Move for making helmet mandatory
July 31, 2014
Praveer Ranjan wants police-people interface
Expressing concern over the spate of road accidents in the Union Territory, the new police chief and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Praveer Ranjan on Wednesday said he would recommend to the Government to implement compulsory wearing of helmets by two-wheeler riders.
“Wearing of helmets is absolutely non-existent in Puducherry,” said Mr. Ranjan while addressing presspersons here to list out his policing priorities.
Statistics showed that in so many road accidents, people died only because they were not wearing helmets. “I will propose to the government to implement the helmet rule in the city at the earliest,” he said.
Describing road traffic issues as one of main interfaces with police for the public, Mr Ranjan advocated improving traffic regulation. “Right now, I myself feel very dissatisfied with the way traffic is managed in the city. There is scope for improvement.”
He also underscored the need for creating awareness among the public about lane driving and speed regulations.
Noting that the law and order situation in the city had improved over the past year or so, he said steps would be taken to make it even better.
The police chief expressed his wish to improve the police-people interface to minimise complaints against the law enforcers.
“People should look upon the police as a friendly and easily accessible unit. There should not be any complaint of rude or impolite behaviour on the part of police,” he said.
“I will take stringent on any misconduct on the police side,” he added.
Holding his proposed strengthening of community policing among fishermen as a matter close to his heart, he said he wished to augment community policing at all levels.
Expressing hope for early approval from the Union government for the proposed safe city project, Mr. Ranjan said the project would cover the entire city.
On the ongoing initiative to computerise and network all police stations under the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network (CCTN) programme, the IGP said that so far 90 per cent of records were digitised and soon the entire country could be linked up on the network.
Mr. Ranjan said 100 more women would be recruited soon in the existing 400 vacancies. On technology exposure and skill training, he said he wanted to send batches of policemen to other centres to undergo training in latest technologies.
Source:The Hindu
Wetlands being reclaimed for realty projects and parking lots: Maharashtra forest dept
July 30, 2014
In Dive-Anjur village, a 1.5-km-long road (with 22m width and 7m height) has been laid on the wetland off the busy Thane-Bhiwandi Road, cutting off the flow of tidal water to 300 hectares of wetlands. “It is noticeable from the highway and shows the audacity of the perpetrators of this environmental outrage. Real estate developers have already put up signboards announcing their intention to take up building projects,” states the report. In Mumbra “the scale of destruction is outrageous,” the report says, pointing out that reclamation of nearly 20 hectares of wetlands by multiple agencies is currently underway.
Vasudevan’s team visited eight sites at Dahisar Link Road, Bhuigaon village in Vasai taluka, Owala village in Bhayander, Ghodbunder Road, Dive-Anjur village, Diva village and Diva Sabegaon village, Vikhroli-Mulund Road and Targhar village in Uran.
At Dahisar Link Road, close to the slum Ganpat Patil Nagar that is settled on a CRZ area, the wetland abutting the road has been reclaimed and converted into a parking lot for private tourist vehicles. When the court-appointed team visited the site, illegal sand mining was in full swing. Scores of trucks were lined up to transport the loot away and the water from the wetland was being drained using diesel pumps.
At Targhar village in Uran, the team discovered reclamation of the privately-owned wetland being carried out despite the HC ban. The owners told the team that they wanted to develop garages, container godowns and parking lots on the site.
At Diva village, a 4-hectare site was first ravaged by sand mining. Then to fill the pit the Thane municipal corporation converted it into a dumping ground. And now the soil is being filled and the land levelled for other purposes, said the report. Similarly, at Diva-Sabegaon village, the wetland has been become the site of waste-dumping and construction of slums and chawls. Near Owala village, a 6-storey residential building has come up on the wetland. A housing finance company is offering loans for 1BHK flats, which are being sold for Rs 35 lakh, and 2BHK flats, which cost Rs 50 lakh.
Vasudevan points out in the report that wetlands are of tremendous ecological significance. They are rich repositories of bio-diversity and storehouses of water.
New CCTV tech to record number plates at 5 spots
July 30, 2014
MUMBAI: The traffic police intends to slow down speedsters in the city with advanced cameras which will be equipped with the ability to read number plates of vehicles. Traffic police have identified dangerous stretches in the city that are used for speeding or racing and have written to the agencies concerned to install cameras equipped with ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) technology.
The Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) is likely to get the technology by the end of this year. The other locations identified for the advanced cameras are Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), Godrej Junction at Vikhroli, Marine Drive and JJ flyover in south Mumbai.
ANPR rules out manual intervention and is used in most developed countries to detect traffic violations. “We conducted a study of locations across the city where cameras equipped with ANPR are becoming a necessity. Godrej Junction at Vikhroli is a cause of concern due to maximum fatalities. We have been in talks with a company to join hands with the agency which maintains the stretch,” said Quaiser Khalid, additional commissioner (traffic).
