Urban Planning & Issues

[Krishnamoorthy K]

NEW DELHI: The government is considering a 'vacant land tax' to check largescale hoarding of land and to generate resources to revamp crumbling urban infrastructure.

The Planning Commission' steering group has suggested that the new tax should be based on "ready-reckoner capital value" and could be charged at 0.5% of the total value. In its draft proposal, the group suggested imposing the new tax on vacant government land too.

"It has come to notice that many developers use vacant land for speculative purposes. They buy land and keep it vacant waiting for real estate prices to escalate," an official of the urban development ministry said when asked about the steering group' proposal.

The official said the funds raised through this tax would help municipal authorities fund infrastructure projects and ensure affordable housing and better sanitation and drinking water facilities in cities and towns.

States like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have taken the lead and are collecting such taxes in its cities. Other states like Punjab and Bihar are thinking of imposing a similar tax to curb hoarding and check spiraling property prices. Similar taxes are common in developing countries. "These measures have checked soaring real estate prices and an acute housing shortage," an official said.

The plan panel group has suggested a slew of measures to financially empower urban local bodies, including changes in the 74th Constitutional (Amendment) Act.

It has also sought much-needed reforms in property taxes. It wants that property tax should be restructured as a general benefit tax and components like water and sewerage services should be charged as separate user charges.

For constructed properties, the group said the tax should be determined using an area-based capital valuation system which factors in location, type of construction and type of use to determine the slab rate per square foot. The panel also wants local bodies to be allowed to fix the tax rate, subject to a ceiling specified by law.

The group suggested that large unutilized land blocks belonging to central, state and local governments could also be monetized to raise resources. Some of these land assets are located in prime areas and are contributing to urban sprawl, it said. It argued that service charges should be levied on properties owned by central and state governments.

ET

[Krishnamoorthy K]

PANAJI: The state government has reconstituted the general body of the Goa state urban development agency, which has the power to take policy decisions for implementation of various urban development schemes and programmes financed by the state and/or Centre.

The body can advise the government to implement poverty alleviation programmes through administrative machinery of the agency and to pass and approve the annual financial statement of the agency every year.

The general body will pass a resolution on financial and administration matters for the smooth functioning of the agency and make different rules for staff recruitment, travel allowance, for smooth functioning of the administration of the agency, etc.

The body will be headed by the minister for urban development and will have as its members a representative of ministry of urban development in New Delhi, the state secretary for urban development, state joint secretary (finance) and the director for planning, statistics and evaluation among others.

The principal chief engineer of the public works department, managing director for the Goa state infrastructure development corporation and the director of municipal administration will also be on the panel. The body can appoint an auditor for the audit of the agency and fix the remuneration of the auditors and take decisions to acquire any immovable property.

TOI

[Krishnamoorthy K]

AHMEDABAD: Just two of the 15 lakh illegal buildings across cities of Gujarat have been legalized under the new impact fee norms in the past two months. There was much hype around the Gujarat Regularization of Unauthorized Development Act (GRUDA) when it was notified by the state government on February 20, but not much has happened since. This says a lot about the scheme in an election year.

"Of the two buildings that have been legalized in Ahmedabad, one is in Sabarmati area and the other on Iskon-Ambli road," says a senior Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) town planning official. "A high impact fee, calculated on March 2011 jantri rates, no clarity on issues related to parking space and the rather long list of no-objection certificates (NOC) that is to be attached with the application are proving to be major deterrents."

Sources said in some cases, the impact fee is working out to be higher than the cost of constructing the building.

Not surprisingly, in Ahmedabad, 14,600 forms for regularization were disbursed, but only 26 people returned them filled up. In Rajkot, only 25 filled up forms were received of the 550 that were initially disbursed. In Surat, only four applicants approached the municipal corporation, despite more than 400 notices being issued. In Vadodara, only 30 applicants applied for legalizing their properties under the new impact fee law.

To woo people to the scheme, the state urban development department recently allowed municipal corporations to relax some norms. "AMC, for instance, now allows 75% of owners of a property to apply for regularization. Earlier, it was 100 per cent," a senior AMC official said. "Also, now you can give an affidavit that you have applied for NOCs from a range of government bodies, including the ministry of environment and forests, the local police, GAIL, ONGC and railways. Earlier, separate NOCs had to be attached."

(with inputs by Melvyn Thomas)

Lack of clarity in regulations stops owners from regularizing their illegal buildings

Vijaysinh Parmar and Melvyn Thomas

The owner of an office in a commercial building on CG Road almost fainted when he calculated the impact fee for regularizing the illegal construction. It turned out that he and other office-owners of the building will have to pay Rs 3 crore.

The sum, he said, is more than double the purchase price of the commercial building constructed in the 1990s. The building occupants had collectively spent Rs 1.2 crore in buying shops and o f f i c e s there. Adding insult to injury for these office and shop owners, the 50-odd members of this bu i l d i n g are already paying collectively at the rate of Rs 25,000 per square metre, according to the new jantri rates, for violating parking space.

This is not an isolated case concerning CG Road alone. Many owners of buildings across cities and towns in Gujarat, who had joyously collected impact fee application forms since February 20 when the state government officially made the impact fee scheme operational, are facing the same dilemma.

An official estimate is that there are a total of 15 lakh irregular properties in the state. Out of these, only 80 owners have applied for regularization till date.

Architects and engineer associations in the state claim that a major hurdle is the certification of an illegal building as 'safe'. "An owner makes an extra floor on top of his house which was not there in the original approved plan. Now on what basis should we give the owner a certificate of safety," says a senior architect Brijesh Lambh a i n Ahmedabad.

"A high impact fee based on the March 2011 jantri rates, then the NOCs from at least seven to eight agencies and lack of clarity among officials regarding the new law have led to GRUDA being avoided by many. Individual municipal corporations are wary of taking independent decisions," says an official of the state urban development department.

(With inputs from Paul John in Ahmedabad)

Lukewarm response in Diamond City

The Impact fee regulation has received a lukewarm response in the diamond city with only four property owners approaching the civic body seeking regularization of their unauthorized structures. Surat Municipal Corporation's (SMC) town planning department has issued about 400 notices to property owners as of now asking them to get their properties regularized by paying the impact fee to the municipal corporation.

