MANOJa

GURGAON: The fight between the Estate Officer II and HUDA administrator Praveen Kumar is getting uglier with each passing day. On Monday, Estate Officer II Mukesh Solanki, on returning from leave, locked his Sector 56 office, forcing Kumar to form a six-member committee and order sealing of the office immediately.

In a letter to police, Solanki has stated that he had locked his office because he fears several important files can be stolen or damaged. He had gone on leave after Kumar found out that he misrepresented facts regarding the Sector 29 market parking in the high court. On Monday, Solanki was called to meet the administrator but he did not go.

"Ideally, Solanki should have informed the administrator after joining back instead of locking his office as if it's his property," said a senior HUDA official who had gone to seal the Sector 56 office.


Estate officer locks office, Kumar seals it - The Times of India

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Our Correspondent
Sonepat, February 13
A five-day national conference on “Energy-efficient design of buildings: cost- effective solutions” at Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, concluded with a common approach to achieve the goals of saving energy, cutting emissions, increasing comfort and reducing lifecycle costs.

This conference was organised to mark the completion of 60 years of mutual relations between India and Germany. Its objective was to provide a platform to students, researchers, scientists, academicians and businessmen to have discussions and interaction at the international level on how the existing innovations and experiences in the field of energy efficiency and resource optimisation could be adapted and modified for a country like India with its rapid
growing mega cities and population.
Noted German architect Uta Pottgiesser said products and materials as well as design and planning methods could not directly be transferred to another culture or another country. She said there were options to transform innovations in architecture into innovation architecture as a systematic approach.
Renowned Indian architect Anil Lal was of the opinion that if the right designs and techniques were used in the construction of buildings, the construction cost could be reduced by 50 per cent and energy conservation achieved to a great extent.
“If we adopt the policy of Holland in building designs, we can solve the housing problem of our country,” he added.
During the conference, 30 research papers were presented on different topics, including energy conservation in urban areas and energy saving in buildings. Building designs of both countries were displayed at the conference for on-the-spot explanation of the designs by participants, including a team of students and architects from Germany. Students of the Architecture Department of the university also presented a “Green School” design at the conference.
Director-General of the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency Ajay Mathur and the Chairman of the India Green Building Council, Dr Prem Jain, were among those who participated in the deliberations.
In the opinion of the university Vice-Chancellor, HS Chahal, the conference provided opportunities to the faculty members and students of the Architecture Department of the university to know about the latest designing of buildings the world over in general and in Germany and India in particular. He hoped that the gains and experiences of the conference would ultimately be used at the ground level for the benefit of consumers.
Source:The Tribune

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PTI | 08:02 PM,Feb 14,2012
Chandigarh, Feb 14 (PTI) The Haryana government has cancelled licenses of five property developers for failing to pay requisite renewal license fee and took over the administration of a residential colony spread over 323 acres land in Gurgaon. The Haryana Town and Country Planning department has also restrained the colonisers from selling unsold property and they have been notified to not sell or purchase the property, an official said. The residential colony is located in Wazirabad and Bindapur villages, sector 47, 50, 51, 52 and 57 in Gurgaon. A total of Rs 50-60 crore, including license fee renewal, were not given by the developers of the colony and they have even failed to set up facilities like primary school, the official said. He said a developer is required to pay renewal fee every two years till the project in complete.
Source:Haryana govt takes over residential colony in Gurgaon, IBN Live News

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Sanjeev K Ahuja, Hindustan Times
Gurgaon, February 14, 2012
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), in an RTI reply, has revealed that the operator of the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway has collected Rs583 crore as toll tax till August 2011, crossing the total project cost of Rs555 crore. However, Delhi-Gurgaon Super Connectivity Limited
(DGSCL), the operator claimed that the cost of constructing the expressway had escalated to Rs1,200 crore following changes in the design and various additions to the project. The 27.7-km stretch between Rao Tula Ram Marg (Delhi) and Kherki Daula toll plaza (Gurgaon) was opened for commuters on January 25, 2008.

