Is Madhavaram bus terminus feasible?

CMDA's proposed bus terminus  lacks entry and exit points
C Shivakumar

Chennai:

The work on the much-awaited satellite bus terminus in Madhavaram, which will cater to commuters going to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, has started but it looks like the planning body’s project is facing issues over how it is going to have entry and exit points at the proposed terminus.

The bus terminal project is to be built at a cost of Rs 94.16 crore after CMDA approved the tender by BNR Infrastructure Projects at a hurriedly convened authority meeting just prior to the announcement of assembly elections.

But now it emerges that the project, which is coming up at vacant site at the junction of GNT Road and Inner Ring Road, measuring about eight acres near the 100-acre truck yard, is being done hurriedly and the initial planning permission has been rejected.

It is learnt that the bus terminus has no approach road and plans are on to do away with two public purpose plots allotted for truck terminal. The public purpose plots should have been converted for bus terminus usage.

Since the highway can't have direct opening for buses, the consultants have proposed entry from GNT road to a 40 feet road and then through a approach road into the bus terminus. But the hitch is that there are two public purpose plots mainly for truck terminal. This has to be converted into usage for bus terminus and then demolished.

Sources feel that having a truck and bus terminal side by side would further complicate the matters causing congestion in the busy Kolkata Road. It could create traffic snarl and even law and order problem.

Initially, the feasibility report for building the bus terminus was not favourable due to congestion in Inner Ring Road as a result the proposal to have bus terminal in Madhavaram was put on hold.

However, a top CMDA official defended the project. He said that the project has been designed in detail by competent persons. “The design has been reviewed and required changes are incorporated,” he said.

He also said that government projects can start and take planning clearance and not planning permission as per the Act.

It is also learnt that CMDA did not have patta besides the site has a high tension electricity board line which passes through the site and has to be removed.

Good Samaritan extends helping hand to polio-stricken destitute

Chennai:

It was another hot afternoon in Chennai and curious onlookers were puzzled to find a frail looking crippled naked man crawling under the hot sun near Olympia Techpark in Ekkatuthangal..

Thirty-year-old Abrar Mohammed had put everything to stake to safeguard his self-respect after his parents neglected him and considered him as a burden.

“I took the train from Uttar Pradesh after my parents neglected me due to my disability,” he mumbled in Hindi to P N Sundaresan, a social worker with Udavan Karangal, who had gone to rescue him.

Mohammed, who is crippled below the waist, made his way to Bangalore from the confines of his home in Uttar Pradesh. However, he refused to name his parents or his native place to Sundaresan, who found him with barely nothing to cover his body.

He was evasive to questions. He is suffering from withdrawal symptoms, said Sundaresan, who had kept Mohammed with 150 other people, many of whom he had rescued.

Life was not that easy for Mohammed as he was picked up by someone and forced to beg in the streets of Bangalore.

“I hated to beg. It was one day when I was forced to beg in the railway station that I escaped,” he revealed. He reached Chennai and from there he took a suburban train to Guindy.

He is a abnormal person. He did not take alms from people. He had lot of self respect, says Sundaresan, who spent a lot of time in trying to reach out to Mohammed.

Sundaresan said that despite being thirsty and without a cloth under the sun, he refused alms and pity.

“We are now administering care to him. A psychiatrist would be visiting him. He is refusing to divulge any details about himself,” he said.

writingonblog uncensored: Union govt paves the way for North Chennaites to ...

writingonblog uncensored: Union govt paves the way for North Chennaites to ...: Chennai: Chennai Metro on Wednesday  got the much awaited  clearance from the Union  cabinet for extending the  Phase I project to W...

Union govt paves the way for North Chennaites to realise Metro dream

Chennai:

Chennai Metro on Wednesday got the much awaited clearance from the Union cabinet for extending the Phase I project to Wimco Nagar.

The project has been awaiting the nod of the Cabinet since Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu announced that his ministry has given green light to the project more than a year ago.

The Phase-I extension covers a length of 9.051 km at a total cost of Rs 3770 crore.

This would mean that the first phase project, including the 9km extension would extend the stretch of Chennai Metro to 54km.

The project will be executed by the existing SPV of Government of India and the Government of Tamil Nadu. The project is scheduled to be completed by March 2018.

Out of the project cost, Union government’s share will be Rs 713 crore while that of the state government Rs 916 crore, which include cost of Land and Rehabilitation & Resettlement of Rs 203 crore. The balance amount of Rs. 2,141 crore will be met from loan.

The initial proposal was to have seven

stations in the nine kilometer stretch between Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar in Tiruvotiyur.

These include Korukkupettai, Tondiarpet, Toll Gate, Thangal, Gowri Ashram, Tiruvottiyur and Wimco Nagar. Now plans are on to have two stations in the 2km underground stretch from Washermenpet to Sir Theagaraya College.

A Metro rail source said that since the clearance has been given, the focus would be now on the underground stretch and work would be started anytime now. The tenders has already been called and it is likely that Afcons would undertake the 2.1km underground stretch linking two stations.

While the deadline for the project is March 2018, it is to be seen how soon the process of land acquisition gets over.

