A Northern Railway official said: "One of the biggest challenges for the New Delhi railway station upgrade is the huge inflow of passengers for which efforts are being made to decongest the station. Work is in progress for extension of a new foot over-bridge to Paharganj side and its connection with the existing foot over-bridge. This foot over-bridge is six metre wide and will go a long way in decongesting the station. Also, we are planning to move the existing inward parcel office at Platform No.1 on Paharganj side to parcel area at Ajmeri Gate side and utilise the space so released for passengers waiting at platforms and concourse hall."

"The circulating area at Paharganj and Ajmeri Gate side will also be remodelled to make the station entry and exit hassle-free for passengers. These circulating area plans have been developed in consultation with the Delhi Traffic Police. The railway station building will also be given a facelift by providing aluminium composite panels, stainless steel cladding, granite murals and texture paints. The entry to the railway station would be made prominent and the entrance and exits would be made more efficient by creation of proper lanes," he added.

In addition, the platforms at the station would be repaired to make them smooth and provided with elegant looking stainless steel benches, stainless steel water booths, modular stalls and aesthetically improved railings. The cover sheds on platforms would also be extended to increase the waiting area and provide shelter against inclement weather.

"The pathways would be made wider and smoother so that elderly and disabled passengers can be moved from one platform to another by battery- operated passenger cars," the official added.

The extension of 7.05 kmlong Delhi-Gurgaon Metro link to the Industrial Model Township (IMT) Manesar, linking Mundka (an area in outer Delhi) with Bahadurgarh, the last township of Haryana bordering Delhi and extension of Delhi Metro to Faridabad are some of the projects the government has taken up this year, the minister said.

``The JV would be set up to monitor and expedite such projects which would not only benefits lakhs of people in Faridabad, Gurgaon and Bahadurgarh but also improve the infrastructure," Ajay Singh said.

Besides, the Haryana budget has a special allocation for augmenting drinking water supply in Gurgaon, Manesar, Bahadurgarh, Sampla and Badli townships. For creating investment opportunities in the state, the budget has also allocated funds for the extension of the IMT, Manesar, allotment of land to SEZ for the IT industry in Gurgaon and development of Roz Ka Meo, an area falling under Mewat district. The government has proposed to earmark rupees 1,200 for the completion of these projects. Gurgaon is one of the cities selected for development under JNNURM and for developing city bus services, the finance minister said.

Creation of Haryana infrastructure development board (HIDB) headed by CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda has also been planned to give a boost to infrastructure development.

A division bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Veena Birbal Friday criticised the civic agencies for their "callous approach" to worsening sanitation saying: "When things have not changed in 12 years, then what will happen in 12 days?"

The bench's remark came after counsel for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) sought more time to file their status report. The court agreed to a deadline of April 29.

The court, after taking the affidavit by Delhi Cantonment Board on record, warned them that if their stand was found to be false on inspection, the court would have no option but to issue contempt notice.

Advocate Ashok Agarwal, counsel in the case, told the bench: "We are preparing ourselves for the Commonwealth Games and it's horrible that the civic agencies do not even perform their basic duty. It's a violation of the rights of citizens, especially women, who have no option but to defecate in the open."

The pathetic state of public toilets was highlighted by Shahana Sheikh, a final year student of economics at Lady Sri Ram College who undertook a tour of slums and the outskirts of Delhi from May to July 2008.

According to Sheikh, the MCD, in its 2007 report claims that there are 3,192 public conveniences in the national capital but she found only 1,534 toilets in her survey.

BRAND NEW The previously shabby-looking market now looks similar to Connaught Place

Built in 1947 as a rehabilitation market, the Yusuf Zai market in the Outer Circle of Connaught Place has undergone a major makeover, courtesy the Commonwealth Games.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has made a new facade for the entire mar- ket. The 63-year-old market was in a dire need of repair with crumbling infrastructure.

"Jaalis have been added on the rooftops with glass show- windows on the first floor of each shop. Also, two pillars have been constructed in front of each shop to match with the unique character and architec- ture of Connaught Place," said a senior NDMC official.

Presently, facade restoration work is going on in the entire CP area. The NDMC hopes to give the area a unique and new look before the Games.

Source: Hindustan Times CP circle? No, this is the redone Yusuf Zai Market

Athriving water body with walkways and landscaped greens spread over 12-odd acres. The marshland wasting away along the busy Ring Road in the Mayapuri area is finally on a path that promises all this and more.

Click On Image For Large View

For years, the wetlands had been neglected with the authorities turning a blind eye to them. But the irrigation & flood control department of the Delhi government has finally been assigned the task of resuscitating the water body and has submitted a Rs 4.5-crore conceptual plan to develop the water body alone.

It took the intervention of the Delhi High Court to get the government to take stock of the wetland. Though the water body is one without any historical significance, it had emerged on the urban map as a fallout of infrastructure development and needs to be restored. The PWD had dug out soil from this patch of land during the construction of the first flyover at Naraina. Following that, this large ditch over the years grew into a wet area marked by marshy patches.

