Now that NCR has its own forum, I think it'll be best to break the NCR thread down to 5 new threads.

This thread will be used to track all the development and projects coming up in Delhi.

Link to previous thread (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=455370&page=30)

@Mods, please lock the NCR update thread.

New Delhi has several projects such as the new Civic Centre, which is currently under construction. Has it topped out yet or do we still have a few floors to go? The project is supposed to be completed in December of this year.

Yet to be topped out I think and Dec is some time away yet.

In one of the articles on the civic centre that was published in March, it said that the building would top out by march end. So most probably it has t/o already.

In one of the articles on the civic centre that was published in March, it said that the building would top out by march end. So most probably it has t/o already.

I don't exactly know the height but it looks pretty tall. I was walking in Connaught Place in the evening and paused to see what that massive huge structure with cranes on top was, Civic Centre. Once it's done, it would look impressive from a distance...

//Here is some good news for the residents of Dwarka. The long-standing wish of the residents of the sub-city to have their own mall will be fulfilled soon. A mall is coming up in Sector 14, opposite the Metro Station. The Eros Group recently purchased two plots of land auctioned by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in Dwarka. The construction of the mall has already begun and sources say it would be completed in a year. The mall will be spread over three acres and have a built-up area of approx 1,70,000 sq. ft The retail space in the mall would be spread over five levels, with two levels of car parking and ample ground level parkmg. The mall will also have the usual elements to any modern day mall like escalators, glass capsule lifts, food courts and kiosks, central air-conditioning and hi-tech security system. Says a representative of Eros Group, "The mall's proximity to the Metro Station (it is just a two minute walk away) makes it easily accessible to Dwarka residents in particular and West Delhi residents in generaL" The residents of Dwarka are happy with the new development "A proper mall in Dwarka was essentiaL Going to Rajouri Garden malls took 40 minutes by Metro. A mall closer home adds to the attrac- tion of living in Dwarka which is in fact a city in itself," says Jyoti Seth, a resident of Sector 14, DDA flats, Dwarka. Others want more. "A mall is a good thing but I think what Dwarka needs more is a multiplex. That will make things almost perfect here especially for us students who would love to catch a movie to relax without going through any hassle," says Nagesh Reddy, a student of NSIT, Dwarka.

[HT]

Surf as you shop: Free wi-fi at markets like CP, Dilli Haat, INA soon

New Delhi: Come July and availability of free wi-fi connectivity in Connaught Place, South Extension I and II, Ansal Plaza and the Dilli Haats at INA and Pitampura will come as a boon for net users in the city. The government’s ambitious plan to turn Delhi into a digitised Capital before the 2010 Commonwealth Games through the wi-fi route is likely to show results by then.

According to officials in the Delhi government’s information technology department, wi-fi connectivity will be free for the first 30 minutes at all the above locations. After that, the user will have to pay a charge. Senior officials said the location have been selected keeping in mind the fact that they attract a lot of footfalls. The idea behind providing wi-fi connectivity is to facilitate internet access to citizens on the move.

The Delhi government had last year invited expressions of interest, seeking participation from private companies interested in installing the wifi system. Four companies were selected for the job. They were Velosis, Microsense, MTNL and Gemini. The companies were selected after assessment of their technological capabilities and were assigned selected locations to install the wi-fi mesh to provide connectivity upto 150 metres from every transmitting box installed in the mesh in a particular area.

The government has also given private players the option of exploring the feasibility of setting up public kiosks in the wi-fi enabled areas. These kiosks will allow access to free internet facility but for a limited time and that too after verifying the identity of the user by seeking a standardised password that could be the prospective user’s mobile number or residence phone number.

The users in this case may be allowed access to some standard sites like checking reservations and booking tickets or checking out tourist destinations.

[TOI]

jeez all this stuff just for a game...i wish we had games every 5 years in delhi

I don't exactly know the height but it looks pretty tall. I was walking in Connaught Place in the evening and paused to see what that massive huge structure with cranes on top was, Civic Centre. Once it's done, it would look impressive from a distance...

:)The civic centre is a 28-floor, 101- metre high building which will be the tallest in New Delhi and expected to be completed very soon.:cheers:

DLF may take up slum rehab projects in Delhi


REAL estate major DLF is drawing plans to take up slum development projects in Delhi, which, though fraught with political risks, could see business worth thousands of crores.
“We are preparing an elaborate plan to develop slum areas in Delhi. We have received a very positive response from chief minister Sheila Dixit about it. We will shortly submit the proposal to the government,” said a senior DLF official. He didn’t give details as the proposal is yet to be finalised, but said the project “is going to be big”. A DLF spokesperson, however, denied that the company is working on any such project.
As in Mumbai, where more than half the population live in slums, Delhi, too, houses a sizeable chunk of its population in these run-down places. According to Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), nearly 30 lakh
people (over 20%) live in slums. The city has 900-odd slum clusters, commonly referred to as jhuggis. Bhumiheen camp and Navjivan camp at South Delhi’s Kalkaji, housing around 8,000 families each, are the bigger ones. Areas like Okhla, Mayapuri, Wazirpur Shadipur and the Trans-Yamuna, too, are home to hundreds of slums. There is no government estimate available on the area these slums occupy.
Delhi hasn’t seen any great initiative by private developers in the past for slum development. A senior MCD official blames the state government for not giving the developers the go-ahead. But now the government seems to be showing interest. And there are many incentives for developers to take the plunge. “The land comes much cheaper in the slum development projects, compared to that obtained in government auctions,” says Cushman & Wakefield India joint MD Sanjay Dutt. Besides, the government allows higher floor space index (FSI) — permission to build more in a given area than is ordinarily permitted to developers.
The whole process works like this. A developer identifies a slum for the redevelopment project and approaches the government with a proposal. Once it gets government nod, the developer is expected to obtain the consent of slum dwellers. (In Mumbai, at least 65% of slum-dwellers must agree for a project to take off.). The developer is expected to provide a new dwelling unit to existing residents in the proposed apartments.
Access to cheap land gives developers a high margin. Some Mumbai-based real estate firms like Akruti City, HDIL and Orbit have made big bucks by banking on these projects. According to Mr Dutt, the return for a developer on a slum project could be as high as 80%, compared to 35-40% in ordinary projects.

source economictimes epaper

Plan to set up guided parking at Palika (http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/01/stories/2008050157150400.htm)

NEW DELHI: Delhiites tired of complaining about parking space shortage in and around Connaught Place may soon have something to cheer about if all goes according to the New Delhi Municipal Council’s plans to provide a new state-of-the-art electronic parking guidance and management system at Palika Parking.

Following roping in of “Influence Computer Consultants” and submission of its report, the civic body has now provided conceptual approval to the ambitious plan. The Rs.2.67-crore plan is expected to be implemented in 12 months after final approval by the NDMC.

Under this concept, vehicle users would be guided through a wide range of modern equipment including sensors, lights, signboards and directional displays to the closest vacant car space existing in the parking lot and similarly for identifying their car location at the time of exit. Apart from boasting of an automatic online guidance at each decision-making junction, the plan also aims at zone-wise sub-division of areas for easy identification.

Parsvnath buys central Delhi plot for Rs 200 cr (http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?leftnm=1&subLeft=1&chklogin=N&autono=321692&tab=r)

Parsvnath Developers has bought a 1.18-acre plot in the heart of Lutyen's Delhi for a whopping Rs 200 crore from Mahajan Industries, which owned the property jointly with the Dhoot family.

The property is located at 27, Kasturba Gandhi Marg and the price paid sets a new benchmark for land in the national capital. Primetime Realtors, a recently formed subsidiary of Parsvnath, bought the property.

Parsvnath plans to develop a luxury mall with shopping and office space on the property. This is the first such proposed mall development in an area where land is extremely hard to come by.

Sources said Parsvnath intends to develop around 1,00,000 square feet of commercial space at the mall. The property development will see an overall investment of around Rs 300 crore, including the land cost, and is likely to be completed by 2010-end.

Boomtown Delhi: Vertical ‘slum' project finally gets green signal

DELHI will finally get a skyline in Tehkhand - an area adjacent to the Tughlaqabad greens which will be developed as a multi-storeyed, mini township for the economically weaker sections, but will also have 500 premium flats for the moneyed.

The country's largest realty firm DLF and the Indiabulls real estate had formed a joint venture company in 2006 and had bid for these 14.3 hectares in South Delhi. While DDA kept the reserve price at Rs 200 crore, the companies had been more than generous to buy it for Rs 450 crore. However, it is learnt that in February this year, Indiabulls bought out DLF's equal stake for an undisclosed amount.

The project has no commercial component. Three thousand and five hundred flats will be constructed for the economically weaker sections, but what will ultimately turn the money-spinner are the 500 premium flats that will come up on one side - on a 6hectare plot. The complex will also be self-sufficient with the usual trappings - ATMs, mini-multiplexes, restaurants, parking lots, a sports complex etc. The 3,500 flats for the weaker sections will be handed back to the DDA for allotment

some more info on the luxury mall next to CP:

"We will start construction in 4-5 months and complete the project within 24 months," Managing Director Pradeep Jain told Reuters over telephone.

The project currently has a floor space index of 1.5 times, translating into 100,000 sq ft of developable area, but Jain said he hopes to develop the project under the local government's new Master Plan, which would boost total space by two-thirds.

"About 40 percent area will be reserved for retail and another 50 percent for office space," Jain said. "We plan to lease out the entire space."
clicky (http://in.reuters.com/article/asiaCompanyAndMarkets/idINBOM11393720080502)

Boomtown Delhi: Vertical ‘slum' project finally gets green signal

if this is so big, how come there's only one article on this?

http://news.google.com/news?q=tehkhand&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wn

Railways to lease out land in Delhi to fund expansion plans (http://www.livemint.com/2008/05/04230753/Railways-to-lease-out-land-in.html)

New Delhi: Around 1.1 million sq. ft of commercial space will soon be available in the heart of New Delhi, with the Union ministry of urban development clearing a plan by the Indian Railways to *develop the space on the land it owns and use the proceeds to finance its expansion *programmes.
Real estate advisory firm Cushman and Wakefield declined to put a value on the space, saying the valuation could change depending on zoning and allowed usage patterns. However, a Bloomberg story in December had pegged the value of the site at about $2.5 billion (Rs9,900 crore), quoting data from a Cushman and Wakefield study

It is one of the 22 railway stations that the railways eventually plans to hand over to private partners. Apart from New Delhi, the railways is looking to bid out development projects in the Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai and the stations at Patna and Secunderabad soon.

Paramount Group to invest Rs 1,100 cr in three projects

New Delhi: National capital-based real estate developer Paramount Group is understood to have decided to invest about Rs1,100 crore in three projects over the next two years.
The company is developing a group housing project - Paramount Symphony - in the upcoming integrated township, Crossings Republik in the national capital region, spread over 360 acres of land.
A company source told PTI that it is likely to invest over Rs730 crore in developing 850 flats in the 8.5-acre project, which is expected to be ready by 2010. It would construct six towers of 22 storeys each.
Paramount Group is one of the partners in ‘Crossings Republik´, which is being developed by seven NCR-based real estate players.
In the township, the company is also developing another 15-storey residential tower, which is likely to be completed at an investment of Rs135 crore

Besides, Paramount Group is developing a 100-acre integrated township at Saharanpur, which could entail an investment of about Rs230 crore,” the source said.
The township - Paramount Tulip - would comprise 500 plots and 100 villas and would be handed over to customers in the next 18 months.

[livemint]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3233/2504689723_8375762172.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/2505518944_3922183be8.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3268/2504690597_6bd59bbd65.jpg

Thanks for the images Zhiemi. I am glad that they've deployed more than one team to do the job. The renovated B Block looks great in the first image.

Massive improvement!

^^ great stuff. nice to see them put in proper efforts to renovate the place.
its already starting to come together. renovated CP would be quite a sight!

The renovated part of CP indeed looks much better! :)

Thanks for the images Zhiemi. I am glad that they've deployed more than one team to do the job. The renovated B Block looks great in the first image.

My pleasure, IU. When I visited the place, there were significant number of people working on the renovation, I hope it is like that everyday.

CP deserves a make over , after all it's the city center and the connectivity hub of the Metro , the pics were great - thanks for those !!!

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/1382/1805081520wr6.jpg


http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/8789/1805081521yu9.jpg

onlyprince is alive! Nice pics there http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/2803/winkjp1.gif. From now on, do post them in the Delhi metro thread -

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=20889149#post20889149

CP is shaping up well.
Good news about the Tekhand rehabilitations
nice snaps onlyprince!

onlyprince is alive! Nice pics there http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/2803/winkjp1.gif. From now on, do post them in the Delhi metro thread -

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=20889149#post20889149


I was frequent visitor but yes i was not uploading anything...coz i was busy in my job, but now i am back, workload is less these dayz.. i'll upload more stuff than before.

http://emaarmgf.com/mallwestdelhi/brochure.pdf

new mall in delhi

http://emaarmgf.com/mallwestdelhi/brochure.pdf

new mall in delhi

Thanks for that. The mall looks descent.

The Mall of West Delhi, Sector 22,Rohini by Emaar-MGF group

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/6546/70756324dw5.jpg

click to enlarge
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/2366/77218415sz6.jpg (http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/8184/33695537oj5.jpg)

The mall looks great :okay:

18-hole golf course at Dwarka to come up in Sector 24 on 175 acres

Here is some good news for the residents of Dwarka. Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has decided to give the subcity its very own golf course. In addition, the DDA is planning to set up a sports academy as well.

There is further good news for sports lovers in West Delhi. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), has also announced its decision to construct an indoor basketball stadium in Ajmal Khan Park.

The golf course in Dwarka, is to come up on 175 acres in Sector 24. According to DDA officials, it will be an 18-hole golf course with ample green cover. The DDA seems to have some experience in the matter as it has already made a golf course in Bhalaswa, North Delhi.

Many people are happy with the news of a golf course in Dwarka. "This is a good addition. A golf course is just right for a modern and planned subcity With ample . space in Dwarka, making a golf course with ample greens is a wel come idea," says Mahesh Dutt, a resident of Sector 23. The DDA also plans to give a boost to the sporting infrastructure in Dwarka. It plans to set up a sports academy here. According to DDA officials, the sports academy will be built on 25 acres. It will have facilities for snooker, cricket, basketball, bad ootball.

The academy will also have features such as a multi-gym, a sports library lecture rooms and a seminar hall.

[HT]

New industrial policy for Delhi soon (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200805241963.htm)

New Delhi (PTI): A new industrial policy for the national capital will be unveiled soon, taking into account the guidelines of planned development included in the Delhi Master Plan 2021, a senior government official said.

The Delhi government is expected to announce the Industrial Policy 2008 shortly, which would replace the two- decade old policy formulated in 1982, a PHD Chamber release quoted Commissioner, Industries in NCT Delhi Dharamendra as saying.

He added that an SEZ Policy for the capital has been approved and would be notified shortly. The policy would facilitate setting up of 10-hectare product specific IT/ITEs, bio-tech, gems and jewellery zones, in Delhi.

The Delhi government also proposes to build a software multimedia 'Knowledge Park' to provide facilities for IT and telecom industries, Dharamendra said.

Urging the Delhi government to set up 'single window clearance' under the Department of Industries, the chamber said time-bound clearance such as municipal licence, power connection, pollution control and fire clearance should be put in place to help entrepreneurs.

New Delhi: The Chanakya Cinema Hall is going to be converted into a multiplex and shopping complex by DLF Commercial Developers. Five months after the cinema hall was shut down, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has handed over the complex to DLF on a lease of 30 years. NDMC got Rs 85.32 crore as against the reserve price of Rs 75 crore.


The 1.69 acre complex, which will be converted into a multiplex on Build-Operate-Transfer basis, is the most expensive land deal in Delhi as the firm has to pay Rs 100 per square feet per month, with a hike of 15% after every three years.


Said an NDMC official: ‘‘We have given DLF certain guidelines that they have to adhere to such as providing adequate parking space in the complex. We hope that the momo market next to the cinema hall also benefits once the multiplex opens up. We will get Rs 275 crore over the 30 year concession period.’’


Recently, MCD had also decided to give Novelty Cinema on lease to develop a multiplex in place of it. When developed, it would be the first multiplex of Old Delhi.

Source: TOI

DLF Promenade, Vasant Kunj - designed by Mohit Gujral

Render:
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/1572/multinews1cf2.gif

The Promenade will have three floors -- the ground and upper ground floor for retail and the first floor entirely dedicated to entertainment. DT cinemas – the multiplex with 7 screens, will be the largest cinema complex in Delhi and surrounding areas. One hundred and twenty retailers have already signed up for the space.
clicky (http://dlf.in/wps/portal/retail?jspName=dlf_promenade/overview.jsp)

UPDATE:
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/1055/2dujqxxgt4.jpg

Thanks IU, great update.

Commercial Projects by www.spiritglobal.in

Commercial Complex Okhla

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6192/okalabp4.jpg

Copia Suits, Jasola

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/3343/copiaimgqk2.jpg

Love the snaking curve and glass of the commercial complex building. Thanks, Euromast.

Cabinet nod for Pragati Phase III power project (http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Cabinet-nod-for-Pragati-Phase-III-power-project/317690/)

New Delhi, June 2 The Delhi Cabinet sanctioned the proposed financial pattern of the Pragati Phase-III Bawana Power Project on Monday and it will now be commissioned at an estimated cost of Rs 5195.81 crore.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation stone of the 1,500 MW, gas-based power station on March 24 earlier this year.

Power officials said the project is slotted to meet the power demand during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said the Bawana Power Station is an environment-friendly project, which will help in curbing the problem of pollution in Delhi. She said: “The commissioning of this project will go a long way in ensuring round-the-clock, uninterrupted power supply in the city.”
....

DLF towers, Jasola - retail+office space

Render:
http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/648/dlfjasolazn1qf8.th.jpg (http://img122.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dlfjasolazn1qf8.jpg)


some pics taken last year:

copyright dlf
http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/2134/dscn4912bf3.jpg


http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/7719/dscn4913lf1.jpg


http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/5807/dscn4917oa1.jpg


http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/3154/dscn4919qr2.jpg

wow IU .. i see you are keeping up with the the practice of posting renders and actual building together.
nice pics... glass clad facade was so overdue in India. . i am glad that more and more people are using it now..

Nice update, IU.

MGF City, Khyber Pass (North Delhi)

The up coming largest Shopping Mall in Delhi covering one million sq.ft. area at Khyber Pass- New Delhi along side Delhi Metro route. The Mall would have Family Entertainment Centre, Food Courts, Cineplex's, Departmental Stores besides lots of other activities and facilities, with full power back up and centrally air-conditioning. The Mall will provide one of the best shopping and entertainment experience one can ever dream of. The average footfall is expected between 20,000 to 30,000 per day and approx. between 60,000 to 75,000 on weekends. Anchor tenants - Shoppers Stop & Lifestyle.
Website (http://www.mgfindia.com/mgfcity_northdelhi/index.htm)

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/7986/delhimgfcitybf8.jpg


A couple of more renders from LA based R204 Design's website:


http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/6597/48933191jv0.jpg


http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/8223/88252986tm5.jpg


http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/2708/71005315mn1.jpg

http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/3692/53433870uh0.jpg

looks cool.....