Chennai Metro Rail:

Total cost: Rs 14,750 crore

JICA: 59 per cent

TN share: 21 per cent

GOI share: 20 per cent

JICA share: Rs 8646 crore

TN allocates (2015-16 Budget): Rs 615.78 cr

Total TN share: Rs 3,105.82 crore (fully paid)

Central share: Rs 2920 crore

Central Pending amount: Rs 1498 crore

Extension of First phase:

Tiruvottriyur to Wimco Nagar: 9 km

Total Cost: Rs 3,770 crore

Funds status: Awaited

TN yet to prepare mater plans for 32 Amrut cities

C Shivakumar
Chennai:
The master plan for 32 cities in Tamil Nadu, which have been selected under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), is yet to be prepared due to lack of staff in Directorate of Town and Country Planning department.
 
As per norms, Centre has asked states to create GIS based land use master plan for all Amrut cities. The 32 cities are part of 500 cities, which the Centre wants to rejuvenate under 10-year programme with an investment of Rs 2 lakh crore.
 
But the lack of staff in DTCP, the failure to rope in underutilised staff in CMDA and the elections has delayed the preparation of master-plan.
 
It is learnt that of the 801 posts in DTCP, 344 are still vacant. Some of the posts which are yet to be filled include include top four layers starting from additional director to deputy director administration.
 
Sources said that there was a plan during then housing secretary Surjit Chaudary’s tenure to transfer excess staff in CMDA to DTCP on a rotation basis. However, the plan could not fructify. Currently, CMDA has excess staff like in Area Development Unit or Metro rail who are under-utilised. They could be utilised to prepare the master plans of Amrut cities.
 
It is learnt from the Union Ministry of Urban Development that of the 7,935 towns in India, there are only about 2,700 cities that have a statutory land use master plan in existence resulting in unplanned and haphazard development.
 
A letter from the Union government has asked the state to utilise the administrative fund to procure urban planners on contractual basis. However, sources said that instead of outsourcing the job, it would be better to use the service of CMDA staff who have been under-utilised.

List of 32 AMRUT cities:

Name of cities                   Population

1. Chennai     86,96,010

2. Coimbatore   21,51,466

3. Madurai                      14.62 lakh

4. Tiruchirappalli                 10.21 lakh

5. Tiruppur                      9.62 lakh

6. Salem                        9.19 lakh

7. Erode                        5.21 lakh

8. Tirunelveli                    4.98 lakh

9. Vellore                       4.81 lakh

10. Thoothkudi                  4.10 lakh

11. Dindigul                     2.92 lakh

12. Thanjavur                   2.90 lakh

13. Ranipet                     2.62 lakh

14. Sivakasi                    2.34 lakh

15. Karur                       2.33 lakh

16. Udhagamandalam            2.33 lakh

17. Hosur                       2.29 lakh

18. Nagercoil                    2.24 lakh

19. Kancheepuram              2.21 lakh

20. Kumarapalayam             1.94 lakh

21. Karaikkudi                   1.81 lakh

22. Neyveli                     1.78 lakh

23. Cuddalore                   1.73 lakh

24. Kumbakonam                1.67 lakh

25. Tiruvannamalai               1.44 lakh

26. Pollachi                     1.35 lakh

27. Rajapalayam                 1.30 lakh

28. Guddiyatham                1.24 lakh

29. Puddukottai                 1.17 lakh

30. Vaniyambadi                 1.16 lakh

31. Ambur                    1.13 lakh

32. Nagapatinam               1.02 lakh

writingonblog uncensored: Five-year jail term for noted film producer in ch...

writingonblog uncensored: Five-year jail term for noted film producer in ch...: Chennai: Noted Tamil film producer Abavanan has been sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and has been asked to pay a fine of R...

Five-year jail term for noted film producer in cheque forgery case

Chennai:
Noted Tamil film producer Abavanan has been sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and has been asked to pay a fine of Rs 2.4 crore in a cheque fraud case.

The order was passed by K Venkatasamy, XI additional special judge for CBI cases in Chennai.

The film producer has produced hit films like Oomai Vizhigal, Inanindha Kaigal and Senthooram Poove.

The judge also sentenced two bank officials of Punjab Bank to three years of rigorous imprisonment. They include manager of Cathedral Road branch of Punjab National Bank K Rajagopalan and assistant manager T S Ramanujam. The court imposed a fine of Rs 10 alkh and Rs 15 lakh respectively.

The three were sentenced after CBI, Chennai, registered and investigated a case against K Rajagopalan, Ramanujam, deputy zonal manager of Punjab National H B Subramaniam, Ambavanan and his wife Thenmozhi.

The investigation by CBI was launched after it was alleged that in the year 1999, Rajagopalan, Ramanujam and H B Subramaniam purchased cheques fronm Amabavanan and his 16 associates indisriminately against the bank procedures even though the previously discounted cheques of these parties were pending for realisation.

Of the 69 cheques purchased, 44 cheques amounting to Rs2.34 crore were not sent for collection.as such the amount went outstanding without realisation. The amount was credited into the parties account before realisation and the credited amount was withdrawn by Ambaanan and Thenmozhi Ambavanan, CBI said.

H B Subramaniam and Thenmozhi were acquitted in the case.