MCG orders shut down of illegal meat shops, slaughter houses

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) on Thursday ordered to shut down all the unauthorised meat shops and slaughter houses operating in the city.

As per the data, the MCG has so far issued licences to 108 meat shops in the city. Apart from these meat shops, action will be taken against all the other shops operating in the city.

The licenced meat shops have also been issued notices asking them to stop procuring meat from unauthorised slaughter houses. Failing which, strict action will be taken against them.

As per the officials, actions will be taken against violators under Section 338 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994. Visitor Management Software

As per a report in TOI, the order has come after the MCG taken two private agencies onboard – Gitwako India Firms Pvt Ltd and AOV Agro foods Pvt Ltd – with a responsibility to provide slaughter houses in the city. They have been given the responsibility to supply meats to the meat shops in the city.

A senior official of MCG informed, “There was no slaughter house facility in the city earlier. But, now with empanelment of two agencies, this problem was solved. Hence, we will take action against the illegal meat shops and slaughter houses in the city.”

He added that the new agencies will be supplying up to 40 metric tonnes of mutton and 36 metric tonnes of chicken in the city every day. Gurgaon News

The MCG is said to have empanelled two agencies after it failed to acquire land for developing modern slaughter houses in the city.

4 unauthorised buildings sealed in Gurgaon

Taking strict action against illegal establishments, teams of the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) on Thursday sealed 4 major buildings located near bus stand, in Lajpat Nagar, Adarsh Nagar and Mianwali Colony. Flats were being constructed in these buildings. Gurgaon News

According to the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act 1994, it is mandatory to take approval of building plan to commence any sort of construction work in the prescribed area.

Violation of the act results in terming the construction ‘illegal’ and such construction work can be stopped immediately, sealed or demolished as per the provision given in the law.

Earlier, the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon carried out a five-day special drive against unauthorised construction, illegal colonisation and encroachment across its 35 wards, which ended on February 5. The drive was carried out in the wake of growing number of complaints at different platforms including the CM Window. Apartment Management Software

Noida: PVVNL to install 30 new transformers to better power supply this summer

In a bid to improve the power supply, especially during summers, the Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) will soon start the installation work of 30 new transformers across Noida.

Officials of the distribution company concerned said the new transformers with a capacity of 400 kVA will benefit 30 residential and industrial sectors. They will be installed in Sectors 5, 6, 11, 12, 22, 34, 53, 57, 58, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 76 and 77.

Noida News

Rakesh Kumar Rana, an official in PVVNL, said the cost of these transformers is approximately Rs 2 crore. The work will begin by next week and will be completed by April 15. 

Talking to City Spidey, Rana further added, “The new transformers will not only reduce the burden on the existing infrastructure but will also improve the reliability of power supply.”

However, residents are not completely satisfied with this move.

Sumit Singh, a resident of Sector 20 said, ”The PVVNL and the Noida Authority promise the same thing but we face frequent power cuts every summer. We are hoping that there will be no power cuts this year. Well, only time will tell!”

A large number of transformers in Noida get overloaded frequently. There are nearly 4,000 transformers with the capacity of 25, 63, 100, 160, 250, 400, 630 and 1000 kVA in the city. Over 1,000 of them often get overloaded, which sometimes leads to malfunctioning and low voltage supply. Visitor Management Software

The Noida Authority provides the necessary infrastructure to the discom and its maintenance is taken care of by the discom itself.

Now, residents of KDP Grand Savannah score a victory over RWA

After SG Impressions 58, now 15 residents of KDP Grand Savannah, a high-rise in Raj Nagar Extension, have emerged victorious against their AOA after they pressed charges in the court of electricity consumer grievance redressal forum of Meerut in November 2018. The reason? These few residents claimed that the AOA has charging way more under the head of fixed charges of electricity.

“The AOA was looting the residents in the name of fixed charges. We were charged more than 500 per cent of the fixed charge sanctioned by PVVNL,” explained Dharmendra Chaudhary, one of the petitioners. 

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He continued, “The AOA was illegally collecting Rs 4 lakh extra in fixed charges from the residents without providing any particulars for it.”

The court in its judgement had asked the AOA to discontinue the practice of illegally charging Rs 400-500 extra from the residents. Also, it has ordered AOA to return the amount collected from the residents under the head of fixed charge from April 1, 2016.

Apart from that, the court has also ordered action against AOA under Section 142 of the Electricity Act 2003 for non-compliance of PVVNL guidelines, and ignoring multiple notices which the PVVNL served to the AOA.