TDI centre, Jasola. Pics from TDI group's website (http://www.tdigroup.net/index.htm)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3003/2571945101_0cb4aa9625_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/2571945223_54cd16d668_o.jpg

nice pic but it would be even better if they plant some trees on the land in front of the mall.....it is ruining the look at present

Govt nod to drain near IGI Airport .

New Delhi: The Delhi government in its cabinet meeting on Monday gave its nod for construction of a stormwater drain from Mahipalpur chowk to Najafgarh drain at a cost of Rs 152 crore. The drain scheduled for completion before the 2010 Commonwealth Games is set to spell relief for five villages, surrounding the Indira Gandhi International Airport, which would now get a sewerage system and rid the airport of sewage flowing from these villages into the area where the new runway is supposed to come up.

Announcing that the Delhi cabinet had given its nod for construction of a stormwater drain from Mahipalpur chowk to Najafgarh drain, chief minister Sheila Dikshit said that an amount of Rs 152 crore has been sanctioned for construction of first-ever, stormwater drain from Mahipalpur chowk to Najafgarh drain, which will be completed within 12 months after award of work. “It would go a long way in helping in starting of smooth operations of the newly-developed, third runway at the Airport and drain out the storm water discharge of five villages — namely Mahipalpur, Rangpuri, Rajokari, Samalkha, Kapashera and Dwarka subcity — that at present empties out into the airport area. This will also take care of discharge of 700 cusecs of five villages, 1,300 cusecs of IGI airport and 400 cusecs of Dwarka,” Dikshit said. She further described this as an important project, which would be completed before the 2010 Games.

Source: TOI

wow the commonwealth games and sheila dikshit have been quite a boon for delhi

Something should be done about the 'open' drains in Delhi. One of them passes through my cousins' place and the stench coming out from it is horrible.

wow the commonwealth games and sheila dikshit have been quite a boon for delhi

Commonwealth games - yes

Shiela dixit - No

Commonwealth games - yes

Shiela dixit - No

I disagree. Delhi progressed a lot under Dikshit even before we won the cwg bid. The cwg just provided a further major impetus towards more development.

Hi-tech parking system at Palika by next year

By next monsoon, finding a parking space at Connaught Place may just get easier. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Wednesday gave the preliminary go-ahead to install new state-of-the-art electronic parking guidance and management system at the Palika parking.

According to officials, the new system will help ease the entry and exit of vehicles at the underground parking. A wide range of electronic equipment such as lights, signboards, sensors, and directional displays will guide users to the closest vacant space available in the parking lot.

“In the absence of any car parking guidance management system, people are often unaware as to how to reach the next parking level, or where to park. People often wait for the guards to direct them and this leads to chaos in the parking area. But once the computerised system is put in place, there won’t be any waiting time,” said a senior NDMC official.

In addition, an automatic online guidance at each intersection will guide cars to the exact location. According to the official, the civic body has roped in a private consultant to design the system. The Rs 2.67-crore project will be implemented within 12 months of the design being approved.

[HT]

I disagree. Delhi progressed a lot under Dikshit even before we won the cwg bid. The cwg just provided a further major impetus towards more development.

totally. she deserves credit for the changes that have happened in Delhi

She had to be more active on the development front as failure of CWG would have been a national embarrassment , anyhow - long may this continue and for the sake of continuity I'll be voting Congress again.

Delhi may incentivise hybrid sales

In a move to encourage carmakers to introduce more hybrid vehicles on the Capital roads, the Delhi government on Wednesday said it could incentivise selling of such cars for a greener city.

“Let them (carmakers) come out, we will definitely see and consider (for giving incentives),” said Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit while launching the electric car REVAi here. Delhi offers 29.5% tax and other rebates to sale of REVAi to promote the environment-friendly car.

When asked if the government would consider a similar kind of tax rebates, she said, “... we will be really happy to encourage such vehicles, but they have not come to us yet.” She said, “We are introducing the car of the future. I would appeal to car consumers having several cars at home to have at least one REVAi car.”

source economictimes.com (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Auto/Automobiles/Delhi_may_incentivise_hybrid_sales/articleshow/3165688.cms)

Here's another render of the Mall of West Delhi (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=20963999&postcount=29) by Emaar-MGF coming up in Rohini -

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/2798/1arj5.jpg

http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/6201/29062008501007sd6.jpg

Not so clear picture of revamped and old CP buildings, and the Civic Centre, as seen from Pallika Bazaar.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/2618303279_5688c15a6b_b.jpg


Revamped CP
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3224/2618286069_df8468bd5c_b.jpg

was not there a plan to streamline the billboards also

i like everything but the loosely hanging cables...

definately a huge improvement over what we had before..

Much cleaner as well.

The cables and over kill on the billboards spoil it some what but massive improvment.

Those boards maybe temporary ones. Just see how thin that yellow one is. When I am there, I'll ask the guys at the shop about it.

i like everything but the loosely hanging cables...

The cables will be removed. The second phase of the revamp involves taking all the electricity/cable wires underground.

CP renovation restores glory
30 Jun 2008, 0414 hrs IST, Ruhi Bhasin,TNN

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?photoid=3178543

CP has around 12 blocks and work in the others will start soon.
NEW DELHI: It's a sneak peak into what Connaught Place would have looked like when it was built in the 1930s. With CP's C-block renovation work almost complete, you just have to look at the block next to it to actually understand how one of the most important commercial hubs in the city was envisaged and what it's condition actually is.

The block, which house 39 shops, has been under renovation for a year now and is the pilot project undertaken as part of CP's redevelopment plan. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has tried to restore the facade of the building as per the original design (made by Robert Tor Russel and W H Nicholls) after extensive research through the civic agency's archives, alongwith that of CPWD. The restoration work has cost NDMC Rs 2 crore. According to the civic agency, work began with C-block as it is the smallest block in CP.

Says Anand Tiwari, spokesperson of NDMC: "We have used granite stone for the flooring and have carried out plastering and finishing of the outer facade. You will see no wires hanging out as ducting in front and two sides of the block has been carried out. The windows have been restored to their original shape and wrought iron railings have been put up. Uniform signposts have also been put up." They still have to fix the lighting in the area.

CP has around 12 blocks and work in the other blocks will start simultaneously once restoration of the facade of C-block is complete.

Meanwhile, NDMC is still making a plan for the parking in CP. While some areas will have surface parking, underground parking will also be made where ever it is a viable option. The plan to begin restoration was mooted in 2004 and expected to be complete by July 2010. CP will also have central air-conditioning, according to officials.

While many traders are happy with the 'new look' of C-block, it hasn't gone down well with some of them. Says Vaishalik, partner, Jain Book Agency: "The extended footpaths have eaten into out parking space and some of our telephone lines have not been functional for days." Due to the tenant-landlord problems, the facade of all blocks in
CP were in a very bad condition.

Says Sadan Singh, who has been working in CP for 30 years: "I have been working in CP for years and felt sad that an area so important in terms of heritage was rotting away due to fights between tenants and landlords. The restoration of CP is important to give generations to come a glimpse of the past."

Designed by Robert Tor Russell and W H Nicholls, CP was built in 1931 and is named after the Duke of Connaught, a member of the British royal family, who visited India in 1920. Designed in a circular form, it is divided into blocks by seven radial clocks. The radius of the inner circle is about 947 ft. Though CP appears circular, close observations reveals that it is more like a horseshoe in design.

so they have to recreate all this work 12 times over? damn...

SKY THE LIMIT FOR NEW SUB-CITY

DDA’s draft plan for P-II zone talks about a highrise sub-city, complete with leisure valley, museum, open-air theatres, etc
Ambika Pandit | TNN


Skyscrapers complete with helipads to help residents reach their workplaces in a matter of minutes, new apartments for 4.22 lakh families — from every category — in space-starved Delhi, a leisure valley, river-front boulevard, city park, museum, art galleries, open-air theaters and large stretches of greens interspersed with water bodies and much more.


Sounds too much like a dream? Well it is DDA’s dream draft plan for P-II zone, a new sub-city painted to perfection, presented at the DDA meeting chaired by lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna recently for approval.

The plan pertains to a zone which today comprises 24 villages and 68 unauthorised colonies. For them, the zonal plan offers redevelopment. The eyesore that is the stinking Bhalswa landfill marks the periphery of this zone which as of now has large chunks of open land, making it much sought after for building a new township.

With the authority’s clearance in hand, the draft has now been put out for public feedback. Once the objections and suggestions are in, the same will be studied and incorporated in the draft and the final document will be put up before the authority for approval again. Following the final approval, the zonal plan would be notified by the ministry of urban development.


THE BACKGROUND

The NCT of Delhi is divided into 15 planning zones — A to P — except one — I — in Master Plan 2021. P zone is further divided into P-I and P-II. As per Master Plan 2021, P-II zone covers an area of 8,534 hectares and has a heterogeneous character marked by villages, unauthorised colonies and a few planned areas. This zone is located in the northern part of Delhi, bound by the Delhi-Haryana border in the north, river Yamuna in the east, Outer Ring Road to the south and NH-I in the west.

According to MPD-2021, urban extension areas are to be planned with a density of 250-300 persons per hectare. Based on the area under consideration, the proposed population would be 19 lakh, including the existing settlements.

The population projected by MPD 2021 is 230 lakh. Out of this, the holding capacity for the present zones from A-H and the three sub-cities — Dwarka, Rohini and Narela — has been estimated at 153 lakh. The remaining population will have to be accommodated in the urban extensions including P-II zone.

WAY AHEAD

At present, P-II zone looks a lot like this. The abadis of 24 villages and one census town fall in this area. The villages include Burari, Bhalswa Dairy/Jahangirpuri, Bakhtawarpur and Nathupura among others. There are a large number of farm houses as well in this zone. There are several non-conforming activities present including industries, wholesale trade godowns amd banquet halls. This zone is home to around 68 unauthorised colonies.

The plan indicates sub-division of the entire urban area under P-II zone into 13 sub-zones for the purpose of development. The sub-zone plan would be further subdivided into various residential pockets containing neighbourhood level recreational and community facilities.

About 3,235 hectares has been proposed for residential use, including about 1,100 hectares under existing settlements including villages. Rest of the residential land use is proposed for new development.

NEW HOMES

Plotted development is out and highrises are the way to go. The housing strategy for P-II zone incorporates development of new housing area as well as upgradation and redensification through redevelopment of existing housing areas including unauthorised colonies. In view of limited availability of land and increased requirement of housing, plotted residential development is being discouraged. The sub city when fully developed will provide housing facilities to over 4.22 lakh families from all income groups.

So where do the helipads come in? According to DDA, this zone is suitable for such development as it is far away from the air funnel. Three such complexes are proposed to be developed as landmark points in Delhi. There will be one each in PSP use zone, commercial use zone and residential use zone. According to designers of P-II zonal plan, these complexes of super tall buildings will be designed in such a way so that they can effectively tackle transportation and vehicular pollution in addition to releasing land for green spaces in abundance. “This will not only change the skyline of Delhi but also facilitate international investors to develop state of the art urban design projects. These complexes will also have helipad facilities which will provide direct accessibility to various cities,” officials elaborated.

RECREATION

Surveys show that the zone has a very wide green coverage in the form of orchards, forest and farmlands. Besides this, about 941 hectares of land has been proposed for recreational and green use. This is made up of district parks, city parks, community parks and roadside green. The 941 hectares also includes a recreational complex with a lake, nine hole golf course and other facilities in Bhalswa Lake Complex. A city park spread over 150 hectares is proposed for socio-cultural node, housing a museum, art galleries, library, auditorium, concert hall, open air theatre, convention hall and a music centre. The existing landfill site on the corner of NH-I and outer Ring Road junction on eastern side has been proposed for setting up a zonal level recreational area which could be developed as a millennium park to enhance the aesthetic image of the sub city. An amusement park spread over 20 hectares has been proposed in the green belt. Besides this, the zone will see the development of an international exhibition cum fair ground and science city on the lines of Pragati Maidan. The zone is located along river Yamuna and development of recreational areas, sports facilities, bio-diversity park, bird sanctuaries, boulevards form part of the riverfront development plans.

One of the major objectives of the plan is to create a sustainable physical and social environment.

DREAM PROJECT

Model for urban design | Leisure valley, river-front boulevard, specialised institute, IT complex, corridor along NH-I, city park complex.

Bhalswa Lake Complex | To be developed over 102 hectares,. Land is proposed to be developed as an integrated tourist complex along with a lake spread over 22 hectares, amusement park (12 Ha), commercial (8 Ha), recreational (46 Ha).

Green belt | To extend from the NCTD boundary up to a depth of one peripheral revenue village, wherever possible, with permissible activities.

Facility corridor | Commercial and public, semi-public uses and recreational uses to be developed along major transport networks as facility corridor along major arterial roads.

Commercial | About 282 hectares reserved for commercial use. 16 community centres, four district centres, a Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board wholesale fruit and vegetable market of 28 hectares has been proposed on NH-1, 20 hectares for wholesale trade.

Government offices | An integrated office complex covering 34 hectares has been proposed in sector-II and VI.

Industry | About 226 hectares of land has been proposed for industries. A hitech electronic industry along NH-I to provide city level specialised industry and to enhance the visual quality on NH-I entry corridor.


Source - TOI epaper on 30th June 2008

I was unsure where to put this article as It's not making it clear exactly where it' coming up and just says to the North of Delhi , if it's not the correct thread then mods please transfer this and the image to the appropriate place

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/3608/yamunaprojectld7.jpg

Image appearing in todays TOI edition for the proposed project mentioned in the post above

hi

I´m from mexico and I want to tell you that your city is awsome and have great proyects

see u

^^cheers!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?photoid=3178543

this pic looks amazing. cant wait to go back and check the place out!
i presume IU will take a lot of pics when he is there.

i presume IU will take a lot of pics when he is there.

Definitely

http://uplink.space.com/attachments/507428-burns_excellent.JPG

CP Block 3 is looking sweet! Once the whole restoration is done, it will look fantastic! The CAC is just what I was talking about all this time about India's inhabited historical buildings. The same was done to Europe's - it may be expensive, but it's well worth it, and India needs to restore every heritage structure to the glory it once had

MCD to launch green drive for 2010 Games.

With a sanctioned budget of Rs 34.23 lakh, the Mu nicipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) plans to enhance the green cover of Delhi in prepa ration for the Commonwealth Games 2010. The funds have al ready been used to plant two lakh saplings, buy machinery, beau tify parks, roundabouts and re pair tubewells.

Of the two lakh saplings for the seven MCD zones, 70,000 in digenous varieties have already been been planted. “These in clude neem, jamun, peepal ashoka and a few others,” said Ved Prakash Gupta, chairman garden committee of the MCD He also added that Rs 3.62 crore will be used to refurbish parks and carry out landscaping work Other allocations will cover ir rigation, installation of 128 tube wells, 10,000 steel benches in parks and lighting. The mayor also announced that part of the funds will be used to get rid of non-religious encroachments which are rampant in many parks under MCD.

Other than parks, round abouts and the space under fly overs will be developed with the purpose of beautifying as well as keeping encroachers away.

“As many as 198 roundabouts and 44 roads which have been identified will be landscaped,” said Ved Prakash Gupta. The hor ticulture department has also bought new equipment, which includes canters, hedge trim mers, electric lawn mowers, and chainsaws.

The Welcome Lake in Shah dara, which has now become a drain, will be developed as a boat ing area, alongwith a jogging track using the MCD fund. The historical parks to be renovated include Roshanara Park, Ajmal Khan Park and Kudsia Park.

Despite the shortage of staff especially gardeners, mayor Arti Mehra declared the work will be complete in time for the Games “The new equipment, purchased for Rs 1.8 crore, will compensate for staff shortage. What one mali can do in one park, can be done by one machine in four parks,” she said. Nevertheless, it still does not answer how the current shortage of engineers, needed for park repairs, will be tackled by the civic agency.

Source: TOI

Metro to put liver institute on fast track.

Irked By PWD Delays, Delhi Govt Hands Over 2nd Phase Of Prestigious Project To DMRC.

Delhi Metro’s enviable track record of meeting its deadlines — often beating them by a few months — has made it a case study for efficiency and good work culture.

So far, it was just a model to be emulated. But Delhi government, in an effort to get out of a sticky situation on the much-delayed construction of Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences at Vasant Kunj, has decided to simply hand over the second phase of construction of the building — touted as a unique healthcare project in Asia — to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) after a series of delays by PWD in the first phase.

Confirming the development, DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said they were taking up the work as a special case. For the first time, Metro will step out of its domain and construct a building for another organisation. And for this DMRC has already procured equipment from the fire department.

Asked why the project was taken away from PWD, government officials said DMRC is quick and efficient and known for its expertise while PWD is saddled with lot of work. ‘‘It’s not a comment on PWD’s performance. The chief minister wants no compromise on the quality of the institute,’’ said an official.

The foundation stone of the institute was laid in 2003 but delays since then have taken a toll on the project. Problems of acquiring land from multiple agencies and delays by PWD have proved to be major roadblocks.

Chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday reviewed the project’s progress and directed senior PWD officials to speed up the work and finish it fast. ‘‘It will be dedicated to the people of Delhi very soon,’’ she said.

This first of its kind liver institute in Asia will provide better and advanced treatment for liver and biliary ailments. ‘‘The mission of this institute is to emerge as a dedicated international centre of excellence for diagnosis, management and advanced training and research in the field of liver diseases,’’ the CM said.

According to health department officials, the first phase of construction of the institute is nearing completion. In this phase, about 180 beds will be made available, out of which 74 will be set aside for the Intensive Care Unit.

Project director Dr SK Sarin said the institute will have a separate department to promote basic and translational research in the area of Hepatobiliary Sciences. The department of Hepatobiliary Medicine would be the first dedicated department in the country and will also house Transplant Hepatology and Paediatric Hepatology as independent units.

Source: TOI

^^thats just funny.
if this is how it goes then soon the delhi metro will be taking care of all infrastructural projects in delhi, which wont be a bad thing to happen.

wow how about handing other metro projects to DMRC so that clowns in bombay and bangalore don't waste time and tax payers money.

that makes sense too

well since IU is out this whole section is pretty much deserted... i will try to fill his absence for a lil while...

new Connaught Place
after

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/2653293816_09676f7932_o.jpg

before
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/Cities/2653293402_5c9fbe177b_o.jpg
source: ramesh_lalwani @ flickr :cheers:

http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/5079/12072008753009ij6.jpg

nice find mate..

i hope they plan it properly with modern standards with ample multilevel parking, service depots, multiple entries and exits, separate entries and exits for other vehicles, good connecting roads and indoor waiting areas..
its better to overdo and spend more money then add things later.

btw the pic itself in the article is awesome.. :)

Delhi cheapest city in the world for parking
(http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Delhi-cheapest-city-in-the-world-for-parking/336416/)

Delhi is the cheapest city in the world for parking while London has earned the dubious distinction of being the costliest place for the same, a study indicated on Wednesday.

