Urban Planning & Issues

[Krishnamoorthy K]

I have started this thread for news, issues related to urban planning and developments.

I could not find a suitable thread and hence started this. If there is already some other thread addressing urban planning issues then request mods to delete this thread.


Indian Urban Planning Forums & Blogs:

facebook: Indian Urban Forum
WSJ: Urban Planning

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Says his ministry would urge finance minister to reconsider stand.

The urban development ministry will ask the finance ministry to review the proposal to bring the housing sector under the service tax net from April 1, 2010.

“We will approach the finance minister in the next few days and ask him to review his decision of bringing housing under the service tax net,” said Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy. He was speaking at a conference on Indian Real Estate organised by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

Real estate players and various industry chambers are already lobbying the government to withdraw the service tax imposed on the housing sector (at 3.3 per cent, with abatement) , as it would discourage buyers.

"This is not the right time for service tax implementation as the government’s objective is to encourage people to own houses. We have to wait for another month or so to see if the finance ministry listens to our request,” said KP Singh, Chairman, DLF Group.

Addressing issues faced by the real estate sector today, the Reddy said availability of land — which is a state subject — has become a major concern. “If we want India to cater to the issue of demand and gap in the housing sector, apart from the central government, it is the state government which should become the facilitator.”

He also said since land is very limited, the best way forward is to go for vertical development (building high-rise buildings) instead of the present approach of going horizontal. “In Delhi, we would allow vertical development of real estate dwellings in older areas and remaining sprawl of Delhi provided the Municipal Corporation and Delhi (MCD) assure availability of all basic amenities such as water, power, etc.”

In this regard, Reddy said the Ministry of Urban Development would soon come out with a new relaxed Floor Area Ratio (FAR) regime without specifying any time frame for it.
Another pertinent point that has been a concern for real estate developers is the number of clearances one has to take to start a project. “Today, there are more than 50 agencies from where we have to take our clearances. We have to ensure that the best way forward is to have a single window system as it would not only save time, but also ensure transparency,” said Navin M Raheja, Managing Director, Raheja Developers Ltd.

“It is very important to have a single window clearance system in real estate sector,” echoed Anil K. Agarwal, Past President, Assocham.

Singh feels if real estate and urban development has to reach a self-sustaining level in India, “we have to follow the way it has been done in the telecom and IT sector”. “We need to have a visionary like Sam Pitroda, who can think centuries ahead in the real estate and urban development sector to formulate policies. Today, we are concentrating on meeting shortages, when policies are being framed. This needs to change fast, as we have to take the aspirations of people when we build a nation.”

BS

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Urbanisation in India has been like climate change in the world. It has been happening inexorably for decades, not receiving much attention, its significance not noted. 300 million Indians live in towns and cities, underserved by utilities, with inadequate housing, and now choking in traffic. If not well managed, the consequences of this inevitable increase in India’s urban population on human development indices, the fabric of Indian society, the growth of its economy, and its political ramifications too, have only now begun to be appreciated.

A city has both concrete and people. It is a combination of technical systems and socio-political systems. In view of the importance of an orderly and sustainable process of urbanisation for the country’s economic growth and inclusive development, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) was launched in December 2005 to make the changes required in both the hard infrastructure as well as the soft infrastructure of India’s towns and cities. The JNNRUM was also conceived as a long race, a marathon, rather than a quick fix. A strategy for a marathon must be different to the strategy for a sprint. A strategy is required for each stage of the race: what you do in the first 5 miles of the 26 mile run can determine whether you will make it to the end. Therefore the JNNRUM must be judged by whether it has been holistic in its progress and whether it has achieved what it should have in the first stage.