The court, in its order, stated that in 2017, PVVNL had served multiple notices to the AOA after it was found that the AOA was charging a surcharge and fixed charge of electricity higher than provisioned by the power department.

The court said that notice letters were issued on 17 July, 11 August, 19 August and 19 December, yet the AOA failed to comply. Also, even after more than two years of the takeover of the maintenance from the builder, the AOA did not change the name, and the bill continues to be issued under the name of KDP Buildwell, the promoter of the society. This again is against the PVVNL guidelines.

The court has asked PVVNL to ensure action against the AOA over non- adherence to the guidelines.

Besides, the court has also asked the AOA to open a separate bank account for electricity charges. “Till now, the power bills and monthly maintenance were charged under the head of maintenance and were collected in a single bank account,” said Choudhary.

However, even after the court order, the KDP AOA maintains that they never overcharged the fixed charges of electricity. “The extra we charged was meant for the power needs of the common area,” said Rajkumar Tyagi, president of AOA.

However, in the court, the petitioners submitted proof that since April 1, 2016, AOA has been charging 15 paise per square foot as a common area electricity fee, which is already included in the Common Area Maintenance (CAM) charges.

When City Spidey asked Tyagi why the AOA needed to charge electricity bill for the common area separately when it is already being charged in the maintenance, he dodged the question.

According to provisions under the Electricity Act 2003, each society is registered as one consumer with PVVNL and the electricity load is fixed for each society. The society then sublets the load to individual houses and collects power dues. The societies can charge a fixed amount of 5% on individual electricity bill — but not beyond. The fixed charge is to be paid to the PVVNL.

Here’s where the trouble starts...

The AOAs, wrongfully, overcharge the fixed amount, and then, the pre-paid meter installed in every house is used for both power bills and maintenance funds. It also does not provide electricity bills to the residents!

Indirapuram-based Federation of Apartments Owners Association and Federation of Apartments Owners Association of Raj Nagar Extension welcomed the decision as well.

Alok Kumar, president of FedAOA stressed that AOAs need to be transparent in matters of money. “The AOA should give particulars of the money they charge. It’s not a profit-making body — it exists to make lives of fellow residents better,” he added.

A similar verdict from the court of electricity consumer grievance redressal forum came in January 2019 where 18 residents of a housing society based in Rajnagar Extension, SG Impressions 58, had challenged in the court the RWA practice of extracting a fixed monthly percentage on the electricity bill.

In July 2017, in view of repeated complaints by individual power consumers, the power department had issued notices to over 200 AOAs and builders across Ghaziabad for issuing inflated electricity bills to the residents.

In Indirapuram alone, 66 housing societies were served notices from the department.

Why residents of AFNOE in Sector 7, Dwarka, are unhappy with the DDA...

The road in front of Air Force and Naval Officers Enclave (AFNOE) in Sector 7 makes for a sorry picture — and it has been like this for more than a year now. The road was dug up for lying cables and pipelines, but never repaired. And now, potholes have appeared on the surface.

The road connects from the signal of Sector 6/7 to the signal of Sector 6/7/9/10.

Malay Paul, a resident of the society, said, “The road is getting worse with time. After digging, they did not restore it, and the rains have made things worse.”

AFNOE confirmed that they repaired a small portion just in front of the gate because the authority did not do anything despite repeated complaints. Dwarka News

President of the society, SK Sharma, said, “We have written letters to the area MLA and also the councillor on the matter, but to no avail.”

Area MLA Bhavna Gaur admitted she is aware of the situation and has been pursuing the matter with the DDA. She added, “I will have it repaired from the MLA fund if the DDA does not do anything sooner."

Preparations for Jewar Airport in full swing: All you need to know

Ever since the in-principle nod for the Jewar Airport came last year, the people, who are living in the vicinity, are quite upbeat about it and getting restless to see it becoming a reality. They have enough reasons for it as the proposed airport would only be second in the vastly populated Delhi-NCR. 

Currently, the people, living in the National Capital Region (NCR) have only one airport – Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in Delhi. People, living away from the IGI Airport, always complain about the accessibility of the airport. If you add the notorious traffic congestions of Delhi-NCR, the attempt to catch the flights becomes a taxing affair. 

