'Satellite imaging no solution to illegal constructions, buildings'
Union Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal's recent suggestion to use satellite imagery to detect illegal constructions and unauthorised buildings might not be an effective solution to the serious menace that has afflicted the Capital for decades. Mr. Sibal's announcement that satellite imagery would help in detection of illegal …
All national highway stretches to have automatic tolling by 2006
The roads and highway ministry is planning to introduce automatic tolling system on all national highways by the second half of 2006. Highly-placed sources in the ministry said the ongoing manual tolling system would be replaced by a computerised system. Commuters would be issued encrypted prepaid smart cards from which …
Potable water no more a pipe dream for Dalit hamlet
It was a dream come true for the residents of Vellakovil, a Dalit hamlet near the Thamirabarani watercourse, when Minister for Industries Nainar Nagendran inaugurated a drinking water scheme. Though the secluded village is close to the Thamirabarani, lifeline of Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts in Tamil Nadu the villagers relied …
S Delhi villages say ready for clean-up in Lal Dora areas
Various panchayat groups today held meetings in different parts of the city, opposing the recent High Court's order that the building bylaws are also applicable to Lal Dora areas and that the MCD should demolish unauthorised constructions in these areas. At a meeting of south Delhi villages, attended by representatives …
Fine-tune existing policies to meet urban renewal challenges
In the coming decades, Goa, which has a mix of rural and urban set-up, should fine-tune its existing policies or re-engineer its programmes to meet the "urban renewal challenges' so as to benefit its tourism economy, which is a major revenue earner, suggested Dr(Prof) Sneha Palnitkar, Director of Regional Centre …
Maharashtra may repeal Urban Land Ceiling Act
The Maharashtra Government is expected to take a decision shortly on repealing the Urban Land Ceiling Act (ULCA), a senior Government official said. The Act was enacted in 1976 to impose a ceiling limit on vacant land in urban areas. However, the actual legislative procedure of repealing the Act would …
Malaysia keen on highway projects
The Malaysian government is eyeing several inter-city highway projects in India. Discussions with the Indian government have reportedly reached the final stage while a detailed project report is awaited in the next three months. Malaysian minister for works, Dato Seri Vellu, told that all these road projects will be executed …
State to give Rs 5,000 crore grant for cities development
Maharashtra Chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said that the government will provide a grant of over Rs 5,000 crore for development of five cities such as Mumbai, Pune , Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Nanded, a pilgrim age center, under the urban development scheme of the Union government.
Court orders 'complete', not 'cosmetic' demolitions
The Delhi High Court has removed all confusion, if any, in the minds of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) authorities on how to go about demolition of unauthorised constructions in the city as well as the nature of violations they require to target. While laying down modalities for carrying …
New low-floor Gurgaon-Delhi bus service
The Haryana Transport Minister, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, will flag off a high-capacity compressed natural gas low-floor vestibule mega bus service from the Gurgaon bus stand on January 20. Stating this Chandigarh, Haryana, an official spokesman said in order to ease traffic congestion between Gurgaon and Delhi, the Haryana Government …
Pragati Maidan wants park status changed
It's been home to popular trade fairs ever since 1956 when it was marked for the purpose by the Land and Development Office. But the 149-acre Pragati Maidan is also designated a District Park under both the 2001 as well as the new 2021 Delhi Masterplan. And, according to an …
HC demolishes MCD's pick & choose policy
Putting a stop to the "pick and choose" policy adopted by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in carrying out demolitions in the city, the Delhi High Court has asked the Corporation to come out with the list of erring properties on its website. The court was visibly annoyed at the …
End "jungle raj" in Delhi: High Court
Hitting out at unauthorised builders, violators of building by-laws and encroachers on public land and extending further the scope for demolition of unauthorised constructions in the Capital, the Delhi High Court directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to demolish all commercial properties on "Lal Dora" land and raze those properties …
Ship not breaching Basel Convention, asserts Raja
The Environment Ministry disagrees. Environment Minister A Raja said, no international norms would be violated by breaking a ship in the country. "The Basel Convention (prohibiting transboundry movement of hazardous waste) does not prohibit a ship from being dismantled here. The Gujarat Maritime Board has the competence to deal with …
DJB officials come under scanner
After the World Bank-sponsored 24x7 scheme was put on hold under public pressure, a number of senior officials of the Delhi Jal Board have come under a scanner and face a probe by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for going out of the way to oblige a private company for …
French firms invited to invest in core sectors
Haryana Transport Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala has invited French companies to make investment in the State in the core sectors of urban development, drinking water, health, sanitation, transport and housing. Addressing the Indo-French Working Group Seminar on Urban Development jointly organised by the French Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Tourism and …
States told to plan for Bharat Nirman
The Centre has asked the states to draw up action plans to achieve the targets under Bharat Nirman Programme in a time-bound manner. Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said here yesterday that the government was committed to building better infrastructure in rural areas. He said development of villages was …
Power crisis: govt prefers thermal plants to hydel projects
Faced with acute power crisis, the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to go in for thermal power plants instead of taking up hydroelectric projects which are time-consuming and costly. It is learnt that the state government was planning to float tenders for setting up thermal projects in private sector …
Heritage conservation goes the outsourcing way
It will be a year that will usher in a big change for heritage in the Capital. With the decks being cleared to draw up conservation plans for the Red Fort, Safdarjung Tomb as well as Jama Masjid, the three major landmark in the city will now gear up for …