The transformation of Indian cities faces several structural constraints: weak or outdated urban planning systems and service delivery models, lack of focus on the urban poor, incomplete devolution of functions to the elected bodies as per 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, and an urban management and governance structure that is fragmented between different state-level agencies and urban local bodies (ULBs). The JNNRUM provided for allocation of substantial central financial assistance to cities for infrastructure, housing development and capacity development. It also specified a list of governance reforms to be undertaken by States and ULBs as conditions for the financial assistance. The assistance under the programme is provided after approval of City Development Plans and signing of MoAs for reforms. Therefore there is a ramp-up period and sanction and implementation of projects could start mainly in 2007-08. The programme has so far approved over 2,500 projects with Central assistance of almost Rs 55,000 crores. This Central assistance has been matched by over Rs 45,000 crores from the states and the ULBs, translating to a total of almost Rs 100,000 crores of new committed investment into urban projects so far.

An evaluation of the JNNRUM by the Planning Commission indicates that it has achieved much of what was expected from it so far. As the first national flagship programme for urbanisation, JNNURM has been effective in renewing focus on the urban sector across the country. The need to manage the process of urbanisation is now on the agenda of all states, ranging from Bihar, which had been ‘de-urbanizing’ so far, to Maharashtra and Gujarat which have been grappling with urbanisation issues for many years. It has been successful in raising the aspirations of ULBs and enabled them to execute projects at a much larger scale than they were used to. It has made the states aware of the range of issues to be addressed and has provided a comprehensive framework for governance improvements.

JNNURM has expanded the concept of city improvement beyond roads, flyovers and traffic management with slums moved out of the way, to concerns of sanitation, water, and public transportation, and now even to more fundamental needs and rights of the underserved poor in the cities. The programme has encouraged investments to flow for basic services in cities, particularly for the urban poor. Over 80 per cent of the funds committed have been for projects in water supply, sewerage, drainage, and solid waste management, reflecting the reality that most cities still have significant backlog in the provision of basic urban services to all their residents, especially the poor.

The evaluation reveals, as should be expected in any major new thrust, that there are variations in progress across the country. In the four years since this major programme was launched, some states and cities have progressed further than others towards tangible results. An overall assessment points to the need for more attention to governance reforms and building capabilities in the next stage of the marathon. Devolution of power and responsibilities is necessary from the states to local and metropolitan bodies.

Devolution must be accompanied by a well managed process of building capabilities: for urban planning within the cities; for more professional management of urban services; and, critical to devolution, a real step-up in the management capabilities of ULBs. On these fronts, state governments and ULBs need more support to build the financial and governance capacity needed to sustain the new momentum for creating inclusive and livable cities.

Much attention has gone in the first stage to the metros. More attention is required now to smaller towns where urban conglomerations are enlarging. Healthy growth of smaller towns will ease the pressure on metros which are already bursting at their seams. These towns, spread more widely across states, will also spread the benefits of urbanisation and economic growth more widely. This will make economic growth more inclusive and dispersed in line with national objectives.

Finally, the process of ‘change management’ is the key to city renewal. Technically and financially sound schemes to produce ‘world-class’ infrastructure and cities can be drawn up by experts. But they are almost worthless if they cannot be implemented. Obtaining alignment of the stakeholders who will be affected by the changes is essential. This is the key lesson from success stories from several states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. They suggest that good process is as important as good policy. Such successes are founded on systematic involvement of affected citizens, government agencies and private builders and service providers. Therefore a process for finding and disseminating best practices for change management through systematic ‘Public-Private-People’ partnerships must be a strategy for the marathon of urban renewal in India.

BS

[engineer.akash]

A very good thread Krishnamoorthy

[Euromast]

Urban dreams: New cities to sprout across India

NEW DELHI: Independent India has had the curious—if not unique—distinction of creating large new cities usually when new states are carved out. Tips for moving into a new home
Rights and liabilities in property sale
Make home loan repayment easy

After all, the four planned entirely ‘new’ metropolises India has developed so far, have come about thus: Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Gandhinagar and Naya Raipur. Forty years ago, the great steel plants also forged Bokaro, Bhilai and Rourkela, successors to older industrialisation-led agglomerations such as Jamshedpur, Burnpur, Durgapur and Modinagar, but they could not possibly absorb the influx from rural areas.

