindu

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Toll Plaza

‘Lack of transparency in toll collection’

September 29, 2014

While many consider the concept of toll roads as undemocratic, even those who agree in principle express reservations on the way it is implemented.

The bone of contention has been the provision of an un-tolled alternate route or a service road, giving commuters a choice. However, Surendra Kumar Project Director, of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), Bangalore, told The Hindu that NHAI rules do not mandate providing an alternate route or service road.

Toll roads have not been popular with rural residents as well. Though rules mandate free access to them in a five km radius around the toll gate and access at concessional rate in a 20 km radius, most protests against toll collection have been supported by the locals.

V.M. Manjunath, a writer and artist who lost land when the National Highway 7 was widened, said that residents felt their freedom had been curtailed due to the International Airport and NH 7. Farmer unions have been demanding for non-collection of toll until service roads are provided.

Lack of transparency

“There is a complete lack of transparency in the process of toll collection. Information on traffic at toll plazas and toll collected everyday is not made public. The private investors should not be allowed to loot the public even after recouping their investment. The contracts are time-bound, rather than being bound by the toll amount collected,” said V. Ravichander, an urban expert.

Two recent court orders which stayed toll collection on particular stretches of highways point towards the lack of transparency in toll collection and attempts to make them accountable, activists said.

The Madras High Court recently stayed toll collection on the Vellore stretch of Chennai-Bangalore Highway as road repair work was being undertaken and the road was not in the condition that the developer had promised. The Delhi High Court had earlier in the year ordered the removal of 12 toll-plazas on Gurgaon Expressway.

Source:The Hindu

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Toll Payments

The long and short of what we know about Modi’s 100 smart cities

September 27, 2014

The laundry list of Rs 100 crore projects rattled off by finance minister Arun Jaitley during the budget speech might have surprised people, but there was one mention of 100 that was much less surprising: smart cities.

The grandiose promise of building 100 smart cities has been part of Modi’s acche din vision from the outset, and it would have been surprising if the budget had not made some mention of it.

In the event, Jaitley did promise 100 cities to be built for what the Bharatiya Janata Party is calling the neo-middle class – those who have just emerged from above the poverty line and are striving to ensure they remain there.

Less promising was the amount he allocated to the project: Rs 7,060 crore, which is a little over Rs 70 crore per city. As with the Rs 100 crore club, the finance minister has insisted that this is simply seed money to get the projects going and more will be allocated once things have moved forward.

What are smart cities?
There’s no simple definition for smart cities. The term encompasses a vision of an urban space that is ecologically friendly, technologically integrated and meticulously planned, with a particular reliance on the use of information technology to improve efficiency.

The Smart Cities Council, an industry-backed outfit that advocates the concept in India, describes them as cities that leverage data gathered from smart sensors through a smart grid to create a city that is livable, workable and sustainable.

What is smart about them?
According to the Smart Cities Council, all the data that is collected from sensors – electricity, gas, water, traffic and other government analytics – is carefully compiled and integrated into a smart grid and then fed into computers that can focus on making the city as efficient as possible.

This allows authorities to have real-time information about the city around them, and allows computers to attempt “perfect operations”, such as balancing supply and demand on electricity networks, synchronising traffic signals for peak usage, and optimising energy networks.

Why do we need them?
India’s is urbanising at an unprecedented rate, so much that estimates suggest nearly 600 million of Indians will be living in cities by 2030, up from 290 million as reported in the 2001 census.

Alongside the hordes of Indians go the jobs and the money as well: a McKinsey Global Institute study estimated that cities would generate 70% of the new jobs created by 2030, produce more than 70% of the Indian gross domestic product and drive a fourfold increase in per capita incomes across the country.

“The cost of not paying attention to India’s cities is enormous,” the MGI report said. “The speed of urbanisation poses an unprecedented managerial and policy challenge – yet India has barely engaged in a national discussion about how to handle the seismic shift in the makeup of the nation.”

Are they going to be new cities?
In his budget speech, Jaitley listed out exactly why the government believes it needs to be spending money on 100 smart cities. He claimed that “unless new cities are developed to accommodate the burgeoning number of people, the existing cities would soon become unlivable.”