With the matter reaching the Delhi High Court, the government which was not even aware of the existence of the wetlands was asked to take charge of the situation. According to sources, PWD and Delhi Tourism & Transportation Development Corporation refused to take the responsibility for developing the water body. And eventually, the irrigation and & flood control department was entrusted with the task of restoration. On Thursday, the department made a presentation on the proposed revival and development plan before chief secretary Rakesh Mehta.

Source: Times Of India By Ambika Pandit Makeover For Ring Road Marshland Is MAGIC AT MAYAPURI

The Delhi government has decided to invite private par- ticipation in developing infra- structure and maintaining facil- ities in 33 industrial areas across the capital.

The Delhi cabinet on Tuesday approved the propos- al to develop and management of industrial estates under pub- lic-private partnership model.

Senior Delhi government officials said funds have been a problem to properly maintain these areas, which will be taken care of with the introduction of private companies in this sphere.

"We will create a special pur- pose vehicle (SPV) in which the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) will have 26 per cent stake while private companies will have the remaining stake. This compa- ny will earn revenue by devel- oping properties and spend money on infrastructure improvement like roads, sani- tation, drainage, water supply, solid waste and street-lighting" said Delhi industries minister Haroon Yusuf.

At present, it takes a long time for those driving in to find the empty slots, making parking difficult.

The three-level Palika lot has the capacity to park 1,050 cars and 500 scooters. In the absence of a management system to guide cars, motorists are usually in for a hard time.

New parking to have

• Special detectors to identify vacant parking slots
  
• Display boards outside to indicate number of vacant spots on each level
  
• Electronic boards to display location of the slot

Work is slotted to finish before October so that the parking can be used during the Commonwealth Games.

Source: The Indian Express By Hamari Jamatia Special detectors, boards to make parking easier at Palika

One of the biggest projects for the Commonwealth Games is to turn the city pedestrian friendly. The plan includes constructing eight subways at Connaught Place.

With the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) yet to get permission from the Delhi Traffic Police for two subways, it seems unlikely the whole project will meet the deadline.

At present, work is on at four subways; they are expected to be ready on time. Sources in the NDMC said the Delhi Traffic Police have given permission for work on two other subways, but the civic agency is awaiting nod for the last two.

Considering that each phase of subway construction takes nearly 240 days, completing the rest before the Games in October seems unlikely.

"Our aim now is to complete the four subways on which work has started. We will think about the rest when we get permission. We want to complete as many subways as possible," a senior NDMC official said.

At present, work is on at Barakhamba Road and Panchkuian Road; both have two subways each connecting the Outer Circle with the Inner Circle. Work will be completed only by the end of August.

Source: The Indian Express By Hamari Jamatia Only four of eight CP subways to meet October target

Nothing can beat the experience of walking down the historic stretch that connects Rashtrapati Bhawan to the India Gate while tucking into chocolate ice- cream.

No, the road is not going to disappear. Nor the office buildings that straddle the stretch. It is the vendors -- offering ice- cream, peanuts and other snacks -- who will have to make way.

The Delhi Police have launched a drive banning hawkers from the Rajpath. Parking cars on the 1.5- km stretch has also been forbidden. The idea is to allow an unobstructed view of the Rajpath with its historical buildings on either side.

While Rajpath looked cleaner on Monday, the idea of parking their cars somewhere and walking some distance to get ice- creams and peanuts did not seem to go down well with visitors.

" What is the point in parking the vehicle somewhere else and then walk for a kilometre to reach the Rajpath," said Vipul Raheja, an executive in a multinational bank. He said he and his friends have been regulars to India Gate and Rajpath but the Delhi Police's latest initiative has left them frustrated.

Source: Mail Today By Kumar Vikram An Evening In Rajpath Free Of Cars & Hawkers

The Chief Minister has called a meeting of deputy commissioner (North-East), revenue department, Delhi Minorities Commission and principal secretary (home) of the Delhi government to discuss the proposal to start developmental works in the district.

The North East district is one of the 90 most backward Muslim-dominated districts listed by the Union government-appointed Sachchar Committee. The committee was constituted by the Union government to find out the status of the Muslims in the country. Based on its report, the Centre has made a plan to develop these districts and bring the Muslim community at par with other communities.

The Union government has been sanctioning Rs 40 crore every year since 2007 for the development of the district.

The secretary of the National Minorities Commission in 2007 wrote letters to the secretaries of various states, including Delhi, to implement the government scheme and submit a proposal to develop these districts. But, according to sources, the Delhi government has not yet submitted its proposal to develop the area.

According to Jai Prakash Agarwal, president, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, the Union government sanctioned Rs 40 crore every year for the development of the district, but the sanction lapsed because the city government did not submit its development proposal.

Agarwal added that the sanction for this year was also likely to lapse. "The first meeting on the issue will be held on February 23, after which some time will go into constituting the committee and preparing the proposal. By the time the government completes the formalities, the financial year will be over," he said.

Take your pick, but one thing is clear: there is a massive housing shortage in the country. And, it is increasing by about 9 lakh every year, according to the estimates of the rural development's ministry. So, a huge task confronts policy makers. How have they responded to it?