In Delhi it costs less than a Pound (Rs 86.4) to park a car per day. The monthly rate for a space in London tops the list at 586 pounds - exactly double midtown New York, according to the first global study of parking charges.

Close behind is the West End, where monthly rates for motorists are 568 pounds. Daily parking follows a similar pattern, with the City costing 34 pounds followed by Amsterdam, the West End, Moscow and The Hague.

Australia has some of the most expensive cities in the world for parking as a result of its strong economy and surging currency. Sydney is the third most expensive city on a monthly basis at 387 pounds, while Brisbane and Perth make the top 10.

Regions such as Latin America, Africa and the Middle East are relatively inexpensive but are showing signs of car park inflation which is becoming more structured. However, global financial centres dominate the list, compiled by Colliers International, a property consultancy.

"Whether to park for a day or to have access to parking any time during the month, the world's top financial centres are among the most expensive in the world," the report said.

Haha, don't know how true the study is, but is this the reason why we can't find space to park our cars? But Rs. 86 per day for parking is enough :p

CP conservation work pits NDMC against DUAC

CP conservation work pits NDMC against DUAC
Richi Verma | TNN

New Delhi: The conservation plan for Connaught Place has hit a hurdle. According to highly-placed sources, differences have cropped up between New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) over the restoration work undertaken in C Block. At a stormy meeting on Monday, DUAC member Prof Mohammad Shaheer told NDMC architects that the work was shoddy which left officials in the civic body fuming.

NDMC has been working on the block for the past few months. Sources said that DUAC members criticised the work during a site inspection on Monday. This has led to

NDMC seriously reviewing its option of pulling out of the project, saying that it was just a civic body and that it was primarily the responsibility of DUAC to get the work monitored by experts when it was carried out rather than criticise the outcome.

An NDMC spokesperson told TOI that ‘‘the C-Block restoration work was approved by the previous DUAC team headed by Charles Correa. On Monday, we had invited the new members for final clearance of the project because we want to replicate it in all the other blocks of CP. We are waiting for the minutes of the meeting that day and will take a decision accordingly.’’

Though no one was willing to come on record — Shaheer refused to comment, simply observing that the work was not upto the mark — sources said DUAC was not happy with the quality of work which it felt would mar the glory of CP.

The commission felt NDMC was using ‘‘inferior’’ material though officials claimed that it had been approved by the last commission and should therefore be honoured by the present one. ‘‘It is mandatory for the commission to accept a proposal if it has been approved by the last commission. They cannot keep reviewing it over and over again,’’ said the sources.

DUAC chief K T Ravindran was non-committal. ‘‘The minutes for the meeting will be finalised on Wednesday and only then will we be in a position to comment,’’ he said.

According to DUAC Act 1973, it is mandatory for DUAC to scrutinise, modify, inspect or reject any work undertaken in the CP complex.

Heritage experts pointed out that the need to redevelop CP was felt in 1973 but it took 35 years for any kind of work to actually take place.

‘‘NDMC is a municipal body and not a team of conservation architects. If the restoration work of CP is not up to mark and could have been better, it’s also true that NDMC is not obliged to redevelop CP. If DUAC does not like their work, it should appoint their own experts,’’ said an expert.

Chief secretary Rakesh Mehta said that since the restoration work had been approved by the earlier DUAC team, the current team should not object.

‘‘A lot of public money is involved in this work and NDMC is working fast to complete the restoration of CP by Commonwealth Games. There has to be a collaborative agreement between NDMC and DUAC.’’

Sources in the Central Government said Delhi’s preparations for Commonwealth Games had started very late.

‘‘But a city built over several centuries and with the potential for getting the world heritage tag can’t be messed with for an event that will last for a few days,’’ said a source.

Someones palm needs to be greased...
Or do we have some of CP as it should be & some as its always been??

cross posting from the energy thread


Delhi to get 50 more CNG stations

With the demand for compressed natural gas (CNG) going up after petrol and diesel prices skyrocketted, Delhi will soon set up 50 more CNG stations to avoid long queues of vehicles and also help keep the environment clean, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on Sunday.

After visiting a CNG station in south Delhi, Dikshit said her government would "facilitate commissioning of 50 new CNG stations in the capital city and would continue to strive hard to make Delhi a CNG capital to ensure clean air in Delhi".

She said the average sale of CNG in the current month was around 1.2 million kg per day with peak sales touching 1.35 million kg a day.

The chief minister said the rising prices of "liquid fuels have given a tremendous boost to CNG conversion". The cost of running a car on CNG is 73 percent economical as compared to petrol and 45 percent economical as compared to diesel, she explained.

Currently, there are 163 CNG filling stations in the capital, which supply fuel to nearly 225,000 vehicles.

The state government also said it will add 100 new CNG stations in the city before the 2010 Commonwealth Games to manage the growing demand.

Dikshit added that her government would ensure clean air, especially during the Commonwealth Games. It has taken a step further to switch light motor vehicles goods carriers to CNG.

According to a statement from the chief minister's office, Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) that runs the CNG stations in Delhi is in talks with Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) "to allow utilization of their depots at six locations for multi-use".

source economictimes.com (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Energy/Delhi_to_get_50_more_CNG_stations/articleshow/3255804.cms)

Expenditure Committee approves seven projects in Delhi

The Expenditure Finance Committee of Delhi Government today gave nod to seven projects worth Rs 347 crore including four related to PWD and one each to power, land and building and flood control departments.

The projects were cleared in an EFC meeting presided over by Finance Minister A K Walia. Walia told reporters after the meeting that Rs 126.18 crore has been sanctioned for supply, erection, testing and commissioning of complete civil works regarding automation of 400/220/66 KV sub-station at Mundka village in West Delhi.

"The project has been approved with an aim to meet the increased power requirements in the areas of West Delhi as well as to provide supply to DMRC for their extension route in Mundka and the industrial area being developed in Swarn Park, Udyog Nagar," he added. The project will be executed on turnkey basis within 24 months from the date of award of work. Walia expressed confidence that commissioning would be completed within stipulated time to ensure adequate power supply in the area and facilitate plying of Metro Rail.

"The EFC has also approved Rs 9.67 crore for widening of 600-metre part of Eastern Approach road of ISBT Bridge from three lane to four lane. The project would be completed within 21 months," Walia said.

source economictimes.com (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Expenditure_Committee_approves_seven_projects_in_Delhi_/articleshow/3265780.cms)

MCD to launch energy-saving drive in municipal buildings

The MCD will launch a special project to implement energy efficiency measures in important municipal buildings in collaboration with the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI).

The CCI, started by former US President Bill Clinton in August 2006, is serving as the implementing partner of the C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group, an association of large cities around the world which have pledged to accelerate their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A study was undertaken in important MCD buildings like hospitals, poly-clinics, zonal office buildings and details of existing energy consuming infrastructure was analysed to ascertain the scope of introducing energy-saving measures, Mayor Arti Mehra said here today.

Initially, nine municipal buildings and two stretches of roads have been identified for initiating the energy-saving and 'green' measures, she said.

Five energy-saving companies, Honeywell, Trane, JCI, Siemens and DSCL, were selected to conduct a "walk through" the buildings and it was found that there was immense potential to introduce various steps for power conservation.

Mehra said in two stretches, Delhi Gate to Kauria Pul and Rajghat to Ajmeri Gate, have been chosen for use of LED lamps and implementing automation control for street lights.


source economictimes.com (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Infrastructure/MCD_to_launch_energy-saving_drive_in_municipal_buildings/articleshow/3246931.cms)

Hey thats good ^^

Design work begins on largest car park project (http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=16595&secid=41)

Targeted Before Commonwealth Games 2010

Work on the project design of New Delhi Municipal Corporation's multilevel car parking project at Connaught Place has begun. With two basement levels and 13 elevated floors, the car park that can accommodate over 1,500 cars, is touted to be India's biggest and technologically most advanced car parking project. NDMC is developing the project in PPP mode on BOT basis with DS Constructions Ltd being the concessionaire. Global consultancy and engineering group, Meinhardt, has been appointed independent engineer for the landmark project taking shape on Kasturba Gandhi Marg.
Speaking to Projectmonitor, Rajesh Srivastava, Country Director - India, Meinhardt, said that the car park would cause very low noise and air pollution making it environment-friendly. Cars will be delivered to a point, and with the ignition switched-off, they will be moved through an automatic lift to vacant slots. This would result in lower car emissions and a drastic reduction in noise. The low pollution levels are particularly important considering that important buildings like Antariksh Bhawan and British Council Library are situated in the vicinity. The project is estimated to cost Rs 180 crore.
Meinhardt is also currently associated with six multilevel car parking projects of NDMC and also Delhi Municipal Corporation, Srivastava said. The car parks will be so designed that there is no damage done to the existing natural greenery, he added. Commenting on Meinhardt's association with several such projects in India, Srivastava said "We are the only multinational firm which has a one-stop solution for all engineering needs. Every project, at all stages, is taken care of in-house without subletting, unlike most other consultancy firms," he asserted.
Discussing international projects, Srivastava said that Meinhardt was associated with the recently-commissioned $35 million (Rs 150 crore) multilevel car park at the Brisbane International in Australia. With a capacity of 1,700 cars, the Brisbane car park also gives real time information and direction to available parking bays.

Thanks for the update .

It's actually a wholesome irritant trying to park a car in CP - some while back I used to have my CFA classes there and it took 20-25 minutes just to find parking and that too far away from where I intended to go.

Thanks god for construction starting , hopefully now things will move faster as the real bottlenecks lie in the permissions for these structures.

SC sets Sept 1 deadline for abattoir.

Rejecting the plea of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for six more months to make the ultra-modern Ghazipur slaughter house functional, the Supreme Court on Thursday set a September 1 deadline for operationalising the abattoir.

MCD had sought time citing inadequate facilities, opposition from meat traders to shift to Ghazipur and a possible law and order situation, but a Bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhan, S B Sinha and A K Mathur said it would brook no such excuse to delay the project.

Though the Bench fixed the deadline, it had in hand a lingering dispute between MCD and the contractor, Food Processing Equipments Ltd, over the cost of the project.

The court appointed a threemember committee comprising senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, advocate Puneet Jain and gave them the power to co-opt a technical person to undertake fresh evaluation of the project cost. It asked the committee to inspect the project site and give a report to the court by August 27.

This is the second occasion when an independent agency will evaluate the cost of the abattoir. Last year, MCD had pegged its cost at Rs 106 crore, while the contractor expressed its inability to work at anything less than Rs 155 crore.

Failing to resolve the dispute, the court had referred the issue to an expert body — ILFS — on the condition that the price determined by the body would be binding on both parties. The warring parties had consented to such a condition.

ILFS, after detailed analysis, estimated the cost at Rs 113 crore and MCD had immediately agreed to it. But the contractor had wriggled out of its commitment accusing the expert body of not taking into account the price escalation of raw materials.

The court, which had already made MCD pay Rs 123 crore to the contractor, had failed to make both sides agree to a single cost estimate. This made it to refer it to the present committee for a fresh estimate of the cost of the abattoir.

Source: TOI

wow, MCD asking for more time for a project. what a surprise.

idiots

of1A2FPpWZQ

SC sets Sept 1 deadline for abattoir.



Source: TOI

i don't get it; what exactly is this project and how does it benefit delhi? will the government force all the open slaughter houses to shut down and all the slaughterers to move here?

of1A2FPpWZQ

Nice find.

i don't get it; what exactly is this project and how does it benefit delhi? will the government force all the open slaughter houses to shut down and all the slaughterers to move here?

The deadline for the completion of the abattoir was way back in June 2006, but it has been facing hurdle after hurdle. It is an ultra-modern Rs. 150 crore slaughterhouse meant to provide Delhiites with hygienic meat. It will have a total capacity of slaughtering 10,000 goats and 1,000 buffaloes per day. When it was conceived, the Capital's meat requirements was far less but with the population having rapidly increased and the demand far more now (about 20,000 goats per day), the abattoir will be able to cater to only 50% of what is required.

Lira Arcaden Shopping Mall (http://www.hindustanbuildwell.com/content/view/60/86/) from Hindustan Buildwell/Buildcon pvt Ltd., the fist shopping arcaden at Karol Bagh.


http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/4403/liramalljz6.jpg

http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/4625/liramall1vs8.jpg

http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/1261/liramall2kt4.jpg

HERITAGE CENTRE IN WALLED CITY.

Render on TOI:
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1684/pc0040800uv6.jpg

If you are a bookworm, this one’s going to be music to your ears. Municipal Corporation of Delhi has moved a proposal to the state government and to Delhi Development Authority for construction of a Delhi Heritage Centre in Daryaganj, a fourtower, 12-storey building that will house a publishers’ mall — a perennial book fair of sorts — apart from city, police and judiciary museums and institutions of art-culture and education and three levels of parking.

The facade of the building — that is estimated to cost about Rs 150 crore —will be constructed by integrating the art and architectural elements of the Mughal and colonial periods and its components are being designed to make it a one-stop destination for tourists with an eye on the Commonwealth Games 2010. The parking space in the building — three levels with a capacity of 1,000 cars — MCD officials hope, may prove to be the solution to the Walled City’s parking problem.

According to Vijay Singh, deputy commissioner (central zone), MCD who is the prime mover for the proposal, the proposal has already received a positive response from the lieutenant governor who has now routed it to
DDA for appropriate action. Even the
chief minister too has expressed her keenness for the project.

‘‘The centre will be located where currently the District Institute of Educational Training (DIET) of the central district and a Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya are running. We will accommodate DIET in the building and the school may be shifted either to the DC office (central district) or in Parda Bagh area. Ansari Road has a historical association with publishers and publishing houses since the preindependence years and Daryagunj from where 80% of India’s publishers operate is associated with publishing in the same way as Leicester Square and Charing Cross in London. That’s why the mall and around it we will showcase the rich historical heritage of the city,’’ Singh told Times City.

The seven cities of Delhi from Qila Rai Pithora to Shahjahanabad — built by various dynasties, will be showcased and there will be a number of museums so that when the tourist influx of happens during Games, it will be a sort of one-stop tourist centre, something that will be further boosted by the presence of guest houses on three floors of the tower. The three guest houses will be made depicting art, architecture and living style of three different periods of Delhi — ancient, mediaeval and British. There could also be Delhi’s own state guest house. Delhi, in fact, is the only state which does not have one.

As per the proposal, the centre would also house a training institute dedicated to various aspects of urban governance and planning.
The centre will also have the necessary public utilities like banks, courier, post office, cafe as well as air, road and rail reservation counters. There will also be a library on the heritage of India with a special section on Delhi’s urban heritage.

Singh concedes that the height may become an issue given the congested nature of Daryaganj but that, he says, has been taken care of by the fluidity of the plan. ‘‘We may reduce it if required,’’ he says. Delhi government officials say that the file, which is at present with finance minister A K Walia, is being looked into ‘‘very positively.’’


'...........Designed with a unique architecture, it will house a publishers’ mall, some museums and offices'

Publisher’s Mall
An Indian version of a Leicester Square or Charing Cross in London, the mall will have space for all the publishers working from Daryaganj — believed to be a majority of the total number of publishers in India — and also for anybody else keen to set up shop there.

Art & Culture Institutes
All literary academies of Delhi government, like the Urdu and Hindi academies will be housed in the building as will be institutes of performing arts like music drama etc. There will be an auditorium where live performances will be held for tourists and local people.

Education Department
The offices of the primary education department of MCD and the secondary and higher education departments of Delhi government, along with the SCERT and DIET, will be on one or two floors in the third tower of the building

City Administration
There will be an institute dedicated to teaching personnel various aspects of governance and urban planning. The institute will be the first of its kind in the country.

Delhi’s Heritage
The seven cities of Delhi from Qila Rai Pithora to Shahjahanabad, built by various dynasties, will be showcased and there will be a number of museums so that the centre will be a one-stop tourist spot

Parking, Public Utilities
There will be provision for three levels of underground parking with a capacity of 1,000 cars. Space for 500 will be reserved for Daryaganj residents. The other two levels will cater to people visiting the offices and institutes housed in the building. There would also be utilities like banks, post office, cafes and railway and air reservation counters

Security & Surveillance
The building will also have utility as a surveillance aid. The proposed installation of CCTV cameras for checking unauthorised construction in the area and also to sort out the traffic mess through real-time monitoring will be furthered by the building whose height will make it an appropriate place for positioning the cameras

Delhi City Museum
Its rich historical heritage notwithstanding, there is at present no city museum in Delhi. The heritage centre is proposed to fill that gap by accommodating a museum on its topmost floor which will showcase the evolution and development of the city and also portray its cultural and heritage to understand the sense of the city completely

Source: TOI

Well?

^^

That building is an eye-sore. :cheers:

Appreciate the purpose, though.

That building is an eye-sore.

Sadly yes...

If they wanted to do Mughal revival -- they could do way better than this.

^^Absolutely, it doesn't do justice to Mughal architecture. I hope TOI was just giving some kind of an identikit of the actual render.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

10,000 low-cost houses to be sold in Delhi (http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20080805/836/tbs-10-000-low-cost-houses-to-be-sold-in.html)

The Delhi government Tuesday began the sale of application forms for allotment of 10,000 low-cost houses aimed at making a slum-free national capital.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Tuesday opened a sale counter at Regarpura at Karol Bagh for the Rajiv Ratan Awas Yojana.

'10,000 well-designed flats are ready in Bawana and Baprola for allotment. The flats have been provided all basic amenities including water, electricity, dispensary, playground, shopping Centre for daily needs and public transport,' Dikshit said.

The flats are meant for the residents of slum clusters and urban poor. Residents of those slum clusters would be allotted flats on priority, who have been dislocated to make room for construction of projects related to Commonwealth Games.

"Applicant must be a resident of Delhi for at least 10 years and the annual income should not exceed Rs.16,000," Dikshit stated.

The filled application forms would be received at same 54 centres between Aug 18 to Sept 5.

Two-room and one-room dwelling units would respectively cost Rs.200,000 and Rs.175,000 approximately, for which the union government would provide around Rs.60,000 under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Rest of the amount would be arranged as soft loan on easy instalment from banks, which would be repayable in 15 to 20 years.

Sadly yes...

If they wanted to do Mughal revival -- they could do way better than this.

Who knows..maybe they can pull off a decent/subtle design.

^^Absolutely, it doesn't do justice to Mughal architecture. I hope TOI was just giving some kind of an identikit of the actual render.

