10 of the world’s smartest cities

Major global metropolitan areas are implementing a vast number of technology, energy, transportation, and Internet projects to make the metropolis a friendlier, greener, safer, and more sustainable place to be

It seems these days that everything is getting smarter, from your phone to your home to your car. Cities are no different, with major global metropolitan areas implementing a vast number of technology, energy, transportation, and Internet projects to make the metropolis a friendlier, greener, safer, and more sustainable place to be. Read on to look at some of the world’s smartest cities, and see what they’re doing to injentelligence into the urban environment

New York

Not to be outdone by its global counterparts, the US cultural capital of New York has been working on smart-city plans for a number of years, particularly with Internet and open-data plans to give residents more online access to city services and information. But perhaps its most ambitious smart-city project to date is the Hudson Yards project (artist’s concept pictured), a 28-acre commercial and residential area on Manhattan’s west side that will be a Utopia of green initiatives and Internet access once it’s finished in 2018. The project will digitally track environmental and lifestyle factors — such as foot traffic, energy consumption, and air quality — to provide an optimal quality of life for Hudson Yards residents and businesses. It will even include a trash-disposal system that will remove waste via underground pneumatic tubes rather than a typical truck-based service.

Amsterdam

One look at Amsterdam’s streets — which nearly all have designated bike paths and more bicycles and pedestrians than car traffic — shows how this city is one of Europe’s leaders in creating smart cities. Aside from its longtime promotion of bicycle commuting, the city also is working with leading technology companies like Cisco and IBM to implement a number of new technologies to create a more sustainable city. One example of this innovation is the Utrechtsestraat Climate street, an effort to make one of the city’s busiest commercial areas greener. The street (pictured) features shops with smart meters to reduce and monitor energy consumption; solar-powered waste bins with garbage compactors to reduce collection by electric-powered trucks; and sustainable street lighting, among other smart technologies.

Barcelona

The Spanish jewel of the Mediterranean, Barcelona also is a leader in smart-city projects, hosting a major annual forum for smart-city technology, the Smart City Expo World Congress. True to form, the city is working on efforts on a number of fronts especially to make Barcelona greener and more energy efficient. To promote the use of hybrid and electric vehicles, the city is deploying electric charging stations as well as using EVs in its own fleet, with more than 500 hybrid taxis and 294 public EVs in use. Smart energy meters, LED lampposts, and remote irrigation control for Barcelona’s numerous green spaces to avoid wasteful use of water are also among the city’s smart-city initiatives, the latter including the use of iPads by city workers to control park sprinkler systems.

Copenhagen

Denmark’s capital aims to become the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2025. To support this goal, the city already is engaged in numerous smart-city endeavors, including an extensive city bike-rental system and efforts to promote cycling to improve residents’ health and reduce car traffic. As part of this system, there are digital counters around the city with tire pumps for bicyclists and displays that show stats about how many people are biking along a particular bike path daily and annually (pictured). Copenhagen also boasts one of the cleanest harbors in the world and has reduced its landfill waste to 1.8% of total waste from the city.

Hong Kong

It’s little surprise that China’s most sophisticated city is also one of the world’s smartest. Hong Kong has a tech-savvy population that takes advantage of some of the best Internet accessibility and highest Internet bandwidth in the world. Ninety-seven percent of households in the city can access broadband, and Hong Kong boasts 10,000 WiFi hotspots, one of the highest concentrations in the world. Other smart-city efforts include mass transit and healthcare, but the city hasn’t yet achieved intelligence in a number of key areas. To solve this problem, officials are working with a number of partners on the Wisecity Hong Kong Project to improve the city’s air quality, waste management, energy, and other issues that still need work to make the city smarter.

