Before Games, MCD to tackle dengue and malaria

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is gearing up to battle the vector borne diseases like Malaria and Dengue during the Commonwealth Games 2010.

Vector-borne diseases are those that are transmitted to humans or other animals by an insect or other arthropod, which are typically mosquitoes or ticks.

“Vector surveillance and control measures have been strengthened in view of large-scale construction activities all over the city,” said Dr. NKYadav, medical health officer, MCD.

“The MCD has constituted 12 Sentinel surveillance teams, apart from engaging 3,500 Domestic Breeding Checkers from April 1, 2010 for strengthening vector control measures,” he said.

According to Dr Yadav, timely intervention and defogging in congested areas will help in preventing the outbreak of diseases like dengue and malaria.

“If we can start work as planned, the situation should be under control in October — the peak dengue season.”

The civic agency has also ordered additional fogging machines, sprinklers and insecticides to check breeding of mosquitoes.

“Effective control measures are needed if we really want to have an uneventful Commonwealth Games,” said Dr. Kanwar Sain, Delhi mayor.

“We also need assured political commitment and all types of assistance from the government,” he said.

Roads, transport drive away with lion’s share

Thanks to the upcoming Commonwealth Games, transport and road infrastructure remains a top priority area for Delhi government.

The sector has received a whopping 38 per cent of the total outlay in the government’s 2010-11 annual plan.

The capital will get 3,775 sleek low-floor buses at a cost of Rs 2,019 crore by the time the Commonwealth Games begin in October.

About 2,300 low-floor AC and non-AC buses have already been added and 1,475 more buses are likely to be added by August 2010. The government has sanctioned Rs 675 crore to buy new buses in the budget.

To wean away people from private modes of transport, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is going to introduce a special non-stop service on 50 busy routes.

The government will also launch a GPS-based automatic vehicle tracking and monitoring system to start an ‘online bus information system’.

Expansion of the city's lifeline, Delhi Metro, is being aided with the allocation of Rs 1,260 crore in the budget.

Five corridors of Delhi Metro’s Phase II are functional. The sixth corridor, between Inderlok and Mundka, will start operation soon.

Work on other corridors such as the Airport Express link are on schedule. The Delhi government is investing Rs 4,439 on Metro’s Phase II expansion.

The epithet of ‘city of flyovers’ that Delhi has earned is justified by the completion of flyovers and road over-bridges (ROBs) in Mukerba Chowk, Bahera Enclave, RR Kohli Marg, Shastri Nagar pushta, ITO chungi, Nelson Mandela Marg, Rao Tula Ram Marg and Aruna Asaf Ali-IIT gate. The flyovers at Azadpur and Naraina are nearing completion.

The government has invested Rs 5,646 crore on 26 flyovers, ROBs and road under-bridges being constructed by the Public Works Department.

Elevated corridors at Barapulla Nallah, Ring Road by-pass from Salimgarh fort to Indira Gandhi stadium, a bridge at Neela Hauz, a flyover at NH-24 bypass near Gazipur and a flyover at Shyamlal College will also be completed before September 2010.

Additional parking sites are being built over drains such as Kushak nallah, Sunehri Bagh nallah, DPS Mathura Road nallah and the ash pond of IP station near Ring Road. The projects, to be completed before the Games, will cost Rs 473 crore.

There’s something for pedestrians too. A total of 26 foot over-bridges, apart from the 31 that have already been built by PWD, are set to come up this year.

“When there is a good amount of budget allocated to transport, it’s a good sign,” said P.K. Sarkar, Head of Transport Planning Department, School of Planning and Architecture.

“The government should aim at comprehensive mobility so that all sections of people are benefited,” he said.

“At present, less than 50 per cent of all trips in Delhi are covered by public transport. The figure should be at least 75 per cent. The reliability of public transport has to grow,” he added.

The government has decided to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle to develop and maintain ISBTs, bus depots and bus shelters so that DTC can concentrate only on bus operations.

The streets of the capital will also be beautified for the Commonwealth Games, with Rs 198 crore allocated for street lights on PWD roads.

This is apart from the Rs 83 crore given to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for new streetlights on major roads.

About 50 lakh potted plants will be used to beautify major intersections and space along all major roads leading to Games venues at a cost of Rs 35 crore.

