Infrastructure

Over the next 10 years, another name might well be added to this list, which is 12,500-acre huge `Lavasa lake city', being developed by Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) near Pune within the Western Ghat ranges. Promoted as free India's first planned hill station, Lavasa lake city, will be ready as a complete town with a population of 1.5 lakh.

• Forceful acquisition of land from owners; the government of India has appointed a comiittee to investigate the land deals; Activist Medha Patkar too has demanded a CBI probe into this issue
  
• Land owners will now be working as servants and maids in Pune as they have lost their land
  
• Lavasa is constructing eight weirs (small dams) within the Varasgaon catchment area, which might lead to lesser water supply to Pune city
  
• Lavasa will pump water from Varasgaon lake at nominal rates despite being a commercial project
  
• Once ready, a special planning authority (SPA) would be set up, which will have powers equivalent to a municipal council within Lavasa
  
• There are allegations that the Lavasa project was planned even before the government decided to formulate its Hill Station policy. The policy was formulated to ensure a smooth way for Lavasa.

On the other hand, delay in privatisation initiatives or changes in policies can have a significant impact on investments in most sectors except telecom and oil and gas. Crisil research believes that speedy infrastructure reforms will lead to significant private investment in the sector. Power and ports will be two key sectors where investments need to accelerate so as to ease the growth constraints.

According to the report `Indian infrastructure: risk and investment opportunities', infrastructure is set to expand significantly with the high investment planned, the increasingly complex nature of projects and a larger participation from the private sector fuelled by high expectations from various stakeholders. Risks associated are also higher now due to resource constraints, cost escalation of materials and services, and increasing financing costs.

However, the report observed that the fiscal position of the Centre and state governments can have a bearing on infrastructure investments apart from slower economc growth and policy stagnation. While the fiscal position of the Centre and state governments have grown in strength as compared with the previous five years, rising subsidies and employee costs worsen the fiscal balance, limiting the government's ability to invest in infrastructure.

Morerover, non availability of inputs and finance can delay infrastructure investments. Problems related to land acquisition and constrained availability of labour and equipment can hinder investments in roads, ports, airports, power projects and SEZs. Project execution risk has also increased, since projects have become larger and more complex. On top of it, the rates of return have declined due to rising input costs, while cost of finance has increased. This is one of the key challenges for infrastructure investments in the current economic context.

DK Joshi, Crisil's director and principal economist said, "Beneath the surface impression of slow movement in infrastructure and related projects, there is a dynamism that is far more powerfurl than anything we have seen before."

This admission shockingly comes seven years after the Rs 57-crore pipeline was commissioned in July 2000 and after a whopping Rs 14 crore has been spent on buying additional water from the Mutha open canal.

The administration now plans to rectify the design faults and has called official bids for appointing technical consultants for the rectification. During these seven years, the civic body has consistently defended the design of the pipeline and has instead alleged that the pipeline was forced to carry less water as the irrigation department was not maintaining the required water levels in the Khadakwasla dam.

The pipeline was designed to draw 11.5 thousand million cubic (TMC) feet of untreated water per year from the dam. However, the actual water drawn has always been around 8.5 TMC. The remaining 2.5 to 3 TMC was being taken from the Mutha open canal, for which the civic body was paying the irrigation department thrice the normal water lifting charges, amounting to over Rs 14 crore till now.

The 11.5-km-long and 3,030-diameter pipeline was laid to draw water from the Khadakwasla dam to the Parvati water works (PWW) on Sinhagad road. It is still considered the biggest water supply project executed by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in Pune city as it assures uninterrupted supply of raw water from the dam to the city. The dam water is treated at the PWW before being pumped to the city for drinking purposes.

The pipeline project was undertaken after the canal had breached in 1996, cutting off Pune's water supply for a week. Also, the canal, which is open to sky, gets polluted as people wash utensils, clothes and even dump garbage into it.

As India's public spending has been constrained by large budget deficit, a substantial portion of investment in infrastructure will come from private sector, report said. It further mentioned that public-private partnership has emerged as an effective method to attract private investment in infrastructure. By 2006, the government had awarded 86 PPP contracts.

Pimpri-Chinchwad mayor Vaishali Ghodekar told TOI that minor works remain to be completed before the subway could be inaugurated officially.

The Vallabhnagar subway is part of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's ambitious plan to enable vehicles to travel from Dapodi to Nigdi in 10 minutes through three grade separators and the subway.

Officials in the PCMC engineering department said work on the project began in November 2005. The ramp on the Vallabhnagar side is 10.5 metre wide and 167 m long. The Pimpri side ramp is 8 m wide and 228 m long, while that on Pune side is 8 m wide and 120 m.