Tokyo

One of the world’s technology capitals, Tokyo is rapidly becoming a proving ground for a number of innovative companies to test out new smart-city strategies. Some of these efforts are due to necessity — the Fukushima nuclear disaster sent Japan into an energy crisis, with residents of Tokyo and other cities enduring rolling blackouts due to lack of nuclear power. To deploy smarter energy solutions, Japanese company Mitsui Fudosan is working on a program to control energy consumption through smart-grid solutions. The plan includes installing 2,500 Tokyo households with smart meters that will show electricity, gas, and water consumption in the home. Tokyo also soon will have a zero-carbon-status eco-village developed by Panasonic, the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town (artist’s concept pictured). The concept aims to provide a model for how home automation, renewable energy, and other green technologies can provide a more sustainable and eco-friendly living environment of the future.

San Francisco

With its proximity to Silicon Valley and its concentration of Internet-oriented companies, it seems natural that San Francisco would be a global leader in smart-city projects. But providing residents with Internet connectivity with a number of free WiFi hotspots (including three miles of free WiFi along Market Street, its main downtown artery) is not the only area in which the Bay Area excels. The city is a global recycling leader, with a mandate that all residents separate their garbage into recycling, compostable, and landfill waste. San Francisco also is promoting the use of hybrid and electric vehicles by providing more than 100 charging stations (pictured) throughout the city. Sustainable construction and renewable energy are other areas of investment for the city.

Seattle

Like San Francisco, Seattle is another extremely wired city — on both the Internet and its fabled coffee. The Emerald City is especially friendly to businesses that want to go green, offering substantial tax breaks to businesses and residents that purchase and implement environmentally friendly technologies. Other key areas of smart-city focus include e-government and green construction initiatives. The city was the first to develop an e-gov strategy in 2004 and is using the Internet in a number of creative ways to help residents, such as using Twitter to help spread the word and locate stolen vehicles. Seattle also helps qualified residents make their houses meet more energy-efficient standards, offering services to better weatherize properties against the elements with the installation of insulation.

Singapore

Well known for its cleanliness and efficiency, the city-state of Singapore also aims to be a smart-city leader, with its Infocomm Development Authority unveiling a recent plan to become the world’s first “Smart Nation.” The ambitious project unveiled by officials will begin rolling out its first technology trial in the Jurong Lake District (pictured), where boxes connected to fiber-optic lines will be deployed at street lights or bus stops and connect to sensors detecting pollution, heavy rainfall, or traffic jams. The sensors even can report back how full garbage bins are so they can be emptied, and keep a close eye on littering to keep trash off the streets. Singapore also aims to launch low-power super WiFi networks with unprecedented range to support the Smart Nation project.
Vienna

If Vienna has its way, it will beat Copenhagen to zero-carbon status by 2020. The Austrian capital is another one of Europe’s smart-city leaders, its strategy featuring a unique heating system that uses garbage incinerators to generate 32% of the city’s heat. The project is so renowned that one of the city’s largest incinerators, Spittelau (pictured), is a colorfully painted city landmark. Vienna also is a leader in providing easy and affordable mass transit to reduce traffic congestion; in a city of 1.7 million residents, its transit system handles about 1.3 million passengers per day.

Gujarat’s GIFT City wins award for ‘Smart City of the Future’ from Cisco

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), country’s first integrated smart city being developed as a Global Financial Hub, has won the Cisco Technology Award for building India’s first Smart City with best-in-class sustainability features and technologies

GIFT City is the recipient of “Smart City of the Future Award’, an accolade that recognizes stand-out organizational contributions in driving change through technology. The award was conferred to GIFT City’s MD & Group CEO Ramakant Jha at a glittering ceremony organized in Mumbai on July 30, 2014 in which Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman, State Bank of India was the Chief Guest.   “We are pleased to receive this award from the company which has brought revolution in IoT. This award recognizes our efforts in achieving the vision of GIFT City laid down by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India i.e. “to tie up with technology, to create a hub complete with infrastructure, to meet the needs of modern India and to create a space in the global financial world”, said Ramakant Jha, MD & Group CEO, GIFT City.