Auto-meters for the people

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s promise to scrap autorickshaws — because autowallahs “harass” passengers and many ply “illegally” — is part of her desire to see visitors to Delhi’s Commonwealth Games return convinced “that they have been to a truly civilised city”. But are Delhi’s autowallahs really that greedy? Why won’t they switch on the meter? Why do so many ply “illegally”?

There are two types of auto-driver: 80 per cent are renter-drivers, renting autos from contractors who own multiple vehicles. They pay Rs 250-300 for 10-12 hours and earn the same amount in profit: half their daily taking goes on rent and CNG. Owner-drivers own their machines, although “owner” is misleading as most are repaying huge loans to auto-financiers from whom they purchased the rickshaw and the required permit. Monthly payments are Rs 9,000-15,000.

Two decisions have strengthened the auto-financiers’ hands. In 1997, the Supreme Court capped the number of autos, trying to cut emissions. No new auto-permits would be issued; nor could they be sold. Delhi’s size and population grew, but the number of autos did not. Consequently, the permit price rocketed and a black market emerged. Only auto-financiers won; their existing stock of auto-permits appreciated. In the late ’90s, a new rickshaw with permit cost just over a lakh. Today, after a decade of black-market inflation, the same package costs Rs 4-4.5 lakh: Rs 1.45 lakh for the auto, Rs 3 lakh for the permit. Meanwhile, demand for rented autos rose with new migrants, but supply froze, allowing contractors to hike rents.

Then, in 1998, the Supreme Court ordered public transport vehicles to convert to CNG by 2002. Owner-drivers had to pay

Rs 30,000 each. In 2000, Delhi had 83,000 autorickshaws. In 2002, there were 55,000. Where did these autos go? The average owner-driver could not afford it; thousands had to sell their autos and valid permits cheaply to financiers. Others had their permits voided and were left unable to legally drive their autorickshaws: selling them to a financier was the only option. By cancelling and hoarding permits, financiers and the Transport Department managed to get rid of over a third of Delhi’s autos, sending permit prices spiralling.

Financiers now hold most of Delhi’s auto-permits — but in the names of the original owners (not the financiers), who sold their vehicles years ago. When a driver pays Rs 4-4.5 lakh for the auto-permit package, the permit will be transferred in his name only when the loan is repaid. Until then he drives “illegally”. Renter-drivers have the same problem: the auto-permit is in the contractor’s name, or a false name to cover the contractor’s activities.

Other methods exist to retain control. The financier will make the driver — frequently a new migrant to Delhi — sign several blank loan contracts. This gives him power to raise interest rates and deny the driver ownership even when the loan is fully repaid. It also allows him to charge extortionate “penalty charges”. Many of Delhi’s owner-drivers have been repaying loans for many years due to compound interest and “late payment penalties” of up to Rs 30,000. The contract maximises the financier’s ability to repossess the autorickshaw. Once snatched back, it can be sold to the next driver. Many vehicles have been “sold” and repossessed five or six times.

The financial pressure on the auto-driver does not end here. The transport department and the traffic police need their cut too. Auto-drivers must carry around 16 documents with them at all times, “available” from the transport department on application. However, each application requires an absurdly long list of supporting documents: a 50-year-old Bihari driver may be asked for his old school certificates and Delhi ID and ration cards. Impossible requirements, of course, lead to bribes being offered.

Given these requirements, the traffic police can stop auto-drivers and find an excuse to challan them retrospectively. If the officer simply keeps asking to see documents, he will find one which is missing. If not, then he can issue a challan for “wrong uniform” (including “wrong socks”), “incorrect lettering on auto” (Rs 1500) or “illegal stopping”. (Delhi has 312 official auto-stands. They are unmarked. Nobody knows where they are.)

Is it surprising, then, that in this distorted market, auto-drivers can’t rely on the meter? Somehow, in the midst of all these repayments, rents, bribes and challans, the autowallahs must feed their families.

Yet autorickshaws are a vital part of Delhi’s infrastructure: they are efficient, affordable, economical, environmentally friendly — and iconic. They cannot be scrapped. Instead, the whole autorickshaw sector must be reformed, starting with the issuance of new permits. To become a “world-class city” Delhi does not need more taxis and cars; it needs a bigger, better fleet of autorickshaws that provides convenient public transport to residents and livelihoods to drivers.

