The Hindu     Maharashtra (Mumbai)     28.09.2016     

Panvel is now a municipal corporation

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday issued a notification declaring Panvel a municipal corporation. The formation of Panvel Municipal Corporation has also covered Taleja MIDC, CIDCO areas and scores of gram panchayats.

The Municipal Corporation of Panvel now becomes the ninth corporation in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The others being Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan –Dombivali, Ulhasnagar, Mira Bhayandar, Bhiwandi, Navi Mumbai and Vasai-Virar.

Officials said as many as 68 revenue villages in Panvel taluka had wished to become part of the PMC, but not all have been included.

The notification reclassifying Panvel council to a corporation said: “With effect from October 1, 2016, the whole of Panvel Municipal Council smaller urban area and the areas specified in the schedule, shall be larger urban area, known by the name of the Municipal Corporation of the City of Panvel.”

Senior officials said resolution to convert Panvel council to croporation was passed by the general body of Panvel Municipal Council (PMC) last year. The land for construction of a new Civic House, construction of at least 115 wards in the corporation and their offices have been shortlisted. The areas of Kharghar and Kamothe will also be part of the corporation.

The notification to convert Panvel into a corporation was first issued in 1991, but it was put on hold in the absence of a ground report on the requirement and needs of the area. The Bharatiya Janata Party government felt urbanisation and growth of population has been drastic and the need for the corporation was pushed by the government.

The Times of India       Patna       08.09.2016  

Spl purpose vehicle for smart city project

Bhagalpur: The speed of work on 'Smart City Project' at Bhagalpur is likely to be accelerated with the formation of special purpose vehicle (SPV) and approval of Rs 465.71 crore by the state government for undertaking development work. Bhagalpur divisional commissioner has been made the chairperson of the SPV to oversee the project works.

Altogether Rs 1,309 crore will be spent on the project.

Bhagalpur divisional commissioner Ajay Kumar Chowdhary said a meeting of the SVP would be called soon.

"The Smart City Project at Bhagalpur will work with speed and extreme diligence," he told TOI. Bhagalpur municipal commissioner Avanish Kumar Singh said the work under the smart city project would become visible throughout the district after November.

Out of Rs 1,309 crore, nearly Rs 1,106 crore will be used for 'area-based development' in Bhagalpur and the remaining Rs 203 crore is to be utilized for 'pan-city project' development works that envisage application of selected smart solutions to the existing citywide infrastructure.

Application of smart solutions involves the use of technology, information and data to improve the infrastructure and services that aim at having positive effects on the productivity and quality of citizens' lives, district administration sources said.

Under the 'area-based development' projects, Rs 18 crore will be spent on e-governance (electronic governance with the application of information and communication technology for delivering government services, exchange of information communication transactions etc and mobile-governance) aims at providing government services to the people through mobile phones and tablets to deliver services like health, education, banking, other commercial services anytime, anywhere, besides Rs 54.60 on developing information technology infrastructure, the sources said.