The highest number of illegal structures is located in the areas like Varachha, Katargam, Ved, Dabholi, Mota Varachha, Kapodara and Sarthana. In 2000, the civic body had earned more than Rs 100 crore when the regulation came in to force. More than 17,000 applications had come in. "Only four property owners have turned up to regularize their unauthorized structures out of the total 400 cases," said Jivan Patel, director of planning.

"The number of property owners seeking to regularize structures is low as they might be getting their papers ready from architects. But we expect a large number of people to apply before the deadline expires in August," added Patel.

30K constructions to be legalized in Rajkot

There are close to 30,000 properties in Rajkot which are to be legalized under GRUDA. The Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) has issued 550 notices till date out of which owners of 20 properties have returned with their filled application forms. Out of these, the RMC has earmarked applications of 15 properties as a fit case for legalizing under the new impact fee law.

After Ahmedabad, Rajkot will be the only other city to have made an effort to legalize irregular buildings.

"These property owners are yet to pay their impact fee to get their properties legalized," s a y s BH Rupani, city town planning officer of the RMC. But a dilemma confronts the RMC today as there are 25 societies in the city which are completely illegal and the civic body has provided all civic facilities that are available to legal societies including roads, drainage and water supply. "We've even collected taxes from these illegal societies. We've issued them notices under GRUDA as the law demands it. But residents can resist from paying an impact fee by stating that they are regular tax payers," adds a senior official of the RMC.

Only 30 applications from owners of unlawful constructions in Vadodara

The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has so far received only 30 applications for regularization of constructions by paying impact fees. For that matter it has distributed only around 500 forms for applications for the regularization. A major reason for the slackness is the fact that the impact fee rates are too high and citizens are reluctant to cough up the amount. A builder in the old city that has the largest concentration of properties that have made alterations over the years said that the fees at the rate of 10% of the constructed area with retrospective effect were a major hurdle. "Not many are willing to pay this amount,"the realtor said.

One application in two months

AHMEDABAD: Even two months after the much talked about impact fee law came into force, just one member of the CG Road Shop Owners Association has taken the courage of filling up the impact fee form. Most of the 600 members of the association today prefer to play the waitand-watch game. Owners of a building called Aniket will file their application form at the AMC's west zone ward office on Monday.

The association members have protested that their impact fee bill per building will exceed more than the building cost when it was built in the 1990s."If the March 28, 2011 jantri or government land book rates are taken as a base rate for impact fee, CG Road shop owners will have to collectively pay in crores for each building. The jantri rate is Rs 25,000 per square metres. There are just two buildings - between Swastika crossroads and Stadium crossroads - that have some parking to show, the rest of the buildings are devoid of parking space. In that case, their impact fee bill will run into crores," says a member of the association. "This will be more than the initial building cost. It is for this reason that many have refrained from filling up the forms," he added.

There are 52 buildings on CG Road that lack parking space with respect to the occupancy in each of the building. Last year, when the shop owners association calculated the investment required for raising a multilevel parking facility in the vicinity of CG Road - at municipal market and Navrangpura bus stand - the cost was estimated to be Rs 7 crore. "There is a dilapidated stadium at Mithakhali crossroads which is not utilized and there is another huge government plot at Stadium crossroads that can be utilized for parking space. The state government and the AMC seem to be ignoring them. When we looked for land around CG Road, we found that the Municipal Market and Navrangpura bus stand were not the only two options available to the AMC," says a senior member of the association. --Paul John

Two buildings in the clear in Ahmedabad

The city is the only one in the state to report legalizing of two buildings under GRUDA. One being the Sanskruti Complex at Ramnagar Chowk in Sabarmati area and the other being a commercial building on Iskon-Ambli road. After 14,690 forms were disbursed till April 22, only 26 owners of irregular buildings returned with filled up application forms. In the central zone, which has a large chunk of illegal buildings, only 400 owners came to collect forms. "The AMC had expected to collect a revenue of Rs 101 crore. But that is just a dream," says a senior AMC official.

To popularize the scheme, the AMC recently sought permission from the state urban development department to introduce special relaxation in procedure for applying under GRUDA. In a populist move, the state urban development is planning to slash impact fees significantly in the next few days. Sources reveal that it may be slashed by 25-40 per cent. But that is hardly going to make a difference, according to architects association in Surat and Ahmedabad and resident welfare associations in Vadodara and Rajkot.

TOI

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Published: Monday, Apr 30, 2012, 14:39 IST
Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI

A parliamentary panel has expressed "distress" over an overwhelming number of sanitation and drainage projects remaining incomplete, noting that 4,861 cities in the country do not have even a partial sewerage network.

The existing set-up cannot handle the problems of cities, including even mega cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai, noted the Standing Committee on Urban Development.

The panel has asked the housing and urban poverty alleviation ministry to take proactive steps for completion of sewerage and drainage projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

"Almost 50 percent of households in cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad do not have sewerage connection. Only 21 percent of the waste water is treated," the panel said.

"Of the 79 sewerage treatment plants under state ownership, 46 were operating under very poor condition and less than 20 percent of road network is covered by storm water drains. In view of this, sewerage system in India is suffering from poor maintenance.

"The existing set up simply cannot handle the problems of cities including mega cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai," the panel added.

The report, which was tabled in parliament last week, noted that 4,861 of 5,161 cities in the country do not have even a partial sewerage network.

It said the sewerage disposal system in major cities like Delhi was releasing untreated water directly or indirectly into water bodies without removing harmful compounds despite court orders and this was causing severe environmental hazards.

"In view of this, the committee further recommend(s) that time-bound steps should be taken in this direction to stop releasing of polluted water into the river by strictly adhering to the Supreme Court's orders and by establishing adequate number of sewerage treatment plants," the report said.

The panel said in its report on the demands for grants (2012-13) for the ministry that sewerage, sanitation and drainage were significant focus factors under JNNURM but only a small portion of sanctioned projects had been completed.

"So far 108 sewerage and 71 drainage (including storm water drainage) projects were sanctioned under JNNURM. The committee is distressed to note that even after completion of the entire mission period (2005-06 to 2011-12), against the above sanctioned projects, only 15 sewerage projects and eight drainage projects have been completed till date," the report said.