It’s going to be a ‘Green’ Games, with help from city scientists

It’s a race against time and pollution. In an effort to ensure that this year’s Commonwealth Games are green and pollution-free, Pune’s scientists and environmentalists are making frequent trips to the capital, training students and volunteers to collect data for an ‘emission inventory’.

Dr Gufran Beig, a scientist at Pune’s Indian Institute of Tropical Meterology, Dr Ajay Ojha, former chief of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s air quality management cell and experts from the city’s Chest Research Foundation have embarked upon the voluminous task of preparing an emission inventory for the National Capital Region (NCR).

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) has developed the technology being used to carry out the research.

Beig, a scientist with IITM's System of Air Pollution Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) explained how the involvement of over 100 students from colleges and universities in Delhi would help in the effort.

“We are in the process of preparing an emission inventory that will account for the amount of pollutants discharged into the atmosphere,’’Beig told Newsline. This includes a detailed survey of ‘sources’ and examining what quantities of air pollutants are emitted and their origin.

Beig who conducted a brainstorming workshop in New Delhi to encourage and motivate students on how to collect data to form an ‘emission inventory’ said that the process was extremely tedious. “The month-long programme that started on March 11 included 100 students who were stationed at 40 major junctions in the National Capital Region (NCR) region,” said Ojha, who is presently the coordinator with the project.

With the aim of predicting the air quality 24 hours in advance, students divided into groups have identified 21 major sources of pollution. Students who have been allocated their groups at five cities-Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Delhi and Gaziabad begin their day by collecting data on the number of vehicles that pass by at a major junction.

“While one group ask motorists details about the fuel he/she uses, another group lists details from hotels about the LPG consumption. One group of students has been given the task of collecting data on kerosene and coals being used by slum dwellers at a certain area. One group even has the task of using a vaccum cleaner and collecting the dust on the road in one sq mt area. This kind of sample survey is underway presently and 80 per cent of the work has been completed,” said Ojha.

Delhi govt raises funds for CWG; dents Delhiites' pockets

Delhi Government today raised VAT on a whole range of products including diesel and high-end mobiles and withdrew the subsidy on cooking gas to fetch an additional Rs 1,100 crores to raise funds for the Commonwealth Games.

Presenting a Rs 26,000 crore budget, Delhi Finance Minister A K Walia said the government has also decided to impose a five per cent tax on the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), the fuel used for public transport like buses and auto-rickshaws. At present, there is no VAT on CNG.

Walia announced the withdrawal of subsidy on cooking gas of Rs 40 and increase of VAT on many items, including diesel, to "generate" additional revenue, he attributed the escalation to the mega sporting event which was creating a dent in the city government's pockets.

He proposed rise in VAT on various items like desi ghee, house-hold plastic items, kerosene stoves, wood, inverters, tea, coffee locks, lanterns, fertilisers, and all utensils and cutlery items, including pressure cookers and pans.

With the withdrawal of subsidy on LPG, a cooking gas cylinder in the national capital will now cost Rs 322.80 from the earlier cost of Rs 281.20.

After the increase in VAT from 12.5 per cent to 20 per cent on diesel, the fuel will now cost Rs 35.29 per litre in the capital. At present, it costs Rs 32.92 per litre.

Noting that there has been an increase in expenditure in last two years on Commonwealth Games related projects and schemes, Walia said, "our revenue collection through taxes has not been adequate due to recession. Therefore, it has become essential to look for measures to generate additional revenue to sustain development."

Indicating that in case the city government received substantial additional funds from the Centre for meeting its financial needs of the games, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said, "we would be happy to pass it on to the residents".

Opposition BJP MLAs were on their feet as soon as Walia announced the increase in VAT rates. They staged a walkout when Walia announced the withdrawal of subsidy on LPG cylinders.

Leader of Opposition V K Malhotra later told reporters that BJP is planning agitation against the increase in VAT rates.

"The government has betrayed the trust of its residents. We are planning to launch an agitation as well as gherao of Assembly," Malhotra said.

However, she added the government would not review rolling back the subsidy withdrawal on LPG and the hike in VAT on diesel and other items now.

Walia said, in the transport sector, 1,475 more low floor buses will be purchased before August for which Rs 675 crore has been allocated.

He also announced the launch of a GPS based vehicle tracking system to make online bus information system operational.

