International bus terminus in Rajarhat
August 13, 2013
Suman Chakraborti, TNN |
Though Hidco has been working to set up a few bus terminuses in the township, an international bus terminus has been lacking so far. Thne 10 acre plot that has been identified in Action Area II off the Rajarhat main arterial road has a location advantage of having proximity to the Kolkata Airport and to the IT hub and central business district of Rajarhat.
Hidco authorities have been keeping in touch with the transport department to discuss ways in which the state-of-the-art designer bus terminus could be set up in New Town. The plush terminus will boast of cafes and rest rooms and services for inter-city, inter-state and international bus routes will be operated from there.
that will have a modern and international look with cafes and rest rooms. The authorities are planning to set up the bus terminus that will operate inter-city, inter-state and international bus routes all together.
At present, there is only one international bus terminus in the state which is located at Salt Lake’s Karunamoyee from where Kolkata to Dhaka bus services operate.
Last week, a meeting was held between transport department secretary Alapan Bandyopadhaya and Hidco chairman Debashis Sen, who is also the state urban development secretary, along with officials of CSTC, WBSTC and CTC to discuss the plan. Senior KMDA and Hidco officials were also present to discuss the project.
Hidco also wants to introduce an intelligent transport system (ITS) in Rajarhat New Town as a pilot scheme to develop it as a futuristic township.
There have been long standing demands from residents of the township that the transport system of the area is yet to be fully developed. The state transport department issued two new bus route permits for the township a few months ago in which Hidco will run 20 JNNURM buses in these two routes. For the buses to depart from and arrive in New Town on these two routes, two spots – one near Balaka Abasan in Action Area 1D and another behind Eco Space have been identified.
Phase-1 of Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar metro to be operational by 2017
August 8, 2013
Ahmedabad: Gujarat Government’s much anticipated Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar metro rail project is close to veracity with the phase-1 is ready for completion in 2017.
Metrolink Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA) a state-formed special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the project execution, expressed that the first phase of the Rs19,000-crore metro rail project between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, spanning over 83 km will be commissioned by 2017.
According to an official at MEGA, Request for Proposals (RFPs) of all major systems and procurement have already been floated and tenders related to civil construction is under finalization process. “The first phase of the project will be completed in 2017 and the rest in 2021,” he said.
EPC World News Bureau
Source-http://www.epcworld.in
UN warns India against disaster risks in major PPP projects
August 8, 2013
Pradeep Thakur, TNN
NEW DELHI: A United Nations (UN) report has warned India that it is at greater risk by opting for public private partnership (PPP) mode of investment for raising its public infrastructure where the government has less control over its executing private partners and the latter has little interest in long term safety of the projects.
A UN study, the Global Assessment Report (GAR) on disaster risk reduction, released earlier this month for Asia Pacific has warned India of its huge infrastructure assets exposed to disaster risk, something like what we have experienced post release of the report inUttarakhand where flash floods have washed away properties worth thousands of crores while thousands have perished.
The report says: “Increasingly, in India, PPPs are emerging preferred mode of investment for publicly managed construction. These partnerships do not necessarily lead to improved disaster risk assessment and management, and may underplay disaster risks or lead to their transfer as shared costs to the public sector or to city residents.”
The 2013 GAR study on disaster risk reduction is the third biennial report coordinated by the UN’s Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and has analysed many of the country’s largest infrastructure projects for their risk exposure to natural and man-made calamities.
The findings reveal a sample analysis of 136 port cities with populations of more than 1 million predicting that currently North America has the highest volume of exposed economic assets while it is the population which is at greater risk in Asia.
The GAR warns India — which has projected nearly $1 trillion worth of investments for infrastructure development in the 12th Five Year Plan – of greater economic losses from unsafe public property facing disaster risk. The report puts the estimated exposure of economic assets in Mumbai alone to increase from $46 billion in 2005 to $1,598 billion in 2070. Other Indian cities where large PPP assets are planned face similar risk.
“Owing to economic and urban growth, natural and artificial subsidence, sea level rise and climate change, this exposure is likely to increase dramatically, particularly in low and middle-income countries,” according to GAR findings.
Uttarakhand too is prone to earthquakes. Almost half of the state falls in high earthquake zone. Most disasters that could occur haven’t happened yet, the UN report warns, estimating total expected annual global loss from earthquakes and cyclone wind damage alone to $180 billion a year. “This figure does not include the significant cost of local disasters from floods, landslides, fires and storms or the cost of business interruption,” it added.
Elsewhere in India, the report cautions against haphazard development in urban areas where “the urban population is expected to grow from 379 million in 2010 to 606 million in 2030 and 875 million in 2050.” It seeks the government to ensure adequate regulatory mechanism that guarantees private constructions invested in earthquake resistant housing developments.