Against this backdrop, the committee strongly recommends that the ministry take proactive steps in completing the remaining projects at the earliest and generate more demands from all of the states about these projects by creating awareness during the 12th plan, it said.

The 108 sewerage projects approved under JNNURM are to the tune of Rs 14,624 crore, and drainage projects to the tune of Rs.8,248 crore. Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have maximum sewerage and drainage projects under the mission.

JNNURM was launched on Dec 3, 2005 for seven years beginning 2005-06 with the objective of reform-driven, fast-track development of cities with a focus on bringing efficiency in urban infrastructure, service delivery mechanisms, community participation and accountability of urban local bodies towards citizens.

Based on the 2001 census, 65 cities including state capitals, urban agglomeration of religious, historic or tourism importance have been included in the urban infrastructure and governance sub-mission of JNNURM.

All other cities are admissible for funding under Urban Infrastructure Development of Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT).

DNA

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Sharath S. Srivatsa

Our heritage structures are fast disappearing,thanks to their turning into prime real estate

Two developments in recent months could somewhat bring cheer to those who value the heritage of our city, which in the past has had to see many of its old and historic structures vanish. First, is the resolve of the Russell Market traders to put the partially fire-damaged building back to shape. The other is the inclusion of Bangalore in the heritage city list.

Paradoxically, while the former did not have the backing of the civic authorities, the latter came from the State government itself, much to the surprise of many. Both have come at a time when heritage conservation in Bangalore needs a boost, though larger issues remain to be addressed yet.

Gone forever

Currently, concerns are being raised at the alacrity at which old private properties — evoking a once-gracious era — are being razed. On the other hand, most of the vintage public buildings may have escaped demolition, though many are in the best shape.

But, for the city's heritage, which has suffered enormously in two decades of speculative real estate boom — a phenomenon witnessed nationwide — can these developments trigger sensitivity and passion for the “old world” charm?

No proper law

The inclusion of Bangalore in the fresh list of 14 heritage cities (apart from the six existing cities) across the State may have set the ball rolling for the Department of Heritage to initiate conservation, but it will be an uphill task without proper legislation to back it.

“Unless there is legislation to protect the heritage properties, no amount of documentation and plan will work. Some relief in terms of tax discounts has to be extended to private owners that could help in conservation,” Sathya Prakash Varanashi, Convenor, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), told The Hindu. Besides relief in property tax, the government should help boost the value of a heritage building instead of letting it depreciate, he said.

A stringent law could prevent a repeat of Malleswaram in other heritage areas. “With urban land becoming a commodity, land value increased in Malleswaram and throughout the 1990s, the area saw heritage buildings losing ground,” he said.

Heritage, he pointed out, is not a “tenderable” item. “Cultural or intangible heritage such as a flower market or residences of eminent personalities, iconic commercial centres cannot be quantified. The government needs to balance these while funding heritage conservation,” he said.

Challenges

Challenges for conservation in Bangalore will be many, acknowledges K.R. Ramakrishna, Commissioner for Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, while also conceding that a law to protect heritage is crucial in conservation. He said that he was getting copies of laws from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal that have put in place legislative control on heritage buildings.

“We are very positive; a lot of things needs to be done. Preliminary survey work for documentation will be started shortly, and a sustainable heritage plan will be formed for Bangalore,” he said. Pointing out the impracticability of the entire Bangalore being declared as heritage zone for conservation, he said some pockets are being considered.

Adaptive reuse

Meanwhile, in the absence of a legislative provision, one way of looking at protection and conservation of heritage structure in the private realm could be to convert them into boutiques, hotels and home stays.

The Villa Pottipati hotel in the over a century-old bungalow in the heart of Malleswaram, the National Gallery of Modern Arts in the heritage Manikyavelu Mansion on Palace Road, the Hatworks Boulevard on Cunningham Road and Raintree on Bellary Road are some examples for such adaptive reuse.

“These commercial ventures could be encouraged so that they can help in conserving the structures. Ultimately, it is passion and interest that safeguard heritage,” said conservation architect Pankaj Modi.

He observed that a positive development in the recent times was that banks, post offices and other public sector enterprises are seeking expert advice to protect their structures in Bangalore.

The Hindu

[Krishnamoorthy K]

HYDERABAD: The Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) which met under the chairmanship of chief secretary, Pankaj Dwivedi has decided to utilise the available vacant spaces belonging to various government departments in Greater Hyderabad limits for the construction of mechanised multi storeyed parking complexes.

There is a shortage of parking facilities for parking vehicles in the city and most of the motorists are parking their vehicles on the roadsides and footpaths, resulting in traffic jams and problems to the pedestrians walking on the footpaths.

Speaking to reporters, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), incharge metropolitan commissioner, M T Krishna Babu said that some open spaces belonging to government departments have been identified --- such as APHB in Kukatpally, HMDA in Ameerpet and Saroonagar, and vacant spots near Gandhi Bhavan and Charminar. More such vacancies will be identified for construction of mechanised multi-storeyed parking complexes. These structures will be built through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, he added.

For seamless and cashless travel in Greater Hyderabad, UMTA suggested Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation to come out with rechargeable cards that would help in hassle-free travel for the commuters.

It was also decided to have periodical night patrolling by the police on the 11.5 kms PVNR Elevated Expressway for keeping vigil.

A suggestion was also made for creating an Urban Transport Fund (UTF) by allocating 10 per cent of road tax, reinvesting all the penalties collected by the Traffic Police of Hyderabad and Cyberabad and also by diverting 0.25 per cent of the development charges collected from Urban Local Bodies to the fund.

These funds will be utilised for improving traffic management, taking pilot traffic projects, devising and implementing plans for easing traffic congestion and other aspects.

A scheme for capacity building in Urban Transport was agreed by UMTA; it was decided to forward proposals for getting funds from the central government.

The UMTA also agreed for proposals for a project with an outlay of Rs 66 crore for improving the traffic signal system at 221 junctions, with modern equipment, traffic visualisation and arranging surveillance cameras etc under Hyderabad Traffic Integrated Management System (HTRIMS).