The DTC will also introduce a special non-stop service on 50 important routes.

Government has also set aside Rs 749 crore in the budget for development of basic services in the unauthorised colonies. It has already invested Rs 2,851 crore in these colonies.

The old age pension scheme will be extended to 3.5 lakh people from existing 2.5 lakh. Besides this, it has allocated Rs 46 crore for giving pension to widows.

The Finance Minister also proposed the setting up three 200-bedded hospitals in Vikaspuri, Burari and Ambedkar Nagar and another 750-bedded hospital at Dwarka.

Living in Delhi gets costlier - thanks to Commonwealth Games

Delhiites will now have to pay more for domestic cooking gas, diesel, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), high-end mobile phones and other essential household items like tea and coffee -- thanks to Commonwealth Games.

Delhi's Finance Minister A.K. Walia Monday presented the annual budget of the national capital for 2010-11 in the Delhi Legislative Assembly. Walia announced withdrawal of subsidy of Rs.40 on LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) amid protests from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led opposition.

The minister proposed an increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) on diesel, CNG, mobile phones and accessories above Rs.10,000, watches and readymade garments above Rs.5,000, fertilizers, kerosene, coffee, tea, desi ghee, dry fruits, kesar (saffron), glucose-D, household plastic items, utensils and cutlery items and inverters.

Justifying the hike in budget, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said: "The subsidy was given for LPG when the inflation rate was very high. A lot have been spent on the infrastructure in the wake of the Commonwealth Games."

"There has been a lot of developmental work in the city and more to happen. A lot more money is needed and the government has no option but to slightly burden the people to incur the losses," she said.

Walia told reporters: "The prices of diesel would go up by Rs.2.37 per litre and CNG (used in vehicles) to get costlier by Rs.1.09 per kg. As far as subsidy on gas is concerned, no other state was giving it. We could not have afforded it anymore."

In Delhi, diesel that was available at Rs.35.47 per litre would now cost Rs.37.84 and CNG that at present costs Rs.21.70 per kg would now cost Rs.22.79 per kg.

"This is a growth-oriented budget keeping in mind the Commonwealth Games and 'aam aadmi'. We have exhausted all our resources as we have spent (so) much on Commonwealth Games project. We need more money," he added.

The minister said that the increase in VAT will bring an additional revenue of approximately Rs.850 crore. The increased prices will come into effect from April.

The total budget estimates for 2010-11 are Rs.26,000 crore that include Rs.11,200 crore for plan expenditure, Rs.140 crore for expenditure on centrally-sponsored schemes and Rs.14,660 crore for non-plan expenditure.

The BJP criticised the budget proposals saying they are "anti-poor and anti-common man".

"Prices of everything in Delhi are sky-rocketing, this additional burden will badly affect the common masses. BJP will strongly oppose this budget," said Leader of Opposition in the assembly V.K. Malhotra.

"Delhiites are already suffering from inflation. This budget will further increase their woes. The government is out to kill the common man," said BJP leader Harshvardhan.

Delhi Congress chief and MP from northeast Delhi J.P. Agarwal said: "Delhi's budget was not discussed with me."

The hike in diesel, CNG and LPG cylinder price came as a shocker for Delhiites.

"I am disappointed as rising food price are pinching the monthly budget and this will add salt to injury. I believe they could have withdrawn the subsidy from cooking fuel only after taming food prices," said Sanjay Nanda, a young professional.

Delhi government has spent nearly Rs.15,000 crore on various Commonwealth Games related projects.

There has been widespread development - beautification, flyovers, street scaping, foot over bridges, roads, signages, public transport and health facilities - in the city for Commonwealth Games to be held from Oct 3-14.

Budget makes Delhi pay for Commonwealth Games

Delhiites will have to shell out more from their pockets for virtually everything from cooking gas to diesel with the state government today withdrawing its subsidy on LPG and increasing VAT on many items to "generate" additional revenue.

Presenting the budget amid vociferous protests by the opposition BJP, finance minister AK Walia announced the withdrawal of the Rs40 subsidy on LPG cylinders for domestic consumers. He also announced an increase in the value-added tax (VAT) on diesel and CNG.