Trust TOI to come up with such lousy designs. The least they can do is add a small disclaimer at the bottom of the image.

totally. looks like a last minute hack job

NDMC to provide 1600 new PNG connections

The New Delhi Municipal Council will provide nearly 1600 Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections in its housing complexes to ensure easy and direct-to-home supply of domestic fuel. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday inaugurated the PNG network in the NDMC staff quarters on Ashoka Road in the capital, effectively launching the second phase of the project, which is part of the NDMC's social welfare scheme and is being taken up in collaboration with Indraprastha Gas Ltd.

In the first phase, eight colonies were provided 647 connections at the rate of Rs 7,000 each. The second phase involves provision of 1599 connections at a rate of Rs 7,500 each to housing colonies in areas like Pandara Park, Kaka Nagar, Golf Link, Bharti Nagar and Khan Market.

The PNG connection is a "cheaper and more consumer- friendly" option, as the fuel reaches directly to homes through underground pipeline network, an NDMC official said. The Chief Minister also inaugurated the 'BaLA' (Building as Learning Aid) scheme at the NDMC's Navyug Primary School on Tilak Marg in central Delhi.

BaLA is a unique concept for improving quality of education in primary and elementary schools. It aims at providing a self-learning atmosphere in school, with use of a combination of educative material and fun elements. The scheme was launched last year and six schools have been brought under it since. The civic agency plans to extend it to all its primary schools, with a target of covering 10 schools every year. The New Delhi Municipal Council will provide nearly 1600 Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections in its housing complexes to ensure easy and direct-to-home supply of domestic fuel. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday inaugurated the PNG network in the NDMC staff quarters on Ashoka Road in the capital, effectively launching the second phase of the project, which is part of the NDMC's social welfare scheme and is being taken up in collaboration with Indraprastha Gas Ltd.

In the first phase, eight colonies were provided 647 connections at the rate of Rs 7,000 each. The second phase involves provision of 1599 connections at a rate of Rs 7,500 each to housing colonies in areas like Pandara Park, Kaka Nagar, Golf Link, Bharti Nagar and Khan Market.

The PNG connection is a "cheaper and more consumer- friendly" option, as the fuel reaches directly to homes through underground pipeline network, an NDMC official said. The Chief Minister also inaugurated the 'BaLA' (Building as Learning Aid) scheme at the NDMC's Navyug Primary School on Tilak Marg in central Delhi.

BaLA is a unique concept for improving quality of education in primary and elementary schools. It aims at providing a self-learning atmosphere in school, with use of a combination of educative material and fun elements. The scheme was launched last year and six schools have been brought under it since. The civic agency plans to extend it to all its primary schools, with a target of covering 10 schools every year.

source economictimes.com (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Infrastructure/NDMC_to_provide_1600_new_PNG_connections_/articleshow/3346246.cms)

[

Well?

Well, it's TOI, so the render is probably much better than that monster (which doesn't even look possible to build...why do they need to make things so cartoonish?)

It's a good purpose, and does this mean that there will be restorations in Shahjahanabad as well? I've been hoping, praying and cursing (mainly cursing) about that

Cops set to get a wi-fi enabled HQ.

If things go as planned, the Delhi Police can expect a headquarter of its own. Planned as Asia’s biggest, the new Police Head Quarter (PHQ) is set to be built at the posh Parliament Street area, close to the North Block. The site comprises about three hectares of government land and is to be built through the public-private partnership on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis. The proposed floor area is estimated to be about 50,000 square metres and the indicative cost according to the Request for Proposal document (RFP) is about Rs 150 crore. In bid to be technically sound, the building will, in all probability, be ‘‘Wi-fi’’ enabled.

A section of the top brass believes that security concerns were a prime motive for this shift. The PHQ shifted to its present location at the Public Works Department (PWD) building at the ITO in 1975. It was previously located at Kashmere Gate.‘‘Too many anonymous faces enter the premises. While we do have security round the clock, hundreds of visitors flock to PWD along with our HQ. This is a cause of concern for us,’’ said a senior officer. He claimed that there were intelligence inputs that pointed to the PHQ as a potential terrorist target, adding that there was a minor blast near the PHQ in 1996 in which a woman had lost her life.

However, ACP Rajan Bhagat, PRO, Delhi Police dismissed all such claims. ‘‘Security is adequate at our premises. We have enough space at Parliament Street to plan a modern PHQ. Therefore, we are in no hurry,’’ he told the media.

According to the RFP, the authorities have devised a twostage process in evaluating the technical and financial feasibility of the proposal for a new PHQ. In the first stage, a technical evaluation will be carried out. Based on it, a list of shortlisted applicants will be prepared. In the second stage, a financial evaluation will be carried out. Proposals will finally be ranked according to their combined technical and financial scores as specified. The first ranked applicant shall be selected for negotiation while the second ranked applicant will be kept in reserve.

The pre-proposal conference is expected to be held on August 11. The opening of proposals, as of now, has been fixed for August 25. The letter of award is expected to be given within the next fortnight. ‘‘Once that process is completed, the signing of the agreement will be completed in another week,’’ said a senior police officer.

Delhi police has also laid out strict conditions of eligibility of applicants. ‘‘The applicant shall have, over the past five years, preceding the proposal due date (PDD), undertaken a minimum of five eligible assignments. The applicant shall have received a minimum income of Rs 10 crore from professional fees during each of the three years preceding the PDD,’’ says the RFP.

Source: TOI

from skdubai's post on Indian Railways section

Renders by M/S Terry Farrell & Partners - New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/7005/futurendlsnf2.jpg

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/2850/ndlspv7.jpg

How can it be made possible - if the new Delhi station looks anywhere close to that by 2010 . I will sleep on the platform for a full week.

i will beg over there for the whole week..

i think it cant be done exactly that way. even if we make it look just like this then what we gonna do with the ugly looking trains

^^ + ^^

:rofl:

But those renders, if true, look out of this world, quite literally! Thanks bhopalus.

It CAN'T be! :shocked:

How can it be made possible - if the new Delhi station looks anywhere close to that by 2010 . I will sleep on the platform for a full week.

well i dont think itll be done by 2010. but i am ready to wait man! :banana:

this looks better than any of our airports. existing or proposed. we should hire this guys to design our airports.

yea even if they build this, the sh**ty trains will not match the interior at all. It will contrast significantly

well i dont think itll be done by 2010. but i am ready to wait man! :banana:

The construction bids will be finalized by the end of this year so we should expect work to be completed by around 2014.

wow a year after this is completed in 2014 imagine how ridiculous it'll look with all those dirty old maroon trains and people spitting left and right, throwing trash on the floor + the beggars, etc

we are totally not ready for this...are we?

wow a year after this is completed in 2014 imagine how ridiculous it'll look with all those dirty old maroon trains and people spitting left and right, throwing trash on the floor + the beggars, etc

we are totally not ready for this...are we?

This reminds me of the attitude which was prevelant when Metro talk was all over the town , everyone thought they would end up like garbage bins but look how it's turned out.

If the Govt. gives the people sub-standard then it'll get sub-standard treatment from the public too however when the facility is worth appreciation it's well taken care of.

Bahraini firm acquires stake in Delhi mall project (http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20080812/838/tbs-bahraini-firm-acquires-stake-in-delh.html)

Acacia Real Estate, the real estate investment arm of leading Bahraini private bank TAIB Bank, has acquired a 26 percent stake in a retail development mall in Delhi through a joint venture with Anant Raj Group, a public listed company with a market capitalization of $1.2 billion.

According to an Acacia statement, the deal has been structured in an Islamic finance-compliant manner.

"We're proud to be able to offer our clients the first Sharia'h-compliant deal in India's growing real estate and retail market," Iqbal Mamdani, Acacia's vice-chairman and executive committee board member, said in the statement.

"This deal provides investors with an attractive return and upside potential in one of the fastest growing emerging markets," he said.

The project is expected to generate a return on equity for investors of 83 percent over a three-and-a-half-year holding period.

TAIB Bank has been appointed as the exclusive placement agent for the project.

According to the statement, the $220 million retail mall development will consist of 600,000 square feet of retail space upon completion.

The mall will be managed by Sandalwood, a joint venture company of Jones Lang LaSalle and Colonial First State Property Management, a leading Australian retail management firm.

The joint venture partners are currently in advanced discussions with the potential anchor tenant of the mall.

This is the second real estate deal for Acacia in India.

In March this year, it had acquired a 49 percent stake in Logix Technopark, an information technology park at Noida near Delhi.

"I'm also very pleased that our second real estate deal in India is with a highly reputed partner who has an excellent track record," Mamdani said.

Incorporated in 2006, Acacia aims to provide a diverse range of conventional and Islamic finance-compliant investments focused on income generating properties and select development projects.

The design is fantastic and exectly the revolution in public buildings in India need.

It looks like it could be in Paris, Hong Kong or Sydney & the capital city deserves something amazing like this.

Zenith suv is right in saying that the Metro has done well as people will respect such places after some publicity and education.

Whether the government choose this design remains to be seen.

This is a concept station but is totally possible.

China has built a railway which can cruise at 350 KM/h. And ticket cost is sub $10 for 150KM distance.

If we bring such technology in India it would be both profitable and futuristic.

Imagine Bangalore <> Hyderabad in 2 Hrs by rail. Current Air ticket is more than 3500/- Rs.


from skdubai's post on Indian Railways section

Renders by M/S Terry Farrell & Partners - New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

people spitting left and right, throwing trash on the floor + the beggars, etc

we are totally not ready for this...are we?

the metro stations seem to be doing fine

it depends on the company that is suppose to maintain it, if it is a company like dmrc then it will stay clean, but with others it might not. DMRC is forcing people to abide by the rule by having people make sure that there is lines and by watching for trash on the floor.

This reminds me of the attitude which was prevelant when Metro talk was all over the town , everyone thought they would end up like garbage bins but look how it's turned out.

If the Govt. gives the people sub-standard then it'll get sub-standard treatment from the public too however when the facility is worth appreciation it's well taken care of.

I agree to that^^
If people start feeling like the government actually cares about them and India is actually gonna become a world power, then they'll behave more maturely.

Buildings scarce but land is plenty

DDA Has Neglected Housing, Concentrating Instead On Land Deals

Nowhere else in the world will you see this — hundreds of thousands of applications for just over 5,000 flats. Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has offered to sell 5,019 flats and it expects to sell 5 lakh application forms. Add to that those who download the form and submit, and the figure could swell to 6 lakh. So, each new DDA flat has more than a hundred families scrabbling for it. In its last offer in 2006, DDA had received over 2 lakh applications for 3,500 flats.

This is just the tip of the housing shortage iceberg in Delhi. The last comprehensive assessment of housing needs was done by the 2001 Census. According to that, there was a net housing shortage of over four lakh homes in the capital. This consists of one lakh families sharing the roof with other families, and another three lakh families which live in dilapidated, kuchha houses which are unserviceable. Besides this, an estimated quarter of Delhi’s population stays in rented accommodation. That’s another 7.5 lakh households, approximately.

So, we are looking at about 11.5 lakh households, out of a total of about 31 lakh households, that want affordable modern housing. And this was seven years ago — the situation would be worse today. Naturally, there is a mad scramble for every scrap offered by DDA because accommodation offered by private builders is beyond the reach of most middle class families, leave aside the poorer sections of Delhi.

But the million dollar question is — what is the DDA doing about it? It proudly proclaims itself as the ninth builder of Delhi (following seven kings and emperors, and the British) and has sold over 3.7 lakh flats in the past 40 years. It is vested with complete and sole authority for land acquisition, development and allocation, besides the responsibility of providing affordable housing to all sections, especially those not so well off.

However, an analysis of the DDA’s income-expenditure accounts shows that it has neglected the housing part, concentrating more on land sale and purchase.

According to the Annual Administrative Reports of DDA for the years between 2002-03 and 2006-07, its expenditure on construction of flats and shops has declined from about 5% to a measly 1% of its total annual expenditure in this period. On the other hand, its income from sale of land has shot up from about 7% to 18% of its total income.

In these five years, DDA spent about Rs 1,500 crore on construction of houses and shops, and raked in over Rs 2,289 crore from their sale. It spent about Rs 2,616 crore on buying land and netted over Rs 10,155 crore by selling it off to various building agencies like group housing societies. Clearly, it is on to a very lucrative deal.

In case you think DDA might be cash-strapped and hence unable to fork out the money needed to build flats, consider this: the DDA earned over Rs 16,383 crore in the past five years from its investments in securities and bonds. Its earnings from such investments have gone up from about 23% of its total income in 2002-03 to over 32% in 2006-07. And this income is quite apart from what it earns from sale of land and flats. Its total receipts in 2002-03 amounted to Rs 6,383 crore, which rocketed to over Rs 22,394 crore last year, an increase of over 250%.

So, as the average Dilliwalla struggles with ever-rising monthly rents or commutes long distance from cooped up accommodation in the cheaper periphery of the metropolis, the mandarins of DDA intermittently come up with schemes like the present one, offering tidbits to them. And some of the allottees of past schemes — stretching back to 1979 — have still not got a flat. There are 2,201 families still waiting for flats. But, is anybody monitoring the DDA? After all it is a statutory body, created by an act of Parliament, and comes under the ministry of urban affairs? Some indication of this can be got from the fact that, according to the DDA’s Annual Report for 2006-07, the last audited accounts placed before Parliament were for 2002-03.

Accounts for the subsequent years are in various stages — from auditing, to printing, to submission to ministry, to laying before Parliament. Perhaps DDA is just living up to its self-perception as the ninth builder — all the previous ones were sovereign monarchs, answerable to none.

Figures:


Expenditure on construction of shops and flats (Rs in cr)

2002-03 | 292.36
2006-07 | 228.72


Percentage of total expenditure

2002-03 | 5
2006-07 | 1


Income from sale of land (Rs in cr)

2002-03 | 431
2006-07 | 4009.67


As percentage of total income

2002-03 | 7
2006-07 | 18


Income from investments (Rs cr)

2002-03 | 1485.99
2006-07 | 7128.76


As % of total income

2002-03 | 23
2006-07 | 32


Source: TOI



5-6 lakh application forms for just 5,000 flats is unbelievable. DDA is being greedy by paying more attention to areas where it can get more revenue instead of attending to the needs of the people. Heck, it's percentage of expenditure on construction of buildings has gone down to an alarming 1% from 5% five years back. Not everyone can afford to buy houses built by private builders.

The DDA should be shut down.

A very good and in-depth analysis of the housing problems vis-a-vis DDA's inability to control the situation by TOI.

I was also among those 2 lakh applicants in 2006 and washed-up Rs.5-6 thousands in the process of application etc.. Its very difficult to address the housing problem of Delhi at this juncture.

Shutting down of DDA would be very difficult as it employs about 5-6 thousand employees.:ohno:

Capital gets its first luxury mall (http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=75522026-3718-41fc-b607-c48a479e2a6e)

Just when we thought the mall boom was going bust, DLF’s luxury Emporio mall is all set to open its doors to Delhi’s customers on Monday.

The new niche mall at Vasant Kunj could also mark the end of space problems faced by luxury brands across the country.

With the mall fully functional by October, this looks like the beginning of a much-awaited friendship between India’s well-heeled and luxury brands.

Pia Singh, chairperson of DLF Retail Developers Ltd, already has plans set on the table for an all-India clientele.

By end-2010, similar malls will be opened in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Gurgaon, Ludhiana and Pune. Over Rs 2,000 crore is being invested into the project.

“We have already acquired land for developing these malls,” she said in an exclusive interview to Hindustan Times.

The concept consists of building two malls in each city. Delhi’s Emporio will house luxury brands such as Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Dior, Fendi, Cartier, Harry Winston, Tiffany and Chopard.

Another luxury mall, DLF Place, will house around 160 high-street brands for the middle-income group.

Built separately next to each other, the two will sprawl over about 850,000 sq ft.
Both these malls will be connected through common hub in between.

The hub will be made somewhat into a Times Square type of area with 33 ft/18 ft huge screen where enthusiasts can watch sports and entertainment, a choreographed water fountain, an amphitheatre, promenade cafés and kiosks.

The open hub will have misty sprays to do the climate control. “The idea is to give customers a wholesome experience and not just a spot to shop. The mall will have all kind of recreation facilities as well,” said Singh.

DDA's Master Plan 2021 bags Madrid excellence award

NEW DELHI: In an irony of sorts, the controversial DDA Master Plan 2021 (MPD-2021), much criticised in Delhi, has actually been named the best in a competition on urban planning in Madrid. The DDA document managed to bag the "2008 ISOCARP Award for Excellence for Master Plan for Delhi 2021" in Madrid, Spain. Back home, the said plan continues to be shrouded in controversy and measures laid out therein have been labelled populist by many. The document is currently under review of the Supreme Court.

DDA's Master Plan is one of the six projects in urban planning selected out of 17 countries for the recognition. Besides Delhi, the award has been given to one institution each in the Netherlands, Belgium, Mexico, Poland and China. The International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) is a professional Association of City & Regional Planners, with members from more than 75 developed and developing countries and recognized by the UN, Council of Europe, with consultative status with UNESCO. ISOCARP decided to award the DDA plan during a meeting of the jury held in Madrid, Spain, on July 17, 2008.

However, ISOCARP, which had instituted Award for Excellence on its 44th Anniversary in the year 2005, gives it to a city or an institution in recognition of exceptionally innovative urban and regional planning initiatives that best express the theme of the ISOCARP Congress, that year. The theme of ISOCARP Congress this year is "Urban Growth without Sprawl — A way towards Sustainable Urbanization".

The award will be given at a ceremony in Spain in November on the occasion of World Planning Day.

I'm lost, what exactly is the Delhi Masterplan 2021? I mean I know what a master plan is, but how come everybody on THIS (http://mpd2021.blogspot.com/)website hates it even though it apparently is so good? And how come nobody is implementing it yet?

http://www.dda.org.in/planning/draft_master_plans.htm

NEW DELHI: With the landing of an Air India Boeing 777-300 (extended range), the third runway, 4,430 metres long, of the Indira Gandhi International Airport here — among the longest in Asia — opened for trial runs on Thursday morning.

PTI reports:

The IGI airport is the only one in the country to have three runways and CAT IIIB facility on two runways.

The 4,430 metre Code-F complaint runway can handle wide bodied aircraft such as Airbus A-380 and Antonov AN-225. The trials will continue till August 24. The runway was completed in record 18 months.

A massive 2.3 million cubic metres of soil was removed for laying 650,000 tonnes of asphalt — enough to build a 75-km six-lane expressway.

The runway, costing about Rs. 1000 crore, has a surface glass grid laid under the concrete to prevent cracks.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/22/stories/2008082260771400.htm

PARKING GETS A LIFT
Finally, Delhi gets its first fully automated multi-level parking lot. The system at Delhi HC will house over 1,500 cars
Megha Suri | TNN

After years of contemplation, the Capital will finally be getting its first fully automated multi-level parking lot where vehicles will be parked without any human intervention. The five-level underground parking, with a capacity to park over

1,500 cars at a time, isbeing developed for the Delhi High Court by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

The parking lot will come up on around 10,000 square metres of land across Gate number 4/5 of the high court and will be connected to the complex with a vehicular underpass. The ground above the parking lot will be landscaped.

