City has dismal record of structural safety

New Delhi: Two building crashes and the tilting of another building, within a month, highlight Delhi’s worrisome record of structural safety. 
    In 2011, 60 people died and 75 were injured in 68 cases of structure collapse here. In a comparison of 53 cities, Delhi suffered the most due to structure collapse, said the National Crime Records Bureau reports. 
    Only last week, a building had collapsed in east Delhi’s Jheel Khurenja area without causing any casualties. On November 23, a building had tilted in Lalita Park, where 70 people lost their lives in a building collapse in 2010. 
    While unauthorized construction is to blame for weak buildings, the civic agencies have failed to check it, especially in colonies lining the Yamuna’s bank. “The area is deprived of civic amenities but the real estate business is thriving. The corporation needs to act,” said B S Vohra of East Delhi RWAs Front. 
    Rampant illegal construction has not only added to congestion but also weakened old structures. The walls of many houses have developed deep cracks and their foundations have become weak. 
    Corporation officials say they are helpless due to a shortage of supervisors. “Staff crunch has been a persistent problem with the corporation after trifurcation. The application for recruitment of junior engineers has been pending for over two years. It is impossible for an engineer to keep a check in almost five wards,” said S S Yadav, commissioner, East corporation.
Source: TOI (11 Dec, 2012)

It’s time we are made to pay for the space our cars occupy

In their first budget presentation last week after the trifurcation in April this year, Delhi’s three civic agencies proposed to increase parking charges and introduce variable rates. But with the state assembly elections due next year, it seems unlikely that our politicos would want to ruin their poll prospects by pushing unpopular reforms.

Thanks to the city’s unmanageable and ever-growing fleet of private vehicles, parking, according a study by the Centre for Science and Environment, devours close to 10 per cent of the urban land in Delhi. In certain localities, as much as 45 per cent of the circulation area is under parking encroachment and valuable urban space is offered for parking either free or for a pittance, the study says.

Except for a few pockets in New Delhi, in most parts of the city parking a car for up to 10 hours costs just R10. If you do not mind the risk involved, you can park under flyovers, in parks and bylanes or simply on pavements where parking is free unless the space has been taken over by the parking mafia that runs more than 100 illegal parking lots in the city.

In comparison, Delhi’s 300-odd legal parking lots can accommodate only 30,000 cars, clearly not enough for a city that adds 700 cars every day.

Residential areas are the worst hit. A single or double storey house that owned one car has now become multi-storey apartments housing six to eight families who own as many cars, often more.

And, while the prices for the housing space have skyrocketed, the parking space on public land has remained virtually free. Civic agencies charge no tax other than a one-time payment of a few thousand rupees at the time of registration of the vehicle.

Delhi has no law to stop those without legal parking space from buying cars. Experts say parking fees should be able to recover the cost of the land used to park the car. Builders are already doing it in the National Capital Region where an additional parking space in a gated community costs as much as R3 lakh.

The unified MCD made it mandatory for all new constructions to have stilt parking. But there is no enforcement to check if cars are actually parked in the slit parking. The result is the spillover on roads.

The government agencies have also failed to rein in the parking mafia who overcharge users and encroach on public land. Only a handful of parking lots issue electronic receipts or have their boundaries demarcated. Most proposals to build automated multi-level parking lots have remained buried in files. The two that did come up remain grossly under-utilised.

Civic agencies have failed to integrate these facilities with surface car parks, which are way cheaper and a lesser hassle because they are closer to the markets. To recover land cost, a multi-level car parking should charge at least R40 per hour, CSE has estimated. But our civic agencies do not want to go beyond R20 even in the new proposed rates.

Rational parking fees and congestion taxes work better when availability of public transport to congested areas discourage cars.

But little has been done to improve the last-mile connectivity in Delhi. For residential areas, the Supreme Court-appointed environment panel wants residents to pay a monthly fee for parking space and proposes a penalty of R600 per day for the violators.

Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition, (10.12.2012)

National highway stretches safer in Delhi

LESS FATALITIES Deaths in accidents on national highways in the national capital register a significant decline owing to better traffic management

NEW DELHI: A silent witness to hundreds of fatal accidents, the national highways seem to become comparatively safer upon entering the National Capital.

Deaths in accidents on national highways are increasing across the country, but the stretches that cut across Delhi have registered a significant decline in fatalities.

For the first 11 months during the last three years, the national figure for road deaths on the national highways rose by 7-8 per cent. In Delhi, it came down by 20 per cent.

