DJB sends out notices for non-payment of water bills

Delhi Jal Board has started sending notices to consumers for non-payment of water bills. The notice mentions a penalty for missed deadline. The bills have to be paid within five days of receiving the notice. In case of non-payment, the DJB can snap connection.

Till now, more than 20,000 notices have been and 100 connections have been snapped.

In Dwarka, more than 300 notices have been sent to both commercial and non-commercial units. On condition of anonymity, an official said about 700 more notices will be sent.

The DJB also informed that consumers could enjoy a rebate on bills if they paid before 31st December.

The bills will also carry a penalty for societies that have not installed rain water harvesting (RWH) structures or have not maintained them effectively.  

However, for disputed bills, the consumers will only have to pay the water charges. For such bills, RWH penalty will not apply.

Sudha Sinha, general secretary of Federation of CGHS, said, “The bills must remove the RWH penalty clause and sewerage charges. The RWH penalty clause and sewerage charges are not justified. We will fight this till the end. Recently, we had carried out a demonstration and we’ll do it again.”

Are dustbins in markets of Dwarka mere showpieces?

The new batch of dustbins, which the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has placed in the market areas of Dwarka are an apalling reminder of the apathy of the civic authorities. Most of these dustbins are broken and overflowing with garbage. 

A resident of Sector 12, Raman Negi said, “ You are greeted with a stench whenever you walk into the market of Sector 12. Garbage is also strewn everywhere around  the broken dustbins.  Right at the entrance of  the Sector 4 market there are two huge dustbins that are in shambles. It is indeed surprising that the area councilor, mayor and other SDMC officials who visit the market areas do nothing to fix these dustbins and ensure their proper management and maintenance.”

People of the area say that the dustbins have not been placed at locations that are easy to access for people. A Municipal Corporation worker from Ashirvad Chowk spoke to City Spidey on condition of anonymity. In his words, “We collect garbage on a regular basis from the dumping spots outside the market or directly from the dustbins that are easy to access. These new batch of dustbins are placed in certain locations that always have obstructions. Either cars are parked before them or vendor stalls surround them. Since we have limited time we usually ignore clearing such dustbins." Dwarka News

Ironically there are about 50 dustbins in the Sector 11 market that is essentially a cloth market with showrooms. However, markets that have eating joints have very few dustbins. People therefore allege that the corporation has not installed these dustbins with any thought and strategy. "This approach of theirs is indeed pathetic,” said Srikant Sharma a resident of Sector 11.  

The sanitation scenario of  Dwarka's ‘A’ Ward is probably the worst owing to the surrounding markets of Ashirvad Chowk. 

Can Gurgaon rid itself of open dumping?

To understand the various aspects of integrated waste management in the city, a conference was organised by city-based NGO, Gurgaon First, yesterday at the School of Inspired Leadership in Sector 44, Gurgaon.  

Almost 70 delegates participated in the conference.

“As residents, we cleared out doubts regarding the segregation process and about decentralised waste management,” said Radhika Nath, a resident of South City I.

The city is to develop an integrated solid waste management project, and the concession agreement for it was signed by the Haryana government-appointed Ecogreen Energy. The project is to come up in a village next to Bandhwari.

Ankit Aggarwal, CEO, Ecogreen Energy Pvt Ltd, explained, “We have started a door-to-door waste collection from the city since December 13, and expect to cover the entire city by March 2018. We are in the process of constructing five transfer stations and six mini-transfer stations throughout the city. The idea is to make Gurgaon a city free of open dumping. The waste will not only be used in the production of manure but also electricity.”

He added, “A three-member project management unit will be set up shortly to monitor the project. As part of the project, we’ll have a drive to discourage the use of plastic.”

MCG commissioner V Umashanker said, “Both centralised and decentralised systems of waste management will continue to co-exist in the city. But this project will cover only solid waste and not e-waste or bio-medical waste.”

The project now awaits environmental clearance.

Gzb: Why is Mahagunpuram's last tower not being handed over to buyers?