The lobby where cars will be dropped off and collected from will be located in the Basement 2 level and connected to the tunnel. The rest of the floors will house the 1,518 parking slots and circulation areas.

Even in the absence of any attendants, using the parking lot won’t be difficult. To park a vehicle, the driver will use the tunnel to drive into the lobby of the multi-level lot from where the vehicle will be guided into one of the 21 slots in the lobby, being planned for drop-off. The vehicle will be left with its handbrakes pulled and the driver will retain the keys. After parking the car in the slot, an automated machine will issue a parking ticket.

At this point, the system will take over. Based on the size and weight of the vehicle, a parking slot will automatically be assigned for it. Using a system of travellators and special car-lifts, the vehicle will be moved between floors to reach the designated slot.

To retrieve the vehicle, the driver will access the ticket machine at the lobby. On reading the details of the vehicle, the computer will automatically identify the slot where it has been parked and get wheel the car back to the lobby.

The parking lot will have basic facilities like drinking water and toilets. The structure will be completely earthquake resistant. To ensure the safety of vehicles parked inside, the complex will be equipped with CCTV cameras, fire fighting equipment and power backup. DMRC is planning to use the latest technology and equipment in the automated parking lot.

‘‘The tendering process is on and several foreign contractors from Europe, Korea and Japan are in the fray for developing it. The model of operation is yet to be finalised, but we are looking at getting the contractor to maintain it for the first five years,’’ said a DMRC spokesperson.

The construction of the parking lot is expected to start by November and it will be ready by August 2010. The parking rates are still to be fixed, but it will be ensured they are not too steep, since the facility will primarily be used by HC judges and advocates.

A survey revealed the demand for parking in the high court is very high, with over 2,000 cars visiting the complex daily. Having a capacity to house only 525 cars, the existing surface parking lots are insufficient to meet this demand.

DMRC is also planning similar multi-level parking lots at several metro stations like — Janakpuri West, Pitampura and Rohini East — where the demand for parking is high.

An automated parking lot will also come up at the metro station at New Delhi Railway Station, which is an interchange between the airport express line and the existing Line 2 of the Delhi Metro.

TECH SOLUTION

Total capacity | 1,518 cars Parking demand | 2,000 cars Existing parking | 525 cars No. of cars handled at a time | 21 Area | 10,000 sq m No. of levels | 5 Cost | Rs 120 crore Completion date | Aug 2010 Users | 75% HC judges & lawyers;

25% general public

HOW IT WORKS

The fully computerised parking lot will automatically identify a slot for each car that enters the lobby and shift it there without any human intervention

TOI

:deleted: found the right thread!!

i miss those places wish i was there.

NEW DELHI: The authorities that built the third runway at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport claim it's India's longest - but it's a cred
it that remains on paper because of a curious problem.

For all practical purposes, the runway is today India's seventh longest, as almost a quarter of it is unusable.

The IGI's new runway, rechristened (29/11), is touted as India's longest airstrip (4,430 metres). But an obstruction created by a 62-feet idol of Lord Shiva facing its landing approach in the east renders over a kilometre of the runway stretch unusable.

This makes the usable stretch shortened to 3,400 metres - making the runway shorter than airstrips in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, in three other metros - Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai - and Delhi's own second runway and a little ahead of the Kochi airstrip.

"The shortened threshold (the point where the aircraft is supposed to land) is over a kilometre from the tip of the third runway on National Highway 8 in the east," admits the assistant vice-president of Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), Arun Arora.

DIAL is a GMR-led joint venture consortium modernising the Delhi airport. "But if an aircraft lands from the west, it can use the entire runway strip. The shortened threshold is considered only for landing," Arora said.

At present, the two new greenfield airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore are those with very long runways at 4,260 metres and 4,120 metres respectively. The second runway at Delhi airport is 3,810 metres, while the Chennai one is 3,658m, one in Kolkata 3,629 metres, in Ahmedabad 3,599 metres and in Mumbai 3,445 metres.

Incidentally, the Hyderabad airport too was developed by the GMR consortium that is modernising Delhi airport. According to Arora, a notem, the process of informing airports across the world regarding the specifications of the third new runway at IGI, has already been done.

The main runway at Delhi airport - its second - is being mostly used now for take-offs, while the new runway is used only for landing.

Also, the landing on the new runway is restricted to 12 hours till 6 p.m., as the lighting system had developed a snag soon after it was made fully operational on Sep 25 and is now unlikely to be operational before November-end, said an airport official.

"Pilots now have to keep the statue in mind before beginning the final descent for touchdown," says Vikram Yadav, joint secretary of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association. He, however, said it was not a problem for pilots.

The Shiva idol was built by the B.K. Birla trust in March 1994 and was not considered a hazard to flights till the third runway became operational.

DIAL had earlier raised the issue concerning the statue after it began the construction of the new runway in early 2007. The matter was also placed before the government, but no concrete solution emerged. DIAL then decided to increase the length of the runway on the western side, which jacked up costs.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infrastructure/Delhis_new_airstrip_touted_Indias_longest_is_just_seventh/articleshow/3640022.cms

^^Wow!
I don't know if it's just me or it is a blunder mistake that GMR commited when building that runway.
Now what?

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/Web/Article/2008/10/28/006/28_10_2008_006_002.jpg

Source: Hindustan Times

^^Wow!
I don't know if it's just me or it is a blunder mistake that GMR commited when building that runway.
Now what?

I guess moving the moorti is probably out of the question, moving a religious structure in Indian usually is. So I guess no choice but to live with it....


And BTW the sprout things look wierd!! looks like one of those alien tentacles from war of the worlds

It is unnecessary for sure. The next thing you know is that they are stolen and sold for some handsome bucks.

I dunno about you but I like the Sprouts.
They're something artistic and maybe original

BTW the article mentions about the facelift for the Commonwealth games. What additional things are revamped for the Facelift Besides Delhi Metro?

Delhi government inks deal to preserve city monuments (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/delhi-government-inks-deal-to-preserve-city-monuments_100112875.html)

The Delhi government Wednesday signed a deal with INTACH, a non-profit organisation, for the protection and conservation of 92 monuments in the national capital.The department of archaeology has prepared a list of 250 monuments to be protected in a phased manner depending on resources and infrastructure.

Keshav Chandra, director in the department of archeology, and A.G.K. Menon, convener of INTACH, Delhi chapter, signed the deal.

“These 92 monuments, which have been selected in the first phase, include those that fall on the route of Commonwealth Games 2010,” Chandra said.

He also added that during the games a large number of domestic as well as foreign visitors are expected in the capital so monuments have to be spruced up to attract tourists.

“This deal has come after a lot of planning and should not be seen in the wake of coming elections. It is for future preservation (of the monuments),” Menon told IANS.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has prepared a list of 1,317 monuments that are located in Delhi. At present, 175 monuments have been declared as of being national importance and are protected by the ASI.

^^^^

Good. So now we can expect some maintained monumental structures.

I like the sprouting Steel sculpture above as part of the facelift for the city.

Im concerned about no updates with regards to other projects in preperation for the Games in 2010. No doubt they will pull it off just in time but some updates would be nice.

I was in Delhi yesterday for one night. Drove past those sprout thingies ... really cool.

I like them.
the more outside art the better.
Severly lacking in the U K too

NEW DELHI: The authorities that built the third runway at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport claim it's India's longest - but it's a cred
it that remains on paper because of a curious problem.

For all practical purposes, the runway is today India's seventh longest, as almost a quarter of it is unusable.

The IGI's new runway, rechristened (29/11), is touted as India's longest airstrip (4,430 metres). But an obstruction created by a 62-feet idol of Lord Shiva facing its landing approach in the east renders over a kilometre of the runway stretch unusable.

This makes the usable stretch shortened to 3,400 metres - making the runway shorter than airstrips in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, in three other metros - Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai - and Delhi's own second runway and a little ahead of the Kochi airstrip.

"The shortened threshold (the point where the aircraft is supposed to land) is over a kilometre from the tip of the third runway on National Highway 8 in the east," admits the assistant vice-president of Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), Arun Arora.

DIAL is a GMR-led joint venture consortium modernising the Delhi airport. "But if an aircraft lands from the west, it can use the entire runway strip. The shortened threshold is considered only for landing," Arora said.

At present, the two new greenfield airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore are those with very long runways at 4,260 metres and 4,120 metres respectively. The second runway at Delhi airport is 3,810 metres, while the Chennai one is 3,658m, one in Kolkata 3,629 metres, in Ahmedabad 3,599 metres and in Mumbai 3,445 metres.

Incidentally, the Hyderabad airport too was developed by the GMR consortium that is modernising Delhi airport. According to Arora, a notem, the process of informing airports across the world regarding the specifications of the third new runway at IGI, has already been done.

The main runway at Delhi airport - its second - is being mostly used now for take-offs, while the new runway is used only for landing.

Also, the landing on the new runway is restricted to 12 hours till 6 p.m., as the lighting system had developed a snag soon after it was made fully operational on Sep 25 and is now unlikely to be operational before November-end, said an airport official.

"Pilots now have to keep the statue in mind before beginning the final descent for touchdown," says Vikram Yadav, joint secretary of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association. He, however, said it was not a problem for pilots.

The Shiva idol was built by the B.K. Birla trust in March 1994 and was not considered a hazard to flights till the third runway became operational.

DIAL had earlier raised the issue concerning the statue after it began the construction of the new runway in early 2007. The matter was also placed before the government, but no concrete solution emerged. DIAL then decided to increase the length of the runway on the western side, which jacked up costs.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infrastructure/Delhis_new_airstrip_touted_Indias_longest_is_just_seventh/articleshow/3640022.cms

It's a shame that the new runway at the Indira Gandhi Airport got shortened. They should have moved whatever the H-word is causing this problem out of the way.

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/Web/Article/2008/11/04/005/04_11_2008_005_001.jpg

Source: Hindustan Times

Do we have a page for Commonwealth Games?

^^
how did u manage to save this report from HT online edition..
there's a report on ggn's transport woes.. but as soon as i right-click to save d pic+article (so s to load in image-shack later).. it says function disabled ..:nuts:

whats d procedure now!!!!

Check your PM

New Delhi, Nov. 3 Crossings Infrastructure, a special purpose vehicle promoted by seven real estate companies to develop 360 acre-integrated township project ‘Crossings Republik’ in Delhi NCR, on Monday announced two commercial projects — Crossings City Center and Crossings Galleria.

Together the two projects would involve an investment of Rs 200-250 crore, to be funded through internal accruals and customer bookings.

The Crossings City Centre is being positioned as the commercial hub of Crossings Republik, and would have 600 showrooms spread across an area of one million sq ft. “Crossings City Center will have atriums, food courts, a multiplex, office towers and hyper markets, and we expect it to be completed in 24 months,” Mr Sanjeev Srivastva, Director, Crossings Infrastructure, said at a conference.

Crossings Galeria, a neighbourhood shopping mall would house 100 shops spread across 35,000 sq ft, an office space spread across 6,200 sq ft, besides a food court and a shopping arcade. This project is expected to be completed within 18 months.

The company said it is in advanced stages of tying-up with brands such as Titan Industries Limited, Provogue, Apple, Zodiac, Biba Apparels, Meena Bazar, Raymonds Limited, Adidas, Reebok, and Reliance Retail amongst others.

Mr Manoj Gaur, Director, Crossings Infrastructure said, “Overall, the township will have more than 30 million sq ft of built-up residential area and 2 million sq ft of commercial area comprising hotels, multiplexes, malls, service apartments, office complex, and community facilities.”

Crossings Infrastructure has been promoted by real estate developers Ajnara Farms & Services, Assotech, Gaursons India, Mahagun Developers, Panchsheel Promoters, Paramount Residency, and Supertech.

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/11/04/stories/2008110452510300.htm

I was in Delhi yesterday for one night. Drove past those sprout thingies ... really cool.

should have taken pictures ... well next time.

should have taken pictures ... well next time.

Yes, next time indeed. I will be in India for about six weeks this winter. Hope to post pictures from places less visible on this forum -- Mizoram, Tripura, Sarnath, Lucknow etc ... of course, Delhi Mumbai etc will be passe.

COol man...

Don't forget to take pictures of the latest buildings in Bombay, the Mumbai Metro, Delhi Metro, and some other places as well.

:cheers:

Tivoli group of hotels will add two banquet hotels to its portfolio soon. The property in Greater Noida, Tivoli Habitat Centre, is ready for opening with its first booking — a grand wedding — scheduled for November 11 2008. The GT Karnal Road, (Delhi) property, Tivoli Grand Resort Hotel, will be launched next month.

Speaking to HospitalityBiz, Rohit Gupta, CEO, Tivoli Group said that both properties are in virgin territories as far as banqueting facilities are concerned. “In the real sense, Greater Noida is a virgin market for banquet hotels. There is a lot of corporate activity there, plus many middle class apartments are coming up in and around the area. Greater Noida is full of corporates. The GT Karnal Road property also has a large catchment area for banqueting, especially since places like Raja Garden, Rajouri Garden and Pitampura, are around it.”

Tivoli Habitat Centre will also offer Club membership for corporate clients and residents of the area. The six room property will offer very large airconditioned banquet halls, conference space, branded restaurants and a swimming pool. The seven acre Tivoli Grand Resort Hotel will house 30 rooms, big terraces, a central court, airconditioned banquet halls and F&B areas. “Our GT Karnal Road property will be the first hotel in Delhi to avail of the five year tax holiday as announced by the government for the Commonwealth Games,” added Gupta.

The group will also be come up with hotel properties at Manesar in Gurgaon and in Jaipur and Dehradun. Gupta informed that approvals for all the properties have been obtained and construction will begin once project funding is finalised.

Source: http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com/detailNews.aspx?aid=2535&sid=1

I don't know how many of the forumers had direct access to it but there was a show named on "The changing face of Delhi" on CNN-IBN.

It covers most aspects of development regarding CWG 2010 and otherwise but nothing in-depth , just an overview or sorts , I won't post the video because of copyright issues but the links in parts are given below.

Part 1

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/77777/30-minutes-the-changing-face-of-delhi-for-2010-games.html


Part 2

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/77777/30-minutes-the-changing-face-of-delhi-for-2010-games.html


Part 3

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/77781/safety-preps-under-scanner-for-commonwealth-games.html


Part 4

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/77781/safety-preps-under-scanner-for-commonwealth-games.html


Part 5

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/77784/commonwealth-games-ignoring-common-interest-of-the-poor.html

Why is the lady in the video saying the BRT is a nuisance absolutely?

If that's the case, sell your car, go by BRTS, that would be one less car of the road, and traffic will reduce by 1 car. While the others say that the Commonwealth Games village that's coming up, it is being built on a Earthquake Prone area-?

The whole of Delhi NCR is an earthquake area and we just have to trust the authorities who give the clearances for projects.

BRT depends on narrow mindedness and perspectives of users , as a Concept I wholly endorse it and the people in cars and go take a hike .

But one modification which can be done is to put Bus lanes on the sides , in the center it causes serious threat to life of Children and senior citizens , not to mention the disabled.

That should be adresses in other corridors though.

Yes. I am not sure if you are referring "the danger" as crossing the roads, but if you are, then don't you think that problem can be solved? All they need is over head pedestrian bridges?

I agree. I would think that having the BRTS lanes moved, or newly allocated along the sides, and not the centre of arteries is NOT feasible. It could be more expensive to build along existing arteries, and defeats the purpose of the letter 'R' in the acronym, 'BRTS'.

Yes. I am not sure if you are referring "the danger" as crossing the roads, but if you are, then don't you think that problem can be solved? All they need is over head pedestrian bridges?

Sites for FOB were decided months back but nothing is happening , a second model was developed keeping the bus lanes on the sides and that is being worked on.

Problem is that several by-lanes turn in colonies and residential areas and buses would be interrupted that way , so they are planning to make stops right before those by-lanes so that users can get off and move straight towards the houses.

One of the fundamental problems with bus lanes in center is the walking distance , isolation from destination and it's dangerous to get off if the bus does not stop @ exact same place. Plus the buses which have to turn left or right after BRT ends cause traffic jams and if a bus breaks down in BRT then there is no way to shift it to the sides , blocking everything behind it.

==========================

Wonderful ... simply marvellous! :) :banana: :)

I'm from Delhi so to speak, and CP was the 'goto' place for us.

And it broke our heart how the 'laala's ran the place down, many wished the British back due to teh sight of CP. Parents used to tell stories of CP, if N.Delhi was an elite city, then CP was ... howusay ... ELITIS-TAN!

And that shithole they dug in the middle ... what ... Palikaa ... ha .. squirrel-cage dumpster ... honestly, I'm a man in my 30's and I got scared last time I was there.:ohno::ohno::ohno:

Lastly, word on the st. in CP was ... the LIC (Life Corp. of India) owns CP. Now that I remember, I read somewhere how the British Co. that built CP went tits-up. CP would up on the roster of another 'finfcial services co.', and finally ended up in the lap of the mighty Imperial Gov. of India through it's nationalised (read confiscated) LIC, I'm sure there must be an LIC Act. Guys, this happens in India. The parliament passes propah 'acts' to take over things they like, and often enough call it by the name of the thing to be confiscated. I know thee is a Railways ... many actually. And Air-India act. This happens all over I'm sure, but in India is was a thinly veiled communism ... 'socialism' methinks ... that drove this idea.

I wonder if CP becomes a Heritage thing, one coudl pass a CP act in parliament and turn CP over ato a mgmt. trustee ... it's a money spinner for sure, so why could it not look and be ppl. friendly?:bash:

================================

so they have to recreate all this work 12 times over? damn...


Wonderful ... simply marvellous! :) :banana: :)

I'm from Delhi so to speak, and CP was the 'goto' place for us.

And it broke our heart how the 'laala's ran the place down, many wished the British back due to teh sight of CP. Parents used to tell stories of CP, if N.Delhi was an elite city, then CP was ... howusay ... ELITIS-TAN!

And that shithole they dug in the middle ... what ... Palikaa ... ha .. squirrel-cage dumpster ... honestly, I'm a man in my 30's and I got scared last time I was there.:ohno::ohno::ohno:

Lastly, word on the st. in CP was ... the LIC (Life Corp. of India) owns CP. Now that I remember, I read somewhere how the British Co. that built CP went tits-up. CP would up on the roster of another 'finfcial services co.', and finally ended up in the lap of the mighty Imperial Gov. of India through it's nationalised (read confiscated) LIC, I'm sure there must be an LIC Act. Guys, this happens in India. The parliament passes propah 'acts' to take over things they like, and often enough call it by the name of the thing to be confiscated. I know thee is a Railways ... many actually. And Air-India act. This happens all over I'm sure, but in India is was a thinly veiled communism ... 'socialism' methinks ... that drove this idea.