Krishna Babu said that� UMTA would request capital for taking up the project, which consists of designs, supply, networking, installation, commissioning and maintenance of traffic signals in the GHMC area for a period of five years.

He also informed that the South Central Railway (SCR) has completed the parallel bridge at Lakadi-ka-pul, which will be thrown open to public soon, once few other properties are acquired. The money has been deposited in the court for the same.

It was also agreed to take up the proposed three new flyovers at Tolichowki, Narsapur-Balanagar X Road and Amberpet X Road. The cost of the project will be shared by Roads and Buildings department and GHMC.

The committee has also agreed for inclusion of 35 mandals in Draft Master Development Plan-2031 for future development activities as Multiple Use Zone.

They discussed in detail the issues relating to Intelligent Transportation System for Hyderabad City area and suggested exploring possibilities of JICA funding the total Master Plan project, duly considering the ongoing projects of GHMC and APSRTC for total Hyderabad Metropolitan Area.

Senior officials from MAUD, Commissioner of Police Hyderabad, Cyberabad; APSRTC; Transport; APPCB; Railways; Hyderabad Metro Rail and other departments were in attendance at the meeting.

IBNLive

Whether suffiercient user fee will be collected for maintenance & operational costs? Maintenance fee could be high for mechanized ones.

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Patna, April 26 (IANS) Hafeez Contractor, one of India's best known architects, plans to develop a world city alongside the river Ganges here - on the lines of Dubai - that will boast of eco-friendly buildings and water sports facilities, officials here say.

"Contractor submitted his proposed plans to the state government during his visit here Tuesday," an official said referring to the proposed New Patna World City.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is reportedly impressed by Contractor's plans to develop a future city in Patna.

"After Contractor met him in this connection, Kumar has asked development commissioner A.K. Sinha and top officials of the urban development department to have a meeting with Contractor to discuss it," officials said.

"All the high-rise buildings and apartments will be constructed on eco-friendly lines with water sports facilities on the river side," the official said.

An official of the urban development department told IANS that Contractor's plans are to develop a new city spread over an area of 1,700 acres. This would include residential, commercial and entertainment centres on 300 acres while 350 acres would be developed as green fields.

"He plans to develop a park on 600 acres on the lines of the New York park which is spread over 800 acres," officials said.

Other facilities like seven-star hotels, malls and shopping centres, schools, hospitals, health clubs, meditation centres, art galleries, convention centres and sports centres would be created in the planned city.

Kumar Wednesday laid the foundation for Bihar's first multi-storeyed industrial complex at the Fatuha industrial area near Patna. At a function on the occasion, he said Contractor had come up with a layout to develop land full of sand near the Ganges.

Contractor said Patna has the potential to become a city like Delhi or Dubai. "Patna has a lot of potential with regard to infrastructure development, especially with the positive leadership in the state," he said.

Contractor is already working in Patna. Eary this year, the Bihar State Housing Board (BSHB) selected him for the re-development of the housing board's flats here.

Yahoo

Read also post #331.

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Urban local bodies (ULBs) have drawn up an action plan for revival, rehabilitation and maintenance of rain water harvesting (RWH) structures, Municipal Administration and Rural Development Minister K.P. Munusamy said on Monday.

Initiating a debate on the demands for grants of his departments, Mr. Munusamy said that the ULBs had taken up various measures for the rehabilitation of the structures. Wherever they were under repair, the ULBs had been asked to restore them. The awareness programme on RWH was being continued in all ULBs. As part of the government's decision to implement underground sewerage (UGS) schemes in all ULBs, the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board had prepared detailed project reports for 117 municipalities and three corporations – Tiruchi, Coimbatore and Tuticorin. The projects for the municipalities would cost Rs.7,100 crore and those of the corporations, Rs.1,570 crore.

In view of the serious financial situation of the New Tirupur Area Development Corporation Limited, a corporate debt restructuring package had been worked out in consultation with lenders. They had agreed to reschedule the debt, reduce interest rate and convert 15 per cent of the debt into equity. The State government would undertake to buy an additional 100 million litres a day (MLD) of water from the company at the opportunity cost of Rs.21 per kilo litre.

The Tirupur Corporation would meet the entire variable charges (now fixed at Rs.6 per kl and subject to annual escalation) and 10 per cent of the fixed charges of Rs.15 per kl. The government would meet 90 per cent of the fixed charges. In addition, the existing charges for domestic water supply would be enhanced. To reduce the debt and meet the shortfall of resources required to service the debt, the government would give Rs.114 crore over three years as equity share capital to the company.

The Hindu

[Krishnamoorthy K]

CHENNAI: The State should prepare an urban water security plan to map, renew and protect water sources, both surface and ground water, according to suggestions made in the 12th Five Year Plan.

Sources in the State Planning Commission told Express that the suggestions that were provided to address long-term water security needs of Tamil Nadu also stressed the need to implement strategies which include river basin renewal and management,� ground water replenishment, creation of water grids and creation and maintenance of water catchment areas and reservoirs.

Sources said that the report also suggested the need to develop a system and institutional accountability to periodically monitor and report groundwater table in all urban local bodies in all cities and towns.

The suggestions also included initiating a mission mode exercise to map and rehabilitate water bodies in the State.

“Along with this exercise, there is also a need to designate clear accountability for managing water bodies. At present, there is significant overlap in roles for managing water bodies among various agencies, including Chennai Metro Water, Public Works Department and urban local bodies and these need to be corrected on priority,” the sources said.

Interestingly, the sources said that one of the main goals of the 12th Plan was to provide 135 litres per capita per day of piped water supply across all parts of the Chennai Corporation by 2017. Currently, over a third of the Corporations and Municipalities are provided with more than 110 litres per capita per day (LPCD) of water, nearly two-thirds continue to get average to poor supply that needs to be rectified on a priority, the sources added.

IBNLive

Tamil Nadu Housing Board old flats to make way for highrises

[Krishnamoorthy K]

M. Soundariya Preetha

If the Census 2011 data on Tamil Nadu houses, household amenities and assets are an indication, Coimbatore District has a crying need for affordable housing.