That said, he also made it clear that the Rs 7,060 crore allocation would not all go into setting up brand new cities. Instead, the aim is to build satellite towns near existing urban areas on the smart city template, upgrade existing mid-sized cities, and to build settlements along industrial corridors.

Which cities have been picked out?
At the moment 100 cities remains a tentative figure, with much still to be pinned down. The budget speech only officially identified cities along the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Master Plan, which covers seven states. Although they weren’t named in the budget, seven cities have also been named along the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, some which would overlap with the Amritsar-Kolkata plan.

Officially, the budget only pointed out three cities in the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor: Ponneri in Tamil Nadu, Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Tumkur in Karnataka.

What about those cities that don’t make the cut?
At a meeting regarding the smart cities in June, the urban development ministry secretary said that the focus will not be just 100 cities but all urban areas across the country. “There exists no valid reason to leave the 101st city in the process of development,” he said.

The secretary, Sudhir Krishna, has asked the National Institute of Urban Affairs to work on the smart city project, based on a framework that covers overall smartness and sustainability. For now, though, the focus will be on a much smaller number of cities in states where conditions are amenable before the government even attempts to look at expanding to cover 100 urban areas.

Do we have any smart cities already (and who is building them)?
A quick Google search for India’s “first smart city” produces more than 70,000 results, and many of them lead to different places. In Bangalore, Cisco is working to set up a smart grid-based Education City, where all the utilities will be integrated with data.

Outside Mumbai, the Lodha group has given IBM a contract to build all data systems in their Palava city project. Kochi has a special economic zone that seeks to replicate Dubai’s smart city project. Gujarat has two projects, the Dholera urban area, which is part of the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor, and the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, both of which have problems but are being touted as examples that could be scaled up across the country.

Who will pay for them?
Rs 70 crore per city will clearly not be enough, and even if more is added, it’s unlikely the government will have the resources to pay for the cities. In the budget, the government announced that it was relaxing norms for foreign direct investment to make it easier for outside companies to invest in smart cities. In addition, India has spoken to France, Japan and Singapore about collaborating on the projects.

Source:Scroll.in

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Smart City

‘Smart homes can be as popular as smart phones in India’

September 27, 2014

The new buzz word in town is ‘Smart’, from smart homes to smart cities. Most of us have idealised this concept and while much of the Indian public is receptive to the idea, it is still an emerging concept and there are doubts amidst enthusiasm as to whether this concept is here to stay. In a conversation with Vishal Dhar, co-founder and president, marketing at iYogi, Magicbricks attempts to arrive at the feasibility of smart homes in India-

Smart Homes to capture a sizeable market share

Smart Homes are all about creating a better experience for home owners resulting in a home that’s secure, energy efficient and easier to manage. This would improve the overall quality of life. Each of these is an important issue for Indian home owners and therefore smart homes are definitely needed, and their adoption across different categories will grow. Majority (8 out of 10) of developers have expressed a keen interest in adding Smart Homes to their portfolio in the near future.

Smart Homes and pricing in the wake of Housing for All and affordability

Today, having a smart home costs between 5 and 10 per cent of the construction cost – which is what makes it prohibitive and a dream for most people. New-age technology has made it possible for smart home solutions to fit any pocket or home size. For instance today, dedicated companies can help real estate developers create a smart home for as little as 1 per cent of the total construction cost. As awareness and demand for smart homes increases, the economics will make sense and costs will come down further.

Smart homes more than just hype

The popularity of any product or category is dependent on different factors. The first is its value for target users, combined with availability and price. Today, Android and Windows phones are available across price points, leading to the huge adoption of smart phones. Not just that, it is also the interesting applications that are being developed keeping different user needs in mind. Home automation systems will pick up steam as more locally relevant applications and use cases are developed and more vendors start innovating and creating interesting products at different price points. This, along with a concerted effort to create greater awareness about the benefits of Smart Homes, will ensure that Smart Homes become as popular as smart phones at some point in the future.