Instances of speeding are witnessed frequently on the iconic BWSL. “Motorists tend to speed after reaching the centre of the bridge. In September last year, a 54-year-old businessman from Kemps Corner had a narrow escape when his car hit the divider and turned turtle. It disrupted traffic for over half an hour,” said a traffic police official.
“A work order has been given out for cameras equipped with ANPR technology and they should be installed by the end of this year. One lane going towards Bandra and the other towards Worli will be fitted with the cameras. They will be positioned in such a manner that they cover maximum lanes. We have also asked for data on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway to study the feasibility of having advanced cameras there,” said a senior MSRDC official.
Two-wheelers are banned on both the BWSL and JJ Flyover. “Between 2002 and 2010, JJ Flyover witnessed 254 accidents, among which 183 involved two-wheelers. Of the 33 people killed in this period, 31 were motorcyclists. This prompted the ban but motorcyclists tend to flout it at night when traffic personnel aren’t around,” said a traffic official. “Several instances of racing were observed at BKC, a business district deserted after office hours,” he added.
ANPR technology uses optical character recognition on images for reading vehicle registration plates. Some can even be configured to store a photograph of the motorist. The information will be stored at the traffic police headquarters and using the RTO’s database, challans will be sent to the speeding motorist’s address. Earlier this month, the MMRDA announced plans to install 12 ANPR-equipped CCTVs on the Eastern Freeway.
Source:Times of India
Start-ups offer commuters a smooth ride
July 30, 2014
Bangalore has at least 10 start-up companies that are helping commuters pool together to commute using technology to inform them who they can share their transport with and when. Some start-ups provide cabs, some others offer mobile phone applications to tell people when someone else has a seat avaliable in their vehicle.
However, they want more people to go online to increase the probability of finding another person commuting to the same place at the same time.
Four start-ups that have been offering these services in the city are Ridingo, Rideally, Urban Drive and MoveInSync.
Ridingo (wwww.ridingo.com), which has 7,000 registered users — with 200 to 300 logging in everyday, is targeted at office commuters. It fixes the cost of the trip and the driver earns Rs. 3 per km.
When asked about how safe it is for acquaintances to travel together, Vardhan Koshal, one of the founders, said there are enough details taken for the police to track down people, if required. Besides, it does not allow men to share women’s vehicles.
Mr. Koshal said the “aim is fill all empty seats in cars so that everyone travelling by is comfortable and secure.”
Taxi sharing
The second start-up, Rideally (www.rideally.com), is an open platform to connect people for sharing a taxi. It offers a free application for smartphones and targeted at those living in apartments, corporates, and college students. An average of 30 people each day use the application.
For safety, commuters can choose who they want to share their vehicle with: public, community or group, much like privacy levels in social media.
Hariprakash Agrawal, founder, Rideally, said the company would soon have its own cabs for hire as well.
Similarly, Urban Drive provides shared taxi services on a monthly subscription-basis for commuters. The company has a tie-up with three cab companies.
Jitin Gupta, one of the two founders, said it is targeted at companies that do not provide transport for its employees.
Patented technology
MoveInSync has patented a technology that manages transport fleet (pick and drop), tells passengers where the vehicle is, how long they will have to wait till it reaches them; and says it is safe for women. It allows the control room to track the vehicle, find the distance it has covered, and identify cabs with women travellers. The “auto clubbing” feature suggests which passengers could travel together. Commuters have a PIN-based authentication.
Deepesh Agarwal, founder, said 10,000 people are using 1,000 cabs in Bangalore with the help of the technology.
Source:The Hindu
Toll plaza at Vagaikulam to be ready in a month
July 30, 2014
Many expressed discontent over paying toll at existing location
A new toll plaza under construction at Vagaikulam on NH 7 A (Tuticorin-Palayamkottai Bypass Road) will be ready in a month, says NHAI Project Director.
After discontent started brewing among heavy vehicle users over paying toll at the existing plaza at Thattaparai junction on Palayamkottai Road, the toll plaza was being shifted to Vagaikulam.
The plaza comprising six toll collection counters with approaching lanes and other infrastructure facilities was being constructed at a cost of Rs.1.4 crore, K. Thangavel, Project Director, NHAI, Madurai, who is in-charge of Tirunelveli, told The Hindu on Tuesday.
He said bhoomi puja for the toll plaza was performed on May 1 and works started immediately. Since local truck operators and other vehicle drivers registered in Tuticorin were reluctant to pay the toll after demanding the shifting of the plaza beyond Vagaikulam airport approach road, the toll agency withdrew from collecting toll.
The toll plaza is a key component of the 47.2-kilometre port connectivity project, which commenced in May 2010 on NH 7A. The toll collection was resumed here from May 1 this year after a gap of 10 months.
