Top Chennai Metro Rail official to study Western model of LRT

C Shivakumar @ Chennai:

Could Light Rail Transit (LRT), an upgraded version of trams, be introduced in medium and smaller towns in Tamil Nadu? Sources in Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said that the Centre is looking at implementing LRT at smaller and medium cities and have deputed a higher official from the state on a study tour to Western Europe.

It is learnt that managing director of Chennai Metro Rail has been nominated for the study tour organized by Institute of Urban Transport (India) and facilitated by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Sources said that the Union government is looking at LRT models in Portugal, Frankfurt and Stuttgart for replicating it in Indian cities.

The study tour, which is being funded by German Development Bank KfW, will be looking at how LRT can be an efficient mode of transport with comparatively lesser capital and operation and maintenance costs in the long run.

This also comes in the wake of state government looking at implementing mass transit system in Coimbatore. A comprehensive mobility plan had identified potential corridors and the actual technical option will be finalized through a detailed study.

Sources in Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said that Metro rails being cost intensive are efficient mode of transport in larger cities with a very high level travel demand. “For smaller and medium towns, light rail transit systems can be an efficient mode of transport with comparatively lesser capital,” sources added.

Tramways or light rail transit (LRT), which is being currently used in nearly 450 cities, is a medium capacity mode of mass rapid transport which straddles between the heavy capacity Metro rail and the low capacity bus services. It is a form of rail transit that utilizes equipment and infrastructure that is typically less massive than that used for heavy rail modes.

According to Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Institute for Urban Transport study, most Indian cities are low rise urban sprawls and require medium capacity modes only. As per recommendations of the working group on urban transport for the 12th Five-year plan, LRT should be provided in all cities with a population of million plus. There are 53 cities in this category as per the 2011 census.

Factfile:

1.LRT traces its pedigree to trams that started operating more than 100 years ago

2.The Energy crisis of the 1970s compelled cities to recall the tram in an upgraded version --- the LRT.

3.As per 2013 Worldwide data, LRT has been adopted in 436 cities (includes 39 under construction and 30 under planning).

4. LRT is a low cost, low axle load, eco-friendly, electrically propelled system with no pollution and low noise and vibrations. 

5. Light rail transit systems can also have higher capacity systems with capacity extending up to about 40,000 passengers per hour per direction (PPHPD).

6.They can operate in mixed traffic conditions at grade, capable of very low as well as very high (80 kmph max) speeds.

7.This characteristic enables them to run also run on regular city streets sharing road space with other traffic as well as within dense urban areas where pedestrian traffic can be high.

writingonblog uncensored: More than 3 lakh unauthorized buildings in Chennai...

writingonblog uncensored: More than 3 lakh unauthorized buildings in Chennai...: C Shivakumar @ Chennai: There are more than three lakh unauthorized buildings in Chennai but till now only 352 have sought amnesty under ...

More than 3 lakh unauthorized buildings in Chennai but only 352 sought has sought amnesty

C Shivakumar @ Chennai:

There are more than three lakh unauthorized buildings in Chennai but till now only 352 have sought amnesty under the regularization scheme launched by the government which already has given three deadlines.

With less than a month left for the third deadline, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has till now received only 3,471 applications for regularisation of unauthorized buildings, according to official sources.

Sources indicated that of the 3,471 applications, only 352 applications have been received with regularization fee and are being processed.

Tamil Nadu government introduced the amnesty scheme after notifying the rules on June 22 last year. The deadline had lapsed on December 21, 2017 and only 35 persons had applied. As such the deadline was again extended till March 20, 2018.

However, due to lack of interest, the deadline was further extended to June 19, 2018.

Sources revealed that the amnesty scheme had few takers as the government has imposed multiple infrastructure and amenities charges as penalty before regularising the buildings.

Sources blame it on a petition being filed in Madras High Court against the Building regularization Scheme under Section 113-C. It is learnt that Madras High court has ordered that CMDA shall receive the applications, process them but not issue orders on them.

As per the rough estimate made in 2007, there were three lakh building in Chennai Metropolitan Area constructed unauthorisedly in deviation to the approved plan. The number would have gone up now .This is due to lack of action and the failure to fix the responsibility resulting in officials turning a blind eye.