India is ready for smart homes

Connected homes are no longer a futuristic concept. Cross-device compatibility, wireless connectivity, voice commands, smart monitoring are a few common features found in today’s Smart Home appliances including refrigerators, washing machines, ACs and home security systems. Technology adoption in India is growing at a fast pace and Smart Homes will not be left behind. In fact, according to the International Data Corporation, India is currently among the fastest growing smart phone markets in Asia Pacific and has seen a 31 per cent sales growth in the first quarter of 2014, even higher than China. So in a way, technological dependence is already here.

With a growing middle class, rise in disposable incomes and growth of nuclear families, Indians are willing to spend extra for safety, security, comfort and style and it is only a matter of time before home automation systems also become common.

Source:Magic Bricks

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Smart City

Toyota to Show Latest Intelligent Transport System Safety and Environmental Initiatives at World Congress in Detroit

September 27, 2014

Toyota Motor Corporation will exhibit at the 21st Intelligent Transport System (ITS) World Congress – Detroit (hosted by ITS America), to be held in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. from September 7 to 11.

Under the congress theme “Reinventing Transportation in our Connected World”, exhibitors will showcase to the world the new added-value, functions and safety that connected cars and automated driving technologies promise.

Toyota’s participation is part of its wide-ranging initiatives aimed at developing a smart mobility society that links people, cars and cities. This year, Toyota’s booth will feature its latest technologies, centered on safety and the environment.

Toyota will show a vehicle-to-infrastructure cooperative ITS aimed at creating a safe transportation reality. The system utilizes vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, automated driving technologies and advanced driving support systems based on highway driving conditions in North America. The superior environmental performance of Toyota’s fuel-cell sedan scheduled for launch in the U.S. in 2015 and a vision of new energy utilization are also key to the system concept.

The ITS World Congress is the world’s largest ITS-related international conference. Held annually in Europe, the Asia-Pacific and the Americas on a rotating basis, the congress invites ITS developers (governments, research bodies and commercial enterprises) from a wide range of countries and regions to showcase their latest ITS research findings and products through information sessions (including technical paper presentations) and exhibitions. Toyota has been an active participant since the first Congress, exhibiting research results on ITS technologies, safety- and environment-related products and services.

Overview of Toyota’s Participation in the 21st ITS World Congress

– Indoor exhibit

1. Toyota’s safety initiatives

– Display panel detailing Toyota’s many years of work on active safety technologies aimed to prevent accidents and ultimately eliminate traffic fatalities

– Information concerning an advanced driving support system borne out of Toyota’s research in automated driving technologies

2. Cooperative ITS exhibit

– Display panels and videos showing next-generation functions (such as vehicle detection, pedestrian detection and left-turn-collision prevention)

– A drive simulator enabling users to experience a vehicle-to-infrastructure cooperative application, in addition to the vehicle-to-vehicle cooperative system being tested in the U.S.

– Display of systems, including prototypes of on-board devices and wireless antenna, along with a visible-image-based vehicle sensor

3. Automated driving technologies and advanced driving support system

– Display panels and videos showing, for example, an advanced driving-support system enabling stable and smooth driving on highways in North America

– Explanation of elemental technologies developed through research in automated driving technologies

4. Fuel-cell vehicle (FCV)

– A bare chassis of the Toyota FCV Concept (displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show 2013), showing the layout of various components including the fuel cell stack and high-pressure hydrogen tank

– Display panels showing the history of Toyota’s FCV development, which spans 20 years, and images of future energy utilization in which FCVs will be connected to the electrical grid as the use of hydrogen increases.

– Information sessions

A total of eight information sessions, including the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Summit, special sessions and technical sessions

– Outdoor demonstrations

Visitors will be able to experience advanced drive support systems on a highway.

21st ITS World Congress Website: http://itsworldcongress.org/

Visit Toyota’s official English website for the 21st ITS World Congress

(scheduled to go online on September 7).

About Toyota

<BR /><BR />Supported by people around the world, Toyota Motor Corporation TM, +0.66% has endeavored since its establishment in 1937 to serve society by creating better products. As of the end of December 2012, Toyota conducts its business worldwide with 52 overseas manufacturing companies in 27 countries and regions. Toyota’s vehicles are sold in more than 160 countries and regions.

Source: Market watch

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About

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