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Accounts / Audit

Security audit of 1,100 PCMC computers soon

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Indian Express 19.01.2010

Security audit of 1,100 PCMC computers soon

Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) would soon do a security audit of a total of 1,100 computers installed in its various offices. Recently, the municipal corporation introduced several initiatives such as e-governance, online building permissions, e-tendering process and accepting complaints through e-mails.

PCMC officials said that various departments in the municipal corporation are being computerised and an emphasis is now laid on greater use of technology to increase work efficiency of the staff. Works like paying taxes, building permissions, tender process and birth and death registration are now being done with the help of computers and the internet. Information pertaining to environment status reports, various initiatives started by the different departments, information pertaining to Right to Information Act are all available on the website.

 

Last Updated on Tuesday, 19 January 2010 11:54
 

CAG slams Amravati Municipal Corporation

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The Times of India 29.12.2009

CAG slams Amravati Municipal Corporation

NAGPUR: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has slammed the Amravati Municipal Corporation (AMC) for wasteful expenditure of Rs 33.78 crore on the underground drainage system project. The CAG report slammed AMC for commencing work on the underground drainage system without ensuring availability of funds to complete the project. This resulted in unfruitful expenditure, besides denial of better hygienic living conditions to citizens.

As per CAG report, the Water Supply and Sanitation Department of AMC approved construction of the underground drainage system worth Rs 123.04 crore in seven drainage zones, with six pumping stations and two sewerage treatment plants in November 1997. This was in a bid to overcome the unhygienic living conditions created by waste water flowing into open nullahs.

Chief engineer of Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) technically sanctioned the proposal in January 1998 from the funds sanctioned: Rs 28.71 crore as government grant, Rs 82.03 crore loan and Rs 12.03 crore as public contribution. MJP approached the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (Hudco) on behalf of AMC for sanction of Rs 82.03 crore loan, for which Hudco gave the go ahead in December 2001.

The work on the project in Badnera zone and Zone 5 of Amravati was taken up in anticipation of the loan from Hudco, at a tendered cost of Rs 53.92 crore (estimated cost of Rs 45.38 crore) between December 1999 and November 2004. In between, the state sanctioned Rs 28.71 crore and public contribution of Rs 5.08 crore was received by AMC. However, since AMC did not fulfil the conditions of repayment to Hudco, it did not release later instalments and cancelled the loan in May 2004. Due to it the project was stopped in May 2004, after incurring an expenditure of Rs 33.78 crore.

In its clarification to CAG, AMC said that in August 2006 it was trying to raise the loan step by step by issuing tax free bonds, which was also permitted by government in August 2005. Further, in September 2008, it stated that the proposal to complete the project under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Town (UIDSSMT) at a revised cost of Rs164.04 crore was under consideration of the Central government.

CAG report stated that AMC's replies were not acceptable as no action had been taken by the corporation to raise loan in open market up to October 2008, even after seeking permission from the State government as early as August 2005.

 

Civic body to open carbon credit account

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Indian Express 14.11.2009

Civic body to open carbon credit account

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is set to open its carbon credits account by January through the use of energy-efficient streetlights. The carbon credits will earn the civic body over Rs 10 lakh a year and will hold good for 10 years.

The PMC has become a part of a consortium of seven civic bodies — Latur, Akola, Indore, Bikaner, Ajmer and Alwar being the others — that have aligned with Mumbai-based Asian Electronics, a supplier of energy-saving equipment, to earn carbon credits.

“The initial process for registration of the project for carbon credit has been completed. Once that happens, the civic body will start getting monetary benefit in the ensuing year,” said Shrikrishna Chaudhari, deputy city engineer, PMC.

Though the project commenced in 2007, many civic bodies had delayed the submission of their proposals resulting in a resultant delay, said Sandip Tambe, general manager, Asian Electronics. He cited the example of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation that was supposed to be part of the consortium, but had to be left out as it was delaying the consent beyond an acceptable timeframe, though it is implementing the energy efficient streetlight project

The PMC’s plan is to replace 15,000 lamps of 150-250 watts with T-5 type fluorescent lamps to reduce power consumption. The new lights have been installed across the city with at least 1,000 energy efficient streetlights in each of the 14 wards. Chaudhari said the main idea behind the project was to save energy and reduce the civic body’s expenditure on power tariff. Once this project is rolled out, there will be a saving of 3 MW per year. There are 1.25 lakh streetlights under the PMC jurisdiction.

The company has also tied up with the World Bank for monetary benefits from the availed carbon credits. The World Bank has already booked the carbon credits from the project and will pay at the rate of $8 per credit.

The proposal is to avail 30,000 carbon credits in all with 6,000 carbon credits for streetlights in the PMC area. The carbon credit sharing agreement between the company and the civic body is in a 60:40 ratio. Around Rs 1.2 crore of monetary benefit is expected from the 30,000 carbon credits; the PMC project alone will account for Rs 24 lakh and the the share of the civic body will be Rs 10 lakh each year.

“The documentation for the proposal to seek carbon credit was done through a Canadian consultancy firm. The project will be registered in two months and money will be disbursed after verification of the performance,” said Madhav Dandvate, assistant general manager, Asian Electronics.

Last Updated on Saturday, 14 November 2009 11:04
 


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