I wonder if CP becomes a Heritage thing, one coudl pass a CP act in parliament and turn CP over ato a mgmt. trustee ... it's a money spinner for sure, so why could it not look and be ppl. friendly?:bash:

Whynot apecial Act of Paliament for CP re: Heritage site ... hehe ..
====================================================

Wonderful ... simply marvellous! :) :banana: :)

I'm from Delhi so to speak, and CP was the 'goto' place for us.

And it broke our heart how the 'laala's ran the place down, many wished the British back due to teh sight of CP. Parents used to tell stories of CP, if N.Delhi was an elite city, then CP was ... howusay ... ELITIS-TAN!

And that shithole they dug in the middle ... what ... Palikaa ... ha .. squirrel-cage dumpster ... honestly, I'm a man in my 30's and I got scared last time I was there.:ohno::ohno::ohno:

Lastly, word on the st. in CP was ... the LIC (Life Corp. of India) owns CP. Now that I remember, I read somewhere how the British Co. that built CP went tits-up. CP would up on the roster of another 'finfcial services co.', and finally ended up in the lap of the mighty Imperial Gov. of India through it's nationalised (read confiscated) LIC, I'm sure there must be an LIC Act. Guys, this happens in India. The parliament passes propah 'acts' to take over things they like, and often enough call it by the name of the thing to be confiscated. I know thee is a Railways ... many actually. And Air-India act. This happens all over I'm sure, but in India is was a thinly veiled communism ... 'socialism' methinks ... that drove this idea.

I wonder if CP becomes a Heritage thing, one coudl pass a CP act in parliament and turn CP over ato a mgmt. trustee ... it's a money spinner for sure, so why could it not look and be ppl. friendly?:bash:

UP Hotels Clarks Limited (UPHCL) will come up with a business hotel in Nehru Place, New Delhi by mid-December, 2008. The 28-room hotel will have 26 standard rooms and two suites. The hotel, which is in the final stages of construction, will have conferencing facilities and a roof top multi-cuisine restaurant.

Suneel Rawat, General Manager-Sales & Marketing, UP Hotels Clarks Limited says, “This property is prestigious because we are in the middle of the business district of Nehru Place. The signage in this particular location has its brand value.” The hotel will also have a nationalised bank on its ground floor.

The group has also plans to expand in a big way in the NCR in the coming years. Rawat said that the group has signed a management contract with three more hotel properties in the NCR, recently. These properties will be developed over the next one year in locations like Kaushambi in Uttar Pradesh – Delhi border; Faridabad, and Gurgaon..“These hotels would be business hotels with 30-50 room inventory. While a feasibility study is on for the Gurgaon property, Rawat has expressed the confidence that the other two properties would be ready for operations by the third quarter of 2009. “The Faridabad property is part of a mall,” he adds. He also informed that the hotel group is looking at locations like Greater Noida and Noida for future tie-ups.

UP Hotels Clarks Limited owns and operates brands like Clarks Exotica and Clarks Inn, with properties in Bengaluru, Gorakhpur, Goa, Alwar, and NCR Delhi. The group’s hotel at Pacific Mall at Sahibabad in the NCR is the first mall hotel in the country and has found a entry in the Limca Book of Records.

Source: http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com/detailNews.aspx?aid=2612&sid=1

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/97/25112008001022kx9.jpg

Delhi Police is in the process of finalising the tenders it has invited for the construction of the police HQ and residential building complex from architects and technical consultants. The global request for proposal has been invited a second time. The project will be developed on design-build-finance-operate-transfer basis.

"We have received nine bids for the residential complex and eight bids for the police headquarters, and we will announce the final bidder soon, said B.S. Bamel, Assistant Commissioner of Police.

Bamel further said that the proposed building would come up on eight acres of land near Parliament House in New Delhi. "We have acquired the required land. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 150 crore and the project is expected to complete in two years from the date of award of civil contract," he added.

Source: http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=17439&secid=28

from skdubai's post on Indian Railways section

Renders by M/S Terry Farrell & Partners - New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS)

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/7005/futurendlsnf2.jpg

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/2850/ndlspv7.jpg

Now look at more renders and really good maps and specifics about this

HERE (http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/Land/tenders/project_memorandum_261108.pdf)

bidding closes on 12th so we'll get more info; project is supposed to be completed in 2014. it'll transform the area for sure and hopefully do the same thing the delhi metro does (make every city say "i want one too!"

^^thanks for the link mate! the facades look very good
good to see some action happening on this front.

GreenSpaces, a 1.75 million sq. ft SEZ IT park is coming up in Delhi-Faridabad border on NH-2. The project's estimated cost is about $ 300 million. The location is very close to both Noida and Gurgaon. It is being promoted by the management of Paharpur Business Centre & Software Technology Incubator Park.

The main objective is to deliver the world's most energy-efficient commercial building measured by achieving the highest number of points, worldwide, in Leed 3.0 certification (being launched in January 2009), according to Kamal Meattle, CEO, Paharpur Business Centre.

One of the world's finest Green designer firms, USA-based Perkins+Will, has been chosen for making the master plan, and Mumbai-based Edifice is supporting them. Battle McCarthy from London is the concept MEP consultants and landscape architect. MEP services are being designed by India's leading green building consultancy firm, Spectral Services Consultants Ltd, headquartered in Noida. The general contracting partner is Leighton from Melbourne, the largest contracting group in Australia, partnering from their operations headquartered in Mumbai.

The project is a multi-storey commercial structure that will have a total covered area of 1.75 million sq. ft, out of which 0.86 million sq. ft will be business space, targeted towards IT/ITES companies. It's a flagship project of the Buildings & Appliances Task Force of Asia-Pacific Partnership on clean development and climate.

The Asia-Pacific Partnership is an international non-treaty government to government agreement among seven countries - Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, South Korea and the US, working towards energy security, air pollution reduction and climate change to promote sustainable economic growth.

Given that a 3.7 km flyover is being built at Badarpur, a short distance from Jasola, the GreenSpaces site will become an extension of Jasola, South Delhi. Also, a Metro stop is coming up right in front of the site. The project is currently at an advanced design stage, and will be ready for occupation in-mid 2011.

Source: http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=17499&secid=80

Blueline phaseout kicks off, 7 corporates in fray
Megha Suri | TNN

New Delhi: The ‘‘killer’’ Blueline fleet is finally on its way out of the city. The government has set January 16 as the deadline to appoint the operator of the first cluster of private buses, which are being introduced as a replacement to the Blueline fleet.

The transport department finalised the Request for Proposal (RFP) document detailing the entire scheme on Wednesday and sent it out to the seven corporates which have been shortlisted to run the service.

“The RFP has been sent to the seven corporates shortlisted after the RFQs, whose financial worth and past experience were verified. The bids will open on December 30 after which the lowest bidder will be awarded the contract to run the new fleet,’’ confirmed R K Verma, secretary cum commissioner, transport department.

The bidders will be required to study the document, which includes the timetables of all buses running in the cluster, their frequencies, the type and specifications of buses, quality of service, etc. Since they will also be required to procure the buses on their own, they are required to give the quote of financial requirements and the date when they will start the service. The department is also planning to open bids for the remaining 15 clusters in the next fortnight. The seven bidders reportedly include big names like IL&FS and Orix.

For the new service, the city has been divided into 17 clusters depending on routes, each of which will be given out to a corporate, giving a complete makeover to the experience of commuting by buses. The scheme is slotted for a mid-2009 completion.

The new ‘‘corporatized’’ fleet comprise of modern low-floor buses, some of them AC, all equipped with GPS and automated ticketing systems. The fleet will be steered by bus staff trained in courteous behaviour. To tackle the Blueline problem from the root, the revenue model for the system has been kept completely different.

For this, all routes where five or more bus routes overlap have been included in the same cluster. Bus services in each of the clusters will be run by private operators, but since all the buses on the assigned routes will be run by the same person, there is no scope for competition. As a norm, DTC will also run 60% of the buses on the same routes. Once the buses hit the road, the operator will be compensated for running the service irrespective of the ridership. The government is planning to have a user-feedback system to rate operator’s performance.

SOurce - TOI

Parsvnath Developers Ltd, one of India's leading real estate and infrastructure companies, is going to set up an office-cum-commercial 'Corporate Tower' at Netaji Subhash Place Metro Station, opposite Wazirpur District Centre, Pitampura, in New Delhi. "We have received environmental clearance from the ministry of environment and forests at the end of November," said a company official.
The project is strategically located with an easy accessibility on the ring road catering to the shopping needs of people traveling by metro and road. The project has multiple pull factors, and offers product mix that will attract footfalls across all age groups.
The project will spread over an area of 19,400 sq. mt with a total developable area of 2,50,000 sq. ft. Work on the project is likely to begin soon and would be completed within two years from the date of commencement of work. However, the official did not state the project cost, but said that the mode of investment will be on lease model.
"The tower will comprise 13 storeys with shops and offices. The number of units to be developed will be decided after negotiation with the Anchor and Vanilla brands. The tower will be well equipped with necessary modern amenities We possess the land for the project and will begin work soon," he said.
Parsvnath Developers is developing 114 mega projects, including malls and IT parks, spread over 211.32 million sq. ft in 51 cities and 18 states.

http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=17507&secid=80

The Delhi Airport Express Line is part of the under-construction Delhi Metro Rail Project (phase-II) that is targeted to commission ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The line assumes significance since it is for the first time that DMRC has used the concessionaire approach. While the underground tunnel and the associated stations will be constructed by DMRC using the EPC contract route, the laying of railway track and management of the railway service will be done by a private sector concessionaire—a consortium headed by Reliance Infrastructure Ltd and partnered by CAF of Spain.
The line is mainly underground except for a 7.4-km elevated section from Ridge Road to Palam Depot. Work, distributed in six packages, is in full swing with contractors like Hindustan Construction Company Ltd, Senbo Engineering, IJM of Malaysia, Larsen & Toubro Ltd and Afcons Infrastructure Ltd on the job. Some contracts are being executed in consortium with foreign companies like Shanghai Urban Construction Group of China and Alpine Mayreder of Austria.

http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=17529&secid=3

RAJYA SABHA

The Government of India accorded ‘in-principle’ approval to the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project outline in August, 2007 which envisages inter-alia Project Development Work for implementation through Public Private Partnership of world class infrastructure in the region including road transport connectivity. A Central Special Purpose Vehicle named DMIC Development Corporation (DMICDC) has been incorporated in January, 2008 and the Corporation has appointed an International Consultant for preparation of Detailed Perspective Plan for overall DMIC Region with pre-feasibility studies which includes road linkages to be developed in the region.

M/s Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board (GIDB), a Government of Gujarat entity has forwarded a proposal for augmentation of roads in Gujarat in the DMIC. DMICDC has also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with GIDB in July 2008 to facilitate development of select early bird projects.

DMICDC has since then selected an International Consultant for preparation of Development Plan for the identified Investment Region in the State of Gujarat.

This information was given by Dr. Ashwani Kumar, Minister of State for Industry, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=45418

New Delhi (PTI): Government is looking for land in the national capital and adjoining towns of Noida and Gurgaon to set up a second campus of the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Friday.

Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said AIIMS currently gets 8,000 to 9,000 out patient visits everyday putting pressure on the infrastructure of the 50-year-old institute.

"We are looking at setting up a second campus of AIIMS in Delhi, Noida or Gurgaon and are talking to state governments for land," he said adding, the branch would help shift the load on AIIMS.

Asked about the recent death of children in clinical trials at AIIMS, he said an inquiry into the incident has revealed that the deaths were not due to negligence by doctors.

The children were in critical stage and even if the drugs were not given, there were very slim chances of their survival, he said adding, the clinical trial followed the stringent laid down procedure that includes taking consent of parents or relatives before administering the drugs.

"All procedures (in AIIMS) were followed," he asserted. In almost all government hospitals various committees exist for audit of causes of death and addressing grievances of patients, doctors and employees.

The Government, he said, was upgrading 13 hospitals in the country at a cost of Rs 100-120 crore each to improve healthcare facilities.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200812121321.htm

Survey for city's digital map begins (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Survey_for_citys_digital_map_begins/articleshow/3830279.cms)

In what is being claimed as a first for the country, Delhi government is creating a 3-D model of the capital. Digital mapping of
surface as well as underground objects, helped by infra-red cameras set up at certain vantage points to keep track of changes, will be used to create this model.

The project, mooted by the Delhi government some time ago, is being done with the expertise of the Survey of India. Uniquely, the map will not only have information on every square inch of the city but also on what's underground. Dharam Pal Singh, secretary (IT), told TOI: "The project took off some months ago. We will start physical verification of various objects, like buildings, in a couple of days.''

The exercise, the first of its kind in the country, has been undertaken to make accurate data available to the government, said sources. "A database of every kind of land use information will be created which can be shared by all agencies of the government,'' added an official. The scale of the project can be gauged from the fact that physical validation of almost 40 lakh dwelling units is to take place from December 15 with the help of over 2,000 personnel from SOI.

They will be approaching house-owners for verifying property and occupancy details with the help of documents and also photograph the buildings. Later, each building will be given a unique identification number.

It is, however, the benefits from the project that could truly make the city world-class. The data from the digital mapping can be used not only to keep a check on unauthorised constructions which is one of the primary concerns but also help in surveillance. Said a senior government official, "Every department was consulted to find out their needs from the system. Security was one of the major concerns for the police, which wanted to use the system for surveillance as well as positioning purposes.'' Interestingly, the system will also help validate the records of the various agencies like MCD, DDA, NDMC, revenue as well as DJB, DERC and others.

The benefits go further. With Commonwealth Games coming up in 2010, the government is hoping to use the information from the database for real-time management. "For instance, status of a CATS vehicle or traffic or even parking in a certain area will be easily available in real time with this database, which will help in routing purposes during the Games,'' said the source.

The set-up for the digitised map is surprisingly simple. "We started with an aerial shot of the city,'' said an official in SOI. Thereafter, ground control points were identified. These points are basically the physical equivalents of points on the grid of the map and were used to fix the co-ordinates. Digital shots of every building in the city, along with a unique identity code of the buidling, will then be taken, which will also be validated physically. Meanwhile, information from the revenue department like ownership details will be superimposed on the digital map, along with the property mapped on the ground. All this information will then be integrated into the final 3-D model. For the underground mapping, a ground probing radar will be used to map all cable, water, sewarage and telephone lines.

The infra-red cameras, to be put up along designated vantage points, will be used to identify any changes that happen in the property. Added the SOI official, "These cameras will be on 24X7 and be updated at regular intervals to check what new constructions are taking place.''

and finally a center for sports medicine in Delhi.

Dedicated medicine unit for sportspersons set up in Delhi (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/dedicated-medicine-unit-for-sportspersons-set-up-in-delhi_100129379.html)

Keeping the 2010 Commonwealth Games in mind, the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) in the capital has set up a dedicated sports medicine unit which will specifically provide diagnosis and treatment to sportspersons. The sports medicine unit will be involved in multi faceted activities including care of injured sportsmen, training of medical manpower and research in sports medicine and injuries.

The unit will offer facilities to test the fitness of anybody intending to take up sporting activities, sports programmes for disabled sportspersons and tie-ups with existing sports facilities in and around the capital.

H.S. Chhabra, medical director of ISIC said: “With Delhi gearing up for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, it is extremely important that sportspersons and anyone involved in active sports understand the importance of right treatment for sports related injuries.”

“The primary objective of setting up a sports unit is to treat the injured athlete by specially trained surgeons, educating the doctors, physiotherapists and giving the right diagnosis and treatment,” Chhabra said.

“There will be yearly courses held to keep the health professionals, both doctors and physiotherapists, up to date with the latest developments in sports medicine.

“The sports unit will also fulfil the function of fitness assessment of people who are restarting a sporting activity after a long break and need proper assessment of their cardio vascular fitness level to avoid injuries or damage to their heart and lungs,” Chhabra added.

Now look at more renders and really good maps and specifics about this

HERE (http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/Land/tenders/project_memorandum_261108.pdf)

bidding closes on 12th so we'll get more info; project is supposed to be completed in 2014. it'll transform the area for sure and hopefully do the same thing the delhi metro does (make every city say "i want one too!"

Nice link...

These things were needed and should have been planned 10-12 years back... But I guess its better to be late then never...

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7299/slumif5.jpg

HT

More highrise on Delhi skyline

aOCzqL1ke5w&NR

this seems to be an old video ? or am i wrong ?

Well only from Jan.

Now look at more renders and really good maps and specifics about this

HERE (http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/Land/tenders/project_memorandum_261108.pdf)

bidding closes on 12th so we'll get more info; project is supposed to be completed in 2014. it'll transform the area for sure and hopefully do the same thing the delhi metro does (make every city say "i want one too!"

Bidding postponed to January 20th

http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/

Well now , the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has come up with the unique plan. The civic body proposes to auction 60 school campuses for construction of malls and hotels. Which according to me is too bad decision. I thik the people of delhi should something now. Read More
(http://www.exchange4projects.com/COMCOM/malls--hotels-to-replace-municipal-schools-in-delhi)

Any one has any idea that Mumbai's Aray colony was decided to demolish ...

posted today
http://www.flickr.com/photos/annette...43093/sizes/o/

posted today
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/annette...43093/sizes/o/]

Link ain't working. Try putting the image in the IMG tags and post it here..

Six new multi-level automated parking lots to come up (http://www.indopia.in/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/476537/National/1/20/1)

Six new state-of-the-art multi-level automated parking lots are going to come up in various parts of the national capital.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the primary civic agency of the city, has invited bids from national or international private firms for developing integrated car parking infrastructure in the six locations. The parking sites, which will have the latest technology to transport the cars to different levels, will be constructed on design, build, finance, operation and transfer (DBFO&T) basis, an MCD official said.

"It is the first time that such state-of-the-art car parking sites are being constructed in India. In the automated sites, new technology will be used to transport to the cars to various levels and you don't need to manually drive the vehicles to park them on the upper levels," he said. (not true, Kolkata and Pune already have one each)

The parking projects will also include commercial plazas. The civic body is also planning to construct 12 similar parking sites across the capital.

The six new parking-cum-commercial complexes will be set up in Greater Kailash-I, Defence Colony, Karol Bagh, South Extension, Lajpat Nagar and Rani Bagh, the official said.

The MCD has also taken up a project to construct 24 conventional parking sites in various areas of the city.

JW Marriott, Jasola - It's being built by Emaar-MGF and will be ready for the CWG games

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/8140/imagef5ffpicture1fd3.jpg

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/9069/marriotjasolavk9.jpg

Loving it absolutely....

JW marriott could have been better designed like Emaar does in Dubai. Should have had just one building instead of split 2. That just kills it. WTF was Emaar thinking. Delhi need to have proper mid rises.