Real estate major Mahagun India has been directed by Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) to submit a compliance report of its Mahagunpuram society project in Mahrauli, Ghaziabad, within the next 15 days. 

The builder has constructed 11 towers of the society in two phases. Out of this, seven towers that were constructed in the first phase were delivered to buyers in 2012. Three of the remaining four towers, constructed in the second phase, were handed over to the buyers this year during Diwali. However, possession of one tower still remains.

The builder had earlier informed City Spidey that the delivery of flats in this tower was getting delayed because GDA was taking time to issue completion certificates. GDA officials, in turn, told City Spidey that the completion certificates of this tower were being held back because there were complaints from residents against the builder for not complying with the original layout of the project. Ghaziabad News

In the words of Nishant Dubey, a buyer of the last tower, “Our flats have not been handed over, despite the fact that they are ready.”

Amit Chauhan, who has purchased a flat that was completed in the second phase of construction, sympathises with Dubey. “Incomplete amenities are not the fault or responsibility of the buyers, and therefore they should not be held hostage this way,” he said.

The complaints against the builder were lodged by occupants of the older towers. 

Speaking to City Spidey, IC Jindal, president of the Mahagunpuram AOA, said that the builder, apart from violating the original construction layout, had also not provided a slew of essential amenities such as lifts, waste water disposal systems, and Ganga jal connection.

“The builder is yet to provide service lifts in several towers, two back-up generators and one sewage treatment plant, among other facilities,” Jindal added.

Sachin Garg, general manager of the project, told City Spidey that the residents' allegations were baseless. “We shall file the compliance report in the next 15 days. Thereafter, we shall apply for completion certificates,” he said.

Yogi Adityanath will visit Noida on both Dec 23 nd 25. Will the jinx hold?

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be visiting Noida on both December 23 and December 25, sources confirmed. So will he finally break the “Noida jinx”, where it is believed that every UP CM who visits the city loses power in a few days?

Only time will tell. But for now, Adityanath is set to visit first on December 23 to take a look at security arrangements ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city for the inauguration of the much-awaited Magenta line of the Delhi Metro. He will again visit the city on December 25 to attend the inauguration itself.

Noida, or Gautam Budh Nagar, has remained a no-visit zone for Uttar Pradesh’s chief ministers owing to this jinx, shunned by even its youngest and purportedly most modern face, Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party (SP).  

However, it seems Yogi Adityanath is set to break the jinx.

According to BJP spokesperson Chandramohan, Adityanath believes in working in the interest of the people and does not care for superstitions.

“Yogi Adityanath will not only visit the city once but twice, both on December 23 and 25,” he said.

The superstition goes back all the way to 1988, when then UP CM Vir Bahadur Singh lost power days after visiting Noida. Noida Breaking News

BSP leader Mayawati tried to break the jinx by visiting Noida during her tenure as chief minister, but lost power in the 2012 Assembly elections soon after. One of the reasons blamed was the Noida jinx.

The fear of the jinx was so strong that in his entire five-year term, Akhilesh Yadav did not visit Noida even once, choosing to inaugurate and launch projects in Noida and Greater Noida via video calls instead. In August 2012, Yadav famously inaugurated the Yamuna Expressway from Lucknow.

Here’s a list of all the UP CMs who share a history with the Noida jinx:

• 1988: Vir Bahadur Singh lost power days after visiting Noida
• 1989: ND Tiwari lost power soon after his visit to Noida
• 1995: Mulayam Singh was out of power within months of his Noida visit
• 1997: Mayawati, too, lost power soon after she visited Noida
• 1999: Kalyan Singh followed suit
• 2001: Rajnath Singh inaugurated the DND flyover from Delhi
• 2012: Mayawati went to Noida in October 2011 to inaugurate the memorial Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal. She lost the 2012 Assembly elections
• Post 2012: Akhilesh Yadav never visited Noida as CM

In MV I, police just lodge FIRs for thefts and forget about them, residents say

Of late, there has been a spike in burglaries and petty thefts in East Delhi, particularly in Mayur Vihar Phase I. In the past two weeks alone, nearly six cases of theft have been reported from cooperative group housing societies, temples and shops in the neighbourhood. However, despite interrogating suspects and checking CCTV cameras, the police is yet to make any headway in the cases.