The main plank of providing affordable housing to the needy has been the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), launched in 1985 as a subscheme, but made an independent programme in 1996. In the past 25 years, over 164 lakh houses have been constructed under IAY. Each house has a plinth area of 20 square meters. About half of them have a toilet. The government provides Rs 35,000 to poor rural families for making their own houses. Despite the small area, poor quality and, very often, lack of water and electricity, the scheme is very popular something is better than nothing.

Source: Times Of India By Subodh Varma Tough ask: 87L houses in just 2 yrs

Delhi finance minister A.K. Walia said the city government had been giving priority to expansion, modernisation and development of the Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) Hospital at Shahdara, a major hospital in the Trans-Yamuna area.

The EFC has decided to sanction Rs 22.42 crore for the construction of a diabetic, endocrine and metabolic care centre at the GTB Hospital within 26 months the work is started.    

Walia also noted Vikas Marg to be an important road of the Trans-Yamuna area. Heavy traffic plies on the road.  One end of it is connected to 75-B Extension Road which would be a feeder road to Yamuna Sports Complex during the Commonwealth Games. This Road from ITO Chungi to Karkari More was handed over to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and is due to be transferred to the public works department (PWD).

It requires re-surfacing of service road, improvement of drains, central verge and re-surfacing of the main carriageway. The EFC has sanctioned Rs 7.52 crore for this purpose. The work will be completed within six months.

Rs 17.95 crore has been sanctioned for the improvement of six roads close to the UP border.  The work will be executed by the PWD on behalf of the UP Irrigation Department (UPID).  

Walia said that Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium would host the opening and the closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games.  A foot over bridge is to be constructed near the stadium so that pesestrians can cross the road easily. Rs 12.57 crore would be sanctioned for it.

The committee is demanding that construction of the parking lot should only begin after the Ramlila this year. MCD, however, said that it would continue with construction of the parking lot as it would help decongest Chandni Chowk. Said press and information director Deep Mathur: ``We will continue with our work at Parade Ground. We are only using half of the ground for construction of the parking site. The parking lot should be ready in 16 months. This will benefit the people of Chandni Chowk as it is a commercial hub and also a lot of tourists visit the area. About 1,000 cars can be parked here. While 650 will be accommodated underground, 250 will be parked at ground level.'' The project will cost Rs 50 crore and the area's trader associations support it.

Said Ravi Jain, of the Shir Dharmik Ramlila committee: ``We were given assurances by MCD officials that work on the parking lot would only start after the Ramlila this year. We would have then discussed the matter with MCD to see if building a multi-level parking at Parade Ground was required or not. The civic agency has converted every other ground in the area into a parking lot. Parking is already allowed at Gandhi Maidan and Dangal Maidan.''

MCD had zeroed in on Parade Ground after the underground multi-level parking lot they had to make at Shaheed Park hit a roadblock in the form of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Under fire from Delhi High Court for granting construction permission to various agencies within 100m of protected monuments, ASI had refused to give MCD permission for the project saying it was in the prohibited area of two centrally-protected monuments Khooni Darwaaza and Ferozeshah Kotla ruins. Though the parking plan was specifically meant for office-goers in Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, MCD shifted the site to Parade Ground near Chandni Chowk.

The two SEZs one in gems and jewellery and the other in IT and ITenabled services will be developed by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC).

"We have got the required permission and a nod from the Commerce Ministry and the Environment Ministry," the DSIIDC Managing Director Chetan Sanghi said, adding that an investment of nearly Rs 785 crore will be required to set up the two SEZs.

The two SEZs are expected to be functional within the next one-anda-half years. Sanghi added the government is now in the process of framing the guidelines and the policy for involving private players in the setting up of these tax-free zones.

"Private players will be allowed to invest a portion of the total cost."

The gems and jewellery SEZ, to be spread over 41.4 acres of land in Baprola village, will have specialised infrastructure like facilities for identification, grading and certification of diamond as well as a world-class Gems and Jewellery Training Institute.

"It is expected to provide direct employment to 18,000 people and indirect employment to 54,000," Sanghi said.

Source: The Indian Express Delhi govt to start work on two SEZ projects

Besides the FOB at Africa Avenue, the civic body is also constructing two regular FOBs in the city. All three FOBs are expected to be completed by June 2010.

``The FOB at Africa Avenue will be first-of-its-kind in the city. Work has already begun and the cost of the project will be Rs 4 crore. The FOB will have escalators and stairs. We had no space constraint at Africa Avenue which is why we could experiment and try something different there.''

These foot-overbridges have been designed to ensure smooth pedestrian movement. Said an NDMC official: ``We hope that pedestrians would be encouraged to make use of FOBs to cross the road as they have been fitted with escalators. The three FOBs being constructed by us will be ready before the Games. We have carried out a proper assessment of pedestrian requirement and we hope this FOB will serve people adequately.''

Source: Times Of India By Ruhi Bhasin NDMC has beautiful designs for new FOB