Slum improvement project under BSUP

The city Corporation will launch a slum improvement project under the Basic Services for Urban Poor (BSUP) project at Kalladimukham by February-end.
As many as 318 housing units will be constructed in two phases under the Rs.10.5-crore project. This includes 105 units for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes families and 213 units for general category families. The project will be implemented by COSTFORD.

Slum-dwellers, under the banners of Slum Janandalona and Jilla Kolageri Nivasigala Okkuta, on Tuesday lodged a protest against the move to privatise distribution of drinking water in urban areas, demanding that the Government stop the maintenance and distribution of drinking water by private agencies working on pilot basis.

The future of biodiversity parks (BDPs) is in limbo, thanks to petty politics by parties, bureaucrats and those who will benefit from its constructions on the hills.
The environmentalists insist that no construction be allowed on these hills. However, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said he wants 4% construction on the hills. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) city chief, Vandana Chavan, joined the activists, but the party leadership favours 4% construction.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) revealed that Asian cities were likely to contribute more than half the rise in greenhouse gas emissions over the next 20 years.

According to The Asian Development Bank data most Asian cities do not have effective wastewater treatment systems - only 10 per cent of wastewater is treated in the Philippines while in Indonesia it is 14 per cent Viet Nam 4and India 9 per cent.

The DHAN Foundation, a leading non-government organisation in the city, in partnership with the Department of Environment, Government of Tamil Nadu, organised the ‘Madurai Walkathon 2012' here on Saturday to create an awareness on climate change adaptation with emphasis on ‘Say no to plastics, Save the Planet Earth'. Mr Rajan Chellappa, Mayor, Madurai Corporation, flagged off the event which started at Mariamman Teppakulam and reached Tamukkam grounds. Over 3,000 participants including women, farmers, students from school and colleges participated.

Effluents and toxic fumes from factories and refineries and high concentration of vehicles on roads, besides the Deonar dumping grounds (now partially closed) contribute to pollution in Chembur, one of the most polluted suburbs in the commercial capital of the country. A joint survey by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and IIT-Delhi conducted in December 2009 had placed Chembur on the top half of the list of 88 most polluted industrial clusters in the country.

NEW DELHI: In a relief to slum dwellers, the Delhi government today decided to give ownership rights of flats given to them through a central city modernisation scheme after the 15-year lease period. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Delhi Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit here. She said the Cabinet approved certain amendments in guidelines for allotment of flats constructed under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for eligible slum dwellers in Delhi to facilitate grant of ownership rights to the allottees.

Biometrics, UID methods used for identifying beneficiaries

The Delhi Cabinet has approved certain amendments in guidelines for allotment of flats constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme for eligible slum dwellers in Delhi to facilitate grant of ownership rights to the allottees. Besides, bio-metrics and unique identity (UID) mechanism are being used to help in the process of allotment and about 1,300 allottees have been identified for the first round.

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) says it will launch an anti-littering campaign in Katchi Abadis of Islamabad to ensure cleanliness in the slums. Sanitation Director Captain (r) Muhammad Faiz said brochures, pamphlets and booklets highlighting the importance of cleanliness would be distributed among the residents of Katchi Abadis in G-7, G-8 and other sectors. Faiz said more than 600 residents of Islamabad had been fined for violating the anti-littering law. He said those violating the law could be imposed a fine of up to Rs 300.