Today petroleum, steel, cement, infotech, auto and other industries are spurring town-to-city transformations, conurbations and extensions, if not always new cities. Noida, Gurgaon, Navi Mumbai and NewTown (Rajarhat) are some indicative examples; new ports and extensions at Paradip, Kandla, Mundra, Pipavav are also part of this trend. Most important of all, though, is that the government has realised it must take a primary role in facilitating a crying need for new cities in India. And not a moment too soon.

The greenfield cities on the anvil—Dholera in Gujarat, Manesar-Bawal in Haryana, Indore-Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, and Dighi and Nasik-Igatpuri in Maharashtra—have been conceived on a grand scale, along the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). For example, at 900 sq km, Dholera is envisioned to be six times bigger than Chandigarh. The success of these cities, however, hinges on DMIC getting private sector investment and the Central government facilitating soft loans from multilateral agencies with a 10-year moratorium at least.

[Don_Ron_NYC]

Great New Thread.

A few questions:

I am curious as to what kinds of schools there are for Urban planning, architecture, Urban Landscaping, Urban Policies and so on?

and do they interact with other countries and share information?

and is there a governmental body that determines urban planning policies, procedures and uniformity?


I looked at the Indian Govt. portal but it was not too helpful.

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Here is a small list:
Institute of Town Planners, Delhi
National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), New Delhi
School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi

Centre for infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP) is a part of IISc, Bangalore. There is plan to develop CiSTUP as a idependent institute. CiSTUP will be having a say in Karnataka Urban Planning.

Institute Of Architecture and Town Planning, Jhansi

Insitutes like BIT offer degrees like Master of Urban Planning.

[Krishnamoorthy K]

It is widely accepted that by 2040 almost 50% of Indians will be living in urban areas. There will be an influx of 350 million people in Indian cities. This implies that we will in reality be building “a whole new India” with immense speed, without proper planning and with severe resource constraints (fiscal, administrative and natural). Urbanisation will therefore be the single greatest challenge confronting India in this century. It is feasible to utilise the opportunity provided by urbanisation to lift large segments of India’s population above poverty line. This, however, requires visionary leadership, capacity building and creative decision making.

India is in the process of developing world-class industrial regions in the corridor between Delhi and Mumbai. This development, in part is being facilitated by a new dedicated freight corridor in the form of a railway between Delhi and Mumbai. The objective is to create a strong economic base in this band with a globally competitive environment (dedicated power and water supply), reduced logistic costs and state of the art infrastructure. The project provides a unique opportunity for the country to plan, develop, build and manage cities that are both ecologically and economically sustainable.

Most urban planners in newer countries are still persisting with models of urban planning and design which were adopted in America and Europe. Cities in the West were built when these countries had access to cheap gas and clean water. Today’s world operates on limited resources and is far more complex and crowded. Energy use is a function of the urban form we adopt. We, therefore need to build socially vibrant cities which are polycentric, have dense rather than sprawl development (energy consumption drops by 30% when families live in apartments rather than houses) have clustered and efficient civic amenities and public transportation and facilities of cycling and walking. There are several other challenges we face. Our preliminary estimates reveal that a greenfield global competitive city with all its external and internal infrastructure will require an outlay of around Rs 60,000 cr. It is possible to commercialise and structure private public partnership (PPP) models on around 75-80% of this outlay.

Almost 20% of the outlay is required in phases for trunk infrastructure which holds key to the city and is not capable of commercialisation. This is critical as we should not create new “Gurgaons” without drainage and sewerage. Taking a city’s life span of 30 years the city as an economic model is highly viable and would generate substantial resources. This is in addition to its high multiplier impact on other as-pect of the economy. However, there is a revenue-expenditure mis-match in the first 11-12 years of the project cycle. This necessitates, infrastructure financing of long tenor at reasonable rates. Governance of the cities is a key issue to ensure better and more efficient management of the assets being created. Thus the organisational structure holds the key for long-term sustainability of the new cities.