Also BSNL is readying itself to expand the customer base for broadband activity and by June 2007. It expects to release 3.3 million broadband connections in urban areas and two million-plus connections in the rural areas.�

Press release

The Promoters and Builders Association of Poona (PBAP) has sent a memorandum to the minister, pressing mainly for six demands. It has warned that if these demands were met, it may adversely impact the gross domestic product.

The most interesting demand is a special package to promote housing for economically weaker sections (EWS), particularly in urban cities like Pune.

BUDGET 2007-08: DEMANDS

• Special housing package for the economically weak

• Income-tax waiver on rental housing

• Tax holiday on 80 IB and 80 IA schemes

• Regulation of cement prices

• Reduction in capital tax

• Exemption from service tax

The sum spent includes Rs 25 crore used to implement projects under the Centre's Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. These funds came from the Centre and the State government.

Of the Rs 1,253 crore annual budget, Rs 549 crore was marked for developmental works while around Rs 700 crore was allotted for revenue expenditure -- the PMC has spent Rs 480 crore till January 31 on salaries, water, electricity, petrol, diesel bills, medicine bills, primary education, repayment of loan and repairs and maintenance of the PMC's ward offices, pumping stations, garbage depot and other civic organisations.

PMC chief accountant Ambrish Galinde says the figure does not reflect the correct picture. "The amount of Rs 210 crore is that of the actual bills paid. By February and March, more development works will be completed and more bills will be paid off. As such, the amount that is actually spent will be much higher, close to Rs 400 crore."

Bumpy ride
Of the allocated Rs 221 crore for roads including new concrete roads, reconstruction of existing ones under the Integrated Road Development Projects (IRDP), enhanced maintenance and improved repairs and completion of the entry roads to the city, the PMC spent a mere Rs 65 crore.

Water woes
This fiscal, the civic administration has spent Rs 55 crore of the allotted Rs 150 crore to improve and upgrade the water and drainage in the city to ensure that water is supplied regularly, changing of old and leaking water lines and execution of Wadgaon, Cantonment and Holkar water works. However, both Wadgaon and Holkar projects are incomplete, forcing people to rely on water tankers.

Traffic chaos
The PMC had set aside Rs 23 crore to improve the city's traffic chaos by developing 30,000 sq meter parking for 2,900 two-wheelers and 1,150 four-wheelers, four important chowks in the city and improving 25 others, laying footpaths, construction of two-subways and curbing air pollution. However, the civic body has spent only Rs 8 crore.

River improvement
With Rs 3 crore budget including Rs 1 crore from last year, the PMC has spent the entire budgetary allocation to de-silt, remove the debris and construction of a retaining wall along the Mutha and the Mula. However, the rivers are no better than gutters.

Slums
He PMC had made an allocation of Rs 21 crore for slum rehabilitation. So far, Rs 3 crore has been spent to lay underground drainage pipes, segregation of garbage, 900 toilets and literacy programme for adults between 18 and 35-year age group.

Have money will not spend
The PMC's approach is not because its income is limited. Instead, the civic administration has done well on the income side with collection of octroi, property tax, granting building permissions and development charges showing a rise. Officials say the octroi collection will surpass the Rs 600 crore-mark by March. With the city still being favored as the IT destination and retirement zone, the PMC's financial status is ringing sound.

Run cold water into the tub first, then add hot water to reach a safe temperature.

This will prevent a scald burn if someone, particularly a child, should fall into the tub while it is being filled.

Keep your children out of the bathtub while you are filling it.

Make sure the shaver socket is situated well out of reach of children. Make sure the area around your bath and sink are properly sealed.

This can be a breeding ground for germs in a hot, wet environment, and the sealant will prevent damage to the room below and also prevent wet rot.

There should be no electrical plugs in the bathroom but if you live in an old house which has not been re-wired, watch for this and get in an electrician to advice you. All lights should be on pull cords, not switches.

Install bath shower screens or curtains to reduce water escaping from the bath on the bathroom floor. Hot water thermostats, if present, should be set at 49º C (120º F).

If you have a gas water-heater in the bathroom, there should be adequate ventilation at all times.

Take care not to leave medicines, cosmetics, household cleaners, razors and razors blades within reach of children.

A team of JBIC officials will visit the city next month to work out the funding modalities and help the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) with the loan proposal, municipal commissioner Nitin Kareer told TOI from Delhi on Thursday.

"The JBIC officials have said that their bank was willing to fund the projects in Pune. While the Rs 1,100-crore proposal has been approved in principle, they have also agreed to fund additional projects for water augmentation,"Kareer said after holding a meeting with JBIC officials.

He, however, clarified that the actual disbursement of the loan would be done by the JBIC after their officials visit Pune and help prepare a detailed project plan.

As some of the projects listed in the proposal are also listed for grants under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the PMC would have to finalise the projects for the JBIC loan, he said.