It is also a fact that people, living in close proximity of the IGI airport, have benefitted a lot out of it. The phenomenal rise of Gurugram could be a result of its proximity to the IGI Airport. The business activities get a lot of boost with presence of an airport in the vicinity. As a matter of fact, most of the multi-national companies have their presence in Gurugram. 

The national capital has a vast number of international and domestic travellers and they have always voiced their opinion on having another airport in the region. The places like Noida and Greater Noida have also presence of many companies and business activities. But, somewhere, they lose out to Gurugram when it comes to its proximity to IGI Airport.

After all, the top executives always prefer to have hassle-free travel and they also look for putting up offices at a place where they can swiftly and frequently visit. So, the proposal of Jewar Airport has brought a lot of optimism among people in the area. With opening of Jewar Airport, things will change forever in the area. The distance between the two airports in Delhi-NCR is 72 km which is fair amount of distance to cater to the great density of population which is there in the Delhi-NCR.  

“I frequently travel abroad for business purposes and my real concern has always been travelling to the airport. As I live in Noida, I always spend approximately 90 minutes in reaching the airport. The traffic congestions also take a toll on the body. If Jewar Airport comes, my travel time to the airport will definitely be halved. Besides, the area close to the Jewar Airport will also get a significant boost,” said a resident of Noida, Amit Chauhan, who lives at a high rise, Lotus Panache.

Its anticipation has also created a lot of buzz and every stakeholder associated with it have begun taking decisions with keeping Jewar Airport in mind. Although there is fair amount of time left for the opening of the Jewar Airport, the tangible preparations on the ground has begun.

One of the positive development is that the laying of foundation stone is expected either in last week of February or first week of March and it will most probably be done by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Soon after the laying of foundation stone, the work will commence. 

As far as the concrete development on the ground is concerned, the district administration of Gautam Budh Nagar is likely to start land acquisition from February 21. The paperworks has been completed and the compensation for the same will also start soon. The District Magistrate, BN Singh, informed that they are holding meetings with the farmers and realty players for the same and hoped that this will soon become reality.

The preparations to provide the resources for the Jewar Airport is also in full swing. As per an estimate, the cost of the project would be around Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government has allocated Rs 800 crore boost for the Jewar Airport in the state budget which was presented recently.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL), Arun Vir Singh, had also informed that they have deposited Rs 2,850 crore with the district administration’s land department for the farmers for the land acquisitions. He also said that the amount allocated by the state government will be utilised for rehabilitation and settlement of farmers’ families. 

With all these developments, it can be said that preparations are on full swing to make Jewar Airport a reality. NIAL is also getting ready to invite bids to bring in concessionaire to complete the project. To provide connectivity to the airport, the UP government is all set to launch the construction of the metro route spread over 29 km. The connectivity will be provided from Pari Chowk in Greater Noida.

There are also plans to connect both the airport in Delhi-NCR through metro line. It will cater to people who have connecting flights from the other airport. This will make the travel much easier for people.

“At present, we need to leave 3-4 hours before the time of the flight. The situation is almost same even if we catch metro to reach the IGI airport. We need to make many interchanges before reaching the airport. So, Jewar Airport will be a boon for the people living in Noida and Greater Noida. But, if we see at the current link road towards Jewar Airport, we can speculate that the load will increase. The authorities should also look towards making an alternative link road so that travel to the airport becomes hassle-free,” said Arup Baruah, a resident of Panchsheel Greens in Greater Noida West.

The cosmopolitan population of the Noida and Greater Noida always had a need of an airport as they need to travel to different parts of the country more often than not. It is well-known that people from all parts of India live in Noida and Greater Noida and there is inherent need for them to travel to their native places. 

After opening of the Jewar Airport, it will become the largest airport in the country by surface area (2200 acre site). This proves that the new Jewar Airport will be state of the art airport with all kinds of facilities and technologies in place. Of course, the commuters in Delhi-NCR will be benefitted by the development of another airport in the region. This augurs well for the overall development of the region and Delhi-NCR will never be same after opening of another airport in the region.

GMDA directs HSVP to clear hindrances in construction of master roads

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has instructed the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) to address the issues which are causing delay in construction of the master road and internal roads in the sectors 58 and 115 at Gurgaon.

As per a report in TOI, there are many reasons which are causing delay in the construction of the master road. They are inability to get permission from the forest department, litigations, difficulty in removing encroachments and changes in alignment. Gurugram News

Senior GMDA officials informed that they are working on creating a list of issues which are causing delay in the construction of the roads.