Of the 9,45,943 households in the district, nearly half of them have handmade tile (10.4 per cent) and machine-made tile (36 per cent) roofing. Of the rest, 41.1 per cent has concrete roofing. And, over 70 per cent have mud or cement flooring (10.6 per cent have mud flooring and 60.5 per cent have cement flooring). Almost 65 per cent of households have just one or two dwelling rooms.

These are indications that majority of the households in the district live in semi-pucca houses. The provisional data of Census 2011 also shows that nearly 75 per cent of the population in the district resides in urban areas. There is an urgent need for the Government to focus on affordable housing. With huge demand for affordable pucca houses, innovative concepts should be adopted to promote large numbers of concrete roof houses that will be available to the residents at lower prices, says architect Arun Prasad, who has a Masters in Planning (housing).

Of the total 11,69,752 census houses in the district, 10,93,949 are occupied. Nearly 7.3 per cent of these are used as residence-cum-office or as shops and offices. Another 4.6 per cent is used for non-residential purposes, and 1.6 per cent as factories, workshops, etc. Further, of the 9.45 lakh households, 36.6 per cent lives in rented houses. This is next only to Chennai (51.1 per cent) in the State.

Apart from industrial growth, Coimbatore District also has established social infrastructure such as schools, colleges, and hospitals. Hence, many prefer to live in urban areas and there are many migrating to the district for their livelihood. Mixed land use pattern augurs well in Coimbatore and the rental market seems to be good, adds Mr. Arun Prasad.

Regional planners should look at ways to stabilise population migration. “We need to create centres so that people do not migrate,” he says. There are two options: focus on vertical growth and develop infrastructure in hubs, as in the case of Japan. Since infrastructure costs are shooting up, such a concept will provide better facilities in specific neighbourhoods and bring down the need for long-distance transportation, etc. The other is to go in for development in all areas, he adds.

The district is doing well in several other factors. For instance, about 60 per cent of the total households in the district have banking services, and 94.8 per cent have electricity for lighting. Sanitation facilities are also better in the district.

The Hindu

Sriperumbudur to be developed into satellite town

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Jayaraj Sivan, TNN Apr 5, 2012, 05.43AM IST

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has decided to roll out a master plan soon for the state with a view to reining in haphazard development.

The massive exercise, covering 1.24 lakh sqkm, will adhere to the norms prescribed by the Urban Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (UDPFI) and will be designed to cater to the needs of the state over the next 30 years, sources said. The plan will, however, exclude the Chennai Metropolitan Area and regions where master plans were released in the last 10 years. The Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) is the nodal agency for implementing the project.

As it is a complex task, the DTCP will outsource some work to universities, notably Anna University, which has a department specializing in town planning. Spread over three years, the project, in the first year, will cover about 8,000sqkm of urban areas like corporations, municipalities, and town panchayats, and the adjoining village panchayats.

Another 17,000 sq km will be covered in the second year, by which time, it is expected that more than 3,000 sq km area - about three times the size of CMA - will be earmarked for residential use alone. The forest cover and agricultural fields will be covered in the final phase.

It will be a blueprint for not only distribution of land use, but also creation of physical infrastructure like roads, water supply, sewerage, drainage, power and solid waste management; social infrastructure like educational facilities, health care, socio-cultural centres, police stations and fire service; and recreational and traffic and transportation facilities. It is expected to put an end to large-scale conversion of agricultural fields into residential lay-outs by realty firms to cash in on an engineered real estate boom and the government's tolerance to such mediocrity.

Unscientific planning had led to flooding of many residential areas in the past."The master plan will facilitate greenfield development in virgin lands without ravaging the rural landscape. It will provide solutions to the developmental logjam witnessed in most cities in Tamil Nadu and will also prevent misuse of land," said a planner.

"Planned development prevents scattering of infrastructure and fragmentation of agricultural land and habitats. It improves connectivity and allays disparity in support systems and infrastructure. More important, it also reduces the cost of infrastructure like roads, water supply and sanitation," opined G Dattatri, a leading retired urban planner.

However, he cautioned such a complex task should not be carried out in a hurry. "The first master plan for Chennai was mooted in the general town planning scheme way back in 1920. But it could be released only in 1975. Apart from universities, the DTCP should engage internationally renowned planners also in the exercise," he noted.

TOI

[Krishnamoorthy K]

BS Reporter / Chennai/ Kochi Apr 27, 2012, 00:05 IST

The board of directors of SmartCity Kochi (SCK), a joint venture between SmartCity Dubai and the Kerala government, has approved the concept master plan of the project.

In a press release, the company has informed that the same would be forwarded to the SEZ Board for approval soon. Upon receiving the approval, the concept master plan has moved to its second stage, which will include the detailed components of the master plan. Accordingly, the second stage of the plan is expected to be completed by August 2012.

This stage includes final detailed master plan, environmental and sustainability study, urban design landscape guidelines, traffic impact study and plot development guidelines. The SCK team is expected to start operations on the sales pavilion from May 2012.

The pavilion has significantly progressed towards completion and is expected to be ready by the first week of May. The pavilion, which was initially planned on an area of 6,000 sft, will now be spread across a total built-up area of 10,900 sft.

It will be an enlarged pavilion with an innovative design and futuristic building – a steel structure set within the natural terrain of the site. This will assist the marketing of the project to international and national stake holders.

It will house an open-planned office area, enclosed rooms and utilities for project and marketing operations, open reception area, marketing display area of the project along with meeting rooms and state of the art facilities.

Commenting on the special features of the pavilion, Jawad Suleiman, executive director (project development and planning), SmartCity Dubai, said, “The design is based on green building initiatives starting from the use of all materials, systems and building orientation. We have used double-glazed material for the building skin, which reduces glare and heat gain, thus providing a favorable work environment for the employees.”

As planned, construction of Phase-I of the project will be completed between 18 and 24 months from the date of awarding the contract to the contractor. This time frame will include the testing and commissioning of the building systems, together with the landscaping and infrastructure around Phase-1, the release added.

BS

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Vijesh Kamath, Bangalore, April 24, 2012, DHNS:

Thanks to rider that flow of JnNURM funds would stop, if it is not formed

The State government has begun the process of constituting the much-delayed Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) for Bangalore.