Residents are understandably unhappy with the inefficiency of the police and say they are doing nothing beyond registering FIRs.

Recent incidents of theft have been reported from Fine Home Apartments, Una Enclave, Kala Vihar and the Sai temple in the vicinity.

Residents told City Spidey that two months ago, when a theft had occurred in Supreme Enclave, the DCP of the East Zone, Ombir Singh Bishnoi, had visited the area. “He had assured us that police patrolling at night would improve. However, the situation hasn't changed, and within 20 days thieves again targeted Una Enclave,” said Avisekh Kumar, a resident of Supreme Enclave. 

Pawan Vasudev, a resident of Una Enclave, said, “Residents cannot have peace of mind until they see some assurance from the police. Also, management committees of residential societies need to increase cooperation with neighbouring establishments to prevent such incidents.”

Satish Sharma, a member of the managing committee of Fine Home Apartments, said the society had increased the number of security guards from six to nine and had also taken the decision to increase the height of its boundary wall. “The DDA park behind the society is a haven for antisocial elements," he said. Delhi Breaking News

When City Spidey contacted Pandava Nagar's SHO, Janak Raj, and sought his response, he said, “No arrest has been made so far, but we are investigating the matter. Police patrolling has been increased at night.”

Unattended diya sparks fire in Indirapuram flat

A puja diya, or oil lamp, which was left unattended in an apartment on the 11th floor of the Lotus Pond society in Vaibhav Khand sparked a fire this morning.

According to sources, RD Gupta, the owner of C3-1102, was in Lucknow with his wife when the incident happened. It has been assumed that the fire was caused by a lit diya left unattended in the shrine at home by their son Rakshit. He had left for office around 10.30 am and the fire broke out soon after.    

“The fire originated in the puja room, which indicates that the burning diya was the cause,” said Somdath Sonkar, fire station officer of Vaishali fire station.

Speaking to City Spidey, AOA members of the society said they were alerted about the fire by security guards, who were the first to spot the smoke billowing out of the windows of the flat around 11.30 am.

“We immediately informed the fire department and sent our maintenance staff and security guards to the flat. We had to break open the wooden door and iron gate at the flat entrance, as it was locked from the outside. The fire originated in the puja room adjoining the master bedroom of the flat. The crisis was dealt with by two fire tenders that reached the spot a little later,” said Sanat Tripathi, president of the Lotus Pond AOA. Indirapuram News

“Fortunately, the fire hydrants in the society were working. Since we spotted the fire on time, we could stop it before it spread to the rest of the flat,” Tripathi added.

This is not the first time a household fire has been caused by an unattended diya. A similar incident had taken place in Exotica Elegance in Indirapuram in January this year.

“Although some of the belongings of the flat were charred, no one was injured, as the flat was empty at the time of the incident,” said Sonkar, the fire station officer.

MCG takes out deficiency assessment report on South City II

South City II lacks in basic civic amenities — and it’s official. The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has pointed out several civic drawbacks in the area in a deficiency assessment.

The report, compiled by a private consultant, is now available on the MCG’s website.

Barring Ardee City, where the developer is yet to procure completion certificates, the deficiency assessment report of the remaining private colonies has been completed.

On the direction of the chief minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, the MCG is to take over the area. However, owing to Ardee City, the process has still not been initiated.

Spread across 210.14 acres in sectors 49 and 50, South City II was developed by Unitech in 1990. It houses around 25,000 people, according to the report.

An assessment report was prepared because prior to the takeover, the MCG will give Unitech an option of addressing the lapses, or pay a compensatory amount to the MCG for carrying out the work.

The condition of roads and drainage system are two major problems of the area, says the report.

The report states that some of the major roads were either repaired or carpeted seven years ago, and in the interim, only patchwork has been carried out. In addition, some lanes are heavily encroached upon and internal roads need recarpeting immediately.