ET

High population may prove a boon for the economy
Integration of new & old towns need of the hour
'We need to build medium-sized cities'
Taxing traffic tangles
Harvard students get lessons on Dharavi
Infra investment in 11th Plan to be $500 bn: Montek
People in tier-II, tier-III cities now getting used to financial planning

[Krishnamoorthy K]

And so, New Delhi will become the first city in the country to be able to provide, 48 hours in advance, a pollution forecast, much like a weather forecast.

French firms Aria Technologies SA and Leosphere SA, which created a similar forecasting system for the Beijing Olympics (2008), are helping New Delhi create its pollution forecast. India doesn’t have an official pollution forecasting system.

The two French firms are working with India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to create the system. Leosphere manufactures hardware and software for the laser-based monitoring systems and Aria Technologies develops and distributes air quality modelling systems.

The New Delhi project is sponsored by the French government. Officials at its embassy in New Delhi declined comment, saying they were not authorized to speak to the media.

“After the Games, CPCB will take it forward. We will be training the board so that they will be able to continue the forecasting,” added Guttikunda.

However, it wasn’t clear whether New Delhi would emulate Beijing’s aggressive environmental management.

In Beijing, where the forecasts were available five days in advance, officials “used it as a policy tool, through which they planned their short-term pollution control methods. They had a clear target, which was to meet air quality standards during games,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhary, associate director, Centre for Science and Environment, an environmental activist organization.

“They ordered three million cars off the roads and shut down industries to meet the standard,” she said, adding that New Delhi should have a similar plan.

Read more on livemint.

India is the largest user of groundwater: World Bank study
India ill-equipped to respond to Haiti-style disaster
4 yrs and crores later, govt's urban mission limping: Plan panel
After four years Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission is a flop

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Spread across 35 States and Union Territories, the Census would cover 640 Districts, 5767 Tehsils, 7742 Towns and more than 6 lakhs villages. More than 24 crores households will be visited and 1.20 billion people enumerated during this exercise.

Over 2.5 million people will be engaged to carry out this massive exercise.

Around 12,000 Metric Tonnes of paper will be utilised for printing 64 crores Census Forms and 50 lakhs Instruction Manuals.

The Census forms are printed in 16 languages and the Instruction Manuals in 18 languages. Surely these facts vouchsafe the claim that the Indian Census is indeed the largest such operation in the world.he Intelligent Character Recognition Software (ICR) that was pioneered by India in Census 2001 has become the benchmark for Censuses all around the globe. This involves the scanning of the Census Forms at high speed and extracting the data automatically using computer software.

This is the only source of primary data at village, town and ward level. It provides valuable information for planning and formulation of polices for Central and State Governments and is widely used by National and International agencies, scholars, business people, industrialists, and many more.

The Houselisting and Housing Census will provide comprehensive data on the conditions of human settlements, housing deficit and consequently the housing requirement to be taken care of in the formulation of housing policies.

sify

Stray hound explosion dogs India
Delhi has 718 high-rise buildings flouting fire safety norms
24X7 water supply leads to better public health
Delhi most liveable city, says report

[Marathaman]

Krishnamoorthy K, I must thank you. If there was a most valuable forumer award, it would have been awarded to you. All your posts are useful and informative.

[engineer.akash]

BANGALORE: After milk and petrol, here’s another blow, and it’s a cruel one. Water will cost a lot more — the hike is in the range of 33% to 200%, and will be implemented in the May 1 bill, BWSSB minister Katta Subramanya Naidu said on Friday. He was inspecting the Cauvery 4th Stage 2nd Phase project.

The reason behind the hike, says the department, is that BWSSB is reeling under severe loss. The slabs for water tariff for different consumers will be outlined and revealed after cabinet approval.

“We have to get cabinet approval to implement this. We are confident we will get approval within a week,” Katta said. The hike will be based on consumption level, and the lower-middle-class and middle-class consumers will not be affected severely, the minister said.