Since the Internet revolution, technology has played decisive role in the financial services industry worldwide and changed global trade mechanism. GIFT City is being developed as an integrated smart city, which is helping India in creating technology based Global Hub for financial services by keeping in mind ‘Walk to Work’ concept and improving the lifestyle of those involved through technology. “With Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, India laying a great emphasis on setting up 100 smart cities in India, GIFT City can lead in realising this vision”, added Jha. Internet of Everything (IoE) is the next wave of internet revolution. The concept talks about integration of Information Technology with Process, Data & People; connecting them using various networking methods and creating value by turning information into actions that create new capabilities, easy to manage infrastructure, richer experiences and unprecedented economic opportunity for businesses, individuals, and countries.

Unique infrastructure facilities of entire GIFT City like District Cooling System (DCS), Automated Waste Management System (AWMS), Water Management System, Power Infrastructure, City’s safety, security and surveillance, and Traffic management are all managed and monitored through a single platform called “City Command and Control centre (C-4)”. Phase 1-A of City Command and Control Centre (C-4) has already been completed and implementation of next phase is in progress. There are two parts of GIFT City’s Command and Control Centre (C-4). The first part, platform, hosts all the Utilities and provides a complete view of the City Infrastructure. The second part is hosting CCTV Surveillance, Integration of Intelligent Building Management System (IBMS) of various buildings and tracking critical parameters like fire and safety, intelligent traffic management system and Public Addressing (PA) system for handling law and order in the City. By integrating various infrastructure and Utilities through optical fibre based IT network spread across the city and by building Intelligence in every Building and Utility, GIFT City is able to see the status of various services in a holistic manner and manage them on real time basis. GIFT City is India’s first Global Financial Hub creating operations for domestic and international businesses.

The international financial services will be carried out in a multi-service SEZ with International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) status that would cater to India’s large financial services potential by offering global firms, world-class infrastructure and facilities. It will attract the top talent in the country by providing the finest quality of life. It is estimated that GIFT would provide 5,00,000 direct and an equal number of indirect jobs which would require 62 million square feet of real estate office and residential space. With the completion of Phase – I infrastructure and the allotment of around 11 mn. sq. ft. of BUA for various commercial, residential and social facilities; GIFT City is rapidly emerging as a favored destination amongst Financial Services and IT/ITeS companies for setting up their operations and is setting an example for developing smart cities in India.

Source:Information week

Mangalore bets on 2 villages for Smart City

A population of 513. That’s what Mangalore desperately requires to qualify for the Prime Minister’s ambitious Smart City project under which 100 Indian towns are likely to leapfrog into the next league with modern amenities.

Guidelines say cities with a population of 5 lakh to 10 lakh, as per Census 2011, will be chosen for the Smart City plan. Now, Mangalore is looking at bringing in two villages with a combined population of 80,000 under its fold to swell the numbers beyond the magical 5-lakh mark.

Moodushedde and Bala are the villages expected to give Mangalore a big push. Moodushedde, about 22km from the city, is located on the way to Moodbidri; Bala is a 25-minute drive towards Surathkal.

The city in general and the district as a whole have been witnessing regressive positive growth in its decadal population figures.

The district population marginally rose from 18,97,730 in 2001 to 20,89,649 in 2011. In fact, its share in Karnataka’s population has declined from 3.59% in 2001 to 3.42% in 2011.

The district saw its population grow 10.11% from 2001 to 2011, and it’s a steep climb from 14.59% seen from 1991 to 2001. To make the cut for the Smart City project, Mangalore civic authorities are dusting up a resolution passed three years ago to push up its population figure.

Source:Times of India

Esri sees big business in India’s smart city plan

Esri, a market leader in geographic information system (GIS) mapping technology, sees a big opportunity in India as Narendra Modi-led government embarks on its plan to develop 100 smart cities on the lines of developed countries.

While the US giant hopes to expand its operations in both public and private sectors, it believes that GIS technology and applications can help at every stage of development — planning, designing, decision making, network analysis and monitoring to create better infrastructure, modern residential colonies, 24*7 power and water distribution, organised law enforcement, eco-friendly industrial development, intelligent traffic management, effective water conservation and disaster management and quality health facilities.