An official on condition of anonymity told that there are instances where some plot owners have been delaying their relocation even after they have been given alternative plots. In some cases, the HSVP is delaying the demarcation.

However, the GMDA is said to have prepared the plans for the construction of these roads. Around 4-5 lakhs people living in more than 100 residential societies near these roads will be benefitted after the construction.

In the present scenario, the residents are forced to use the revenue roads and other un-metaled roads for connectivity.

The GMDA is scheduled to hold a meeting with HSVP on Thursday to discuss the hindrances in the construction of the roads.

In April last year, the GMDA had announced that they will work towards proving master roads in these sectors. They had formed four groups of sectors for this purpose - sectors 58-67, 68-80, 81-97 and 98-115.

Process to start work on Metro extension towards Dwarka Expressway expedited

The process to link the Huda City Centre station to Sector 23 has been expedited with submission of the detailed project report (DPR) of Gurgaon Metro route to the Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC).

As per a report in TOI, the project report has been prepared by RITES. The project was discussed in a meeting between officials of GMDA, HMRTC and RITES on Friday.

A senior official said, “The report was submitted to the HMRTC. Now, it will be sent to the Centre for approval. After the centre’s approval, the work on this will start. In every likelihood, the work will start in this year itself.”

The Metro route, connecting Huda City Centre to Sector 23, will pass through the stations such as Subhash Chowk, Hero Honda Chowk, Dwarka Expressway near Sector 101 and 104 and sectors 4, 5, 10A, 10, 9 and 9A. Gurgaon News

Earlier, it was planned that there will be 19 stations on this Metro route. But, now, the total number of stations has been extended to 22 stations.

The plans for extension of Metro, from Huda City Centre to Sector 23, has come as a big relief for the people in Gurgaon who have been demanding for this for a long time. Particularly, the home buyers, who are living alongside the Dwarka Expressway, are going to get a big relief.

The GMDA and HMRTC will be jointly developing the new Metro route at an estimated cost of Rs 1,785 crore. The prime objective of the project is to decrease the traffic congestion in the city.

WATCH: Height of footpaths makes it difficult to access in Dwarka

The height of footpaths, alongside roads in Dwarka, is so high that people are finding it really tough to access it. At some places, it is about the height of 2 feet. Elderly people and children find it very difficult to climb on the footpaths.

The situation is such that stairs have been built in front of society gates to access the footpaths. One such footpath alongside road between Sectors 13 and 14 has been shown. The situation is same all across the Dwarka.

Local people and many RWAs have raised this issue with the Delhi Development Authority on many occasions. But, nothing has been done in this regard.

Due to the height of the footpaths, the usage has become very rare. People prefer to walk to the roads instead of footpaths. As a result, people are more vulnerable to accidents.

Gurgaon: Track for cyclists to be developed near IFFCO Chowk

Pedestrians and cyclists, who are often ranked lowest in the hierarchy of road users, can look forward to this proposal of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA).

According to a report published in The Indian Express the authority is planning to redevelop the 2.1-km-long green belt between HUDA City Centre and IFFCO Chowk as a model stretch. The belt will have special provisions for pedestrians and cyclists. Gurgaon News

The stretch will also have unique features like ample green plantation, beautified Metro pillars and a green island in the form of an Urban plaza.

Earlier this month, the authority had uploaded the redevelopment proposal on its website asking Gurugrammers for their comments, suggestions or views. The residents can give their opinion till February 21.

MD Sinha, additional CEO, GMDA, told The Indian Express that the stretch was selected from a list of several pockets. “Many lacked enough land for the task. This is one of the areas that had land. It is the first one we are redeveloping. It will be developed as a model stretch, which can then be replicated in other parts of the city,” he said.

He added that a detailed project report (DPR) will be prepared after going through public comments.

A 2.5 metres wide path would be developed for cycle movement along with a pedestrian path of 1.5-2 metres. The two will be separated by a one-metre green partition. There are also plans to develop a waiting foyer at every junction and road crossing so that pedestrians and cyclists can wait safely.

Apart from this, an Urban Plaza will be set up at IFFCO Chowk. The plaza will be designed as a green island with an emphasis on vegetation and other facilities like an amphitheatre, seating area for light and show, and a seating pavilion.

The proposal also enlists developing an open area every 200 to 500 metres, which can be used for recreational activity in consultation with RWAs.