“The hike is proportionate to the consumption of water. Those falling under the minimum slab will have to pay Rs 36. The slabs are being revised and the new structure will have six or seven slabs,” said BWSSB chairman P B Ramamurthy.
He said the particulars will be made public after cabinet approval. “We cannot supply water under loss, people have to bear the losses,” Katta defended the hike.

TOI

[engineer.akash]

[engineer.akash]

TNN, Oct 29, 2009, 01.38am IST

NEW DELHI: In an ambitious assurance to the Delhi High Court, the city government said on Wednesday that it would ensure ``breathing space'' for every tree in the Capital -- by keeping a circumference of 6 feet around it concrete-free.

In effect, the government has said concretization projects in the future will have to account for the six-feet limit while in existing fixtures, concrete around the tree will be removed. The assurance came in response to an earlier HC instruction that trees in Delhi be saved from ``asphyxiation''.

The HC has asked for an undertaking in writing from all civic agencies in the capital that space around trees would be cleared up. It has also asked the government to expeditiously remove concrete tiles and slabs around trees, so that trees can breathe.

The court was hearing a public interest petition filed by S C Jain, who pointed out that trees in the city were ``getting uprooted even after the slightest of storms'' because their roots were weakened by the concretization of pavements.

``The roots are destroyed because they get little space to grow and anchor the trees. The concrete pavements are preventing adequate supply of water needed for their growth,'' lawyer Sugreev Dubey, appearing for the petitioner, said, referring to the traffic mayhem caused by rains earlier this year due to uprooting of trees.

Saying the government was not taking the earlier orders of the Supreme court on environment conservation ``seriously'', the petition pointed out that there was lack of trained manpower to prune trees to prevent their collapse during storms.

TOI

Old news but very important piece of news,every city must follow the above proposed model.

[engineer.akash]

Choking trees on Mysore city roads







A very good design near the public house,Mysore city


A model Road which has efficiently taken care of trees

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr




All pics copyright Myself

If anyone has better designs then please post

[Krishnamoorthy K]

* Centre wants the private sector to free India of slums

Media reports hint at a disagreement between two ministries over who will fund the scheme, called Rajiv Awas Yojana or ray (see box).

The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, along with the Planning Commission, wants to rope in private players, or use the ppp model (public-private partnership). The finance ministry wants the Centre and the state governments to bear the project cost.

Activists also oppose the entry of private builders into housing for the low-income group and cite their under-performance in the past.

Read more on Down To Earth.

RAY at a glance
Builder-driven housing schemes are a risk
Swanky Bus Rapid Transit System buses to drive into Bopal?
Our Little Understood urban dystopia

Originally Posted by Marathaman

Krishnamoorthy K, I must thank you. If there was a most valuable forumer award, it would have been awarded to you. All your posts are useful and informative.

Thank you Marathaman.

[engineer.akash]

Sunday, 04 Apr 2010

It is reported that Union Urban Development Ministry would shortly seek withdrawal of service tax imposed on real estate sector by Finance Minister in his Budget Proposals for 2010-2011 as the sector is still in pink.

Mr Jaipal Reddy Union Minister of Urban Development inaugurating ASSOCHAM organized National Conference on Indian Real Estate said that his Ministry would make a detailed representation to Finance Minister in next few days seeking review of the Service Tax on Real Estate Sector.

Responding to a query raised by past president, Mr KP Singh of ASSOCHAM the Minister responded in affirmative and argued that service tax on real estate can wait as it is not yet come out of recession.

On the issue of real estate regulator for Delhi, Mr Reddy said that it would be in place latest by 2010 as process for its legislation would shortly be completed since the draft bill is already circulated to concerned stakeholders and it would become an Act in the current year itself since it has already been delayed inordinately. On the issue of Regulatory Bill, the Minister was categorical that it would completely eliminate night operators from the real estate sector as also prevent the sector from indulging into unnecessary profiteering.

Mr Reddy also said that as far as Delhi is concerned, the Ministry of Urban Development would allow vertical development of real estate dwellings in older areas and remaining sprawl of Delhi provided the Municipal Corporation and Delhi Government assure availability of all basic amenities such as water, power for its vertical development.

