Archive for April, 2011
Friday, April 29th, 2011
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) standing committee has given the green signal to increase property tax to the tune of five per cent every year to repay loan proposed to be taken from banks.
The standing committee meeting was chaired by mayor Banda Karthika Reddy on Thursday.
The GHMC has proposed to take a loan of Rs 600 crore from banks and financial institutions to be spent on new development works like roads, drains and water supply pipelines under the Total Infrastructure Programme (TIP).
The Corporation wants to repay the loan in 10 years at the rate of Rs 100 crore every year, including interest.
Meanwhile, the standing committee members directed GHMC officials to submit list of colonies where these works are to be taken up, by the next meeting.
More News: timesofindia
Tags: banks and financial institutions, drains and water supply pipelines, GHMC, GHMC officials, property tax, The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Total Infrastructure Programme (TIP).
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Friday, April 29th, 2011
The plans of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) to provide new water connections online seems to have gone for a toss. In the last two months, many denizens have filed online applications but officials like section managers, deputy general managers and general managers have reportedly made people run from pillar-to-post, to know the status of their connections.
The Hyderabad Online water connections system was introduced in February to provide hassle-free connections. However, out of 4,500 customers applying online, not even 50 percent connections have been sanctioned by officials. Before introduction of the scheme, HMWSSB managing director, M Jagadeeswhar announced new connection would be released to online applicants within 15 to 20 days. However, the reality is quite different as a few hundred people who applied more than a month ago, have not been sanctioned a new connection yet.
More News: commonfloor.com/stories
Tags: delay in release of new connections, Hyderabad, Hyderabad Online Water Connection, Hyderabad Online Water Connections Get Clogged, Online Water Connection, Slackness of officials
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Thursday, April 28th, 2011
The much delayed Charminar Pedestrianisation Project (CPP) could finally take off after a wait of nearly 15 years, but city conservation architects say there is nothing to cheer about. Alarmed by the hasty implementation of the project before the Unesco team arrives in Hyderabad in July (for final inspection of the monument nominated for world heritage status), heritage lovers say the civic body is busy giving Charminar a cosmetic facelift and destroying its 400-year-old character in the process.
Modern and easy-to-build designs have dangerously crept into the pedestrianisation project, which is originally meant to save the centuries old structure from further damage (due to smoke and heavy traffic) and preserve it for several more decades.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), in its haste and wisdom has used readily available interlocking pavers (tile-like structures seen on Necklace Road) to lay the footpaths. As per the original plan, the pavements were supposed to be made of specially-designed slabs that would gel with the character of the heritage site. Worse, the quality of work is poor with several pavers already falling out of their grids. Work here began just about 20 days ago.
This was bound to happen,” said a disgruntled conservation architect working on the project adding, “They did nothing about the project for so many years and now they have suddenly woken up to finish it in a hurry by using whatever material that is available. And this, despite objections raised by architects working on the project.”
More News: timesofindia
Tags: Charminar Pedestrianisation Project (CPP), conservation architect, heritage site, Hyderabad, Hyderabad Real estate, implementation of the project, Necklace Road, pedestrianisation project, The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC)
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Thursday, April 28th, 2011
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to collect surcharge and other taxes in colonies where new development works will be taken up under Total Infrastructure Program (TIP). The works would be taken up in new colonies in surrounding municipal circles with a loan of Rs 600 crore proposed to be taken from various financial institutions and banks.
Four options are being considered for collecting surcharge and other taxes from residents of the new colonies.
* As per the first option, colonies that benefit should pay special betterment charges till repayment of the loan is completed.
* The second option is property tax should be increased by five to 10 per cent per year on all properties like in the case of gram panchayaths as a surcharge.
* While the third option is to collect 10 per cent surcharge on property tax from residents of the colonies where infrastructure is created through the loan amount. The Total Infrastructure Program (TIP) surcharge would be in force for 10 years from the year of completion of works.
* The last option is in lieu of TIP surcharge, the colony associations might be given an option to pay 10 per cent of the project cost.
More News: http://www.commonfloor.com/stories/ghmc-to-impose-surcharge-on-development-works-3777
Tags: GHMC, GHMC standing committee, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Hyderabad, Hyderabad Real estate, Loan from banks, proposal to burden the residents, Real estate in India, Surcharge on development works, Total Infrastructure Program
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Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has invited Expressions of Interest from participation of resident and colony welfare associations for cleanliness and maintenance of colony parks.
GHMC officials said the associations were showing keen interest for participation and some associations had already requested for extension of the last date for submitting their EOIs. In this regard, for more competition among associations and evaluate the best colony, the date has been extended to April 30.
More News: expressbuzz
Tags: colony parks., EOIs., GHMC, Hyderabad, Hyderabad Real estate, resident and colony welfare associations, The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC)
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Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
The High Court issued interim orders on Monday staying the property tax hike by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC). The High Court division bench comprised of Justice V.V.S. Rao and Justice Ramesh Ranganath issued interim orders on Monday staying the property tax hike by the GVMC and ordered that the hike should not be more than 75 per cent, said the CPM floor leader, Ms Botta Eswaramma.
The CPM corporators, presidents of apartment owners’ welfare association challenged the GVMC tax hike which they said was from 100 to 800 per cent and against the rules. The petitioners said the GVMC violated the rules framed by the government regarding tax hike and also a resolution passed by the council in its meeting held on February 11, 2010.