The Project Director said the revised toll fee notifications were awaited. Communiqué on this special purpose vehicle project, a joint venture of V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust, Tuticorin and the NHAI, had already been forwarded to the NHAI, New Delhi. Once the project was completed, the notification would be implemented at the new toll plaza.
The 47-km-long four-lane road project from the port to Palayamkottai commenced in May 2010. After completing the work, the project contractor collected toll initially in April 2013.
After a scuffle between road users and toll staff in June 2013, personnel deployed at the counters left their jobs fearing risk of assault.
A lorry owners’ association here claimed that around 400 locally registered lorry operators had been carrying essential goods, including water, vegetables and salt to 11 villages around the toll plaza. These heavy vehicles would have to go through this toll plaza at frequent intervals. So, the agency should exempt these local operators from paying the toll, they sought.
They also agreed to pay the toll once the plaza was shifted to Vagaikulam.
Subsequently, a few persons, including MDMK district secretary S. Joel from Tuticorin, filed writ petitions against toll collection and demanded the shifting of the toll plaza to a new location beyond Vagaikulam Airport.
The toll collection once again came to a halt since the case was pending. Based on the NHAI’s submission that the toll plaza would be shifted to Vagaikulam, Justices V. Ramasubramanian and V.M. Velumani of Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on April 7, 2014 disposed of the writ petitions filed by five persons.
The court directed the NHAI to shift the toll plaza within four months, Mr. Thangavel said.
Source:The Hindu
NGOs draw up safety measures
July 29, 2014
Vishakapatnam:
Keeping in view the recent accident of a train ramming a school bus at an unmanned level-crossing near Masaipet in Medak district, city-based NGOs have focused on the safety levels of the transport system in the district.
In order to avoid occurrence of such accidents in the region, representatives of Bala Vikas Foundation (BVF) and Praja Spandana have drawn up 10 points to be presented to the district administration, Transport and Education departments.
Checking the condition of school buses, verifying the licence, conducting periodical health check-up for drivers, considering parents’ views, examining the condition of buses and carrying surprise checks were some of the safety measures covered in the draft.
Expressing their concern over road safety, Narava Prakasa Rao and P. Venkateswara Rao of BVF along with C.S. Rao of Praja Spandana said: “The idea is to exercise caution and ensure safety for schoolchildren. The school management should work in line with the departments and make every effort to provide a secure environment for students.”
They said that they would approach MPs and MLAs to firm up the safety measures for schoolchildren in all aspects.
Source:The Hindu
Autorickshaws in Delhi to go off roads tomorrow
July 28, 2014
A large number of autorickshaws in Delhi will go off roads on Monday against alleged highhandedness of traffic police and transport department.
“We have decided to go on one-day strike on Monday as we are continuously being harassed by the traffic police officials. We are not allowed to take passengers from Railway stations and Metro stations unless we pay a fixed amount to them,” Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh general secretary Rajendra Soni said.
Singh alleged, “Traffic cops sit in civil dress in our auto and ask for bribe. When we refuse, they seize our vehicles or impose heavy fines on drivers. We have also taken up the matter with Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Joint CP (traffic) Anil Shukla, but nobody has paid any heed to our demand. Auto drivers now don’t have any option but to go on strike.”
The autorickshaw union members said that Central Government should immediately take steps to prevent “corruption” in Traffic Police.
There are around 80,000 autorickshaws plying in the national capital. Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh claimed that they have a control over the maximum numbers of autorickshaws in the city.
According to Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh, around 1,000 autorickshaw drivers recently had surrendered their vehicles, which completed their 15 years permitted age, for the replacement, but the Transport Department is not issuing certificates to drivers to purchase new autos from the market.
“We are very upset with the transport department, which is not allowing drivers to have new vehicles despite the fact that they have surrendered their old vehicles for scrapping,” Rajendra added.
He threatened that if their demand is not fulfilled in the next three-four days, the autorickshaw will go off roads from 4 PM everyday.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay today called upon Police Commissioner B S Bassi to take cognisance of allegations by autorickshaw drivers.
The BJP leader also appealed to auto drivers not to go on strike.
“BJP strongly condemns any type of corruption and it is important that Delhi Police put its house in order so that such complaints don’t rise. BJP appeals to Auto Rickshaw drivers to not to go on strike and assured them that their lawful demands will be supported,” Satish Upadhyay said.
Source:The Hindu
MAIT launches e-portal for small, medium enterprises
July 28, 2014
MAIT, the apex body representing India’s IT hardware, training and R&D services sectors, announced the launch of its e-portal catering specifically to small and medium enterprises.
The first of its kind, the portal called MAIT SME chapter is a major initiative for all SMEs in the ICT sector and is in line with the Government’s push to encourage manufacturing of IT and electronics production.