In this connection, the Minister announced that Ministry of Urban Development would shortly come out with new relaxed Floor Area Ratio regime without specifying any time frame for it.

Mr Reddy also disclosed that his Ministry was in concerted and protracted discussions with body like Delhi Development Authority to develop zones to effectively execute Delhi master plan so that the national capital becomes a role model for other states to be emulated.

steelguru

[engineer.akash]

The benefits of insuring a public road

Staff Correspondent

The country’s only insured road gets cover for the third year


TREND-SETTER: A file photograph of the Timmasagar Temple Main Road at Vidyanagar in Hubli.

HUBLI: Insurance cover for Timmasagar Temple Main Road in Hubli, the country’s “first municipal road to be insured”, according to Limca Book of Records, 2008, has been renewed for the third year.

However, residents of the locality, especially Mrutyunjay C. Sindhur, a physician who initiated the process of getting the road insured for the first time in 2007, is unhappy. While Dr. Sindhur paid the premium for the first year, the other residents shared the premium amount for the second and third years.

The obvious reason for the unhappiness of the residents is that no individual or institution had come forward to borrow the idea from them to get roads in their localities insured.

“It is obvious that they have not really made efforts to know the real advantages of getting roads insured,” Dr. Sindhur told The Hindu.

It was in 2007 that the road in Hubli was insured against damage caused by all natural calamities, impact damage, malicious or intentional damage and bursting of water pipes and apparatus, etc.

The Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation got the road asphalted in 2007.

Initially, the road was insured by Oriental Insurance Company for Rs. 2 lakh with an annual premium of Rs. 303. In 2008-09, the sum assured was increased to Rs. 6 lakh with a premium of Rs. 910, and this year, the residents have paid Rs. 893 as annual premium.

As per the insurance policy, if any damage occurred to the road the insurance company will directly credit the amount required for repair of the damage to the account of the local body (in this case the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation).

The amount has to be exclusively used for the maintenance or repair of the insured road.

“It will not only avoid the long wait for getting funds sanctioned for road repair but will also ensure that the work is taken up immediately as exclusive funds are available for it. It will also be a sort of savings for the local body,” Dr. Sindhur said.

Dr. Sindhur’s contention is that the idea of getting road insured could be used as a long-term strategic plan for maintenance of roads by the local bodies as it would save repeated expenses incurred yearly for repairs.

That is the reason why he started a blog, www.insuredroad.blogspot.com, to pass on the information on the benefits of getting roads insured. Dr. Sindhur and the other residents are hopeful that their initiative would find some takers soon.

http://www.thehindu.com/2009/08/05/s...0550350200.htm






What an innovative idea.Hail Hubli.

[engineer.akash]

The families living in the slum are not ready to move into the temporary shelters, saying it is unjust and risky to live under a flyover.

By Gangadhar S Patil

05 Apr 2010, Citizen Matters

The slum dwellers of Mathikere are refusing to move into temporary shelters built for them under the Mathikere flyover by BBMP, saying it is dangerous and unsuitable for living. BBMP is offering the units to 42 families as temporary residences after their houses will be demolished for the widening of M S Ramaiya Road.

The demolishing work began on April 3rd morning. "We will shift 37 families first and rest will be moved as and when housing arrangement are made," said M K Harish, Assistant Engineer with BBMP. The road widening work will begin shortly after moving in the families, he added. Slum dwellers are not ready to shift but we are certain about the project, said Harish.

People are refusing to move in but under the supervision of police the work is forcefully carried out said M Babu, a resident of the slum.

Mathikere houses under flyover

The temporary house that has been built under Mathikere flyover.



Pic: Gangadhar S Patil.

The units are made of sheet rock and brick but have no foundation. The 42 units will share 10 common toilets.

The slum dwellers said they are not going to live under the flyover. "What will happen if a cylinder bursts?" asked Mariamma K whose family of five is slated to move into the units. "And how can we move all our belongings in such a small room?" she added.