More News: http://www.commonfloor.com/stories/the-high-court-stays-gvmc-property-tax-hike-3761
Tags: Apartment Owners Association, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, Greater Visakhapatnam Property Tax, GVMC tax hike, GVMC Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act, interim order of the High Court, Kakaninagar Residential Welfare Association, property tax, property tax hike by the GVMC, Sheelanagar Upkeep Welfare Association, Visakha Apartments Residents’ Welfare Association, Visakhapatnam
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Thursday, April 21st, 2011
If you are one of those people who buys drinking water cans from private suppliers and are lulled into a sense of security with the untarnished seal on it and the OK mark proclaiming its good quality, you’re in for a rude shock. Most of these private providers are supplying contaminated water and are even operating their water plants illegally and without proper equipment to purify water.
The appaling facts came to light when Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) decided to raid some of these bottled water plants and test the quality of water supplied by them. The findings were far from pleasant.
“A few teams comprising food inspectors and senior officials of the Health and Sanitation wing of GHMC inspected various water plants. We found that more than 200 packed drinking water packaging units are supplying contaminated drinking water on payment basis to customers while utilising the ISI standard mark illegally,” S Aleem Basha, additional commissioner, Health and Sanitation, GHMC told City Express.
GHMC found a private water plant located near the RTC crossroads and supplying water cans and packets to offices and for domestic purposes being run illegally. In another incident, based on public complaint, GHMC officials seized ‘Salvo Safe drinking’ unit located in Secunderabad as they supplied contaminated bottled water to its customers at a high price. The officials seized at least 12 drinking water plants in the twin cities. Aleem Basha said that they would crack the whip on these illegal water plants.
More News: expressbuzz.
Tags: additional commissioner, drinking water, GHMC, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Health and Sanitation, illegal water plants., ISI, private suppliers, RTC crossroads and supplying water cans and packets, Salvo Safe drinking’, security with the untarnished seal, senior officials of the Health and Sanitation wing of GHMC, supplying contaminated water, various water plants.
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Thursday, April 21st, 2011
Rangareddy district collector V Seshadri on Monday issued orders to stall all construction activity at the over 240-year-old Rukn-ud-Daula lake in Shivarampally, after locals alleged that the water body was being encroached upon by a private party. Residents alleged that a wall was being constructed right on the bed of the historic lake to encroach about 8-10 acres of the area (total area: 40 acres) for commercial use.
But despite the collector’s directive, work was on in full swing at the site on Tuesday, which prompted the city activists to report the matter to the local mandal revenue office. Construction was stalled by late evening.
Activists alleged that the work was initiated by a local resident about 15 days ago for residential plots on the lake area.
Though the district collector intervened in the case and issued orders to stall the activity on the lake bed on Monday, work on the wall continued on Tuesday.
Quoting from the rule-book, the activists present at the site on Tuesday said that the construction was in violation of the Andhra Pradesh Water, Land and Trees Act (WALTA) which clearly states that no concrete structure can be built on an area measuring up to 30 metres from the boundary of the lake. This wall, however, was coming up right at the tip of the water body.
Concerned about the developments, city old-timers said the centuries-old lake had huge heritage value as it was constructed way back in 1770 by Nawab Rukn-ud-Daula, prime minister of the third Nizam. The clean water from the lake was used for drinking not only by the locals of the area but even by the Nizam’s family, they claimed, adding that the original size of the water body was close to 104 acres. They said that encroachments over the last few decades had shrunk the lake significantly and even polluted the water. With the present encroachment, the lake is likely to shrink by another 10-12 acres.
More News: timesofindia
Tags: Andhra Pradesh, district collector, historic lake, Hyderabad Real estate, Land and Trees Act (WALTA), mandal revenue office, Rangareddy district, Rukn-ud-Daula lake in Shivarampally, Water
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Friday, April 15th, 2011
BJP activists on Wednesday staged a dharna before the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board managing director’s office, protesting against inadequate water supply in the city.
Addressing the dharna, senior BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya said development in the city had taken a backseat.
The state government and the GHMC had failed to provide basic amenities and infrastructure to residents, alleged the leader.
He protested over supply of contaminated water, which was causing health problems for many denizens. He also alleged the drains were not being maintained properly.
More News: expressbuzz
Tags: BJP activists, contaminated water, GHMC, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, infrastructure to residents
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Friday, April 15th, 2011
Residents in the twin cities are likely to face heat wave conditions in the next few days as day temperatures are likely to go up.
On Wednesday, the maximum temperature shot up to 39 degree Celsius in the twin cities.
People in some places in the Telangana and North Andhra regions, however, can expect some relief from the extreme heat soon.
The Meteorological department has predicted light to moderate thundershowers in many districts in Telangana and North Andhra in the next 48 hours.
The highest temperature of 41 degree Celsius was reported from Rentachintala of Guntur district on Wednesday while Adilabad and Anantapur reported 40 degree Celsius respectively.
More News: expressbuzz
Tags: Adilabad, DLF New City Heights Hyderabad, Guntur district, Hyderabad, Hyderabad Real estate, North Andhra regions, Rentachintala, Telangana, The Meteorological department
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