Under the 74th amendment of the Constitution, MPC is mandatory for a city with a population of more than 10 lakh. Bangalore is home to over 85 lakh (as per census 2011).

Though an enabling law was passed by the Government in 1994, the committee did not come into existence.

The Government seems to have finally woken up, thanks to a rider that the flow of funds for the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) would stop if the MPC was not constituted.

As a first step, the government has taken the initiative of amending the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Act, 1994, to repeal Section 45 of the Act which specified that the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) would have to be dissolved once the MPC is constituted.

The then government had felt the BMRDA could be scrapped once the MPC was formed. However, an expert committee headed by K Kasturirangan, constituted to review the institutional situation in the metropolitan region, thought otherwise. The committee in its recommendation submitted in 2008 proposed extensive responsibilities in the expanded BBMP as well as retaining BMRDA.

The amendment bill to retain BMRDA even after the constitution of the MPC will be taken up for consideration in the next legislature session. However, the government is likely to notify only Bangalore Urban revenue district as the metropolitan area deviating from recommendations of the Kasturirangan Committee, which specified that besides Bangalore Urban, the districts of Bangalore Rural and Ramanagaram be brought under MPC. This means the MPC will have BBMP, Anekal Town Municipal Council and 110 gram panchayats in the four taluks of Bangalore Urban in its jurisdiction.

The government, at the same time, has decided to put its ambitious proposal of having a Bangalore Metropolitan Region governance legislation on the back burner at least for the time being.

Overarching council

The proposed legislation is to create an overarching council which would plan and supervise the development of the Bangalore Metropolitan Region.

Urban Development Department secretary Aravind Shrivastava said once the amendment bill to retain BMRDA was passed by the legislature, the process of constituting the MPC could be simultaneously taken up.

Two-third of the members of the MPC shall be elected from among members of the corporation, municipalities and president and vice-presidents of zilla, taluk and gram panchayats in the metropolitan area. Besides, the State government can nominate experts to the committee.

The main aim of constituting the MPC is to bring all stakeholders involved in urban development on a single platform. The MPC will also have to prepare a development plan, for instance the Master Plan for Bangalore, indicating vision and strategy for integrated and co-ordinated development of metropolitan area. These tasks, at present, are usually outsourced to the third parties and except for calling for objections from the public, there is not much transparency while finalising zoning in the master plan.

Functions

* Preparation of draft development plan for metropolitan area
* Co-ordination and sorting out common issues involving local bodies in metro area, including sharing of water, etc
* Deciding on allocation of resources to local bodies
* Avoiding overlapping of areas of different agencies

Deccan Herald

Hubli: New Mayor envisions 'dustbin-free twin cities'

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Urban inflation at double digit again
Buying dream cottage in Himachal may get tougher

Urban Trauma: Survey finds India's cities are creaking under the strain of migrant population

Odisha Government to intensify urban plantation in newly extended areas
Odisha’s anti-malaria plan which succeeded

Karnataka: Dumping e-gadgets just like that may soon be an offence
Love skyscrapers, but are they safe?
Want a house in Mumbai? You better live 300 years

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar are the twin city model of urban development which would be replicated in other cities of the state as well.

"The government will replicate twin city model of urban development for the cities like Halol-Vadodara, Madhapar-Bhuj and Surendranagar-Vadhavan," Modi said speaking at a programme of Gandhinagar Urban Development Authority.

He said the state government was mulling a revenue model to make the cities cleaner and it was also suggested to the Prime Minister for implementation in 5,000 towns of India on public-private partnership basis.

Under this model, polluted water would be treated first and then supplied to the farmers. The solid waste will also be converted into organic fertiliser and will be given to farmers," he said.

"The PM had praised the project and asked me to refer it to the Planning Commission. But nothing has been done even after one and half years has passed ever since I presented it before the Planning Commission," Modi said.

Modi also outlined the importance of metro rail project being developed between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar as part of this twin city project.

He announced that the state government is mulling to implement solid waste management and projects on water treatment, on a pilot basis in 50 towns of Gujarat.

The Chief Minister dedicated four projects and performed ground breaking ceremonies for nine public amenity works undertaken by GUDA, on the outskirts of Gandhinagar at a cost of Rs 165 crore.

These projects are expected to benefit 39 villages that falls under GUDA's periphery.

Modi also announced a special grant of Rs 31 crore for the development of infrastructural facilities in GUDA region surrounding Gandhinagar city.

Zee News

After Ahmedabad, CEPT bags Vadodara BRTS design project
Financial Assistance for Development of Cities in Chhattisgarh
DLF, Haryana Urban Development Authority to build 16-lane corridor to make life easier for Gurgaon commuters
Solve water problems or forget growth, says plan panel member‎

[Krishnamoorthy K]

NEW DELHI: There's a note of despair in his voice as Charles Correa, India's most famous modern architect, discusses the multiplying shiny high-rise apartment blocks sprouting across the nation.

"You see the big ads -- 'Buy your house, it's time you moved up in life' -- and it's a horrible project. Twenty-five identical buildings, some swimming pools somewhere, and the angle is such that you see all 25 of them," he says.

"They're the kind of cloned building that used to be done by Stalin and the Russians or in the Bronx that people just hate and dread," adds the celebrated Modernist.

The reason, he believes, is that people think tower blocks are "progressive" and "modern" -- a perception derived from cities such as Dubai and Singapore which are visited and admired by India's new elite.

"People see that as an image of progress," he told AFP. "For people in Bombay (Mumbai) and Delhi, Dubai is a big source of inspiration. They go there for shopping. They think its a smart place I presume."

Dubai -- Correa has written in one of his many essays on architecture -- is inspired by the imagery of Houston, the sprawling US oil town that impressed the sheikhs of the Middle East.

In a career spanning five decades, the Mumbai-based architect and planner from the former Portuguese colony of Goa has passionately advocated buildings adapted for their climate and environment and shaped by local culture and history.

Asked about the generic glass-fronted office blocks that line the streets of new towns like Gurgaon, the booming outsourcing and IT hub outside the Indian capital, he has no answer.

"What should I do? Go and throw stones at them?" he says.

While the battle for good design might be lost, Correa has not given up on his campaign for more livable cities in India as overcrowding, pollution and the destruction of open spaces gather pace.