Till November this year, a total of 262 people — majority of them pedestrians and two wheeler riders — were killed in road accidents on seven national highways in Delhi (see box). This is about 20 per cent less than the toll during the same period last year — 329.

While six roads have shown a decline in fatalities, deaths on GT Road have increased.

The total death toll on the seven national highways in the national Capital stood at 361 in 2011 as compared to 352 in 2010.

“This is a huge achievement for the city, vehicular population of which is much higher than vehicular population of three other metros — Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata — combined,” said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Traffic police said some strategic interventions to make these stretches safer for pedestrians and bikers — the most vulnerable group — have brought good returns.

Some of these measures include speed calming strips, signals for pedestrians and traffic, road signages, prosecuting commercial vehicles, regular drives against drunk driving and speeding among others.

Towards the end of last year, the traffic police had conducted a study to identify the reasons for fatal road accidents on the national highways. “Based on the findings, we have taken immediate low-cost measures which are showing results,” said Garg.

He said the number of deaths of pedestrians and bikers has registered a sharp decline on these seven road stretches.

Pedestrian deaths have fallen from 874 till November last year to 734 till November this year. Bikers’ deaths have also come down from 615 last year (till November) to 518 in the same duration.

The traffic police hope that there will be further decline in the number of deaths in the coming year. “We are going to introduce night interceptors for to check the speed of vehicles from next year. It will help in further bringing down fatal accidents,” Garg said.

Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition, (07.12.2012)

Hike proposed for only surface parkings

NEW DELHI: Just like other municipal commissioners, south Delhi commissioner Manish Gupta too recommended a hike in parking charges, but only for surface lots. The charges for parking at premium sites will see a major hike. Gupta said increasing parking rates was the only way to discourage use of cars in the city.

He proposed that parking lots in the area be divided into three categories.

Category A will have premium surface parking lots in main markets such as Lajpat Nagar, Defence Colony and South Extension, etc. The rest of the surface parkings will fall under Category B. Category C will consist of multi-level, automatic and underground parkings.

Parking your car in Category A will cost R10 for half an hour, R20 for half an hour to one hour and R50 for up to three hours. After that, an additional R20 per hour will be charged. For Category B, the charges will rise to R10 for an hour, R20 for two hours and R50 for two to six hours. Currently, the charges are a flat R10 for 10 hours.

Charges for Category C parkings may remain unchanged.

In his budget speech, Gupta had said the civic body will focus on creating more multi-level and commercial parkings for its residents. He also said that only one car per family will be allowed in the parking sites of markets.

Proposing modernisation of the parking system, the commissioner told the House that there were plans to introduce hand-held computerised billing machines for parking lots. “We are also planning to come up with smart cards to reduce incidences of fraud,” he added.

Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition, (07.12.2012)

Pay heftier fines for illegal parking

NEW DELHI: Be ready to pay heftier fines from next week if you park your car at a noparking zone on a few select arterial roads and congested marketplaces.

The traffic police have added central Delhi’s Baba Kharak Singh Marg and south Delhi’s August Kranti Marg and Malviya Nagar to the list of areas where one has to pay R800 for improper parking instead of the existing R300.

This fine is already in place at Vikas Marg, Chandni Chowk, Dwarka, Outer Circle of Connaught Place and Ring Road since October 22.

Traffic police officers said they were invoking certain provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act to levy heavy penalty on motorists.

“People often park their vehicles haphazardly, especially when their visit to a place is expected to be short. But these short visits cause major problems for other motorists. We have found that heavy penalty does deter such motorists,” said a senior traffic police officer.

Since the traffic police are ill-equipped to tow away bigger cars such as SUVs, the motorists will be issued an illegal parking ticket of R500, which he will have to pay in court. If the driver is sitting in the car, the traffic police will issue him R500 penalty ticket instead of towing away the car.

“Right now, these penalties will be restricted to eight arterial roads. Later, based on our available resources, we will impose them on other busy roads as well,” said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

As per the existing system, traffic police slap a fine of R100 for illegal parking. R200 more is charged if the car is towed away. As per the new penalty structure, the police will impose a fine of R100 under Section 177 (improper parking) and R500 under Section 179 (obstruction and disobeying lawful directions) of the Motor Vehicle Act.

In addition to this, R200 more will be charged if the car is towed away.

Penalty for illegally parked two-wheelers has not been increased, a traffic officer said.

Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition, (07.12.2012)

Parking charges increased to ‘create more parking sites’

NEW DELHI: East Delhi may not have proper parking infrastructure in place but the municipal corporation has proposed a hike in parking charges nonetheless.

ARIJIT SEN/HT FILE

By hiking parking charges, the corporation wants to discourage the use of cars for short distances.

Going by East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) commissioner SS Yadav’s proposals, car owners may have to pay R10 for parking a car for half an hour, R20 for half an hour to one hour, R50 for up to three hours and R20 for every additional hour after that.

An extra 50 per cent charges will be added to the bill during peak hours of 5pm-9pm. Currently, the charges are a flat R10 for 10 hours.

Yadav said not only are the current parking rates too low but by hiking them, they will be discouraging the use of private cars for short distances. “The price of every commodity has gone up. The revenue generated will be used for creating more parking facilities,” he said.

The corporation has also proposed to increase the monthly car parking pass from R500 to R1,500.

Yadav said that in the past six months, the number of surface parking sites had risen from 15 to 50 and by next year, it will rise to 100. Areas where new parking sites have been set up include Nirman Vihar, Preet Vihar, Yamuna Vihar and Laxmi Nagar, among others.

He spoke about the plan to build multi-level car parking-cum-commercial projects in public private partnership at Babarpur, the toll tax office near Apsara Border and the Anaj Mandi in Shahdara. The process of appointment of a consultant has already been initiated.

Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition, (07.12.2012)

Govt’s cold attitude fatal for city’s homeless

NGOs Seek Better Facilities, Mobile

Clinics To Keep Treatable Illnesses From Turning Killer

Ambika Pandit TNN 

New Delhi: Every winter, the city wakes up to the untold miseries of homeless people. Many of them die on the streets braving the chill. A study on the 92 people who died without a roof over their heads from January 2011 to date, offers a glimpse into their tough lives. 
    The Mother NGO at St Stephen’s Hospital recorded the deaths, but it couldn’t document those deaths that were reported directly to the police. While this showed the absence of an official mechanism to coordinate between different sources when it comes to recording deaths, the study also brought to the fore the need for a uniform system to take care of the homeless. 
    Many more are dying on the capital’s streets and many need immediate intervention, as revealed by Delhi Police data from five districts. 
    Over 6,800 deaths on the streets of Delhi, including those of the homeless and unidentified persons, have been reported between 2007 and 2011. This information was provided by the police in reply to an RTI application filed by activist S A Azad from the Campaign for Rehabilitation of Homeless People. 
    The St Stephen’s Hospital data reveals that cold is not the only thing killing those on the streets. But it is certainly a trigger that aggravates latent ailments among the homeless, estimated to be anywhere between 60,000 and 1 lakh. 
    Tuberculosis, addiction to drugs and alcohol, and respiratory problems are some of the unattended yet treatable illnesses that are claiming the lives of those sleeping rough on the streets. The absence of Delhi government-driven health facilities is seen by NGOs as a cause for concern. 
    Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board CEO Shakti Sinha told TOI that he will discuss the matter with the health secretary to make provision for mobileclinics. “We will also step up rescue operations through the MNGO from December 1,” he assured. 
    Tuberculosis tops the list when it comes to common causes of deaths as per the MNGO data. Of the 92 dead, 22 were suffering from severe tuberculosis. In 12 cases, excessive drinking has been blamed for accelerating death. Nine deaths have been attributed to cold. The causes of death vary for the others, ranging from asthma, mental illness to weakness and burn injuries. 
    “These deaths include cases where either the rescue team of the MNGO found the person in distress on the street or reached him through calls made to the homeless helpline. The list has cases where homeless persons died in hospitals after being rescued or succumbed to a long-drawn illness at a night shelter. The list also has deaths where the cause is unknown,” Dr Javed Khan from St Stephen’s said. 
    He pointed that the analysis reflects that those on the streets need better access to medical facilities and more focused rescue operations supported by the state. 
    Paramjit Kaur from Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan who has been leading a community outreach clinic near Jama Masjid for over 11 years points that chest infections including tuberculosis are most common among the homeless. “Poor nutrition increases chances of TB. Skin infections and occupational problems like aches and pains are other concerns,” Kaur added. She feels that state intervention in providing health facilities to the homeless to prevent deaths is the need of the hour. 
    Meanwhile, a statement issued by human rights forum of NGOs under the banner of Shahri Adhikar Manch: Begharon Ke Saath cites the police data on 6,800 deaths to drive home the need for development of a line of accountability for such deaths and to prevent further deaths. 
    The activists have also demanded that the Delhi government develop and implement a human rightsbased long-term plan for the city’s homeless, which includes creation of adequate permanent shelters. 
    According to Indu Prakash Singh from Indo-Global Social Service Society, the police data of 6,800 deaths of homeless and unidentified persons is alarming and needs to be studied in detail. “Also adequate response from NHRC, National Commission for Women and Delhi Commission for Women is the need of the hour including provision for disaggregated data on homeless persons, protecting the rights of the homeless and their rehabilitation and housing,” he added.

Source: TOI (Pg.4, 1st Dec 2012)

South Delhi garbage dump is home to a family of 6

62-Yr-Old Has Lived Here For 38 Years

LIVING IN FILTH: Shobhraj Kumar and his family have been living in the garbage dump at Masjid Moth for several years

Maria Akram TNN 

New Delhi: The next time you apologize for your home looking like a dump, spare a thought for Shobhraj Kumar. Most people who hurry past the garbage dump at Masjid Moth would find it difficult to stand there for a few minutes because of the all-pervading stench. But for Shobhraj and his family of six, the dump is home. 
    The 62-year-old says he has been living in the 20 sq ft concrete dhalao (dump) for the better part of 38 years. 
    The family, which collects refuse from nearby apartment buildings, even has two small children — Aditya, who is a year old, and Sagar, 2, living amidst the garbage. They are the kids of Kumar’s younger son, who got married a few years ago in Gorakhpur and brought his bride ‘home’ to the dump. She says, “Life here is better than in Gorakhpur.” 
    Ironically, even to live in such filthy conditions, Kumar has to shell out Rs 800 per month.Family pushed to the dump and called encroachers 
Shobhraj Kumar was one of the lucky few slum-dwellers to be allocated a flat at Madanpur Khadar in 2003. But Kumar, who earns around Rs 2,800 per month, found he could not afford the daily commute from his new home to Masjid Moth. So he returned to live in the dump.Kumar turns philosophical when told that living in the dump was a health hazard. “God is different for the poor and the rich. Rich fall sick often as they can afford the treatment. The poor are blessed with a strong immunity. Despite living in a dump, me or my family do not fall sick very often,” he says with a smile. 
    Kumar says he lived in a Nehru Place slum cluster for a while after his elder son’s marriage. When the slum was removed he got a oneroom flat at Madanpur Khadar. 
    The family has two mattresses on which Kumar’s wife and daughter-in law sleep with the grandsons. “There are plywood and cardboard sheets on which I and my son sleep. The MCD toilet is our bathroom but during winter things get tough as there is no hot water. We boil water and then take a bath. It’s more difficult for the women,” says Kumar, as his grandson plays with stray dogs coming to the dump for a meal. 
    The Khadar flat is occupied by Kumar’s elder son. That’s house the Gorakhpur-born Kumar mentions when anyone asks for his address. The younger son lives with Kumar. His daughter-in-law, after a bit of coaxing, opens up to TOI. 
    “I didn’t know that I will be living in a koodaghar (garbage dump) after marriage. But life here is better than in Gorakhpur. We at least have electricity and the garbage here better than at my father’s jhuggi back home,” says Anjali, who married Kumar’s son four years back. The family has taken a line from the pole and a bulb illuminates the dump at night. 
    The winters are particularly harsh in the dhalao. The family cannot burn garbage to keep warm as residents in the nearby DDA flats have a problem with the smoke. 
    Many residents of the flat sympathize with the family. But for others, they are encroachers. “There are people living in much more worse condition but living in the dhalao is actually encroachment. We have so many times brought this matter up with DWM but to no avail. Even the police have not acted,” says an RWA member of the DDA Flats, Masjid Moth Phase-II. DWM is the private agency that looks after garbage disposal in the area. 
    The RWA member said if any one complains about Kumar and his family, he stops picking garbage from that house. 
    DWM supervisor, Rakesh Kumar, has his own version. “The family is nice and decent. They don’t create problems. I have so many times asked them to move. The RWA members have never approached me saying they have a problem,” says the supervisor responsible for garbage management of Masjid Moth, Phase I & II. 
    Residents say they have been others like the Kumar family who have made the dhalao their home. “Till recently, people were living in garbage dumps at Malviya Nagar and Sheikh Sarai. But after complaints to area MP Ajay Maken, these dumps were cleaned up and locked. They (people living in the dhalao) create so much nuisance,” says Keshav Aggarwal of Chittaranjan Park.