The UN calls the government to “integrate disaster risk information into investment decisions; building public-private risk governance and disclosing disaster risks and costs on balancesheets of companies.” It says innovative companies worldwide have already begun to move in this direction, identifying disaster hot spots in their supply chains, reporting on risk reduction measures and forging partnerships with municipal governments.”
The report has another concern area, the export oriented special economic zones (SEZs), many of which are located in hazard-exposed areas. “The number of export oriented SEZs has expanded from 176 zones in 47 countries in 1986 to 3,500 zones in 130 countries in 2006. Many such zones are located in hazard-exposed areas increasing disaster risks,” it added. India has one of the largest expansions of SEZs, with ineffective regulatory control.
Govt plans Rs 1,260cr hi-tech drive to make Delhi safer
August 2, 2013
Dwaipayan Ghosh, TNN |
NEW DELHI: A Rs 1,260-crore mega project promises to change the face of policing in the capital. Conceived after the Nirbhaya gang rape, the Union home ministry’s Safe City Project will put the entire criminal database in the hands of the cop on duty through the latest IT tools and monitor public places through a wide network of CCTVs.The high-tech plan covers everything from video analytics to facial scanning. Once implemented, the system will enable police personnel to run a background check on any suspicious person or vehicle anywhere in the city. Other components of the system will help in detecting explosives, alerting about perimeter intrusion, reading biometrics, detecting speed violations at night, and even analyzing prisoner movement and digital crime mapping.Delhi Police has already taken the first steps to implement the project, to be funded by the home ministry through its mega city policing plan. PricewaterhouseCoopers has been hired as consultant on various technology initiatives for a Rs 6-crore fee and the World Bank is expected to contribute Rs 40 crore for the project.The final amount, though, will be decided by the MHA, which has been sent the proposal. Senior police officers say PWC has been tasked to prepare detailed project reports and requests for proposals, bring implementation agencies on board and manage the implementation, review and improvement of new systems.
The idea behind the Safe City Project is simple—effective policing, but it is a complex system built on four components. The two most important parts are its Integrated Intelligent Surveillance Systems (IISS) and the Automated Traffic Management Systems (ATMS), followed by capacity building and initiatives for upgrading. The IISS at the ground level will mean that all officers on the road will use hand-held personal digital assistant (PDA) devices that are no less than a computer. The PDAs will have online access, enabling an officer to check whether the car he has hailed for inspection is stolen or the driver has a crime record. At a larger level, these single checks will help police secure the city.
At present, Delhi has CCTVs installed in 26 markets and at five border points. Installation work in 28 other markets and 10 border points is 65% done. CCTV installation at the Supreme Court, high court and district court complexes is also over. All these steps will bring the total number of surveillance cameras up to 5,333.
Once the Safe City Project starts rolling, another 6,625 cameras will be installed at 479 locations while the traffic police are expected to install 5,000 CCTV cameras at important intersections, taking the total to 16,928 CCTV cameras covering every corner of the city.
Delhi Police’s cyber cell led by joint CP Sandeep Goel, the special cell led by joint CP MM Oberoi and the traffic police led by additional CP Anil Shukla will oversee implementation of the project in the next two years. However, vendors who win the project bids will be paid for the five years, with the extra three years allotted for maintenance.
“The verification facilities will be available to PCR and beat officers and the hand-held devices will authenticate the criminal history of a person,” said joint CP Sandeep Goel, adding that police vehicles will be equipped with automatic number plate readers and CCTV footage will be analyzed in real time.
The ATMS will be a unified solution for traffic problems. It will be able to track e-challans, check speeding at night with night-vision speed detectors. It will also analyze the peak loads and junction management.
Other initiatives under the project include a PCR upgrade, cyber security, training of field officers, data integration with private entities like hotels at the local level and disaster fighting authorities like fire brigade and National Disaster Management Authority. Besides the police’s C4i control room, there will be two data centres, two mobile command centres, 800 mobile terminals for PCR vans and 6,000 hand-held devices. Experts, however, say the project alone cannot make Delhi safer. “Merely bringing in devices and CCTVs is not enough. It is important that Delhi Police customize the software according to ground realities. For example, dense fog and monkeys—common Delhi problems—can play havoc with video analytics. Similarly, connecting 243 locations is not enough. A clever use of wireless and optic solutions will help police get the right kind of digital feed for analysis,” said Dipankar Ghosh, director of a firm which deals with such security solutions.
Times view
State-of-the-art technology is an invaluable aid to policing, but Delhi Police must realize that machines can only be as effective as the men behind them. If all of this money and effort is not to go waste, the men must be trained to use this technology optimally and the equipment must be well-maintained . So often our CCTVs don’t work. That’s just not acceptable. Moreover, modernization is not just about technology; the police force must imbibe a modern mindset — a mindset that’s service-oriented and shows greater gender sensitivity. Only then will the police slogan of “with you, for you, always” have real meaning.
