Newscan

nEWSCAn PM addresses a meeting with mayors for urban development

New Delhi: On September 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on effective urban planning and long-term infrastructure development at a gathering of all BJP mayors. in a tweet Prime Minister Modi announced the meeting and wrote that, “with growing urbanisation, it is important that we view it as an opportunity and work together towards building modern, futuristic cities.” in his address, he emphasized on creating industry clusters in tier-2 and tier-3 cities as a result of booming economic activity in these cities. To use the digital payment system, small sellers must receive training and to ensure this, mayors must take the initiative.

The prime minister held a national conference of mayors last year, which was the first time such a meeting was held at such a high level. Since the Modi administration has placed a strong emphasis on the Smart Cities programme, it was then believed that the government was considering ways to give the mayor more authority to formulate and carry out programmes.

Punjab to generate green energy, biofuel from MSW

ChANDiGARh: Aman Arora, Minister of New and Renewable energy Sources Government of Punjab, highlighted the need to find sustainable solutions for Municipal Solid waste (MSw) and make optimum use of the solid waste to generate green energy and biofuel.

Bhagwant Mann led Punjab Government is committed to promoting the non-conventional and natural energy sources as the best possible answer to the pollution problem for saving the environment.

Punjab generated about 3,800 tonnes solid waste per day in 2021. Unsegregated MSw remains a major challenge as manual segregation is not possible for large volumes of MSw, which eventually results in large-scale dumping of waste in landfills.

Gurjot Singh, Director of BioShakti, has revealed that his company has developed a hub and spoke model, wherein unsegregated MSw in nearby urban local bodies will be segregated using an automated process, which will further be converted into an organic-rich fraction and a combustible fraction (RDF) using well-established technologies.

Singh further revealed that the first such plant to handle the MSW is proposed to be set up in ludhiana, Patiala, SAS Nagar, and the nearby local bodies. The company is willing to invest `1,500 crore to set up the hub and spokes in collaboration with the UlBs. The project will create 500 green jobs and can handle 1600 TPD of MSw from the major urban centres.

16 ULBs of Telangana to be awarded in Swachh Survekshan 2022

The Government of Telangana, through an official press release on, September 25, announced that 16 urban local bodies (UlBs) from the state are all set to be awarded in the latest edition of the Swachh Survekshan 2022 Awards in New Delhi on October 1. The Chief Minister of Telangana, K Chandrasekhar Rao, said that these awards are the outcomes of the hard work done by the Urban Development Department of Telangana. Rao said that the state government has introduced the new Municipal act and initiated various ‘Pattana Pragati’ programmes, which yielded positive results.

Haryana to use Live Map technology to reduce road accidents

haryana is using live map technology to identify and mark the state’s accidentprone locations. Through this technology, a grid is instantly created for these locations on the live map, providing the police with information about them right away. According to Sanjeev Kaushal, Chief Secretary of haryana, he had instructed staff to share the live map data with all relevant departments, including the police, public works, health, transportation, and urban local authorities, so that the identified areas may get special attention. in a meeting of the Road Safety Fund Management Committee, a budget of Rs 36 crore has been approved for this year.

WBPCB implements antinoise pollution measures during Durga Puja

As per a mandatory directive from the west Bengal Pollution Control Board (wBPCB), all Durga Puja committees have to provide a written undertaking about adopting anti-sound pollution measures during the Durga Puja festival. Police stations have been instructed to double-check with the electricians hired by the puja committees to see if loudspeakers are connected with sound limiters. The committees won’t be able to obtain authorization if they don’t follow the rule. Kalyan Rudra, wBPCB Chairman, said they are worried that loud music during the festival will cause discomfort to the sick, elderly, and children.