Esri global president Jack Dangermond said, “In India, many customers are building their geographic knowledge base. There is a larger realization with the people talking about GIS as a platform across government agencies. Our job is to support these agencies and government by providing them best technology and help them in their vision of building a better India”.

GIS contains a spatial database, representing aspects of cultural and physical environment of a particular geographic region together with procedures for analyzing combinations of attributes and generating graphical products.
Esri India already works with government, private companies and educational institutions, covering various areas including telecommunications, disaster management, transportation, municipal management, natural resources and building/designing.

Esri India president Agendra Kumar said that they already control 70% market share in the country and use of GIS is rising radically.

While it boasts of several apps that are being used by global as well as Indian companies, its ArcGIS platform is being used for all the aspects of developing a smart city — planning, design and management.

(The writer was in San Diego at the invitation of Esri)

Source:Times of India

Toll collection on Mumbai-Pune e-way extended for over 4 years

Toll collection on the 95-km Mumbai-Pune Expressway will continue for 4 years, 3 months and 22 days beyond the original concession period, which ends in August 2019, with the state agency in charge having given a new contract to IRB Infrastructure for additional construction and toll collection.

IRB Infrastructure is the incumbent toll collection agency for the Mumbai-Pune expressway. The company had purchased toll collection rights with an upfront payment of Rs 918 crore in 2004 and has a 15-year concession period valid till August 8, 2019.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has now given a new contract to the company for additional works to expand capacity on the old Mumbai-Pune highway, and in return collect toll on the expressway on paying Rs 1,000 crore in installments to the corporation.

Six companies had bid for this contract. However, the MSRDC decided to pick IRB Infrastructure as the most preferred bidder as the company had quoted the lowest concession period of 8 years 8 months and 2 days, including the construction period. The concession period will commence on March 31, 2015.

“The construction works and payment of upfront premium installments to MSRDC have to be completed as prescribed in the bid till August 10, 2019. The toll collection for the project will commence from August 10, 2019, resulting into an effective tolling period of 4 years 3 months and 22 days,” IRB Infrastructure said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

The company stated that the estimated project cost is approximately Rs 1,687 crore, including Rs 1,000 crore as upfront premium payable to MSRDC in four annual installments starting from March 31, 2015.

The capacity addition works on the old Mumbai-Pune highway consist of road widening from two to four lanes near Dehu Road, maintaining 12 km of service roads, constructing three three-lane flyovers, a rail over-bridge, and the widening of existing 8-lane toll booths to 12 lanes.

– Source:indianexpress

MSRDC to deploy quick response vehicles for E-way accident victims

– Source: indianexpress

Automated system is answer to parking woes

Introduction

India, the second most populated country in the world, houses more than 40 million vehicles. It is the only country which saw a growing car sales even during the recession and recorded the highest sales volume during 2009 and 2010. India has a strong domestic market and this growth is expected to sustain and increase over the next few years, given that India’s car per capita ratio is currently among the lowest in the world’s top 10 auto markets.

However, infrastructure available for vehicles – such as roads and parking spaces – has been an increasing challenge in most Indian cities.

Traffic issues

Indian cities face a severe problem of congestion due to the growth of personal vehicles. Traffic management in many cities is marked by the introduction of one-way traffic systems, which have implications on pedestrian safety and fuel consumption.

One-way traffic is generally desirable only when complementary roads are available and the additional traveling distance is not more than 300 meters as per IRC. This ensures that whenever such systems are introduced, the interests of the public transport modes and pedestrians are duly addressed.

Demand for parking in the CBD areas of Indian cities is twice the supply. Acute shortage of parking supply is seen in commercial areas. Indiscriminate parking impedes the free flow of traffic and causes accidents.