On the drainage front, one-time cleaning of the total drainage system is required, and a sewage treatment plant (STP) needs to be set up.

The report also points out that the connection between the stormwater pipes and the main outfall line is absent at several points.

“This is a heavy-traffic area, and the condition of the roads really needs to be looked into. Let’s hope the MCG will provide better services after the takeover,” said Abhishek Dayal, a resident of Nirvana Country.

“Unitech and RWAs now have two weeks to table their issues against the assessment report. Once their views are incorporated, the final report will be compiled and sent to the state government,” said MCG commissioner V Umashankar.

Spot a pothole in Gurgaon? Take a pic and upload on this app

Spot a bad road in Gurgaon, curse the state of civic affairs in the city and move on? Maybe now you can actually do something about it. And that, too, from your phone.

The Harpath Haryana mobile app, launched by the Haryana government on September 15 at the Haryana Digital Summit, enables residents to click pictures of potholed roads and upload them on the app, where they are forwarded for redressal to engineers and the department concerned. There have already been 7,000 downloads in the state and 215 in Gurgaon. A total of 78 complaints have been addressed so far, the district administration confirmed. Gurgaon News

According to officials, the app was aimed at making life a little easier for residents, who had to run to government offices to lodge complaints about broken roads and other civic issues. Now they can just upload pictures of the road instead and then track the progress of the redressal with the touch of a button. Authorities will have to acrry out repairs within 15 days, they confirmed.

“The app is available on Google Play Store and can be downloaded for free,” said Vinay Pratap Singh, Gurgaon deputy commissioner. “After filling out the necessary details for registration, residents will need to upload a picture of the road they want repaired. The app will automatically trace the location via GPS.”

'Petiquette' for pet owners of Niho Scottish Gardens

Are you aware of “petiquette”? Here’s a basic rule: Don’t leave your pet’s droppings unattended in the open. The AOA of Niho Scottish Gardens in Indirapuram has put up signboards saying as much on the stretch along the society.

Speaking to City Spidey, AOA members said that although pet members followed “petiquette” inside the society, the same rules were forgotten outside. Many pet owners didn't bother cleaning up the droppings when outside the gates.

“We have put up these boards, so people who relieve their pets outside the society can understand that their actions directly affect the cleanliness and hygiene of the area. It is an appeal to residents to keep the neighbourhood clean. Residents from several other societies have also united to conduct a similar drive in their societies,” said AOA member Kapil Singhal.

Sumedha Iyer, district president of People For Animals (Ghaziabad), said that the initiative would certainly be a big step towards educating pet owners and help keep the neighbourhood clean.

She maintained that such initiatives should not be misrepresented by people who do not like pets or are opposed to them. “Although pet owners must follow such guidelines, they cannot be pressurised or fined for not following the rules.” 

Anisha Dogra: 'She could have been saved had the operation continued into night'

None of the footballers could have anticipated the tragedy that engulfed the Under-19 women’s football team that left for Australia to participate in the School Pacific Games.

On the fateful evening of December 10, five girls were swept off by the powerful waves at Adelaide’s Glenelg beach. Though the boys from the Under-19 hockey team were able to save four, Nitisha Negi could not be found until the next morning.

She was dead by then.

In an exclusive interview to City Spidey, Anisha Dogra, one of the footballers, gives an eyewitness account of the tragic evening as it unfolded:

We had visited the same beach two days back. It was the nearest beach from the hotel where we had put up. It took hardly 30 minutes to reach the beach. But we were not told about how its waves could be dangerous, or what distance to maintain from the waters. The girls’ football team, eight boys from the Under-19 Indian hockey team and the team management had gone there. Girls and boys were in different groups at the beach and our coaches and other members were a bit away from us.

When the boys saw the drowning girls, they immediately rushed in to rescue.  They managed to save Deepika Venkatesh, Yukti Verma, Vani Pant and Ananya Arora, but Nitisha couldn’t be found.

