Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Urban Transportation

30% area of parking space should be concrete free: Maharashtra Government

Print PDF

The Times of India        26.12.2017  

30% area of parking space should be concrete free: Maharashtra Government

| TNN | Dec 26, 2017, 20:13 IST
MUMBAI: The state government has assured that it will consider issuing directives regarding allotting 30% of ground area for water percolation, out of the parking space allocated within the housing society's premises while constructing building structure. Due to concretization, there is little scope for rain water to percolate in the surface which leads to water logging and subsequent rise in temperature level.

A study by a Congress MLC Anant Gadgil, who is an architect by profession, has claimed that about 10 lakh sq ft land has been covered either by tiles of paver blocks within the society premise.

"Most of the housing societies in the city have parking space covered with cement concrete or paver blocks leading to water logging during monsoon and subsequent increase in the temperature as well. The government should prohibit covering parking space as whole and should instruct authorities to compel housing societies for maintaining at least 30% of the parking space with soil and not cover with cement so that rain water could percolate," explained Gadgil.

"While constructing a building with parking space of a 5000 sq ft area, at least 1500 sq ft should be left open without covering with cement out of the 3,500 sq ft plot allotted to the parking space,"
demanded MLC.

Latest Comment

Permeable concrete has been developed for just such a purpose after hurricane Katherine, in the U.S.Rui D##apos##Silva

Reacting to the demand environment minister Ramdas Kadam has assured that the government will consider issuing directives regarding alloting 30% open space out of the entire parking lot.

Minister has also said that the government will consider changing the pollution under control (PUC) norms such a way that the pollution of emission from the vehicle smoke should not cross the limit of PM 2.5 (particulate matter). Gadgil has claimed that the pollution level in the city has increased the the pollution level of the Mumbai has increased, PM 2.5 in the air is giving rise to health risks to brain, heart and lungs.
Last Updated on Thursday, 28 December 2017 10:29
 

Corporation’s passenger boat conducts trial run

Print PDF

The Hindu       06.12.2017 

Corporation’s passenger boat conducts trial run

Fort Queen, the passenger boat that the Kochi Corporation is planning to introduce in the Vypeen-Fort Kochi sector, conducting a trial run on Tuesday.  

KSINC has been contracted to operate the service

Fort Queen, the passenger boat of the Kochi Corporation, began trial runs in the Kochi waters on Tuesday.

Officials of the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC), which has been contracted for managing the service, successfully operated the boat for close to four hours.

The boat will cover the 300-metre-long Vypeen-Fort Kochi sector in less than five minutes. However, one lap would require around 20 minutes to complete as time has to be allotted for completing the passenger movement in and out of the vessel. The vessel has a seating capacity of 100 passengers, said Cyril V. Abraham, the commercial manager of KSINC.

The boat is expected to operate 54 trips a day.

The civic authorities are planning the formal launch of the boat service on Thursday.

The Congress-led civic administration had come under fire for the delay in launching the service. The service has been planned as an alternative facility for the jankar service which will be suspended for the construction of the mooring facility for the Roll On-Roll Off service of the Kochi Corporation.

 

Don’t charge for parking, MCC tells business establishments

Print PDF

The Hindu      28.11.2017  

Don’t charge for parking, MCC tells business establishments

A resolution on ending parking fee was passed by the Standing Committee on Town Planning on March 6, and the council passed a resolution on May 5 backing the proposal.FILE PHOTO  

Order applies even to hospitals which charge for visitors and attendants of patients

Vehicle owners can breathe easy as the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) has passed an order making it mandatory for business establishments such as malls to stop collecting parking fee. The order applies even to hospitals which charge parking fee to attendants of patients and visitors.

Acting on complaints from the public about some commercial establishments collecting “exorbitant” parking fee, particularly some malls, the Standing Committee on Town Planning of MCC has proposed to make parking of vehicles free in basements in those establishments.

Pople used to park their vehicles along the side of the roads around such places to avoid paying a parking fee, causing traffic menace. This was another reason for proposing free parking.

Standing Committee president Nandeesh Pretham said a resolution on ending parking fee was passed by the committee on March 6 this year and the council subsequently passed a resolution on May 5, backing the proposal. MCC Commissioner G. Jagadeesha passed an order in this regard on November 20 to provide free parking (if any fee was being charged now) to the visitors with immediate effect.

Mr. Preetham, who had convened a meeting of the committee here on Monday, said the order has come into effect and all the establishments have to obey the diktat. “Whichever commercial establishment has taken building licences from the MCC, they are bound to obey the rule. The MCC can act against such establishments if they flout the order,” he said, adding that basements are not meant for trade if the purpose for which the licence was taken was for providing parking.

At places in Ittigegud near Mysore Racecourse, police have put up no-parking signs to avoid traffic snarls as visitors to a mall used to park their vehicles around the place to avoid paying a parking fee.

There have been instances of police slapping fines on the vehicle owners for flouting the no-parking rule.

Mr. Preetham said he will also ensure that commercial establishments which have converted their basements into “trade” centres change them to “parking lots” if permission had been taken for the purpose.

Last Updated on Thursday, 28 December 2017 10:52
 


Page 2 of 146