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/1374/sproutsns9.jpg

Sub-station at Akshardham

New Delhi: CM Sheila Dikshit laid foundation stone for the Rs 40-crore Akshardham Grid sub-station on Saturday.

‘‘The Commonwealth Games 2010 will give us an opportunity to showcase our accomplishments. An uninterrupted power supply will play a pivotal role in this,’’ said Dikshit during the ceremony.

The 66/11 KV grid will be operated from the BSES control room at Kalkaji. Lalit Jalan, chairman, BSES, said that though the project was scheduled to be completed by March 2010, it would probably be ready by the end of 2009.

The grid will have a capacity of 25 MVA, though a secondary transformer of an additional 25 KVA will also be installed. TNN

Times news Network

Should DDA flats be only for Delhiites?

Read More (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Should_DDA_flats_be_only_for_Delhiites/articleshow/4014167.cms)

Should DDA flats be only for Delhiites?

Read More (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Should_DDA_flats_be_only_for_Delhiites/articleshow/4014167.cms)

No way , as long as it's clean anyone should be able to apply - Delhi is India's capital and anyone from india should have the freedom to reside here , if necessary the city will expand in suburbs as it the case with Gurgaon , Noida , Faridabad to accommodate more people.

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/1374/sproutsns9.jpg

I saw these a few months ago. I think they looked great, and a great and unique design.

Street art is just not given a chance in our ugly cities. boorish people prefer ugliness to aesthetics.

boorish people prefer ugliness to aesthetics
:ohno:

Let there be light: Purana Qila decks up for Games
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Next time you drive down Mathura Road after sundown, a feast for the eyes will await in the form of the brilliantly illuminated ramparts of Purana Qila. On Thursday, Union tourism and culture minister Ambika Soni inaugurated the illumination of Purana Qila, Sher Shah Gate and mosque and Subz Burj as part of the tourism ministry’s plans to illuminate 13 selected monuments in Delhi for the Commonwealth Games.

According to to sources, the ministry sanctioned Rs 23.75 crore for illumination of monuments and the amount allocated for Purana Qila alone is about Rs 445.87 crore. ‘‘We are using low energy, 45 KW lights. We are also making sure that no ultra-violet rays are used,’’ said a ministry official. The illumination work has been undertaken by India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).

Keeping in mind the criticism faced by ASI over a ‘shoddy’ illumination job by ITDC on two monuments last year, the ministry is being doubly cautious. Officials said only soft lighting has been used to enhance the architectural features and beauty of the monument and the facade of the structures have not been damaged in any way. The next monuments in line to be illuminated are Safdarjung Tomb next month and Feroze Shah Kotla in June.

The other centrally protected monuments in Delhi taken up for illumination by ITDC are Sher Shah Gate and Masjid, Safdarjung Tomb, Subz Burj, Feroze Shah Kotla, Khan-i-Khana Tomb, Lal Darwaaza, Chhoti Gumti at Green Park, Sikri Gumti at Green Park, Biran ka Gumbad at Green Park, Dadi Poti Ka Gumbad at Green Park and Najaf Khan’s tomb.

Purana Qila, built by Humayun, is enclosed within a wall with three gates on three sides and is spread over an area of 35 acres. The monuments inside the Purana Qila grounds — Bara Darwaaza, Qila-a-Kuhna Masjid, Sher Mandal, Humayun Darwaaza, Talaki Darwaza and Hamam have also been illuminated.

Source - ToI

Since the image depicted by ToI was absolutely pathetic i.e. keeping in tunes with it's standard , therefore I didnt put it up.

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/8273/chandanict7.png


At long last :banana:

:cheers:

I saw these a few months ago. I think they looked great, and a great and unique design.

Street art is just not given a chance in our ugly cities. boorish people prefer ugliness to aesthetics.

i saw them too and they took me by surprise. I really liked it. atlast something different from neta ji's statues.
change comes slow in india as people have hard time accepting it.
i am sure obama with his "change" mantra would have lost in India.:lol:

I am proud that at least the Delhi Government has came up with such an idea (or not? :) ) and has put such an advertisement to encourage Lane discipline.

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/Web/Article/2009/01/29/004/29_01_2009_004_004.jpg

Source: Hindustan Times

Project completed 9 months ahead of schedule, 40 km more to be added.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the five stations in the link inaugurated today has been built on a build-operate-transfer basis by real estate player Parsvnath Developers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New Delhi, Feb 3 Another 6.36 km of new rail link was added to Delhi Metro’s existing rail network here on Tuesday taking the total length of operating metro rail in the city to 74.5 km.

The new link – Vishwavidyalaya to Jahangirpuri – is the second metro line of Delhi Metro’s Phase-II extension, which is being opened to the public nine months ahead of its target launch date.

“The cost of constructing the 6.36 km of new metro link is about Rs 790 crore.

This includes construction cost of about Rs 180 crore for the five new stations as well,” Mr Vijay Anand, Director (Projects), Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said.

“In 2009, DMRC will add another 40 km of metro network in the National Capital Region,” said Mr E. Sreedharan, Managing Director, at a press conference.

This includes the Inderlok – Mundka; Indraprastha - Noida Sector 32; and Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar ISBT links

Station built on BoT

One of the five stations in the link inaugurated today has been built on a build-operate-transfer (BoT) basis by real estate player Parsvnath Developers.

“For getting the commercial rights to build a mall and operate it for 30 years in the Azadpur metro station, Parsvnath built the metro station at its own costs, and will also pay an agreed-upon amount to DMRC,” said Mr Mangu Singh, Director (Works), DMRC.

The company will pay Rs 16 crore to DMRC upfront and another Rs 2 crore or so every year for the 30-year period.

DMRC is currently working on Phase-II expansion which envisages building 125 km of metro rail network. The new link was inaugurated by the Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit.

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/02/04/stories/2009020451461700.htm

http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/5079/12072008753009ij6.jpg

Is it just me or anyone else notice ...:ohno:

Why, pray, does one build an *ELEVATED* metro in far-out Dwarka with sufficient access-public transport-metro land? Meta engg. ? Or ... garden variety 'escalation engg.' prima-facie ... hehe ... idea is to maximise costs re: public funds and the sub and sub-sub k's (contractors) get work and then some ... so the kickbacks and flow bottom-up ... hehe ... Eff the oh so noble 'trickle-down' effect ... hehe ... does it look like it form the picture that the metro could not comfortably run on the ground. But when one has money to throw around, whynot build it in the air ...:bash:

They are blowing public funds ... and ok, given ... building a metro ...
but the publicity would have one believe it's the best thing to happen to Indians since sliced bread ... wake-up!
Corruption ... right in-your-face ... who pays ... YOU ... the public ...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3233/2504689723_8375762172.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3157/2505518944_3922183be8.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3268/2504690597_6bd59bbd65.jpg


Dear Readers,

:banana::banana::banana: 1st things 1st ... BIGG THANK_YOU to Zheimi for posting CP pics. God Bless you, I look at your pic.'s to remember awesome times in CP ... I'll tell someday ... hehe Otherwise I'm in brrrrr ... :ohno: Ottawa ... and buried in snow ... I go back to your pic.'s often ... some would say homesick ... me says CP sick ...:ohno:

Kindly post 100's if not 1000's more of a renovated ... RENOVATED ...not demolished ... not re-built ... not altered ... not mutilated ... not bombed ... or ghettoised .. or re-named ... Oh my God! ... renovated ... RENOVATED ... still can't believe ... RENOVATED.

That 1 word ... RENOVATE ... should be ... anyways ...

^^ CP Lover's UNITE ^^
=============================

I propose that right here we set up a CP Renovation Interest Green Group (CPRINGG .. hehe:lol:). For the love of CP. Idea would be to post and e-mail viral (in a good way for a good cause) offenders. One can see from freshly posted pic.s by Zheimi that unscrupulous, mischievious and deviant CP shop-keeper bc-mc's are already up to their past dirty tricks. Oversize, outrageous and offensive griffiti-type boards are enchroaching on CP, plus other street stuff like poles, telcom towers and other offensive visual garbage.

I hope all will join me in collating data on offenders ... c'mon guys, use your cell-cams ... and post offenders who assault the sweet charm of our renovated CP. We'll classify/categorise and then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
Yeehaaaaaa!

CP ko thokne walon ki to ... gaande saale ...

Whynot? We can do wonders together no?

E-mail by reverse mail here ... and let's all get a list going ... c'mon now!

:)Hari Om Everyone!
--
Pavan

Good idea about the lane disciplne ads.We may scoff but public education can work.

I am totally in for such campaign...

Mumbai police started a drive against honking horns, it has came very late... Its better late then never... But also promoting lane discipline and traffic rules through such ads will just help public learn...

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/Web/Article/2009/02/06/006/06_02_2009_006_004.jpg

Source: HT

Smart signals on road to 2010
Source: TOI | February 9, 2008

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2936/pc0020700ds4.jpg


New Delhi: These are traffic signals with brains. They take a volume count of the number of vehicles at an intersection and automatically adjust the available green signal time on the basis of changing traffic demand. And the good news is that Intelligent Traffic Signals (ITS) are going to become a reality in the Capital before the Commonwealth Games.

The system has been designed to optimize utilisation of road space and enable maximum number of vehicles to cross a selected stretch with minimum stoppage at intersections. The traffic police feel it is the solution to Delhi’s congestion. ‘‘Through ITS, it is possible to reduce congestion levels in the selected area. It is being implemented on all routes leading to the Games sites before 2010 and will later be extended to other parts of the city,’’ said S N Shrivastava, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

The existing signalling system works on cycles, where fixed time frames are pre-set for change of signals irrespective of real-time assessment of traffic. Experts also feel that ITS will ease congestion. By 2010, the plan is to have ITS on all 87 corridors across 210 kms which will be used by players and officials. The scheme will cover 302 intersections in all.
The traffic police are in the process of finalising the technology. For this, presentations have been scheduled with each of the 21 companies which had participated in a global Expression of Interest (EoI) floated by the traffic police last year. A consultant — a JV of RITES and a German firm — has been roped in to help in selecting the best available technology and the bidding process.

They have a similar system in a suburb in Detroit here.... Works pretty well in the morning rush hour...

The sensing part comes from the octagonal inductive wire loops sunk into the pavement (using 2mm concrete saw cuts) which senses car and bus bodies as metallic objects and feeds the processor with the information. Every US urban intersection has a couple of inline loops on each lane to sense traffic. This system has been in use in the West since the seventies.

The loop data is also fed into a trending log which is also a deciding factor in the signalling logic.

Does New Delhi have traffic-jam roadsigns?

They have a similar system in a suburb in Detroit here.... Works pretty well in the morning rush hour...

Have then in the Uk too.I bloody hate 'em, always seem to be on the long red...

^^Sucks for you.
Always look at the bright side of life....

^^Sucks for you.
Always look at the bright side of life....
Hes not the messiah hes avery naughty boy:cheers:

Hes not the messiah hes avery naughty boy:cheers:

Lol...?

These systems really can be godsends. They can also be enormous pains in the ass when the programmer set the intersection to stop traffic on the arterial when only one car is present on the secondary road.

I'm not sure how helpful these systems are going to be in Delhi. Most traffic signals are currently only deployed on arterial-arterial intersections. In these situations, the circuits can be pretty useless because the traffic level is high enough that timing works fine. Still, they might allow lights to turn green sooner when the perpendicular road clears faster than a timer might allow. At the same time, when Delhi installs traffic signals on intersections between arterials and secondary roads, these circuits will be godsends.

They have a similar system in a suburb in Detroit here.... Works pretty well in the morning rush hour...

This system is in use all over America, even in my little town Cookeville. I wonder how it will perform in completely chaotic conditions of New Delhi.

^^^^

I guess before implementing such technology, they should bring people on track by teaching them lane and traffic discipline.

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/Web/Article/2009/02/11/003/11_02_2009_003_010.jpg

Source: Hindustan Times

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5393/cngix8.jpg

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/Web/Article/2009/02/13/007/13_02_2009_007_002.jpg

Source: Hindustan Times

Ugh DUAC is such a pain in the ass. Why does every project need their approval anyway?

Ugh DUAC is such a pain in the ass. Why does every project need their approval anyway?

Don't be daft! Building a flyover is NOT the solution to any and every traffic-related problem. When will we ever learn?

TRUE!!!

No wonder even after around 55 flyovers built in Bombay, the traffic is a nightmare...

Flyovers on the Western Express Highway have done wonders to traffic! Los Angeles has huge freeways that are technically flyovers and the city would stop completely if they weren't there. Flyovers won't solve traffic problems but they can surely ease traffic if planned correctly.

But the important thing to remember is that DUAC is NOT the urban planning commission, so they have no authority to plan the city. Their simple task is to make sure everything looks pretty. And it's ridiculous that that they've been rejecting almost everything and stalling growth of Delhi!

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/Web/Article/2009/02/19/002/19_02_2009_002_003.jpg

Source: Hindustan Times

Designer FOBs, from Dubai to Delhi.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Designer_FOBs_from_Dubai_to_Delhi/articleshow/4151816.cms

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/9595/pc0021200zd5.jpg

New Delhi: The dilapidated structures that go by the name of foot overbridges (FOBs) will soon be a thing of the past.

The state government on Wednesday finalized the plan for the construction of 68 foot overbridges in various parts of the city. The design has been imported straight from Dubai with some minor changes here and there to suit the weather conditions in Delhi. The government plans to equip the new FOBs with elevators, with escalators only at places where required. The process to clear more FOBs is also under way.

PWD minister Rajkumar Chauhan said: ‘‘We had got all the necessary clearances. Only the design had to be finalized and now with the project all the cleared, the work will start as soon as the tendering process is over. We have chosen the design after looking at options across the world because Delhi needs to have the look and feel of a global city during the Commonwealth Games.’’

The FOBs with lifts will cost roughly Rs 5 crore while those with escalators will cost Rs 6-6.5 crore. The escalators alone will cost Rs 1.25 crore whereas lifts even if on both sides of a structure will cost Rs 25-30 lakh, Chauhan said. He added that the department has been asked to take the final decision about what is required where. ‘‘FOBs near hospitals etc should have provisions for both lifts and escalators. We will make all efforts to make them as userfriendly as possible,’’ the minister said.

The Dubai design has been improved upon by making provisions for ventilation. There will also be shops in the space beneath the escalators. This will generate some revenue, as well as avoid encroachments beneath the FOBs.

I am always impressed by their ideas.... But I am taken aback when I read the rest: shops under the structure. Why do they have to think about making money and generating revenues all the time? Come on. This is just a bridge. Looks are good. But over doing it is foolishness.

looks great but not sure if it is worth its cost. 5-6 kr can find a better use imho. i dont mind them building them in the main parts of city but not everywhere.. just too expensive.

alothr thing , i think they should make them with green glasses. that goes with rest of the delhi's theme.

note: thats how mumbai skywalks should have looked like :(

note: thats how mumbai skywalks should have looked like :(

Exactly my first thoughts. I hope they don't turn out cheap looking as the mile-long foot-over-bridges look in Bombay.

Guys, DLF has tied up with the Delhi government to build a new exhibition and convention center which will compete with Pragati Maidan. This new project is coming up in the new area of Dwarka in Delhi and will be a city within a city.

Opening in 2010, the Centre will be the city’s new vibrant hub in DLF Event City.
A grand 14-hectare complex integrating events, accommodation, retail and cultural facilities. There will be three international Hilton hotels, a shopping mall, art gallery, museum and amphitheatre, all centred around a public courtyard reminiscent of a traditional Indian bazaar or ‘chowk’.

Here are the facts about this amazing structure:
• Plenary Hall with 10,800 delegate capacity divisible to three halls
• Two-tiered lecture theatres for 600 and 450 delegates
• Grand Ballroom that can accommodate 2,700 banquet style
• Additional 28 function, meeting and breakout rooms
• 24,700m² of Exhibition space with capacity for 1,700 Booths.
• Exhibition Halls subdivisible from 1,500m² up to 6,600m²
• 8 exhibition hospitality suites and dedicated organisers’ office for each Exhibition Hall

Hope you enjoy. I am posting one picture, if someone else has more, please feel free to post!!

http://www.newdelhiconvention.com/images/images1.jpg

Hey thats great!

I always thought Delhi (as well as other Metros) needed another but better Convention & Exihibition Centre and DLF would be the ideal construction company to build one.

There is one in Noida as well I think.

Pragati is showing its age and needs to be modernised, i think there are plans afoot for a Pragati overhaul.

Any news on the Ambani Convention Centre in Mumbai?

I am sick and tired of looking at renderings and reading announcements about this project and that project. Build it first, and I will believe. India is notorious for making pre-mature announcements only to have the projects cancelled, delayed, altered, or postponed for years.

Where is the Tata Nano?
Umm... Just to let you know that this project is already under construction in Dwarka, I don't go that side, but if someone does they can take pictures.
And secondly, the Tata Nano is officially releasing on March 23rd. Infact this has been on the news for the last 3 days...
I really think you should read the news/ watch the news first!!

why is the convention center so tall?

Guys any news on the new delhi railway station?

The New Delhi Convention and Exhibition Centre looks like a 10-floor midrise building. A convention/exhibition centre shouldn't even be this tall. And the report about the Pragati Maidan overhaul was made in 2004, so no news has been heard about that project recently.

Guys any news on the new delhi railway station?

work is going on at new delhi railway station. some new platforms have been added and the station is less crowded now. Once the work is completed, the station, it is hoped, will be more spacious and cleaner.

Lol have you guys never seen a hotel on top of a convention center?

work is going on at new delhi railway station. some new platforms have been added and the station is less crowded now. Once the work is completed, the station, it is hoped, will be more spacious and cleaner.

I think he was asking about the upliftment of the Delhi station shown in the renders a few pages back....

yes i was.

Guys, does someone have pictures of the new terminal 1D at IGI? If you do, please post it as I would love to see it. Thanks!!

Guys, does someone have pictures of the new terminal 1D at IGI? If you do, please post it as I would love to see it. Thanks!!

Check the last few pages of the Delhi Airport thread in the aviation section

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=347516

Check the last few pages of the Delhi Airport thread in the aviation section

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=347516
Thanks buddy... I was really looking forward to looking at these!

Delhi road to ‘clean’ autos



New Delhi, March 13: A fleet of 15 Delhi auto-rickshaws running on hydrogen gas may soon give India its first hydrogen-energy public transport project.

The three-wheelers, which will ferry passengers from a Metro station to the international trade fair grounds here, symbolise a shift to clean energy at a time thousands of Calcutta autos, running on the banned katatel, foul up the Bengal capital’s air.

The Unido International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technology in Istanbul, Turkey, yesterday pledged $500,000 to kick-start hydrogen-fuelled public transport vehicles in India.