At a recent conference in New Delhi, the sprightly 81-year-old could be found speaking to city planners from all over, stressing the need to protect forest areas and other public spaces for citizens to meet and socialise.

"They (India's cities) are mostly getting worse, but the good thing is that they are a system of cities. It's not like Lagos dominates Nigeria, London dominates England and Paris in France. That's deadly," he told AFP.

Correa's hope is that small and medium-sized towns can be developed and grown, integrating efficient public transport and proper planning which are missing in the current urban centres of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata or Bangalore.

Medium-density residential buildings of five to six storeys are ideal structures, not the vanity high-rise projects whose occupants overwhelm local infrastructure and public amenities.

"You can't go on overloading these existing cities. They will break down," says the former chairman of the National Commission on Urbanisation and one-time Harvard professor.

"I do worry and despair that our government won't understand that you need a proactive role," he sighs, holding his round thick-framed spectacles which recall one of his heroes, the French master Le Corbusier.

The scale of the task -- and the stakes for the hundreds of millions involved -- could not be larger.

India is a land of gigantic, often alarming numbers, but those available for the predicted explosion in the urban population are truly arresting.

Only 30 percent of India's 1.2-billion population live in cities currently, far lower than the 50.6 percent in China or the 70-80 percent in developed countries, according to the UN's 2011 World Urbanization Prospects report.

It forecasts India's urban population will grow 28 percent from its current level of 377 million to 483 million by 2020. By 2030, it will have grown 60 percent to 606 million.

The McKinsey Global Institute research centre says India needs 700-900 million square metres of residential and commercial space a year, 350-400 kilometres of new metros and subways a year and 19,000-25,000 kilometres of road lanes.

"This urban expansion will happen at a speed quite unlike anything India has seen before," conclude the authors of the 2010 report.

Correa's home town of Mumbai with its 20,000 inhabitants per square kilometre on average has vastly exceeded the limits of its infrastructure, as demonstrated by its astronomical property prices and dangerously overloaded trains.

In the early 60s, Correa worked on a plan called the New Bombay which proposed opening up areas for office and residential space across from the main landmass that forms the heart of the city.

"When we were working on the New Bombay, the city was just four million. It was going to be eight million and we said 'it's never going to work if we are 8 million," he says.

The plan was mostly ignored and today Mumbai, as it is now officially known, has a population of 12.5 million according to the 2011 census.

Correa, who has won prizes in Britain and Japan as well as serving as a judge for one of architecture's top awards, the Pritzker, recounts the story to stress the importance of planning for the future.

"Not to anticipate this growth is criminal when you know these numbers. Your own statisticians have dug up them up. Let's act as if they are real," he says, revealing the zeal that has made him part-activist, part-architect throughout his career.

Migrants must be diverted away from the main cities to second or third-tier towns where planners have an opportunity to anticipate the changes ahead and build better public transport for instance.

"They come to the cities for jobs. If you can find ways to employ more people in the villages, that's wonderful, but if they are coming for jobs they don't have to come to Delhi and Bombay."

ET

Top architect warns of urban breakdown
Vanity towers will cause urban breakdown: Charles Correa‎
India's top architect warns of urban breakdown‎
India's top architect warns of urban breakdown

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Anurodh Lalit Jain

The Greek philosopher Socrates once said: “It is not living that matters, but living rightly.” As the clock is inching towards the 2015 deadline of Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the philosophy has become more relevant than ever before as the MDG targets to improve socio-economic condition of all the citizens. The MDG of “Environmental Sustainability” also advocates providing adequate sanitation facilities to all citizens thus giving them the right to a healthy life. According to WHO: “Sanitation generally refers to the provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human urine and faeces. Inadequate sanitation is a major cause of disease worldwide and improving sanitation is known to have a significant beneficial impact on health of households and communities.” Despite the seriousness of this topic, our community is still reluctant to openly talk about the subject of sanitation and the good practices around it.

The ill-effect of this taboo can be clearly seen from the continued unhealthy sanitation practices as it is estimated that still 1.1 billion people defecate openly leading to diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and hepatitis A. In India, around 1,000 children below the age of five die from diarrhoea, hepatitis-causing pathogens and other sanitation-related diseases, according to the report of United Nations Children's Fund. Additionally, sanitation in schools has led to an increase in enrolment of children, especially girls, highlighting its manifold benefits.

Many countries are taking measures to control the practice of open defecation. For example, Southern Zambia under the leadership of Chief Macha was transformed in just two years and declared “open-defecation free” as access to sanitation in his community was doubled from 50 per cent to 100 per cent.

Brazil developed a condominial approach or simplified sewerage to construct water and sewerage networks as a response to the challenges posed by expanding services into peri-urban neighbourhoods. Condominial sewerage is a low-cost sewer system that emphasises on community participation in planning and the maintenance of sewer system at the block level. Brazil quickly operationalised a 1,200-km network of condominial sewers, the largest example of simplified sewerage in the world.

Rwanda, a landlocked nation bordering Uganda with a population of 11 million, focussed its efforts and enhanced the sanitation coverage to its citizen beyond the regional average of Sub-Sahara after community-led sanitation campaign. Rwanda attracted international tourists after the government reformed water and sanitation programmes and took away the fear of waterborne disease from the visitors.

The Indian government too is burning its candle from both ends, hoping for the return of ancient Indus Valley Civilisation days, when sanitation systems were far more advanced than contemporary urban sites. It started the Total Sanitation Campaign in 1999 with the goal of improving sanitation coverage to both rural and urban areas and eradicating the practice of open defecation. The key focus areas of TSC are individual household toilets, school sanitation and hygiene education (SSHE), community sanitary complex & anganwadi toilets supported by rural sanitary marts (RSMs) and production centres (PCs). However, things are not hunky-dory and the number clearly state that. As per latest WHO report, India still accounts for 626 million (59 per cent) of the 1.1 billion people in the world, who practice open defecation. This is twice the number of the next 18 countries combined. Additionally, India recorded nearly 22 per cent of the total deaths of children under five and a majority of those cases were due to diarrhoea or sanitation-related diseases.