“This a portal that will provide everything that SMEs require in one place. There are 30 million MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) units that employ 60 million people, contributing to 45 per cent of industrial output, 40 per cent to export, producing over 8,000 products and creating 1.3 million jobs per annum. This portal will address all their requirements,” Rahul Gupta, Chairman, SME Chapter, MAIT, told Business Line.
Dedicated page
Each of the SMEs will have a dedicated page to themselves that will showcase their products, technologies, capabilities, team and strengths. All the policy announcements, including several schemes for SMEs and MSMEs will be available on the portal.
Government tenders will also be announced on the portal that will enable SMEs to apply and participate. A separate section on jobs will also be made available.
“Unlike large enterprises, SMEs do not have the monetary might to hold job fairs. In such a situation, the job section on the portal is the perfect solution to the problem. Additionally, all national and international events will be announced on the portal, such as the first-ever CeBIT fair in India this November. MAIT will provide discounted booths to SMEs at its pavilion in the CeBIT fair,” said Gupta.
Conclave
MAIT, in association with the DeitY and Ministry of MSME, recently organised its first ‘MAIT ICT SME Conclave 2014 in Bangalore. Anwar Shirpurwala, Executive Director MAIT said: “The SME portal and the Conclave is an endeavour to reach out to SMEs in the IT sector from across the country, to provide them a single platform to address their requirements and give them an opportunity to update their knowledge about various government schemes, business opportunities, latest technologies and investment opportunities available in India and abroad.”
Source:The Hindu
CCTV camera sales likely to go up
July 28, 2014
The 11-point directive by the police to compulsorily install Global Positioning System (GPS) devices and CCTV cameras, among other things, in schools has brought cheer and jeer from different quarters.
While companies offering the technology solutions are expecting good business, a section of the schools have expressed their displeasure.
Shashi Kumar D., general secretary, Karnataka Private Schools Joint Action Committee (an umbrella of State, ICSE, CBSE, and IB board schools in Karnataka) has written to Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi, urging him to call for a meeting of all stakeholders and review the guidelines. Taking exception to the fact that government schools have been left out of the purview of the directive, he said that it gives an impression that offences were happening only in private schools.
On the other hand, Bobbie Kalra, Chief Executive Officer, NorthStar, a company that works only with schools, said the sales of CCTV cameras witnessed an increase by at least 70 to 80 per cent in the last quarter, with the demand expected to increase further. He said cost-wise, the devices had to be made affordable for the masses.
“While the device is a one-time expenditure, maintenance is an important factor,” he said. D. Deekshith, MD, OSS GPS Tracking Solutions, said that with the stipulation, the demand was bound to increase.
Source: The Hindu
Nitin Gadkari: No tenders for roads without 80% land in place
July 25, 2014
Summary:Around 300 projects to be up for bids in 5-10 years.The government will not bid out any highway project without acquiring at least 80 per cent land for it. Around 300 road projects are to be bid out within the next 5-10 years after securing all necessary regulatory clearances, the country’s road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday.
Addressing a public-private partnership summit organised by Ficci, Gadkari said the government has decided not to float any tender without acquiring adequate amount of land for executing a project. To fast-track tendering and execution of projects, Gadkari said officials of concerned ministries need to be more responsive and work at a brisk pace.
“Time is the most important thing in infrastructure and business and delays cost the country to the tune of Rs 15 crore a day. Files are kept pending for months. I have asked highways officials to fast-track decisions and requested the Prime Minister to issue directions to all officials,” he said. The minister said he would be holding a meeting every month as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direction to ensure timely clearances.
Gadkari asked the developers to refrain from aggressive bidding for projects as had happened in the past when companies shouldered projects without due clearances and those projects failed to take off despite financial closures.
Sharing the dais with Gadkari, finance secretary Arvind Mayaram said the government is working on a sophisticated and flexible framework for the public-private partnership model to boost infrastructure development.
The flexibility is imperative to factor in changes in the circumstances that run over a period of 25-30 years, he contended. Mayaram reminded that the private sector has to share the risk associated with PPP projects, as the government alone cannot bear the entire responsibility.
“There is a need to see whether we can look at developing a framework which is going to decide what stress is, who is responsible for stress, what is causing the stress and how we deal with them?,” he said.
The proposed 3P India institution will look at issues relating to regulation, financing structures, stress in project, management of contract over a period of time and also issues relating to capacity building both in public and private sector, Mayaram said. “It will be a unique and powerful institution which will rejuvenate the entire universe of PPP which seems to be slowing down at the moment,” he added.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley, in his Budget speech, had proposed setting up of an institution to provide support to mainstream PPPs called 3P India with a corpus of Rs 500 crore.
Source:The Indian express
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