The families living in the slum are not ready to moven into the units, saying it is unjust and risky to live under a flyover. "Regarding compensation no assurance has been given to us" said Wilson M C, a slum dweller. BBMP is promising us new permanent houses within a year, but we are not sure of anything yet, he added. Other slum dwellers are demanding permanent houses and not temporary settlement under the flyover, which means living with the roar of traffic over their heads day and night.

City engineers said the land being used for the project may be unusual, but it is a workable space and the city will push forward with the project. "Usually houses are not built under a flyover, but in this particular case we are pursuing it since there is an open space and traffic congestion in the roads are low," said Harish who is heading up the project. Space for permanent houses should be determined in the next six months, he said.

Mathikere houses built


City engineers said the land being used for the project may be unusual, but it is a workable space. Pic: Gangadhar S Patil.

The slum dwellers claimed that they are entitled to the ownership of the houses which are slated for demolition. "The Government allotted us this land long back, it is in our name," said Wilson. Whereas Harish said the land belongs to the government, hence new houses will be given to them as compensation.

The road construction will cut into the Mathikere slum and destroy 70 out of 200 homes. The housing project under the flyover has enough room for only 42 units, according to engineers. It is not yet known where the remaining 28 families will move.

Wilson, said he was concerned about what would happen to the housing units during rainy season when water accumulates under the flyover. He said that although BBMP has indicated that the units under the flyover were only temporary, BBMP had not yet explained where the slum dwellers would be permanently resettled.

"We are not going to move there," he said, referring to the temporary units.

The resettlement plan was on hold during the modal code of conduct period, prior to March 28th city elections. Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, MLA of Malleshwaram constituency, declined to comment on the issue. "We will talk about it after the BBMP election," he said.

Velu said the flyover units were unsafe and besides that, there was a bar located next to the units.

Even the shopkeepers near by the road said they opposed the move. They said they feel the presence of slums near their shops will hamper their business.

Earlier, a few temporary units under the flyover were broken down by Congress party workers along with some slum dwellers, a shopkeeper said. Subsequently police were deployed to prevent anyone from obstructing further construction.⊕

Citizen Matters

This is posted by my friend Gangadhar S Patil,who is basically from belgaum (My town) and worked there in a NGO,currently he is active in Bengaluru.

[engineer.akash]

Vincent DSouza, TNN, Apr 6, 2010, 09.43pm IST

HUBLI: After finding its way into the Limca Book of Records for being the first road in the country to be insured by the citizens, the Timmasagar Temple Main Road in Hubli has added another feather to its cap. It has now entered India Book of Records.

The 385-metre civic road that connects NH-4 shot into fame after a local medical practitioner Dr Mrityunjay C Sindhur insured it for an amount of Rs 2 lakh in August 2007. While Sindhur himself paid the annual premium for the first two years, a group of nine citizens located on the pathway joined him in sharing the premium amount of the third year for an assured sum of Rs 6 lakh.

Sindhur said henceforth the same procedure will be followed to pay the premium. He said that many residents were individually ready to bear the whole insurance premium. "But later, it was decided to distribute the responsibility as it would help spread a strong message about private participation. It will also make the residents treat the road as theirs," he said. This initiative entered Limca Book of records in 2007.

He said the residents' initiative, however small, helps protect the public road. "But it will go a long way in inculcating civic sense among the residents and help reduce some part of financial burden on the government..." he added.

The residents here also want people elsewhere in the city to take a cue from them. "We hope that the HDMC will make efforts in this regard for the well-being of its roads which will save lot of funds. Recognitions such as this (India Book of Records or Limca Book of Records) should encourage people's participation in public work," he said.

"For me it has become a movement and I want this message to go everywhere. All corporations must follow this to save crores on road repairs," Sindhur said, adding the methodology is simple consisting of the insurance company inspecting the quality of the road before signing of papers and the claims going directly to the civic bodies. He has also started a blog www.insuredroad.blogspot.com to propagate the movement.

TOI

Hail Hubli city.