TN: Breakfast scheme inaugurated in all districts

The breakfast scheme for the elementary school was inaugurated in all the districts of Tamil Nadu. The state’s elected representatives, including Ma Subramanian, Minister for health and Family welfare and R Priya, Mayor of Chennai flagged off the vehicles carrying food for children at Madhavaram. The government has covered all the schools in the northern part of the city in the first phase. This initiative is expected to benefit 1.14 lakh students and increase the number of students in these low-enrolment government schools. local bodies are implementing the scheme in 1,545 schools with a budget of 33.56 crores.

nEWSCAn 11K sanitation workers in Bengaluru become permanent employees

BeNGAlURU: The Government of Karnataka has decided to provide permanent status to around 11,133 local body workers in the state, including those who belong to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). however, the State Pourakarmikas Association is not happy with this decision as they were demanding permanent status for all the 33,000 sanitation workers in the state. earlier, in July, the workers organised an indefinite ‘dharna’ in Bengaluru which ended after assurance from the Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai to address their demands. he instructed the municipal administration department to initiate the process of granting permanent status to the employees of civic bodies in the next three months. in line with the instructions of the Chief Minister, 1927 civic workers from city corporations, 5533 workers from city municipality, and 3676 town municipality workers have been granted the status of permanent workers in their respective local bodies. These workers will now get remuneration as per the Rs 17,000 – 28,980 salary scale. The All india Central Council of Trade Unions (AiCCTU) said, “The cabinet decision is disappointing. it is contrary to the written assurance of the CM to the pourakarmikas (sanitation workers), who were on an indefinite strike. More than 27,000 direct payment pourakarmikas are working in urban local bodies of the state. All direct payment pourakarmikas should be made permanent.”

Six divisions of Kochi Corporation at ‘high risk’: Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Study

KOChi: in a vulnerability and risk assessment study conducted in the city of Kochi recently, six divisions of the Kochi Corporation have been classified as ‘high risk’. These divisions are edakochi North, edakochi South, Konam, Panampilly Nagar, ernakulam Central, and Thrikkanarvattom.

The study was conducted by a Netherlands-based company as part of a larger project ‘Vulnerability and Risk Assessment at urban level and per sector in selected cities, including hazard, vulnerability, and impact forecast maps.’ The goal of the assessment was to design hydrometeorological Resilience Action Plans in certain urban areas selected under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project Phase ii. in the report, risk factors such as urban flooding, drought, landslides, cyclones, rainfall, storm surge, and sealevel rise are identified, along with the vulnerable locations, infrastructure, and population groups that are at risk. Additionally, risk assessments for heatwaves, urban heat islands, and lightning were also completed for the six local bodies. Up to 16 wards were identified as being particularly at risk for flooding. it has been found that two sections of edakochi, North and South, are extremely vulnerable to storm surges and sea level rise. The assessment determined that 34 divisions of the local body were particularly exposed to urban heat island hazards and shows that low-income groups and slums are more vulnerable to disasters due to limited coping capacity.

nEWSCAn `137 crore allotted to MTMC

for infra works

GUNTUR: The Government of Andhra Pradesh has allotted `137 crores to Mangalagiri-Tadepalli Municipal Corporation (MTMC) to propel the speed of developmental works undertaken by the civic body.

After the declaration of the state government’s plan to develop Amaravati as the state capital and the establishment of the All india institute of Medical Studies (AiiMS) and government offices in the area, there has been a sudden surge in the population. After this, the state government, in January 2021, came up with a plan to merge 11 gram panchayats to form Mangalagiri Municipality, and Tadepalli Municipality was formed after merging 10 gram panchayats. later in March 2021, Government of Andhra Pradesh, issued an order after which Mangalagiri and Tadepalli municipalities were merged to form Mangalagiri-Tadepalli Municipal Corporation (MTMC).

This fund will pave the way for constructing 102 cement concrete (CC) roads for `29 crore, 94 CC drains for `29.87 crores and 67 black top (BT) roads for `54.86 crores. Apart from this, road widening works and construction of a 4.5 MlD capacity water tank will also be constructed with this fund. Rama Krishna Reddy said that the government is committed to developing the Mangalagiri and Tadepalli regions. however, special focus will be on improving the drinking water facilities, internal roads and drainage management to make the corporation area into a model town.

BMC to introduce black bins for domestic hazardous waste

MUMBAi: The Brihanmumbai Mumbai Corporation (BMC) plans to introduce a three-bin policy in Mumbai from December, replacing the current two-bin policy. Under this policy, domestic hazardous waste (Dhw) will have to be segregated into black bins and it will be mandatory for housing societies to implement.