The entire stretch has three toll plazas at Delhi border, Kherki Daula and IGI Airport loop. Highest collection was made at the Delhi border toll plaza where on an average about 1.9 lakh vehicles pass daily.
The application was filed by Aseem Takyar, an RTI activist and a local industrialist.
After the RTI revelations, various anti-toll plaza activists under the banner of Toll Hatao Sangharsh Samiti have said that the NHAI should now remove the Delhi border toll plaza.
RS Rathee of Toll Hatao Sangharsh Samiti said NHAI officials had told the samiti members the other day that the toll operator firm had collected a total of Rs640 crore by December 2011.
“As per the RTI reply, the toll operator firm has collected Rs583 crore in 43 months between January 2008 and August 2011 as against the project cost of Rs555 crore. NHAI should now take action and remove the toll plaza near Delhi border,” he said.
However, DGSCL officials have their own story.
“The project cost was initially Rs555 crore when we had signed the agreement with NHAI in 2001. Later, several government agencies came up with their demands related to more underpasses and wider flyovers. We had to made changes in the design as well as structure of the expressway and this escalated the cost of the project to Rs1,200 crore. The entire financial planning was submitted to the highway authority as well as the minister concerned,” a senior DGSCL official said.
Toll plaza to get 3 more lanes
People living along the troubled stretch of Rajiv Chowk and Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Gurgaon Expressway see a ray of hope in the expansion of the 19-lane toll plaza. The work on setting up of three more toll lanes is underway. Already on the warpath against the National Highway Authority of India for not providing crossover facilities that have allegedly caused a number of deaths, the residents said that additional number of lanes would ease the traffic congestion and provide some relief to them. Col Ratan Singh, Jafra chairman, welcomed the move.

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HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times
Gurgaon, February 14, 2012
Members of the Toll Hatao Sangharsh Samiti (THSS) met NHAI chairman AK Upadhyay and secretary to the Government of India (road, transport and highways) on Monday and handed over an eight-point agenda pertaining to the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. In the past one-and-a-half months, the samiti has
held several protests to demand removal of the toll plazas at both at Sirhaul and the Delhi border toll plaza.

The residents' body has been alleging laxity on part of the expressway operator in terms of constructing pedestrian facilities such as subways, loop lanes, flyovers and widening of service lanes.
In the absence of adequate infrastructure, commuters face a tough time as traffic jams have become a daily affair, especially during peak hours.
“Toll at concessional rate has been denied to local commuters for all these years despite provision of toll tax rate at 50% for local personal vehicles and 66% for local commercial vehicles in the agreement,”
reads the memorandum submitted to the secretary.
The samiti members have requested that vehicles with a local registration number be allowed free passage at the toll plazas.
Residents have also demanded flyovers which were promised at Hans Enclave, Hero Honda Chowk, Khandsa, Behrampur crossing, Narsingpur and Kherki Daula

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Dhananjay Jha, Hindustan Times
Gurgaon, February 14, 2012
Residents of Ambience Lagoon Apartment are living in a state of fear as the exterior wall of the apartment has started developing cracks. The residents alleged that the cracks were developed after excavation of road opposite the building, affecting mainly
E and F blocks where about 300 people live.
The Lagoon Apartment is a premium luxury apartment on NH-8 near the Delhi Gurgaon border toll plaza. It is a part of the Ambience complex that includes Ambience Mall.
A road of hardly six to seven metres wide is the only gap between the basement of the apartment and the excavation site. Besides, there is an underground parking near the excavation site.
Officials of the Ambience management have denied any link between the crack and the site of excavation.
“The cracks have not reached the dangerous level. We will ask our experts to look into the matter and take necessary steps, if required,” said Raj Singh Gehlot, chairman, Ambience group.
The residents of the 10-storey apartment are scared since they have noticed the cracks.
“In recent past, several incidents of building collapse have been reported in Delhi and NCR due to digging work in close proximity. We request the administration to do the needful taking suo motu cognizance of the damage,” said a resident.
Meanwhile, members of residents’ welfare association met the officials of the Ambience management and requested them to ensure that the crack did not develop to dangerous level. “The management has not yet taken any action,” said an RWA member.