Meanwhile under the regularization of unauthorized plots and layouts, it was revealed that as of now 21,660 individual plot owners have registered for the regularization of unapproved individual plots online. To regularize the unapproved plots in unapproved layouts, the local bodies within Chennai Metropolitan Area including Greater Chennai Corporation forwarded to CMDA requesting to approve in-principle layout framework for 891 unapproved layouts of which CMDA approved 670 un approved layouts.

Further 404 layout promoters registered for regularization of unapproved layouts through online. Of these, 117 layout promoters submitted to CMDA the particulars requesting to regularize unapproved layouts.

It is learnt that CMDA has approved 23 unapproved layouts after undertaking due inspection, sources added.

Regularisation of unauthorized buildings under CMDA:

Estimated number of unauthorized buildings --- More than 3 lakh

Application received under the amnesty scheme: 3,471

Applications processed: 352

writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Metro offers free trips as ridership swell...

writingonblog uncensored: Chennai Metro offers free trips as ridership swell...: Chennai: Five days of free rides in Chennai Metro on Tuesday has resulted in popularizing the new mode of transport among people from al...

Chennai Metro offers free trips as ridership swells to nearly 4.37 lakh in four days

Chennai:

Five days of free rides in Chennai Metro on Tuesday has resulted in popularizing the new mode of transport among people from all walks of lives.

While fare had been a issue for people from poor strata of the society but on the last three days the train almost ran jam-packed. A total of more than 4.37 lakh passengers enjoyed the free trip provided by Chennai Metro from May 25 to May 28, a metro spokesman said. The figures for Tuesday will be released on Wednesday morning, the spokesman added.

Uma, a housemaid working in Nerkundram, said that it was the first time she had travelled in Chennai Metro and was in awe of the services provided by Chennai Metro. So did the other travelers.

It was a joy trip for the children on vacation as they jumped, screamed and peered through the glass as the metro sped across the tunnel. Most of the train was full and many have to remain standing till the last stop as Metro Rail staff announced through mikes about the schedule of last train.

“We extended the free trip by one more day. The free trip was announced only at 10am,” said a Metro Rail spokesman. Interestingly, by then a majority of office goers had already reached office. The only grouse among many outstation rail passengers was that they were unaware of the new metro rail service from Egmore. Similarly, for commuters in Chennai Central, the big trouble was crossing the busy road to reach to park station to have access Chennai Metro.

However, North Chennai commuters having access to Beach and other stations by using the suburban service till Park station took the Metro. The best thing about the Metro was that it would provide traffic snarl free ride and time would be saved. Usually, a trip from Chennai Central to Koyambedu would take 45 minutes during peak hour and this could be reduced to 15 to 20 minutes while travelling my metro.

It will also provide train access to commuters from, residential areas in North Chennai, Kilpauk and Anna Nagar who prefer to travel to Tambaram or beyond. It will also be useful to commuters, specially engineering graduates, who want to travel to Poonamallee and beyond as they have to get down at Koyambedu Metro station and take a direct bus to their destination.

However, all eyes will be on Chennai Central which is partially completed and only one exit is opened. Passengers with heavy luggage from Chennai Central would be thinking twice on taking all the trouble to reach the exit which is on Park Town.

Similarly in Chennai Egmore, the direct exit from railway station to Metro is not available. Passengers have to walk down the stairs and then reach metro through a different entry which is time consuming, said Senthil, a commuter.

Factfile:

May 25:

Total number of passengers to access Chennai Metro: 50,000

May 26:

Total number of passengers: 1. 20 lakh

May 27:

Total number of passengers: 1. 54 lakh

May 28:

Total number of passengers: 1. 12 lakh

Total passengers in last four days: 4.37 lakh

Deputy Tehsildar can order firing if TN govt notifies him as executive magistrate, says former judge

‘Firing order given by magistrate is a joke’

C Shivakumar @ Chennai:

The deputy tehsildars, who have been named in the first Information report of giving orders to fire at anti-Sterlite protesters, have the powers of executive magistrate if they are notified by the government under the Code of Criminal Procedure, according to Madras High Court judge K Chandru.