According to Sangeeta hasnale, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (SwM), the black bins will be provided to the societies and small shops. There will be a separate section in the waste-collection vehicle for domestic hazardous waste. The policy will be put into effect in a phase-wise manner. The first step of BMC is creating awareness about black bins, after which it will build a facility for transporting such garbage, which will later be integrated with the transportation of dry waste. Domestic hazardous waste removal from the black bins will be the third step. if a housing society lacks the space to retain an additional third container, a black waste bag may be used in its place. According to Section 61(C) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, the BMC has a legal responsibility to do solid waste management (SwM).

After the enactment of SwM Rule 2016 waste has to be segregated into three streams namely dry, wet and domestic hazardous waste, which includes sanitary waste.

India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in TN

India gets its first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu. The Reserve covers the coastal waters of Thanjavur and Pudukottai districts with an area of 448 square kilometres. Commonly known as sea cows, they are the largest herbivorous marine mammals found on the warm coast of the Red Sea, the Pacific, and the indian Ocean. They are protected under Schedule 1 of the wild life (Protection) Act, 1972. Since there are only 240 Dugongs present in the coastal region of Tamil Nadu, there is an imminent need to protect them and their habitat.

Assam: Property tax to be collected by third party in 4 AMRUT towns

The Government of Assam has decided to hand over the responsibility of collecting property tax to a third party. Four towns- Guwahati, Nagaon, Dibrugarh, and Silchar- under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) will be part of the effort to provide financial empowerment to the urban local bodies in the state. it will cause no additional cost to the municipal bodies and won’t increase tax rates for citizens. inspired by the model engaged in Ranchi, Chhattisgarh, Patna, and many more, which increased revenue collection fourfold in three years, the Cabinet decided to implement it as a progressive measure in June 2022.

Amrit Sarovar formally inaugurated across Assam

Mission Amrit Sarovar Scheme was formally inaugurated across Assam. This scheme aims to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in each district of the country as a part of the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 28, 2022, with the goal of water conservation, pisciculture, job generation, and commercial plantation. The Assam state government has fixed January 26, 2023, as the deadline for completion of digging 2,625 ponds across the state, barring a three-layer commercial plantation on the banks of each pond.

MoHUA awards winners of Swachhata Startup Conclave with funding

The Ministry of housing and Urban Affairs (MohUA) and Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), with Villgro as the implementation partner, organised the Swachhata Startup Conclave, which closed on September 20, 2022. The Conclave hosted the Swachhata Startup Challenge, wherein startups were awarded for their innovative solutions, accelerating the growth of the waste management ecosystem in india. each of the top 10 startups will get funds worth `25 lakhs from MohUA and AFD and individualised professional and capacity-building support for one year. Villgro will also make a follow-on investment of `50 lakhs in eligible businesses.

nEWSCAn Andhra passes bill to amend CRDA, MRUDA acts

AMARAVATI, Andhra Pradesh: The State Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh on, September 21, passed a bill to amend the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) Act, 2014, and the Metropolitan Region and Urban Development Authorities (MRUDA) Act, 2016. with this amendment, the provision for affordable housing for the economically weaker Sections (ewS), whether provided under any scheme of the Government of Andhra Pradesh or Government of india, has been inserted in the CRDA Act. Under this act, sites are allocated for the construction of houses in the capital city Amaravati. After this amendment, all the citizens of the state can avail the benefit of proposed housing schemes in Amaravati provided they meet all the other eligibility criteria prescribed for this purpose. Earlier, the benefits of such housing schemes were restricted to villagers covered by the capital city and the capital region area.

On the other hand, the amendment to the MRUDA act will allow the government to introduce changes in the perspective plan, Master and infrastructure plans and area and zonal development plans. The government can introduce these changes by themselves or with reference from the concerned local bodies or person-incharge if there is no existing elected body or on application from a landowner.