 Multi-level car parking

A multi-level car parking system is meant to maximize car parking capacity by utilizing vertical rather than horizontal space. However, with land in the metros and ‘A’ grade cities becoming scarcer and dearer and plots getting smaller, conventional parking is proving infeasible. It is often found that ramps or car lifts consume so much parking area that no increase in parking capacity is possible. In such cases, mechanized car parking systems make creation of extra parking capacity feasible.

The Equivalent Car Space (ECS) that can be accommodated at a parking site would vary with the technology used. Types of multi-level parking currently available are:

Conventional multi-level

Conventional multilevel parking system can be underground, above ground or both under and above ground. The open parking structure is preferable to enclosed structures for above ground parking, as it does not require mechanical ventilation and specialized fire protection systems.

Automated multi-level

As against cars being driven on ramps or carried in car lifts to different levels in conventional multi-level parking, cars are driven at only one level for parking or retrieval. Cars are parked in steel pallets – a target pallet rides up or down to the driveway level at the press of a button for parking or retrieval. Technologies used for automated parking systems are of the following types:

– Puzzle Type or Modular
– Elevated Type or Tower
– Multi-Level Floor Parking
– Multi-Level Circulation Automated Parking System
– Rotary type
– TD (Stacker) System

Automatic multi-storey car parks involve lower building cost per parking slot, as they typically require less building volume and ground area than a conventional facility with the same capacity. However, the cost of the mechanical equipment that is needed within the building to transport cars internally needs to be added to the lower building cost to determine the total costs. Other costs are usually lower too. For example, there is no need for an energy-intensive ventilating system, since cars are not driven inside and human cashiers or security personnel may not be needed.

Automated car parks rely on technology similar to that used for mechanical handling and document retrieval. The driver leaves the car in an entrance module. It is then transported to a parking slot by a robot trolley. For the driver, the process of parking is reduced to leaving the car inside an entrance module.

At peak periods, a wait may be involved before entering or leaving because loading passengers and luggage occurs at the entrance and exit location rather than at the parked stall. This loading blocks the entrance or exit from being available to others. Whether the retrieval of vehicles is faster in an automatic car park or a self-park car park depends on the layout and number of exits.

Various multi-level car parking initiatives in India

New Delhi Municipal Council: A modern integrated multi-level car parking complex was recently opened in the busy Sarojini Nagar area to decongest this popular marketplace. This project is to be developed by DLF for New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The parking would accommodate 824 vehicles at an investment of INR 80 crore on a Built-Operate-Transfer basis. Similar car parking facilities are being planned at Baba Kharag Singh Marg and Kasturba Gandhi Marg.

Municipal Corporation of Delhi: A fully automated multi-level car parking complex is planned at Mandalia Chowk in Kamla Nagar. The parking complex is planned to accommodate 828 cars and 300 two-wheelers and will be constructed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi at a cost of INR 110 crore within a period of two years. The MCD has identified 24 sites that will be developed into parking sites at Lajpat Nagar, Rani Bagh, Greater Kailash-I, Defence Colony, Karol Bagh, South Extension, Mori Gate, Greater Kailash-II, Qutub Road and Rajouri Garden.

Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has already invited tenders for nine plots to build multi-level parking lots in the Capital. These plots will be developed on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis similar to the model followed by the agency for its Nehru Place multi-level parking lot. The parking lots, which will have between three to seven levels depending on size and location, will be built at community centres or district centres in Dwarka, Janakpuri, Hari Nagar, Wazirpur, Okhla, Motia Khan, Mayur Place and Yamuna Vihar.

Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has planned to set up a multi-level car parking system at Vashi, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra at two locations – Sector 17 and near the Civic Hospital – with a project cost of INR 10 crore. The car parking system will have two 11-storey tower car parks for accommodating 22 cars each and a three-level puzzle park for 43 cars.