Although the government has been able to ramp up toilet coverage, little effort has gone into changing citizen behaviour. A glimpse at the TSC portal gives information about the toilets constructed till date but fails to capture the data on the continued practice of open defecation despite the availability of toilets.

The government must understand that creating mere toilet structures will not lead to change; instead the focus should also be on behavioural change. A massive educational campaign to explain the correlation between poor sanitation and its ill-effects on health should be launched. Secondly, ignorance towards bathroom etiquette in public toilets by some could turn off others and divert them to open defecation. School curriculum should touch upon this topic and at least train the future drivers of this country. The government of India was able to wipe out polio by massive campaigning and participation at the block, district, State and national levels. Similar awareness campaigns in participation with local community, NGOs and the State governments can be placed to get the message across. Thirdly, make sanitation business attractive for the private sector allowing them to generate income by providing sanitation services.

Loan finance for sanitation support has shown some promising results for the micro finance companies; however, its effects at large scale is yet to be hypothesised. Finally, allow innovation to reach the mass. E-toilets used in Kerala by the name “Delight” have shown excellent results because of its unique features and automatic functioning. Similarly, Eco-san toilets are used for low income housing in many countries.

Throughout his life, Gandhiji preached and practiced healthy sanitation practices and once said: “The cause of many of our diseases is the condition of our lavatories and our bad habit of disposing of excreta anywhere and everywhere.” Let us work towards getting our society free from open defecation and make our ancestors of the Indus Valley Civilisation proud of us.

(The writer is a social healthcare analyst. Email: anurodhj@gmail.com)

The Hindu

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Millions more Indians travel by foot, bicycle and bus than travel by car, but you'd never guess it from the design of India's cities or the allocation of government funds.

A handful of interesting organizations are fighting for the rights of zero emitters, however. The Center for Science and Environment magazine Down To Earth reports that a number of groups, ranging from rickshaw pullers in the Punjab to bicycle crazy yuppies in Haryana are working to influence policy makers and change the way India thinks about urban infrastructure.

• Ecocab’s Dial-a-rickshaw service in Fazilka, Punjab, for instance, is revamping the "outdated" bicycle rickshaw as a cutting-edge, modern form of transportation by focusing on its naturally eco-friendly qualities.
• The Manipur Cycling Club, in the northeastern state of Manipur, is manufacturing bicycles from bamboo to simultaneously create a source of employment and encourage eco-friendly transportation.
• The Namma Cycle movement initiated by Ride-A-Cycle Foundation has made free-to-share bicycles available around educational institutes and recreational sites in Bangalore.
• And Rickshaw Bank offers a microfinance-type scheme combined with a cheaper, lighter rickshaw designed at the Indian Institute of Technology (Guwahati), in Assam, to free rickshaw pullers from endless rental payments to the cartel of rickshaw owners.

It looks like a long haul, though. Down To Earth writes: Over the past decade, laws have banned cycle rickshaws from prime areas of many cities to make room for cars.

Delhi is fighting a bitter battle to protect its 0.6 million cycle rickshaw fleet as Delhi Municipal Corporation (Cycle-Rickshaw). By-laws of 1960 restricted their number to 99,000 in ear-marked zones. The law has also empowered authorities to confiscate, crush and sell rickshaws if they are found plying without a license.

But reprieve came from the Supreme Court when in its April hearing of the public interest petition it quashed the civic body’s bid and castigated it for taking away the right of the “weak and meek.” The apex court asked the municipal corporation, “Are you prepared to scrap cars? Impound those involved in drunken driving or even remove them from roads, say for a period of 10 years?”

In 2008, Kolkata curtailed bicycles on 39 key roads following a notification issued by the city’s police. It states that with a view to “providing safe and uninterrupted movement of vehicular traffic, we hereby order that no bicycle shall ply or remain standing between 9 am and 7 pm on all days.”

Activist Debasish Banerjee of Kolkata laments, “It is ironical that while globally cities are bringing back bicycles and trams, Kolkata despite its rich legacy is letting them decay.”

Moreover, public spending is the opposite of green: The National Urban Transport Policy has made the right noises about promoting walking and cycling. However its funding arm, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, has played spoilsport.

Almost the entire booty so far has been given for roads, flyovers and parking structures. Only a few small-scale projects in smaller cities like Nanded in Maharashtra have seen some transformation of its footpaths and cycling paths.

Currently, the Union Ministry of Urban Development is framing a public bicycle sharing scheme. But the Planning Commission has already argued against it, citing lack of funds.

globalpost

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Published: Tuesday, Apr 10, 2012, 10:17 IST
By Aishhwariya Subramanian | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA

In a bid to reduce carbon emission in Bangalore, researchers from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), will be collaborating with scientists from China in a workshop on April 13 and 14 at IISc.

The ‘Low Carbon Cities: 2012 Bangalore Workshop’ will focus on devising alternative methodologies in controlling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and urban planning. And interestingly the researchers will compare the Bangalore’s GHG emissions with that of Xian in China. “We chose Bangalore to do this study because it is one of the emerging cities in the country and we collaborated with researchers from China because Xian is similar to Bangalore in terms of size and growth. We will compare the carbon emissions of both cities and how to mitigate those numbers,” says Dr Ramachandra TV, Energy & Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc.

The speakers from China attending the workshop are: Sun Sheng Han of Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne, Australia; Yuanqing Wang of Chang’an Unervisity in Xi’an, China and Bo Qin of Renmin university in China.

Ramachandra himself will be presenting a paper on the carbon footprint of Bangalore. “We will discuss various issues like how consumption of electricity has changed over the years in the city due to carbon emissions, and how the landscape of the city itself has changed,” he said. Everything from waste mis-management to transportation chaos will also be delved into, he elaborated.

These discussions will help the researchers in coming up with new improved models that will help reduce the carbon footprint of not only Bangalore, but other cities in the country as well, Ramachandra said.

“This research has been going on for one-and-a-half years. We will generate models for policy makers based on that. On the second day, we will be taking the Chinese researchers on a field trip to the area with the most amount of carbon emission in the city,” he said.

DNA

Working with Digital Maps - Leveraging the Power of GIS

[jaygill01]

Protect your E & O and separate yourself from your competition by offering contractor pollution liability on your renewals and new business.