New Delhi: A recent survey report released by iiT Guwahati and iiT Mandi identifies 25 districts of Assam as most vulnerable to climate change out of which 15 are in Assam. The southern district of india, Karimganj, has topped the list. The city usually witnesses a hefty amount of rainfall but has received significantly less rainfall over the last two months. Two other adjoining districts of Barak Valley, Cachar and Hailakandi, fall under the same category.

Besides these three districts, Goalpara comes second in the list, followed by Dhubri and Sonitpur in the third and fourth places, respectively. The others are Darang, Sivsagar, Dibrugarh, Morigaon, Baksa, Tinsukia, Kokrajhar, Barpeta, and Golaghat.

Keshab Mahanta, the state’s Minister of Science, Technology, and Climate Change, stated that the government had launched Chief Minister’s institutional Plantation Programme to enhance carbon stock through the plantation drive and create awareness of climate change mitigation. The program, launched on July 15, 2022, planted 2,43,451 geo-tagged saplings to monitor their growth for three years.

According to climate projections in the State Action Plan for Climate Change, extreme rainfall events will increase by 38 per cent in the state. The annual mean temperature in the state has risen by 0.59 degrees Celsius in 60 years.

15 Assam districts most vulnerable to climate change

nEWSCAn Odisha to invest `400 crore

for disaster management

BhUBANeSwAR: in order to strengthen its disaster management system with cutting-edge equipment and training for frontline units, Government of Odisha has decided to invest Rs 400 crore, authorities said. The decision was taken at the State executive Committee meeting, which was presided over by S C Mohapatra, Chief Secretary of Odisha.

According to P K Jena, Development Commissioner-cum-Special Relief Commissioner, the investment would strengthen frontline organisations like the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and firefighters. The Housing and Urban Development Department has been tasked with keeping drains clear and building more flood shelters in flood-prone locations, among other things. Officials claimed that they had taken into account the experience of the twin floods in the rivers Mahanadi and Subarnarekha in August this year. in vulnerable locations like Bari in Jajpur district, Dhamnagar in Bhadrak district, and Gop in Puri district, flood embankments will be strengthened, according to them. The meeting also covered a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) proposal. Additional funding would be mobilised for long-term recovery, reconstruction, and potential damage reduction after a thorough assessment of the needs, according to Jena.

ULBs work to make Hyderabad flood resistant

hYDeRABAD: A comprehensive plan to link the four largest lakes in the region has been taken up by the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP) and hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to prevent flooding during periods of heavy rain in lowlying areas. A review meeting was held recently at the Jawahar Nagar dump yard by Arvind Kumar, Municipal Administration Special Chief Secretary, along with representatives from the Greater hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GhMC), hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (hMDA), Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP), hyderabad Road Development Corporation ltd (hRDCl) and other organisations. Kumar directed the officials to submit a report outlining the best way to connect these four lakes and install channel valves to maintain water levels and avoid flooding.

Consequently, the work on the stormwater drain from Nasin Cheruvu to Komatikunta Cheruvu will begin. Additionally, the Metropolitan Commissioner granted administrative approval for nine works totalling Rs 20.42 crore to be undertaken to beautify Dammai Cheruvu, lay CC (Cement Concrete) roads, and strengthen the infrastructure in these UlBs.

Will place Delhi Master Plan before DDA in Dec 2022: Centre tells SC

The Govt of india has informed the Supreme Court that they are planning to place the Master Plan for Delhi (MPD) - 2041 before the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) highest decision-making body in the first week of December 2022. Aishwarya Bhati, Additional Solicitor General, appearing on behalf of the central government, told the court that any modification in the draft MPD will be done before the last week of December. The bench was hearing the pleas against the usage of the city’s residential area for commercial and industrial activities.

Karnataka brings in Municipalities Amendment Bill

The Karnataka Municipalities (Amendment) Bill 2022 was approved by the Karnataka legislative Assembly to save residents in rural areas the burden of obtaining the Town and Country Planning Department’s approval for their building plans. The e-khata cabinet sub-committee, voted to remove the administrative barriers to getting building plan approvals in areas not governed by local planning agencies. The regulation of land development outside of municipal planning areas is detailed in the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act. The properties located in gram panchayats, which were added to urban local bodies, will be regularised after the amendment.