At Vashi Civic Hospital, there will be three 11-storey towers accommodating 22 cars each and a 7-storey puzzle car park for 110 cars. The total parking capacity will be 263 cars. In the tower system, a lift ferries cars to a height and parks them. In the puzzle system, which is wider than taller, cars are fitted into various vacant slots. Seven more mechanized car parks have been planned – five of the multi-level lots will follow the tower system and two the puzzle system.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation: Kolkata-based Simplex Projects Ltd has received offers to set up an automated multi-level car park here. Simplex Projects has to its credit the country’s first multi-level car parking system Parkomat at New Market in Kolkata. The design and technology for car parking systems are acquired from Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland and Korea and are usually assigned projects on a built-own-operate-transfer basis.

Bangalore Mahanagar Palika is planning to construct five new multi-level car-parking complexes over the current year, 2014 at an estimated cost of INR 20 crore. Around 15 such new car-parking complexes will be built at an estimated cost of INR 60 crore. Car parking complexes have been planned in various parts of the city such as MG Road, Commercial Street, Shivaji Nagar, KG Road, Gandhi Nagar, KR Market, Mysore Road, Jayanagar Shopping Complex, Malleswaram and Seshadripuram. The BMP has already taken steps to construct three multi-level car-parking complexes on JC Road, Kempegowda Road and Magarath Road.

Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is planning a multi-level car parking complex in private partnership, close to the NTR Garden on the Buddha Purnima Road.  An extent of 2.5 acre of area has been earmarked for the complex that would accommodate about 1,000 cars, besides 500 two wheelers.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation has been tying up with private companies to venture into automated MLCP in the city where there is immense space and parking crunch.

Conclusion

International case studies prove that providing innovative solutions to parking problems and introducing mass transit systems do a lot more than just solve traffic problems. Such solutions also result in increased real estate values in a city, since consumers are willing to pay more for the convenience.

One method of addressing the escalating shortage of parking spaces in shopping areas would be to restrict parking at few locations and imposing heavy parking fees. This would go a long way in creating space availability, making the pathways outside malls more pedestrian friendly and generally enhancing the livability of the city’s urban environment.

Automated multi-level car parking facilities at important locations are also a viable way of addressing parking requirements. They can contribute significantly in reducing traffic congestion.  These should ideally be developed near public transit points, within walking distance of key destinations. International property consultancy JLL is now actively advising many city authorities and developers on such solutions. MLCPs are now being implemented on a Design, Build, Operate and Transfer model via Public Private Partnerships.

In order to make such projects financially viable, the Strategic Consulting division at JLL India suggests that certain portions of the development be laid open for commercial exploitation. Incentives such as additional FSI and a revision in existing parking fees needs to be offered to private developers in order to increase their interest levels in participating in MLCP projects. There is definitely scope for making these developments, which should now qualify as vital infrastructure, more popular.

The concerned authorities need to impose strict penalties on owners of commercial buildings who do not provide adequate parking facilities. At the same time, more FSI could be offered to developers for new developments in certain locations if they contribute free parking spaces.

Meanwhile, the recent introduction of automated parking meters in four of Chennai’s key locations has the potential for introducing a new dimension of parking discipline.

However, there is still a general lack of awareness about these parking meters and the purpose they serve. Along with awareness and compliance enforcement, the number of such meters also needs to be increased in various commercial areas of major cities.

Above all, policy reforms and their implementation are the most effective tools in providing efficient parking solutions and management. In the long run, citizens will need to revise their perceptions about the use of private vehicles and exhibit an increasing preference for public transportation.

A Shankar, head – Strategic consulting (Chennai | Coimbatore | Colombo) JLL India

Source:magicbricks

The views expressed here are the author’s own.

IT majors queue up with smart city plans

The plans for smart cities and bank accounts for all adult Indians are opening up major investment opportunities for IT giants like IBM.

Vanitha Narayanan, managing director of IBM India and South Asia, told a select press meet that her company has already provided a blueprint for a smart city to the government. “We met Amitabh Kant, (secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) when he was the CEO of Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project” she said.

IBM joins the growing league of global IT firms that plan to step up their investments in India to take advantage of the digital plans of the Narendra Modi-led government. Cisco has already signed an agreement to transform Bangalore Electronic City into a smart city in partnership with Electronics City Industries Association.