Ananya, and Vani were fully conscious when they were rescued, Yukti was semi-conscious while Deepika lay unconscious. They all were given initial treatment at the beach, and then rushed to the hospital. I didn’t meet them after that.

Later, a police team came to our hotel for investigation.

Also, the rumour that the girls were clicking selfies at the time of the incident is completely untrue. All the girls had left their mobiles with other members at the beach. And Nitisha’s mobile was lost on the very first day we landed in Adelaide.

The rescue team reached around 10 minutes after the incident. The incident happened around 7.30 pm, and the team continued search for Nitisha till 9 pm. A helicopter search was also conducted. But due to poor light, the operation had to be abandoned.  

It was resumed next morning at around 7:30 am, when her body was found lying around a rock.

I just feel that Nitisha could have been saved had the rescue team carried on its search operation late into the night. Apartment management system

If you are taking this route in Noida, don't follow Google Maps

When it comes to directions, Google Maps occupies the driver’s seat. But for Udyog Marg, trusting its navigation will certainly be a mistake.

The route — which provides connectivity between the industrial areas in sectors 1-11 and sectors 12, 22, 55, 56, 57, 58 and 62 — was declared one-way in January 2016 by the district administration. But Google Maps provides no such information, much to the annoyance of erring commuters, as they often end up paying fines! Noida News

The traffic police said it is aware of the issue and is working to rectify the mistake.

Anil Kumar Jha, SP Traffic, said, “We’ve written twice to the Google team, India, to mark the road as one-way, so commuters have the right information. We will again approach Google’s India office in Chennai to follow up on the issue. Sometimes, when roads are closed owing to construction, we send them information, but that, too, is not updated.”

Rakesh Sharma, a cab driver, said, “Once I had to travel from Mayur Vihar Phase III to Sector 4, Noida. I was using Google Maps to navigate. However, on entering Udyog Marg, traffic police imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on me for violating the one-way rule. Had the map shown me correctly, I would have taken some other route.”

About 2,000 big and small factory units are located between sectors 1 and 11 on Udyog Marg. Thus, to reduce congestion, the district administration had made this route one-way for vehicles going from Sector 1 to Sector 11 in January 2016, after consulting the traffic police and the Noida Entrepreneurs’ Association.  Also, it was made mandatory for vehicles coming from Sector 11 to Naya Bans on the Dadri-Surajpur-Chhalera Road to go via Harola.

Ghaziabad: Trans-Hindon power cuts will continue until December 12

Interruptions in electricity supply in pockets of the Trans-Hindon area may last for another day, as work for increasing the height of the overhead power lines connecting the Muradnagar and Sahibabad sub-stations may continue until tomorrow.

Officials of Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) had earlier said that supply would be affected until the evening of December 11. However, Gyanendra Dwivedi, superintending engineer of PVVNL, told City Spidey that it had only been tentatively slated date and that uninterrupted supply should be feasible only from December 13.  

“Work is likely to be completed by the evening of December 12, and full-fledged supply will be restored by the morning of December 13,” confirmed Dwivedi.

The height of the 220KV overhead lines is being increased to meet the requirements of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which is extending its Metro line from Dilshad Garden to the New Bus Stand area of Ghaziabad.

The affected areas include:

1. Abhay Khand, Gyan Khand and Ahinsa Khand in Indirapuram

2. Simant Vihar, sectors 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9 in Vaishali

3. All sectors of Vasundhara

4. Suryanagar, Brij Vihar, Rampuri and Ramprastha

5. Sahibabad industrial site, Maharajpur, Jhandapur and Karkar Mandal

6. Lajpat Nagar, Pasonda, Rajendra Nagar, Shaheed Nagar, Mohan Nagar Industrial Area, Arthla, Anand Industrial Area, Sanjay Colony, Garima Garden and RI Estate.

Residents of high-rises who have power back-up have not been affected by the disruptions. However, people living in smaller buildings in Vaishali and Vasundhara have said they have been inconvenienced by the power cuts. According to Rahul Raj, a Vaishali resident, the power cuts are lasting several hours every day and exhausting the household inverter cells. Ghaziabad News

Gaur City 2: What prompted the 16-year-old to kill his mother and sister?