Chandru told Express that power can be delegated from the district collector to revenue divisional officer to tehsildat to zonal deputy tehsildar. “For all this a Government a Government Order is required,” said the judge who had been witness to various incidents during his tensure as judge.

He said that all this is cooking up of events after the incident has happened. “As soon as the agitation started, they would have issued a notification diversifying the power of executive magistrate,” he said, adding that firing order given by the magistrate is a joke.

“How they would have got statement from him. They will not go before the commission of enquiry and they even won’t have problem in deposing falsely before the commission,” alleged Chandru.

“In every police firing, this is what happens. I am seeing it from 1971 during several enquiry commissions. They will come and depose that they only gave the orders. I myself is an eyewitness to Annamalai University Lathicharge. The police never gave such warning. But before the commission they will depose that they gave warning and fired in air. In Paramakudi, it was exparte firing and they can say whatever they want. In the end, Commission will justify the firing and say all rules have been followed. It is like a cat and mouse game,” he said.

“If you have a effective criminal side lawyer and a court where the hearing is held then the whole theory could be demolished,” the former judge added.

Former bureaucrat M G Deivasahayam has said that the FIR has not mentioned who gave the order under which the deputy tahsildar has been given powers of executive magistrate. “He was an election tahsildar. The FIR also does not mention sections 302/304 and 307 as deaths had taken place due to the firing. The FIR proves malafide intention of the district administration,” he said.

Deivasahayam also said alleged that Section 80 of the Water Act which was invoked to seal Sterlite could easily be stayed in the court. Water Act is a Central government. It would be good to see how the Centre acts to it,” he said.

People’s Watch Henri Tiphagne said that the two FIRs were not made public through the Online system. “Usually to protect the district collector, they have created such record. And since they did not get any tehsildar, they roped in a deputy tehsildar to give firing order. This itself highlights the mindset,” said Henri.

Bodies of anti-Sterlite protesters will be taken after the plant is shut say relatives

C Shivakumar @ Chennai:

Relatives of the victims of police firing are holding their emotions to bid a final farewell to the Sterlite protesters as they wanted to realize their dream of shutting down the copper plant.

Rajan, father of 18-year-old Snowlin, says that he had gone to the hospital to have one last glimpse of Snowlin, the day she died but he was denied permission. “She did not go in for violence. What is the reason. Why was she shot,” asked the father.

Being firm on not taking back the body of Snowlin till the copper plant is shut, he recalls that his daughter wants to be a lawyer to fight for people’s cause. Snowlin passed her XII board exams and she was one of the leaders of the protest, said her friend. Interestingly, the neighbourhood of Mini Sahayapuram has posters of Snowlin as crowd of youngsters mill around the area.

Similar is the story of Metupatti, where Gladstone’s wife Jesurani has yet to control her tears. The family was lucky to get the glimpse of his body and as they were mourning his death in the hospital, they were asked to leave by the cops. “They were harsh and asked us to vacate the place immediately or they will kill us and make us lie next to him,” said the women.

Interestingly, the family is refusing to accept his body till the Sterlite Copper Plant is closed. “The magistrate had asked us to come to identify the body but we refused,” says Jesurani.

However, tragic is the story of Jhonsi who was fired while she had gone to deliver fish to her daughter. A resident of Therespuram, fishing hamlet, Jhonsi was shot dead while she protested the police firing on protesters. “She was shot point blank,” said Mallika, Women Fishers Society President.

Interestingly, when four of the relatives who had gone to visit the hospital, they were chased away by police. One of them, Johnson, was detained. The relatives said they contacted Johnson through phone but the fisherman said that he has been detained. He even gave the phone to a police woman who rather than answering kept the phone down. “It is police excess,” said Mallika demanding action against Sub inspector of North Police station.

It is learnt from hospital sources that they have only 12 freezers and additions freezers were procured to preserve the bodies which are decomposing. As bodies have been preserved till May 30, it is yet to be known whether the bodies will be taken back with assurances that Sterlite Plant will be shut or the relatives would demand a Government Order that the plant is shut. “We have been cheated time and again and now we want a final decision in this regard,” said a protester.