Park dedicated to martyrs, freedom fighters to open in Noida

Amidst the atmosphere where reverence for soldiers is at its peak, the Noida Authority has announced to open a park dedicated to martyrs and freedom fighters at Sector 150. This move is considered just apt during the times when people all across the country are paying homages to the soldiers who died in the Pulwama attack.

Emotions for the soldiers, who put their lives at stake to protect the fellow citizens, has been very high recently. Hence, the decision, to open the park in the respect of the martyrs and freedom fighters, is being hailed by the people in Noida.

The park will have a memorial square, a flame-shaped tricolor and an open theatre for cultural activities. Apart from this, a ‘Garden of Martyrs’ with memorial plazas and memorial columns will also be developed. It will also have groves of trees of saffron, white and green colours (colours of Indian flag).

It is expected that people visiting the park will get patriotic feelings and they would be able to remember the martyrs in the best possible way.

The officials announced that the park will be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh and it will open on the Independence Day this year.

As a matter of fact, the Gautam Budh Nagar district has big number of martyrs who laid down their lives in the service of the nation. So, families related to the martyrs will justifiably have a dedicated place to remember their near ones.

“It is good on the part of Noida Authority to take such initiative to respect the martyrs and freedom fighters. They should also erect structures of the martyrs where people can pay homage to them. But, at the same time, its effective maintenance should also be looked upon. People should also keep in mind that they will also do their bit in keeping the memorials in best state,” said Narender Mahajan, retired commander and a resident of Jalvayu Vihar.

“As the fact goes, there are about 38 martyrs from the Gautam Budh Nagar region. They are from all ranks and three services. Their families will be happy to have a memorial park dedicated to them,” he added.

It is to be noted that there is another park in the memory of martyrs of the security forces with the name of ‘Shaheed Smarak Park at Sector 29. The army veterans and families of the martyrs regularly visit the park to remember their services to the nations. They also organise frequent programs to pay homage to their heroes.

The park will be spread over the area of 40 acres. The park is expected to increase afforestation, enhance carbon sequestration, generate oxygen and produce biomass.

As per the information, more than 2,000 large trees belonging to 58 species will be planted at the park. Beyond that, 45,000 shrubs and 1.1 lakh ground covers and natural grasses will also be planted. As a result, 75 per cent of the park will be a green area.

The park will also have variety of other gardens like ‘Pleasure Garden’ and ‘Garden of Fragrance.’ It will also have a dedicated play area for the children. A lake, an amphitheatre and a food court are also planned to make the park a perfect place for families to spend their time.

Sector 3 DDA park in Dwarka gets a makeover, with inputs from residents

The neighbourhood park in Sector 3 is being developed by the DDA with active involvement of the residents. A senior citizens’ recreational room, a yoga shelter, and a play area for children is being developed in sync with suggestions from the community.

JC Malhotra, a resident of Welcome Group CGHS, who has been continuously following up with DDA officials, said, “Involvement of the community has stopped the theft of wires and water pipes. We have pointed out what the park lacks and the DDA is doing its bit. The park now has lights and the brown barren look is giving way to a green makeover.”

People of the area have been writing to the DDA since a year.

They said lack of provision of water caused the plants to dry up. They requested for a permanent solution to the problem of water. And now, the park is being given its own tank of treated water.

Deputy Director of DDA, Jameel Ahmed, said, “Earlier underground water was being used, which was salty and was harmful for the plants. We have planned for a sustainable model and laid out pipelines throughout the park and also constructed a treated water underground reservoir. This will not only keep the area green, but also save underground water.”

The DDA is also making a rain shelter at one corner, and they will also appoint a security guard for the park.

TALKING POINT: Parking charges in residential areas a huge unjust

There has been a lot of discussions over the new proposed parking policy in Delhi. There is a clause in the policy which states that parking charges will also be imposed on the vehicles parked in the residential areas. This clause has witnessed stiff resistance from the people.

City Spidey in its programme titled Talking Point discussed the issue in detail with the President of East Delhi RWAs Joint Front, BS Vohra. The guest was totally against imposing parking charges on vehicles parked in the residential areas.

Vohra reasoned that there is no point in imposing parking charges on vehicles which are parked in front of their residences. While pointing out the huge number of vehicles in Delhi, he said that the government should rather focus on controlling the number of vehicles in the city.

The guest was concerned on the insufficient space for parking in the city. He categorically said that parking charges on vehicles should only be limited to commercial areas. He also suggested that if the government is really concerned over parking spaces then they should limit one vehicle for each of the families living in the city.