Similarly SmartCity Dubai plans to tie up with the Madhya Pradesh government for a similar project to be located between Bhopal and Indore. Narayanan said that with the new government in power, the investment environment of the economy has “changed”.

Commenting on the tax notices served by the revenue department on IBM, she said, “We are now talking to the government about it.” The company has been asked to pay a sum of Rs 5,357 crore as outstanding income tax for FY09 , which it has disputed.

IBM has big plans for India as it expands its global cloud footprint. While the number of its data centres in the country will jump to about 40 by the end of this year riding on its private cloud service, Narayanan said the investment in public cloud  solutions will especially help small and medium enterprises deliver solutions for their customers .

Source:The Indian Express

No toll for Gurgaon vehicles at Kherki Daula

Owners of commercial vehicles registered in Gurgaon have been exempted from paying toll at the Kherki Daula plaza on National Highway-8 from Monday.

The company managing the toll complex withdrew the notice it issued last month and decided to keep Gurgaon-registered vehicles out of its ambit after hundreds of residents from nearby villages protested at the toll complex and removed the boom barriers making the stretch toll free for close to two hours.

Compromise

The protesters literally took over the toll plaza around noon. A compromise between the company and the villagers could be arrived at only after the local administration intervened.

The villagers have been at loggerheads with Millennium City Expressway Private Limited, the company managing the toll, over past one month after the company started collecting toll charges from commercial vehicles owned by the villagers, who were earlier exempted from it. Vehicle owners of around 40 villages were exempted from toll charges until last month.

The decision was opposed by the villagers and they had staged a similar protest on August 19 as well. In response, the toll company had filed a criminal complaint against some of the villagers. The residents have been pressurising the local administration to withdraw the notice. They even held a mahapanchayat over the issue on August 27 that was attended by residents of around 60 villages.

Villagers have been at loggerheads with the company managing the toll after it started collecting charges from them. They were earlier exempted from it

Source:The Hindu

Electronic toll collection on highways: NHAI signs pact

NHAI-promoted Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL) has inked a pact with Axis BankBSE 0.57 % for services related electronic toll collection, which the government plans to introduce pan-India.

Considering the complexities and geographical spread, the nationwide electronic toll collection (ETC) would be first of its kind in the whole world.

“IHMCL, a NHAI promoted company and Axis Bank has signed an agreement for provision of Central Clearing House (CCH) services and sale of FASTag, for Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) at the Toll Plazas on the National Highways,” an official statement said today.

It said ETC system on Delhi – Mumbai stretch of the national highways will be made operational by the end of this month and a nationwide rollout will be carried out by the end of year.

Earlier this year, IHMCL had signed agreement with ICICI Bank also and it has two banks now to perform clearing and settlement of electronic toll transaction, which is a key requirement for electronic toll collection.

This is subsequent to the initiative taken by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, NHAI and IHMCL for implementation of unified Electronic Toll Collection on Indian national highways.

Electronic Toll Collection enables road users to pay highway tolls electronically without stopping at the toll plazas.

“The unique number of the RFID FASTag affixed on the wind shield of the vehicle will be read by the readers fitted in the dedicated ‘ETC’ lanes of plazas and the toll will be deducted automatically,” the statement said adding this will help in reducing congestion at the toll plazas and enable seamless movement of vehicles on the national highways.

The Ministry has decided to roll out ETC programme in the country under the brand name “FASTag”.

The dedicated ETC lanes will have colour coding for distinct identity recognised as “FASTag lanes”.

ICICI Bank and Axis bank, engaged for providing CCH services, would distribute RFID based “FASTag” through their franchises/agents and at points of sales near the toll plazas

Road users can enrol and get “FASTag” affixed on their vehicles at designated toll plaza locations or Point of Sale (POS) stations of Axis bank and ICICI bank.

Such type of highway tag brands are common in developed countries and are known by different names like “Eazee Pass”, “SunPass” in the US, “e-Pass” in Australia, “Salik” in Dubai etc

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