Walia also proposed an increase in VAT on various items like desi ghee, household plastic goods, kerosene stoves, wood, inverters, tea, coffee locks, lanterns, fertilisers, and all utensils and cutlery items, including pressure cookers and pans.

With an increase in the VAT to 20% from the existing 12.5%, diesel will now cost Rs35.29 per litre in the capital. At present, it costs Rs32.92 per litre.

With the withdrawal of subsidy on LPG, a cooking gas cylinder in the national capital region will now cost Rs322.80 from the earlier cost of Rs281.20.

A 5% tax has been imposed on compressed natural gas (CNG), the fuel used for public transport like buses and autorickshaws. At present, there is no VAT on CNG.

By doing this, the Delhi government plans to raise an amount of Rs1,100 crore for the Commonwealth Games to be held in the state later this year.

Noting that there has been an increase in expenditure in the last two years on projects and schemes related to the Commonwealth Games, Walia said, "Our revenue collection through taxes has not been adequate due to recession. Therefore, it has becomeessential to look for measures to generate additional revenue to sustain development."

Chief minister Sheila Dikshit, however, Indicated that in case the city government received additional funds from the Centre to meet the needs of the Games, "we would be happy to pass it on to the residents".

Presenting a Rs26,000 crore budget, Walia said the highest allocation went to the transport sector, which has been given Rs4,224 crore as against last budget's allocation of Rs3,069 crore.

Opposition BJP MLAs were on their feet as soon as Walia announced the increase in VAT rates. They staged a walkout when Walia announced the withdrawal of subsidy on LPG cylinders.

Leader of the opposition VK Malhotra later told reporters that the BJP is planning an agitation against the increase in VAT rates.

"The government has betrayed the trust of its residents," Malhotra said. "We are planning to launch an agitation as well as gherao the assembly."

Walia said 1,475 more low-floor buses will be purchased before August for which Rs675 crore have been allocated. Walia also announced the launch of a GPS-based vehicle-tracking system to make an online bus information system operational.

The state-run Delhi Transport Corporation will also introduce special non-stop services on 50 important routes.

Claiming that the retail prices of food items in the capital were the lowest as compared to other metros like Mumbai and Chennai, Walia said as against an increase of 12% in Mumbai and 15% in Chennai, the capital has registered an escalation in prices by 11.3% only.

He also noted that there was an increase of 6.85% on the tax collection front as compared to last fiscal. "The current year's revised target of tax revenue is Rs13,174 crore, which is 8% higher than the previous year. Next year's target tax revenue is Rs15,582.50 crore with a growth of about 18% over the current year," he said.

The government has also set aside Rs749 crore in the budget for development of basic services in the unauthorised colonies. It has already invested Rs2,851 crore in these colonies.

The old age pension scheme will be extended to 3.5 lakh people from the existing 2.5 lakh. Besides, the government has allocated Rs46 crore for giving pension to widows.

In the budget, Walia also proposed to set up three 200-bed hospitals at Vikaspuri, Burari, and Ambedkar Nagar and another 750-bed hospital at Dwarka.

Making an allocation of Rs1,112 crore for education, which is 10% of the total outlay, Walia said that construction of 17 school buildings will be started in the next fiscal.

He also announced an increase in the subsidy given to students for uniforms. "Now Rs500 per annum will be given to girl students of MCD primary schools at par with students of government schools," he said. "Similarly, Rs700 will be given to students of Class VI-XII of Delhi government and government-aided schools."

About 26 lakh students will benefit from this move, he said. Walia also proposed to enhance a scholarship by Rs50 to promote enrolment in schools.

On the industrial sector, he said, two special economic zones will be set up in the city — one in IT and IT-enabled services and the second in gems and jewellery — at a cost of Rs890 crore.

Walia also presented a rosy picture on the power front, saying the capital will be a power-surplus state in 2010-11. He allocated Rs110.80 crore for the sector.

In the housing sector, he said the government has already constructed 8,000 flats and they will be alloted to the residents of slum clusters soon.

"In addition, 7,000 flats are under construction at Baprola, Bawana, and Ghogha," he said.

The government has also allocated Rs476 crore for the social welfare sector. Walia said construction of a special ward in Ambedkar Hospital would begin soon.

The registration fee charged on various documents under the Indian Registration Act has also been increased to Rs500 from the existing Rs100 and the government expects an additional revenue of Rs6 crore from it.