Audit on to make e-way safe
August 2, 2013
Vandana Keelor, TNN |
NOIDA: Almost four months after Noida Authority assigned the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) the task of conducting a safety audit of the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, the report is scheduled to be submitted by May 15. Officials said, taking into account the frequent accidents on the expressway many of which have been fatal, the survey has focused on several infrastructural and safety lapses.
The CRRI report would also help in identifying black spots on the expressway and suggest means to rectify the accident-prone areas to bring down the accident rate on the 24km stretch. The audit report will try to find the deficient safety measures in design implementation of the expressway. “The audit report is being prepared not only because of the accidents but to obtain an expert opinion on the safety design. No matter how good a design is, there will be deficiencies and we want to rectify these,” said Rajeev Yadav, chief project engineer, Noida Authority.
According to officials, besides giving a quality certification of the expressway, CRRI will also provide corrective measures for each of the detected flaws as well as additional suggestion wherever required. “Once we receive the report from CRRI, changes to make the expressway safe for commuters will be implemented,” Yadav said.
In the past four months, faults relating to the curvatures, shoulder width, crash barriers and signages have also been surveyed by CRRI. The agency also gathered data from secondary sources and an analysis is on. The existing design of the central verge, entry/exit points, safety and emergency measures, foot overbridges, etc have also been on the institute’s scanner.
“The number of vehicles using the expressway keeps increasing every year and there is a need to make changes accordingly and to identify and evaluate infrastructure-related problems. With CRRI’s assistance, we will inspect and upgrade the expressway as well as educate people on traffic discipline,” Yadav added.
Since its inception in 2002, the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway has been the site of hundreds of deaths. In the past six months alone, nearly 20 people have lost their lives while about 50 have been left injured. Authority officials have also proposed to implement an Intelligent Transport System which aims to control incidents of over-speeding, fatal accidents and traffic congestion.
Key features of the ITS would be a control room, emergency call box, message signboards, CCTV, speed cameras, VIDS camera and meteorological data system.
Intelligent traffic system for e-way to cost Rs 44 crore
August 2, 2013
Vandana Keelor, TNN |
Officials said ITS is expected to monitor and manage traffic flow on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway. “Once implemented, the system will minimize road accidents on the expressway,” Rama Raman, chairman and CEO, Noida Authority, said.
Once the technical and financial go-aheads are received and tenders finalized, the project will be completed in 12-18 months’ time. “The system will reduce travel time, improve traffic regulation and surveillance and reduce operational costs and incident reaction time,” Raman said.
The system will help measure traffic data in real time, detect incidents and congestions automatically and inform road users about travel time, road closures, diversions, rerouting and all major events. “Important features would include a control room, emergency call box, message signboards, CCTV cameras, speed cameras, automatic number plate readers, VID camera and meteorological data system,” said Sandeep Chandra, the technical head for the project who also holds charge of traffic in the city.
Since its inception in 2002, the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway has been the site of hundreds of deaths. Around 25 people have lost their lives while hundreds have been injured in the last six months.
Cameras would be placed at a height of 14 metres to detect movement up to a distance of 280 metres. “Large LED display boards will caution motorists about road and weather conditions. All stationary vehicles, speeding vehicles and getaway vehicles will be recorded. In the first phase, safety devices like reflective signboards, median markers and road studs will be installed between the Noida entry gate and Mahamaya flyover,” Chandra said.
The most important feature of the system will be reduced response time to an accident. ITS will guide road users to adapt speed to ensure smoother flow of traffic and help coordinate policing and emergency services. “The expressway will be under surveillance 24/7 which will help curb crime on the e-way,” Raman said.