The hydrogen-fuelled autos, jointly developed by IIT Delhi and carmaker Mahindra and Mahindra’s research centre in Nashik, will run on compressed hydrogen gas, releasing only water vapour and oxides of nitrogen in their exhaust streams.

The first set of three-wheelers is likely to be handed over for field tests to the India Trade Promotion Organisation, the agency that manages the trade fair complex, within the next 12 to 15 months. This was revealed by Mathew Abraham, general manager of alternate fuel and advanced technologies with Mahindra and Mahindra.

Each vehicle will have a cylinder containing 1kg of compressed hydrogen gas that will allow it to travel up to 95km, said Lalit Mohan Das, professor at IIT Delhi’s Centre for Energy Studies, the co-ordinator for the project.

“We’ve been dreaming of hydrogen-based public transport for nearly 25 years,” Das said. “We’ve chosen three-wheelers for this project because they represent the most common mode of public transport across the country.”

The new project will support hydrogen-fuelled vehicles for two years. Unido officials said they hoped it would establish the feasibility and advantages of hydrogen in public transport and allow the technology to spread to other cities.

A US-based company with expertise in hydrogen safety and supply strategy will provide the hydrogen fuel for the autos. Project officials said the compressed hydrogen gas would be procured through international tenders.

India’s ministry of new and renewable energy has supported research on hydrogen-fuelled vehicles for more than two decades.

In the late 1990s, physicists at Banaras Hindu University’s Institute of Technology had demonstrated hydrogen power for two-wheeler motorbikes.

But the BHU-IT technology relied on metallic hydrides as fuel instead of compressed hydrogen gas.

Metallic hydrides have lower storage capacity than compressed hydrogen gas, Abraham said. With metallic hydrides, he said, one needs fuel units of larger weight and volume compared with compressed hydrogen gas.

Source:- http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090314/jsp/nation/story_10668265.jsp

Hotel majors vie for space in GMR's Delhi project

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Services/Hotels--Restaurants/Hotel-majors-vie-for-space-in-GMRs-Delhi-project/articleshow/4269301.cms

Leading premium and budget hotel companies such as ITC, EIH, Leela Ventures, Royal Orchid, Lemon Tree, and developer DB Realty are in the race for hotel projects in GMR Infrastructure-controlled Delhi International Airport’s (DIAL) hospitality district.

A few months ago, GMR Infra had invited bids for building hotels at its proposed 45-acre hospitality district near the upcoming Delhi airport.

GMR Infra is expected to earn close to Rs 3,000 crore from successful bidders who are supposed to pay a security deposit of three times the average annual lease rental to the Hyderabad-based firm. The entire infrastructure will be provided by DIAL. GMR Infra is likely to announce the successful bidders in a fortnight.

“The response is quite strong,” GMR group CFO A Subba Rao told ET, without divulging the identity of the bidders. However, many bidders confirmed to ET that they have put in their bids. Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj (JLLM) is GMR Infra’s advisor for the hotel projects.

Currently, hospitality firms across segments are going slow on new projects, especially in tier-2 cities like Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore, as oversupply has hit their business prospects. However, Delhi is expected to witness huge demand with Commonwealth games coming up next year.

“It’s a potential opportunity,” Leela group VC and MD Vivek Nair said, explaining the rationale behind his company’s bid. The hotel industry has been witnessing a slowdown since November last year, with leisure and corporate travel taking a major hit post the Mumbai terror attacks. However, resort destinations like Kerala, Jaipur and Goa are bucking the trend.

Experts feel that India Inc’s cost-cutting moves are forcing many hotel chains to cut room rates by 10-15%. DIAL’s plan for the 45-acre hospitality district includes hotels of all ranges — from budget to ultra luxury. Plot sizes ranging from 1.6 acres (for budget) to 7.7 acres (for a huge conference hotel) are up for the grabs.

The bidding process was supposed to take place a year ago but was delayed due to a controversy over the sharing of security deposits with the Airports Authority of India. By the time the process got the go-ahead, market conditions had changed.

Chandni Chowk plan in a jam

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Delhi/Chandni-Chowk-plan-in-a-jam/articleshow/4306916.cms

The redevelopment plan of Chandni Chowk has been in the works for quite some time but work is yet to take off with heavy traffic in the area being the main concern. There are proposals of either making the road from Red Fort to Fatehpuri one-way as this stretch has to be resurfaced or blocking vehicular traffic during the project implementation period.

Abhimanyu Dalal, architect in-charge of the redevelopment project, said: "We are still assessing how to implement the plan. For the period during which the project will be carried out, we are looking at making traffic flow from Red Fort to Fatehpuri one-way while work is carried out on one side of the road. People can leave or enter through Church Mission Road or from Fatehpuri side. Work such as micro-surfacing the road and creating service ducts will take three months. We are consulting CRRI on how to implement the plan. ''

Dalal added: "We want to restrict entry and exit timings of trucks and other vehicles and also allow other vehicles inside the area till a certain point to make it more pedestrian-friendly.''

Deputy commissioner, city zone, Vijay Singh, feels that restricting vehicular traffic for the time work is going on will be the best option. "While the tendering process for carrying out the work has been completed it has to be tabled in the standing committee for approval,'' he said.

Said secretary of Chandni Chowk traders association Sanjay Bharghav: "We have been awaiting redevelopment of the area for over four years. Chandni Chowk attracts highest number of tourists but little has been done to improve and upgrade facilities in the area.''

While the plan aims at increasing pedestrian walking space by restricting vehicular traffic, the fact remains that even as cycle-rickshaws were banned sometime back, they can still be seen plying on the road. Other aspects of the plan include uniform signages and restoration of original pillars and facades besides upgrading facilities like public urinals and tourist centres.

Here are the designs of some of the multilevel parking lots being executed by DS Constructions. The architects are Archigroup Architects (http://www.archigroup.org/projects.htm).

M Block Market, Greater Kailash I (South Delhi)

In its attempt to address the growing parking problem, the government of Delhi has invited bids on PPP basis. The buildings include automated parking and commercial development as per Delhi’s master plan. For this site, parking has to be created underground for 600 cars. The parking system is based on Pallis Technology from Germany. The total covered area of the building including parking and commercial development is about 13,500 sq.mt.

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Defence Colony (South Delhi)

The buildings include automated parking and commercial development as per Delhi's master plan. For this site, parking has to be created underground for 900 cars. The parking system is based on Pallis Technology from Germany. The total covered area of the building including parking and commercial development is about 24,000 sq.mt.

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Rani Bagh (North-West Delhi)

The buildings include automated parking and commercial development as per Delhi's master plan. For this site, parking has to be created underground for 900 cars. The parking system is based on Pallis Technology from Germany. The total covered area of the building including parking and commercial development is about 24,000 sq.mt.
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DLF says west Delhi apartment project on despite lower demand (http://www.livemint.com/2009/03/25230715/DLF-says-west-Delhi-apartment.html)
The realty firm’s Shivaji Marg project will have around 500 flats priced between Rs78 lakh and Rs99 lakh


New Delhi: Undeterred by a slowdown in demand for homes in urban India, DLF Ltd, India’s largest developer by market value, is likely to launch a residential project by the end of March on one of the country’s most expensive patches of land in west Delhi.

The pricing of the apartments on Shivaji Marg is likely to be set between Rs6,500 and Rs7,000 a sq. ft translating into purchase prices of flats to just under Rs1 crore.

DLF Shivaji Marg project will be a ground plus 18-floor structure consisting of at least 500 flats of two- and three-bedroom apartments. The size of the apartments will vary between 1,200 sq. ft and 1,525 sq. ft, which means the flats will be priced between Rs78 lakh and Rs99 lakh. For the locality the project is in, the prices are considered competitive.

In August 2007, DLF had acquired 38 acres of land from DCM Shriram Consolidated Ltd, or DSCL, and the Lohia family of Indorama Group of firms for Rs1,675 crore, in what was then seen as the most expensive land deal in India surpassing second-ranked realty rival Unitech Ltd’s acquisition of 300 acres of land in Noida for Rs1,582 crore.
...
..
DLF plans to erect an integrated township on the land including 3 million sq. ft. of office space, 2 million sq. ft. of retail space, and around 5 million sq. ft. of residential units. Earlier, DLF had planned to develop high-end residential units in the township but with demand for luxury homes contracting, DLF now plans to develop mid-income homes.
...

Rahejas to launch up to 30,000 houses at Rs 4-25 lakh in NCR

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Services/Property--Cstruction/Rahejas-to-launch-up-to-30000-houses-at-Rs-4-25-lakh-in-NCR/articleshow/4318039.cms

Realty player Raheja Developers will build up to 30,000 apartments in the affordable housing category in the National Capital Region in the next two years, which will be offered at Rs 4-25 lakh.

"Though there has been some correction in the realty market, demand is still there, especially in the affordable housing segment. We have already received approvals for developing about 20,000 apartments in the NCR," Raheja Developers Managing Director Navin M Raheja said.

The company has planned to develop up to 30,000 units in the NCR in the next two years, he added.

"We have decided to fix the prices of the apartments in the range of Rs 4 lakh to Rs 25 lakh depending upon the size," Raheja said, adding that the minimum size of an unit would be 300 square feet.

He, however, declined to give details about the size of investment that the company is looking to put in.

"The launch of this affordable housing scheme will (take place) in the next two months ... We will not tie up with any partner," Raheja said, adding construction would be completed in two years and delivery would start in 2011.

About the current market scenario, Raheja said the country's property market has witnessed price corrections of about 10 per cent in the last couple of months.

Delhi govt gets ready to face challenges of global warming


New Delhi, Mar 26 : With the horrors of global warming becoming a reality, Delhi government is getting ready with a vision to deal climate change during the next three years in the national capital.

Prepared by Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta, a document titled "Climate Change: vision Delhi" elaborates on the government's vision to deal with the threat from climate change by implementing green initiatives to cut down carbon emission responsible for green houses gases (GHG) in the atmosphere.

Air pollution, noise pollution, water pollution and transport sector are some of the critical areas where the government plans to focus in the next three years to make the national capital "a clean and green" city.
In the transport sector, the government has plans to deploy over 10,000 CNG-run buses by next year even as its Metro project has already started earning carbon credits.

Currently, DTC-run CNG buses are the largest fleet in the country running on green fuel.

Mehta's document also emphasises on the government's plans to cleanse Yamuna river apart from conserving forests to increase the carbon sinks in the city.

The government is already in the process of reviving 620 water bodies to recharge ground water in the parched city while policies will be framed to tap solar and energy efficiency sector, says the document.

Source:- http://www.samaylive.com/news/delhi-govt-gets-ready-to-face-challenges-of-global-warming/615559.html

DLF to open four new malls before Diwali (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/dlf-to-open-four-new-malls-before-diwali/57220/on)

DLF, the country's largest realty firm, today said that it would open four new shopping malls in the Delhi-NCR region before Diwali (mid-October) this year and is expecting a lower rent in its new malls than existing levels.

"We have currently eight malls operating across India and we are now launching four new malls in Delhi-NCR before Diwali this year. Although occupancy in the new malls would be slow initially, we expect it to reach 100 per cent later," DLF Retail Developers Managing Director Arvind Nair told reporters on the sidelines of a CII conference here.

DLF Retail Developers, which is a subsidiary of DLF, constructs shopping malls. The company follows both sale and lease model for its retail space.

Nair, however, did not reveal the investment figures for the new malls or total retail space that would be constructed. He said that most of the space in the new malls have already been rented out.

Some project in Shahadara

photo copyright fd

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/2050/shhdarafds.jpg (http://img26.imageshack.us/my.php?image=shhdarafds.jpg)

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MCD GOES UNDERGROUND FOR PARKING AT ITO
The three-level, ramp parking facility will accommodate 700 vehicles and will be ready in 15 months
Ruhi Bhasin | TNN


The project for a multi-level underground parking at Shaheedi Park on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg is finally ready to take off with Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) inviting bids for it on Monday. This will be the biggest parking facility made under parks in the city — work has already started on four such parking sites. The facility will accommodate about 700 vehicles and the park on top will be restored after work has been completed.

The plan is to construct a ramp parking under half of the total fouracre area of the park. This way, the only green space available in the congested commercial area will be retained while the problem of parking gets sorted out. ‘‘The idea behind using only a part of the park is to ensure that people can use it even as construction is going on. The cost of construction as well as maintenance will be recovered through the parking and conversion charges,’’ said an MCD official.

The parking, which will go three levels down, is expected to be ready within the next 15 months. The cost of construction is estimated around Rs 60 crore.

While the project will address the parking woes at ITO, the government is trying to expedite it also because creation of a parking space is essential for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project to take off in the area. Vehicles are now parked all over footpaths and in the service road.

Said an official: ‘‘With so many offices in the area, parking has always been a problem. Taking into account the large number of cars parked here, we decided to make the parking at Bahadurshah Zafar Marg larger than other parkings being constructed in the city.’’ According to sources, even as there is space for only around 500 cars in the authorized parking lots, around 1,500 vehicles are parked in the area on any given day.

Around 24 such parking facilities will be constructed under the green cover in Delhi. The idea is to have them ready for use before Commonwealth Games. Other parking sites where work is being carried out include Hauz Khas, Munirka, Model Town-II and Gandhi Nagar. Bids have also been called for construction of a parking facility at a vacant plot in Janakpuri. All of them will be conventional parking sites for which cost of construction is low as compared to automated parking sites.

The MCD had proposed a stack parking lot at ITO near the police headquarters in 2007 but the plan has been scrapped as the corporation could not get the required permissions from other agencies to start construction.

Other projects languish in various stages of completion
Ruhi Bhasin | TNN


Over 900 cars are added to Delhi’s roads every day, but the civic agencies have been unable to provide required parking space to cope with the congestion. Even the ambitious multi-level underground parking projects — all of which are supposed to be ready before Commonwealth Games 2010 — are progressing at snail’s pace. Times City takes a look at some of the ongoing projects of MCD and NDMC.

Kamala Nagar (fully-automated parking): At Kamala Nagar, the fully-automated car parking that was inaugurated almost two years ago is still awaiting environmental clearance. Earlier, work had been affected due to the economic downturn. It is expected to accommodate 834 cars and 300 scooters and was supposed to have been complete by now.

Gandhi Nagar and Model Town-II (conventional parking under green cover): At Gandhi Nagar, the parking lot is being constructed under Mahavir Swami Park by MCD. It will accommodate 400 cars and is expected to cost Rs 32 crore. At Model Town-II, the parking lot will be at Ramlila Maidan. It is the smallest parking lot under construction and is expected to accommodate around 140 vehicles. It will cost Rs 19 crore to construct it. At both these sites, digging work has begun a while back and MCD claims that 15% of the work has been completed at both sites.

Hauz Khas and Munirka (conventional parking under green cover):
At Hauz Khas, the parking space is being made near E-block market area while the parking in Munirka will be at Rama Market. MCD has not even begun work at these sites. Said an official: ‘‘We are carrying out boring at these sights and have set up offices.’’ At Hauz Khas, around 400 vehicles will be accommodated and it will cost Rs 32 crore, while Munirka will have space for 250 vehicles and will cost Rs 25-25 crore to build.

Sarojini Nagar, Baba Kharak Singh Marg: The work of constructing both these parking lots have been awarded by NDMC to DLF Ltd. According to NDMC, work is ongoing at both sites and they are expected to be completed by June 2010. However, there was a delay in getting required clearances for these sites, according to sources which has delayed work by a few months. These parking sites were inaugurated almost one-and-a-half years ago. Baba

Kharak Singh Marg (BKS) is supposed to have 10 floors including three for commercial use. Around 1,408 cars are supposed to be accommodated here and the parking at Sarojini Nagar would have a capacity for 824 cars.

Kasturba Gandhi Marg: The parking project will be placed in front of Delhi Urban Arts Commission for approval around May 25 and work will begin here thereafter. The parking lot at Kasturba Gandhi Marg is being made by D S Constructions with a capacity of 1,582 cars. It was inaugurated around December 2007. These parking lots are being made on BOT basis and are expected to cost between Rs 80 and 100 crore.

ToI e-paper

Connaught Place restoration update, as on May 14:

by Mayank Austen Soofi (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mayankaustensoofi/3532884498/in/photostream/)

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I am really glad the CWG is happening in India. That gives a reason for upgradation of a lot of infrastructure. I just can't wait for CWG to happen to see Delhi transformed into a lot better city in few years.

DUAC no to new PWD plan for elevated corridor
Dipak Kumar Dash & Richi Verma I TNN

New Delhi: Despite the public works department (PWD) coming out with new proposals to push the Rs 1,100-crore east-west corridor project, Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) is sticking to its stand that there is no need for an elevated corridor in the capital. Though now the PWD has come up with the plan that the corridor will dedicate a separate elevated road exclusively for high capacity buses, DUAC has reiterated the need to make grade level connection for public transport based system.

DUAC had earlier rejected the plan saying the project was too expensive and that the corridor would eventually encourage cars and thereby deter public transport from taking the proposed elevated stretch.

DUAC chief K T Ravindran said the commission was not impressed with the new PWD proposal. Terming that ‘‘flying in the sky’’ was useless, he said: ‘‘We have suggested a public transport corridor in east-west direction from a different alignment. It should go via Asaf Ali Road, cross the MCD Civic Centre and then go directly to the railway station instead of DDU Marg. This will serve the purpose of people of East Delhi coming to Central Delhi.’’

PWD sources said the agency had sent a letter to DUAC and to the ministry of urban development (MoUD) regarding the feasibility of the elevated corridor project that will connect Akshardham temple in east Delhi to Punjabi Bagh in west via New Delhi railway station. However, senior government officials said the concept was still under consideration and they were yet to finalise it.

If all goes according to plan, the elevated stretch will run atop the existing surface road. Sources said Urban Mass Transit Company Ltd, a joint venture of MoUD and IL&FS had been asked to explore the possibility of a dedicated road for public transport on the east-west corridor stretch. Delhi government has been pushing the project as a 2010 Commonwealth Games related project since 2004, but is yet to get the clearance. The first phase of the corridor is 7.9 km long and involves construction of an eight-lane corridor from Akshardham Temple to the New Delhi railway station.

ToI e-paper

Streetlights for Games

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Delhi/Streetlights-for-Games/articleshow/4557330.cms

In preparations for the Commonwealth Games 2010, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) announced its plans to upgrade streetlights along 50 major roads at par with international standards.

This project comes under the second phase of upgradation of streetlights on MCD roads and will cost Rs 60.74 crore. This amount includes guarantee of one year and subsequent maintenance of streetlights up to five years. The work is expected to be completed by March 2010.

"The first phase of upgrading streetlights was taken up in July 2008 in which important approach roads to airport, Games sites and historical places were taken up. The total length of roads taken up for upgradation in first phase was 100 kilometers and work would be completed by July this year,'' said standing committee chairman Ram Kishan Singhal.

In the third phase, a proposal of upgradation of streetlights in the length of 704 kilometers of roads has been sent to the Urban Development Ministry for providing funds in Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission.