TOI: UTTIPEC Prepares Action Points For Women’s Security

Planners mull safety agenda
UTTIPEC Prepares Action Points For Women’s Security
Indrani Basu TNN

New Delhi: A team of urban designers from planning body Unified Traffic & Transportation (Planning & Engineering) Centre have submitted a draft for action points on women’s safety and sent it to the lieutenant governor and chief secretary. These action points include urban development, educational and enforcement measures for the city and a detailed technical report with guidelines and conceptualization plans for physical interventions is expected to be put up in the LG’s next governing body meeting scheduled in January.
The 10-page document provides pointers and action points for various government agencies. These are divided into broad categories of immediate, mid-term and long-term measures. One of the immediate measures includes street lighting in major areas. The team has recommended lighting according to requirement. 

The team has recommended introduction of hawking zones and street markets in Dhaula Kuan, Dwarka, NH-8 and all arterials as they are ‘unwatched streets’. 

“We have suggested the creation of Multi-Utility Zone for street vendors by simple markings and bollards a la New York, especially where roads are wider than 45m. This increases ‘eyes on streets’ and makes these areas more active,” said a senior UTTIPEC official.

The team suggested making transport safer by lighting bus stops, removing the barrier advertisement panel which may conceal criminals and locating hawkers next to bus stops to ensure they don’t become deserted. 

Urging civic agencies to stop proposing flyovers and grade separator projects, the team has called them “nothing but rape dens which don’t relieve traffic congestion in the long term”. The team has asked for slowing of vehicles on signal-free roads at night to reduce chances of criminals whizzing away after committing a crime. 

Mid- and long- term steps were also proposed. The suggestions include a revision in resettlement policy, saying that poor should be provided housing in the city and not outside. 

Planners are recommending that women’s safety issues should be incorporated in Local Area Plans, transportation infrastructure projects and influence area plans, as suggested by studies by women’s rights groups.

DRAFT GUIDELINES

QUICK FIXES

• Illumination of all streets Letting vendors set up shop in deserted areas Safer bus stops with increased bus frequency, and removal of panel advertisements that can conceal criminals Increased patrolling in vulnerable areas 

GRADUAL CHANGES

• GPS in autos and taxis Centralized autorickshaws like Radio Tuk-Tuk (Gurgaon) and G-Auto (Gujarat) for increased safety Redefinition of sexual crimes 

LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS

• Redesign of roads as per UTTIPEC guidelines; more toilets for women 
• Make the whole city vibrant so that there’s round-the-clock activity 
• Revision in resettlement policy so that poor are housed in the city & local area plans incorporate women’s safety issues 
• Police should be trained to respect women and handle sexual offences better; policing infrastructure should be upgraded 
• Awareness about women’s safety should be generated in slums

See Also:  ACTION POINTS FOR "HOW TO MAKE DELHI SAFER FOR WOMEN"

Signal Free Roads No Good- say Traffic Police. Claim they have Worsened Traffic Situation; TOI reviews 5 Such Roads

Dark stretches a haven for criminals. DANGER AHEAD: Police Identify 1300 odd Roads in National Capital.

Rs1400 crore to PWD to revamp Transferred Roads - Will New Roads being Constructed be "Safe" for All?

Rs.1400 crore to PWD's kitty to revamp Transferred Roads from MCD.

Will these roads follow the UTTIPEC Street Design Guidelines (issued in 2009) so that they are safe and user friendly to all road users such as street vendors, pedestrians, women and children?
Time will Tell.

NOTE: In 2009, the UTTIPEC had issued Street Design Guidelines to be followed on all city’s roads to make them safe and user friendly to all road users such as street vendors, pedestrians, women and children. The guidelines also provide ways in which persons with disabilities could be made to feel safe in negotiating a street.

See Also:ACTION POINTS FOR "HOW TO MAKE DELHI SAFER FOR WOMEN"

Signal Free Roads No Good- say Traffic Police. Claim they have Worsened Traffic Situation; TOI reviews 5 Such Roads

Dark stretches a haven for criminals. DANGER AHEAD: Police Identify 1300 odd Roads in National Capital.

दैनिक जागरण - सिग्नल-फ्री रोड का साइड इफेक्ट है अपराध में इजाफा!

राजू सजवान, नई दिल्ली

पिछले कुछ सालों से दिल्ली की सड़कों को सिग्नल फ्री बनाने पर करोड़ों रुपये खर्च किए जा चुके हैं, लेकिन ये सिग्नल फ्री रोड हाल ही में हुए सामूहिक दुष्कर्म जैसे अपराधों का कारण बनते जा रहे हैं। यह किसी निजी या स्वयंसेवी संगठन की राय नहीं है, बल्कि दिल्ली के यातायात एवं परिवहन की योजना बनाने वाली एकीकृत एजेंसी यूटीपैक का मानना है कि फ्लाइओवर और सिग्नल न होने के कारण चलती गाड़ियों में बलात्कार जैसी घटनाएं होती हैं।

यूटीपैक द्वारा सार्वजनिक स्थलों पर महिलाओं की सुरक्षा को लेकर गाइडलाइंस बनाई जा रही हैं। इस कवायद के दौरान यह तथ्य यूटीपैक के समक्ष आया है। यूटीपैक के सदस्यों ने एक अध्ययन में पाया कि तेज रफ्तार से चलती गाड़ियों के भीतर हो रही घटनाओं को साथ चलते वाहन चालक देख नहीं पाते। दिल्ली के राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग आठ या दोनों रिंग रोड पर इस तरह की आपराधिक वारदातें भी पिछले कुछ सालों में रिपोर्ट की गई हैं।

यूटीपैक ने सार्वजनिक स्थलों पर महिलाओं की सुरक्षा को लेकर बन रही गाइडलाइंस के ड्राफ्ट में इसे शामिल किया है और प्रस्ताव रखा है कि दिल्ली के प्रमुख चौराहों पर जहां सिग्नल हटा दिए गए हैं, वहां सिग्नल लगाए जाएं, ताकि गाड़ियों की रफ्तार थम सके। सिग्नल पर गाड़ी रुकने के कारण साथ खड़े वाहन चालक अंदर हो रही घटना को देख कर रोक सकें या पुलिस को सूचित कर सकें।

अपने ड्राफ्ट में यूटीपैक ने अब दिल्ली में फ्लाइओवर बनाने या सिग्नल फ्री रोड बनाने पर रोक लगाने का प्रस्ताव रखा है। इसके अलावा रात के समय फ्लाइओवर बंद कर गाड़ियों को नीचे से गुजरने का प्रस्ताव रखा है, ताकि नीचे भीड़भाड़ होने पर ऐसी वारदात को देखा जा सके। इसके अलावा सड़क के किनारे एक व्यवस्थित तरीके से रेहड़ी पटरी वालों को जगह देने की भी वकालत की गई है, ताकि सड़क पर चहलपहल रहे या ये रेहड़ी पटरी वाले ऐसी घटनाओं को रोकने में मददगार साबित हो सकें। यूटीपैक ने दिल्ली की सुनसान सड़कों पर चहल-पहल बढ़ाने के लिए अर्बन प्लानिंग में सुधार की गुंजाइश बताई है। सड़कों के किनारे रेहड़ी, पटरी के अलावा छोटी-छोटी दुकानें होनी चाहिए, जिन्हें रात को बंद करने जैसी बाध्यता नहीं होनी चाहिए। रात के वक्त इन दुकानों को खोलने के लिए प्रेरित करना चाहिए। ऐसे इलाकों में रैन बसेरा या सेमी हॉकिंग जोन बनाने होंगे।

यूटीपैक के एक अधिकारी ने बताया कि अभी जागौरी जैसे संगठनों की मदद से यह ड्राफ्ट तैयार किया जा रहा है, इस पर अलग-अलग संगठनों और लोगों से राय ली जाएगी और बाद में सरकार की ओर से अधिसूचना जारी की जाएगी और दिल्ली की सभी एजेंसियों को महिला सेफ्टी गाइडलाइंस की पालना करनी होगी।
http://epaper.jagran.com/story1.aspx?id=24024&boxid=108224832&ed_date=28-dec-2012&ed_code=4&ed_page=6

See Also:

ACTION POINTS FOR "HOW TO MAKE DELHI SAFER FOR WOMEN"

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Dark stretches a haven for criminals. DANGER AHEAD: Police Identify 1300 odd Roads in National Capital.

New York Times - Untamed Motorization’ Wraps an Indian City in Smog

NEW DELHI JOURNAL

Altaf Qadri/Associated Press

The presidential palace was enveloped in smog on Nov. 3. New Delhi’s antipollution efforts have failed to keep up with growth. 
By NIHARIKA MANDHANA 
Published: December 26, 2012

NEW DELHI — When an acrid blanket of gray smog settled over India’s capital last month, environmentalists warned of health hazards, India’s Supreme Court promised action and state officials struggled to understand why the air had suddenly gone so bad.

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The heavy smog has dissipated for the moment, but it has left behind a troubling reality for one of India’s most important cities: Despite measures to improve air quality, pollution is steadily worsening here, without any simple solutions in sight.

“This is like a ding-dong battle,” said Sheila Dikshit, the chief minister of the State of Delhi, moving her fingers like the flippers of a pinball machine. “We catch up with something; the pressures catch up more than that.”

Delhi, a growing metropolis of nearly 20 million people, has struggled to reconcile its rapid economic growth with environmental safeguards. Over a decade ago, the city introduced a host of policies that raised emission standards, closed polluting industries and expanded green spaces. It made a costly investment to convert the city’s buses and auto rickshaws to compressed natural gas. For a time, air quality visibly improved.

But those gains have been overwhelmed in recent years. “We have already plucked the low-hanging fruits, so to speak,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, the executive director of the Center for Science and Environment here. “Now it’s time for aggressive, second-generation reforms.”

Ms. Roychowdhury and other environmentalists say the government must now concentrate on slowing the rising number of vehicles on New Delhi’s roads. Each day, about 1,400 new vehicles hit the roads of the city, already home to over seven million registered vehicles, a 65 percent jump from 2003. As a result, fine-particle pollution has risen by 47 percent in the last decade. Nitrogen dioxide levels have increased by 57 percent.

Environmentalists recommend a hefty tax on diesel vehicles, a steep increase in parking charges and a rapid upgrade of the public transportation system to ensure more timely bus service and a better integration of buses and the metro rail system.

“These strategies can be implemented immediately and will have an immediate impact on the numbers of vehicles,” Ms. Roychowdhury said. “We have to stop this untamed motorization now.”

But government officials say that a mere crackdown on vehicles ignores other aspects of the problem. They note that New Delhi is landlocked and lacks the coastal breezes that flush polluted air out of other major Indian cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Ms. Dikshit said New Delhi’s rapidly growing population and prosperity add to the pollution.

“It’s an epicenter of trade, of commerce, of governance for this entire northern area,” she said. As a consequence, Delhi “bears a much bigger burden.”

Officials say much of the pollution comes from neighboring areas, where emissions standards are lower and environmental policies virtually nonexistent. For days after November’s smog spell, many Delhi officials responded by blaming a coincidence of factors, including agricultural burnings in the neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana and the impact of a cyclone off the southern coast.

Weather conditions played a role, environmentalists agree, but that is no excuse for ignoring the underlying problems.

“The government cannot say that the smog was solely because of bad weather,” saidMukesh Khare, a professor of environmental engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. “They are making excuses to avoid facing the fact that Delhi has a pollution problem once again.”

Until two years ago, environmentalists and city officials in New Delhi lacked monitoring equipment to determine air pollution levels, and scientists and policy makers were dependent on ad hoc surveys conducted manually or on data from the national pollution body that often were incomplete or arrived too late.

In 2010, the Delhi government posted six state-of-the-art monitoring machines around the capital that now constantly measure a host of pollutants, sending real-time data to a publicly accessible Web site.

“We didn’t really understand the situation before,” said Mohan George, a scientist at theDelhi Pollution Control Committee. “Now we have authentic, continuous and reliable data.”

In November, the machines recorded pollution levels at least six or seven times greater than the national standard for safe air. On Nov. 9, for instance, the levels of particulate matter called PM10 near the University of Delhi measured 908 micrograms per cubic meter, against the standard limit of 100, falling into the “very unhealthy” category.

The city’s doctors are worried. Dr. Randeep Guleria, who runs the pulmonary medicine department at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, said the number of emergency visits relating to respiratory and heart problems had risen sharply this winter.

What is going on in New Delhi reflects a larger trend. A recent study published in the medical journal Lancet shows air pollution has become a major health risk in developing countries, contributing to about 3.2 million premature deaths worldwide. South Asian countries are particularly vulnerable, the study found.

The local government has commissioned a study to understand what exactly caused the smog, and is working on an “air action plan” that would expand the subway system, introduce a network of bike lanes and make the city’s roadways more friendly to pedestrians.

The Supreme Court, which has played the role of environmental watchdog in Delhi for more than a decade, has recommended a more politically delicate measure: imposing an “environment compensation charge” of 25 percent on new diesel vehicles and requiring a much smaller fee for existing gasoline- and diesel-powered cars.

Ms. Dikshit, Delhi’s chief minister, has agreed to consider such a “green tax” and welcomed other solutions, even as she denied that the city’s pollution was reaching alarming levels.

“What is alarming is the impact that Delhi’s prosperity and its comfortable living is having on attracting more and more people to come here,” Ms. Dikshit said. “How much we will be able to sustain that impact of people coming and never going out is a big question.”

A version of this article appeared in print on December 27, 2012, on page A10 of the New York edition with the headline: ‘Untamed Motorization’ Wraps an Indian City in Smog.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/27/world/asia/indian-city-overwhelmed-by-air-pollution-new-delhi-journal.html?ref=global-home&_r=0

Unsafe at any hour in big, bad city

Women Tell TOI Their Moments Of Horror When Predators Almost Got Them

Prerna Sodhi TNN

SCARY REALITY: Women say they are regular victims of gender bias and sexual harassment

New Delhi: Two years ago, a 25-year-old got off the Metro at Central Secretariat to hire an auto to Netaji Nagar. What happened after she left the Metro station made her decide she will never step out of her home alone again after 9pm.
“It was 8.30pm. I got off the train at Central Secretariat by mistake. I wanted to catch an auto to Netaji Nagar. While I was waiting for the auto, five men started harassing me. I tried walking away quickly but they ripped my sleeve. I boarded the nearest auto and paid him extra to drive me home,” said the woman who works for an online portal. What saved her from worse was an oncoming ambulance which the harassers mistook for a police van and left hurriedly.
Her predicament is not unique. TOI spoke to a few women in the capital who said they felt unsafe whenever they stepped out and whatever mode of transport they took.
Most faced gender and sexual harassment on a regular basis, be it in the form of stalking, eve-teasing or even chasing by a group of predatory men on wheels. Many of these instances took place in broad daylight and being in a crowded place never ensured security. For example, a 24-year-old freelance writer recalled an attempt to pick her up about 1.30pm on a busy road. “I was crossing the road at Moolchand flyover. A car braked in front of me. It had two men in it. Instead of walking ahead of the vehicle, I passed by its side and crossed the road from behind it. A few car drivers stopped. They were curious to find out what the hold-up was about. But no one protested,” she said.
Her observation of silence in the face of atrocity is corroborated by a 23-year-old management student.
“No one wants to help or get involved. When we tried asking staff at a toll booth, we got complacent responses. Ya h a n c h ale ja o , w a h a n c h ale ja o (Check out this place, try this other place). Instead of looking for help I’d rather use my own wits. Help does not arrive on time and the people around end up as onlookers,” she said.
She recounted how she and her three friends were chased by a Scorpio full of men on Delhi-Gurgaon road on their way to a wedding. When no one helped them, they “decided to take a u-turn and go home”.
A study conducted by Jagori and United Nations Women in the year 2010 reveals 54% women and 69% men who witness an incident of women’s harassment prefer to stay uninvolved. It also states that 70% of women are harassed by the roadside, 50% inside public transport and 42% while waiting for transport.
Another management professional, a 27-year-old, said she uses office transport in the evening in a bid to “avoid autos”. “Although I have never faced misbehaviour aboard public transport, I’ve heard of my friends falling victims to untoward happenings,” she said.
For a 21-year-old fashion student, it is not once that her bus-stop wait turned ugly. “What is frustrating is that verbal protests are often interpreted as more encouragement,” she said.
(Names have been withheld on request)

Thumping increase: city adds 5L Vehicles in a year

Source: TOI (21 Nov 2012)

Public Transport Improvements - Before and After the Commonwealth Games

http://www.hindustantimes.com/specials/sports/cwg-2010/Thumbs-up-for-public-transport/newdelhi/SP-Article10-614758.aspx

Signal Free Roads No Good- say Traffic Police. Claim they have Worsened Traffic Situation; TOI reviews 5 Such Roads

Rickshaws on main roads: City split

Score For Being Environment Friendly But Cops, Some Experts See Chaos

 

 Source: TOI (3 Nov 12)

In C.R.Park, Residents live on the edge

For the last 20 days, residents are traversing through a dangerous and uneven stretch of road, near Deshbandhu Apartment, that has a gap of more than half a foot.

While one half of the 300metre road of the ISU Darshan Munjal Marg (Deshbandhu College Road) has been repaired, the other half is yet to be constructed and is six inches below the redone stretch.

This particular road runs parallel to the main CR Park Road with Kalkaji on one side and leads towards Govindpuri Extension.

Vehicles parked at the Govindpuri market side also add to the chaos. The problem is further compounded due to lack of signboards about the underconstruction road, posing a threat to commuters.

Iron rods jut out of the road and a few concrete poles also lie unattended.

“Vehicles skid off the road and land on the lower stretch. It's dangerous for two-wheeler riders as they may have a fatal accident,” said Mahender Singh, a tea stall owner.

Transport expert PK Sarkar of the School of Planning and Architecture and a resident of CR Park, said, “The road has not been constructed as per proper safety requirements. The lack of a safety audit is responsible for the road's condition.”
An official of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, which is undertaking the work, said, “The residents requested us to halt work for a few days due to Durga Puja and Dussehra. Construction will resume from next week.”

Rickshaws may be run as feeders in Delhi

City’s Footpaths Too High to be Used, Violate All Norms

A giant step backwards

CITY’S FOOTPATHS TOO HIGH TO BE USED, VIOLATE ALL NORMS

Indrani Basu TNN

New Delhi:Imagine having to raise your legs up to a feet or more to take a footpath. If the state public works department (PWD) has its way, walking on the pavement in Delhi may become quite a task, thanks to mindless construction by the public works department. And no, there is no way anyone can be penalized for the faulty construction.

In a gross violation of the street design guidelines, the PWD is constructing 19-inch high footpaths in Kirti Nagar. The norm is of six inches. When a TOI team visited the area, it found that the agency had built most of the footpaths along Satguru Ram Singh Marg at this height without placing any slanting kerb ramps for easy access. Also, wherever there were ramps, those were too steep. In some areas, as many as three steps had to be constructed to provide access to a footpath.
As per street design guidelines issued by DDA planning body UTTIPEC in 2010, height of a footpath cannot exceed six inches; the footpaths must have a ramp of the slope 1:12 and must have tactile paving both at the beginning and along the footpath.

When TOI spoke to engineers in charge of the construction on the stretch, they shifted the blame on the area municipal commission of Delhi (MCD). “These roads were earlier with MCD . The MCD had constructed high drains on this road, and the footpaths have to be built on top of that. As a result, the footpath is high,” said an engineer.

“However, we will also be relaying the road, which will add four inches to the current height of the road,” assured the engineer. However, UTTIPEC guidelines state that in case a road will be re-carpeted after a footpath is built, reduction in footpath height till 100 mm (four inches) is permitted, but under no circumstances should a footpath be higher than 150 mm (six inches).

TOI found that none of these footpaths have tactile paving (yellow footpath tiles that act as warning and guiding blocks for the visually impaired), and access ramps are either missing, too steep or replaced with steps that cannot be used by those on wheelchairs. “All UTTIPEC street design guidelines have to be followed for all new construction. Engineers are well aware of this as we have had numerous meetings on this under the chairmanship of L-G Tejendra Khanna,” said UTTIPEC director Ashok Bhattacharjee.
However, a senior official said, “Forget UTTIPEC guidelines, even basic IRC guidelines are not being followed. The footpath being constructed in Kirti Nagar is just one of the glaring examples of public road structures that serve no actual purpose and have resulted in wastage of large amount of public money.” While UTTIPEC has brought this matter to the notice of the L-G in a written complaint, there is currently no penalization provision in place to punish the road owning agencies.

Source: Times of India

Delhi Road blocks to get worse

Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition, (08.08.2012)

Infrastructure alone can't cure Delhi's Sclerosis

Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi Edition

Six flyovers on 8km stretch but takes 40 min to cut through clutter

Original Source

Focus on public transport: Govt body issues guidelines for seamless travel

Sobhana K : New Delhi, Sun Mar 20 2011

Pilot project ordered for Jor Bagh-Aurobindo Place Market stretch; to be implemented on all Metro routes.
More signlised pedestrian crossings, lesser distance between bus stands, auto stands and Metro stations — these are a few key measures that the Delhi Development Authority’s planning body, Unified Traffic Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre, has directed civic agencies and Traffic Police to carry out for ensuring higher usage of public transport.

The guidelines issued by the body will have to be implemented on all Metro routes. The pilot project is being implemented on the stretch between Jor Bagh and Aurobindo Place Market. There are four Metro stations of the Jahangirpuri-HUDA City Centre corridor that fall on the way — Jor Bagh, INA, AIIMS and Green Park.

The body has pointed out a series of problems faced by commuters on this particular stretch through a detailed plan. For example, despite a high flow of pedestrian traffic at the Dilli Haat-INA crossing, no provision exists for their convenience.

At AIIMS, traffic bottlenecks are a regular feature due to the fact that there is no fixed bus stand and the buses stop anywhere on the main road. Further on, at the Green Park Metro station, there is no bus stand for at least 500 metres. The footpath in front of a petrol pump at Padmini Enclave serves as a makeshift bus stand.

The UTTIPEC has directed all civic agencies to shift the bus stands within 50 metres of the Metro station. Signalised pedestrian crossings have been suggested at four points — Dilli Haat-INA market, AIIMS, Yusuf Sarai Market and Gurudwara Green Park.

“Aurobindo Marg is not a Ring Road or an expressway — there are markets on both sides of the road and two major hospitals; there is a heavy flow of pedestrians due to these reasons. Foot-overbridges have very low usage, so pedestrian crossings are essential,” said Prem Nath, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic (South).

The UTTIPEC has also told the agencies to put in place additional measures like making the entire stretch pedestrian-friendly by correcting flaws like the alignment of the Ch Dalip Singh Marg intersection.

“The road leading to Safdarjung Development Area is not properly aligned with the intersection, leading to an increased chance of vehicle-to-vehicle collision. We are currently working on a viable plan to correct the alignment,” Prem Nath added.

The project will be implemented by the New Delhi Municipal Council and the Public Works Department.

“To ensure that commuters shift to public transport, it is essential that there is a smooth interchange between all modes of transport and they are all easily accessible. Metro commuters should be able to step into a bus or an auto as soon as they get out of the station,” said director (Planning) and member secretary of UTTIPEC, Ashok Bhattacharjee.

Article Link:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/focus-on-public-transport-govt-body-issues-guidelines-for-seamless-travel/764938/0

New BRT plan pedestrian friendly - 14 New Corridors Approved, to have Higher Parking Charges

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=CAP/2011/05/13&PageLabel=3&EntityId=Ar00300&ViewMode=HTML

Source: Times of India, Delhi Edition

Focus on public transport: Govt body issues guidelines for seamless travel

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/focus-on-public-transport-govt-body-issues-guidelines-for-seamless-travel/764938/0