Chinese institute develops 100-megapixel camera
August 2, 2013
By PTI
BEIJING: A Chinese institute claimed to have successfully developed a 100-megapixel camera which could produce high-resolution imaging in the fields of aerial mapping, disaster monitoring and intelligent transportation systems. The IOE3-Kanban camera was developed by the Institute of Optics and Electronics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences making it China’s highest pixel camera, CAS said in a statement. The camera is capable of producing images with 10,240 x 10,240 pixels, the statement said. Moreover, it is small and light, with its widest part measuring only 19.3 cm, state-run Xinhua quoted the statement as saying, adding that it can be used at temperatures ranging from minus 20 degrees centigrade to 55 degrees centigrade. Its high sensitivity and high dynamic range (HDR) features mean it will be useful in high-resolution imaging in the fields of aerial mapping, city planning, disaster monitoring and intelligent transportation systems, the statement said. Intelligent transportation system is aimed to provide innovative services relating to different modes of transport and traffic management, enabling various users to be better informed and make safer, more coordinated, and ‘smarter’ use of transport networks. The camera is equipped with advanced optical systems, camera control systems and high-capacity data recording systems, and it has proven successful in a recent trial use as a part of a national aerial remote-sensing system, it said. The institute also developed an 81-megapixel camera during the 10th Five Year Plan period (2001-2005), and the latest achievement took the researchers two years to develop. A megapixel is one million pixels, and is a term used not only for the number of pixels in an image, but also to express the number of image sensor elements of digital cameras or the number of display elements of digital displays.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
New flyovers, bridges in JNNURM phase-II
July 29, 2013
Anjaya Anparthi, TNN Jul 28, 2013,
NAGPUR: The city may hope for new flyovers, bridges and railway overbridges (RoB) as the central government has asked the state government to send developmental project plans under its ambitious Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) phase-II. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has already sent a letter requesting the state government to consider the pending plans of one flyover and RoB each and two bridges. The Centre has also asked the state to drop the Maskasath RoB from phase-I and submit the revised plan in phase-II.
The Congress-led central and state governments have been giving approval to developmental projects for the city. But the BJP-led ruling alliance in NMC is time and again slamming the state. Under JNNURM phase-I, the Centre has approved 19 projects for the city with a project cost of Rs1,581.23 crore. Besides, the Centre has also approved projects worth Rs327.29 crore under basic services for urban poor (BSUP) scheme under JNNURM phase-I.
As reported by TOI on July 16, the state had put in all its efforts to convince the union ministry of urban development (MoUD) to continue the projects sanctioned under JNNURM phase-I. Minutes of the meeting held on July 10 to decide the fate of slow-moving and other delayed projects were released a couple of days ago. The state had assured to complete the remaining projects in given deadline.
In the same meeting, the MoUD asked the state to drop Maskasath RoB from phase-I and submit a revised plan in phase-II. The state accepted the MoUD’s suggestion. Maskasath RoB was approved on January 22, 2007. The NMC has completed only 10% work till date, citing reasons of delay from the railways for approval. Still the NMC was criticizing the state government for delay.
The MoUD has asked all the states to submit new proposals for JNNURM phase-II. Municipal commissioner Shyam Wardhane sent a letter dated July 19 to the government requesting to consider the pending projects. “Hope for positive results as government always considered the NMC’s projects.”
NMC got approval of four RoBs in phase-I, including Ram Jhula, Kalamna, Mangalwari and Itwari with two remaining to be completed. Besides, the civic body also got approval of railway under bridge at Anand Talkies which has been completed.
NMC also submitted plans of Sadar flyover, RoB at Mominpura near Kadbi Chowk and three bridges on Nag River at Yashwant Stadium, Gangabai Ghat and Juni Shukrawari. But NMC did not get approval for these projects as water supply and sewage projects were taken up on priority. NMC started to construct a bridge on Nag River at Juni Shukrawari. The other pending projects may come up if approved by the Centre under phase-II.
Now, the NMC has also prepared plans to construct a flyover at Pardi and railway overbridge at Manish Nagar. The two proposals may also be submitted under JNNURM phase-II. Already, the civic body has submitted sewage scheme with an estimated cost of Rs1,328 crore under phase-II.
Source-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Skywalks, separate lanes promised
June 24, 2013
Rumu Banerjee, TNN |
Expedite implementation of ITS, Rajan tells PMC
June 24, 2013
TNN |
During the meeting, he discussed issues concerning encroachments on footpaths and roadsides, procurement of additional buses by PMPML, smooth functioning of all traffic signals, and implementation of the pay and park system for vehicles.
Municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak, police commissioner Gulabrao Pol, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Vishwas Pandhare, and PMPML chairman and managing director Ramchandra Joshi were also present at the meeting.
The implementation of the intelligent traffic system has been delayed for over four years. The system, to be developed at a cost of Rs 16 crore, was to be made operational before the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008. However, it has failed to take off due to various reasons.
The system, which is ready for use, can detect traffic signal violations. It can also help in operations of bus rapid transit system. It has a surveillance system.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials said it has decided to appoint a private agency for managing the ITS. PMC has already invited bids for the same.
“The process of appointing the agency should be completed as soon as possible,” Rajan said, adding that authorities should also expedite the proposals of construction of flyovers at Ghorpadi and Lullanagar.
A proposal to decentralize the operations of the state transport bus service also came up during the meeting. The officials also discussed whether the open spaces of all octroi posts should be given for state transport bus operations.
Rajan has directed the civic authorities to expedite the proposals of construction of flyovers at Ghorpadi and Lullanagar.
The review meeting with officials of all concerned departments is held every month as per the directions of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
The buses move from busy arterial roads in the city, thus, causing traffic congestion at the Swargate and Shivajinagar terminals.
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