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Dhananjay Jha, Hindustan Times
Gurgaon, February 14, 2012
The MCG’s crack team — equipped with bulldozers and assisted with a heavy contingent of police — that had descended on New Colony to demolish an unauthorised building made a “strategic retreat” on Monday to prevent violence.
A large number of people had assembled at the site to
prevent the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) drive. There was tension in the air as protesters had come prepared for a showdown with the police.

The tension was diffused after the owners of the property in question agreed to file an affidavit to the civic body that they would voluntarily demolish the construction portion of the controversial building.
The building, owned by five persons, was coming up on Plot 15, New Colony, Gurgaon.
MCG officials said the owners of the property had taken permission for constructing a residential complex but were building a hotel. According to the MCG, the owners have been given permission to construct only two floors.
Madhu Batra, the wife of senior deputy mayor Yashpal Batra, is one of the owners. Nirmal Kumari, Dhanpat Rai, Seema Chhabra and Manoj Pahuja are the other owners.
The owners had allegedly obtained the sanction for the construction of residential units.
“The property owners have agreed to obey building norms of the civic body. They have submitted an affidavit saying that they will remove the illegal portion in four days,” said Sudhir Rajpal, Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon commissioner.
The enforcement wing of the MCG faced strong resistance from the owners and their supporters.
According to MCG officials, all the five owners had got their plan sanctioned separately from the civic body but later they joined hands to construct a commercial building in violation of the rules.

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Moushumi Das Gupta, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, February 15, 2012
The prime minister's office has stepped in to ensure there’s no further delay in implementing the ambitious project to complete a ring road around Delhi — to let 200,000 vehicles bypass the Capital every day.

Hindustan Times had on February 10 highlighted how the 135-km
Eastern Peripheral Expressway —one half of the project — has failed to take off due to bureaucratic indecisiveness.
At a meeting on Tuesday chaired by Pulok Chatterjee, principal secretary to the PM, it was decided that the cabinet committee on infrastructure will clear the project next week.

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Moushumi Das Gupta, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, February 15, 2012
The Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday stepped in to ensure that there is no further delay in implementing the ambitious project to complete a ring road around Delhi. The road will let nearly 2 lakh vehicles skip the Capital every day and help ease traffic congestion.
Hindustan Times had on February 10 reported how the 135-km Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) - half of the 270-km road around Delhi -had failed to take off because of bureaucratic indecisiveness. The road was first approved by the Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) way back in 2007.

Along with the Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE), which is being implemented by the Haryana government and is nearing completion, the eastern expressway would have completed the ring road and provided an alternative route to inter-state traffic not bound for Delhi and helped decongest city roads.
At a meeting chaired by principal secretary to the Prime Minister Pulok Chatterjee on Tuesday, it was decided that the EPE proposal would be placed before the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) for clearance next week.
AK Upadhyay, road secretary, Sudha Pillai, member secretary, Planning Commission and R Gopalan, secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, attended the meeting among others.
"The EPE proposal would be placed before the CCI meeting scheduled next week for approval," said an official.
The project has been held up since 2007 as the government had been unable to decide how much commuters should pay for using this stretch.
But now the Centre seems to have agreed to the road ministry's stand to charge toll tax 50% more than rates charged on other national highways and the WPE.
The road ministry had earlier wanted toll rates of bypass roads - 1.5 times more than what is charged on national highways. Their argument: the EPE is a bypass, not a highway.
The move to levy more toll had invited criticism from some senior panel officials and the Finance Ministry on the grounds that it would go against "public interest" and make the project "unviable" vis-à-vis WPE.