After being sent to the juvenile home for killing his mother and 11-year-old sister, the boy did not utter a word for the first 24 hours. He has been housed in a separate ward for the initial days as the management of the juvenile home is apprehensive about his disposition. “He might get violent and attack the others,” stated an official of the juvenile home.

However, gradually the boy has started opening up with the other inmates and has even played some board games with them. In the meantime, a team of doctors and counsellors are keeping an eye on him and trying their best to keep him out of depression. Gurgaon News

According to a senior officer of the observation home, the boy was remorseful and had cried for some time when he was brought in by the cops.  

“He was accompanied by his father and relatives around 6 pm on Saturday. He had hugged him and kept crying," said Nem Chand, superintendent of the observation home. 

“His offence is rare and absurd and hence we have kept him in a separate ward. Once we start seeing a normal behaviour pattern, we will move him to the general ward with other inmates. We have also told the other inmates not to discuss or ask him about the incident. Surprisingly now the boy is spending time reading novels of famous legends like Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda," Chand added. Apartment management system

The boy will now undergo an examination by a psychologist.  

The juvenile house has 130 other inmates from five districts that include Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Shamli, Meerut and Muzzafarnagar. 

East Delhi footballer Nitisha Negi drowns in Adelaide, Australia

Just two days before the Under-19 women’s football team was scheduled to return from Australia, Nitisha Negi, one of the 16 girls who had gone to participate in the School Pacific Games in the country, was reported missing from the Glenelg beach in Adelaide.

Her body was recovered off the rocks at Glenelg on Monday.

The 15-year-old was with four other teammates at the time of the incident. The five girls were swimming near breakwater rocks on Sunday evening when they were swept away by a wave. Four of them were rescued by lifesavers, but Nitisha could not be saved.

On Sunday evening, Nitisha’s father, Puran Singh, received a call from the football management team that her daughter had been swept off the beach and could not be traced.

“I had no clue what to do when I got the news of my missing daughter. But deep down, I hoped they would find her. But Monday morning I was informed of her death from drowning,” said the grieving father.

On November 30, parents and family members had gone to see off Nitisha at IGI airport, proud to have their daughter represent the country.

They now wait for the dead body to arrive.

“I was told we’ll have to wait at least four to five days to receive Nitisha’s body. Post mortem is yet to be done, they say. They will be able to tell us this evening when her body will be sent back. We are now waiting for the call,” confirmed Balbeer Negi, Nitisha’s uncle.

The family also received a call from the office of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, assuring full cooperation.

“The team management is responsible for this incident. We allowed our daughter to go there, believing she will be taken care of. The association of School Games Federation of India is equally responsible for what happened,” lashed out the uncle. Dwarka news

The four other girls who were selected for the same team — Deepika Venkatesh, Yukti Verma and Vani Pant and Ananya Arora — were also with Nitisha when the incident happened.

Anisha Dongra and Manshi Mishra — from Ahlcon Public School — returned home this morning.

Talking to City Spidey, Dongra recounted, “All the 16 teammates had gone there. Coaches and the team cocoordinator had not accompanied us. We were all enjoying in the water when suddenly I noticed a heavy wave carrying away my friends. It all happened in a flash — too quick for us to even raise an alarm. We started shouting for help. Noticing the girls drowning, boys from the Under-19 hockey team, who were also at the beach, ran for help. They caught Vani, Yukti, Deepika and Anaya, but Nitisha was not found. She was found dead the next morning.”

On November 30, City Spidey had carried out a report on the five girls from East Delhi chosen for the 16-member women’s team representing India at the Under-19 football tournament in Australia. On the same day, the team had left for Australia, along with coaches Virender Singh and Garima Dikshit.

Shyam Verma, father of Yukti Verma, who is still in Australia, said his daughter was out of danger now. “All the four girls are doing OK now. They were discharged from the hospital on Sunday evening. When I was talking to Yukti on the phone, she was crying. These girls must be brought back home as soon as possible.”