Park Heavens News

Come Monday, cops to man bus stops

2011-10-15T11:58:00.001-07:00

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Come Monday and Delhi Police would make your commuting by bus a safe and secure affair. Keeping in view the vulnerability of bus stops, traffic police along with local police would start manning city's 300 most susceptible bus stops. Of them, 200 will be manned by the local police while 100 will be manned by traffic police.

"Visibility of police at bus stops is the need of the hour. Their presence will give a sense of security to commuters and will also create fear psychosis among the miscreants. Besides, they will check violations like overtaking, lane violation, halting at non-designated places, unnecessary halting and improper parking by autos at the bus stops," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Thousands of women commuters — mostly the office goers — face mental and physical harassment everyday at bus stops. From Monday their safety and security will be ensured by women traffic constables. Each of them will be accompanied by their male counterpart. Police, however, did not disclose which bus stops will be manned by traffic police and which by local police.

At most of the bus stops police will be present during morning and evening peak hours, while at some they will be present between 8 am and 10 pm.

Traffic police would deploy about 300 constables including 40 women for the job, while each of 186 police stations would be responsible to man at least two bus stops, said a senior police officer.

"One of our prime responsibilities would be to assure safety and security of women commuters. In case of any misbehaviour or harassment with them strict action will be taken against the wrongdoers," Garg added, saying, "One of the staff will go inside the bus and make announcements to alert passengers to be vigilant about suspicious objects. They will also randomly check belongings of passengers."

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mcd-may-lose-out-on-central-funding-for-parking-projects/803265/0

MCD may lose out on Central funding for parking projects

2011-06-19T05:20:00.001-07:00

Thursday, June 14, 2011

At A time when Delhi is facing an acute shortage of parking space, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is in danger of losing out on Central funding for six of its multi-level parking projects.

As many as 10 MCD projects were approved under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission for over Rs 800 crore, but the civic body failed to secure environment clearances for them.

The deadline for completion of all JNNURM projects is March 2012, and if work on the projects is not taken up soon, there is a possibility of losing out on financial aid from the Centre as well as Delhi government. At least 25 percent of the budget comes from the Union Government under this scheme.

Delhi's Urban Development Secretary R K Srivastava said the mandatory clearance by the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) was expected soon, and the civic agency will be able to start work on the projects after that.

"As many as 29 projects, amounting to Rs 8,027 crore, were approved — out of which 10 are yet to be taken up. Work on all the 10 is to be executed by the MCD," he said, adding that 19 projects — taken up by other agencies such as Delhi Jal Board, New Delhi Municipal Council and Public Works Department — have already been completed.

The civic agency could not get sanction for the projects — most of which are multi-level parking — on environmental grounds. The MCD had proposed to construct underground parking lots under MCD parks. The environment committees have, however, rejected the idea. Only parking lots above the ground have received permission as of now. Unless these projects begin before this year ends, the budget will lapse.

He said the Union Urban Development Ministry has set March 31, 2012, as the deadline for completing the projects and there was a possibility of financial allocation not coming at all for the projects. "We are expecting permission for the projects soon," the official said.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mcd-may-lose-out-on-central-funding-for-parking-projects/803265/0

Delhi model to curb drunk driving

2011-06-10T13:51:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, June 04, 2011

If all goes according to plan, drunk drivers can land in jail in the coming months. This may become possible as the Chandigarh police has decided to adopt the Delhi Traffic Police model against drunk driving, through which the drivers found guilty of this offence can be imprisoned up to six months.

The police believe that drunk driving is one of the major causes of fatal accidents taking place in the city.

"We have decided to adopt the Delhi Traffic Police model to curb the menace of drunk driving in the city," Inspector General of Police Pradeep Kumar Srivastava said at a joint press conference, also addressed by Delhi Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg.

Srivastava said the UT police has decided to approach judicial officers in Chandigarh on the issue so as to make them aware about the Delhi model where the accident rate due to tough measures—where the offenders are put behind bars—had shown encouraging results.

"We have plans to go hammer and tongs against menace of drunk driving in the city and in near future we will try to implement the Delhi model," Srivastava said.

Garg, who before addressing the press conference, chaired a meeting with the officials of UT police to make them aware about the legal course against drunk driving, said a message had gone in Delhi among the people that 'one can't go away with the drunk driving'.

"It took lot of time to ensure that the drunk drivers are punished. The Section 185 of MV Act 1988, specially deals with inebriated drivers and all those found guilty used to pay the fine and beyond it they were not punished. They would apologise before the court. But there was a provision for imprisonment for this offence, but it was never enforced at any place. In 2010, we took the issue with the judicial officers in Delhi and after many meetings and explaining that the law needed to be tough and the offenders need to be arrested as the drunk driving was the root cause of the fatal accidents, they too decided to be strict," Garg said.

"After 2010, we imprisoned hundreds of offenders."

Delhi's joint commissioner of police said they have been able to bring down the accident rate after initiating tough action against the drunk drivers.

"At a time when accidents are increasing everywhere, we in Delhi were able to bring down the accidents by 10 per cent in 2010 and in first five months (of this year), the accidents have been brought down to 12 per cent ," he said, adding that after the conviction, the driving licences of the offenders were also suspended by the authorities.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/delhi-model-to-curb-drunk-driving/800260/0

MCD fight holds up parking lots

2011-06-10T13:50:00.003-07:00

Monday, June 06, 2011

For the average Delhiite, parking is a never-ending problem. Now, it has got aggravated thanks to an ongoing tussle between the MCD's political and executive wings over the tendering of parking lots. Delhi, which is already short on parking space, would have got an additional 125 surface parking lots had the executive wing called for tenders for the same. This would have created an additional space for 12,500 vehicles.

Presently there are around 110 surface parking lots that fall under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). These 110-odd parking lots can accommodate only 11,000 vehicles at any given point of time.

According to sources, the executive wing had decided to invite tenders for the 125-odd new parking lots. These tenders were floated with new terms and conditions in order to rein in errant contractors. However, the Delhi Mayor questioned this move of the Remunerative Project (RP) Cell as to why permission from both the MCD Standing Committee and House were not taken.

"How can they change the terms and conditions without taking the MCD House or Standing Committee's permission? There is an official channel through which all such projects and schemes are cleared. They officers need to follow that. I have received representation from a number of quarters asking why the terms were changed," said Mayor Rajni Abbi.

Sources added that all the parking lots whose tenders have not been called for are being run illegally by the parking mafia that has been fleecing people by overcharging them.

The civic agency had incorporated the new terms and conditions on the recommendation of the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA).

A statutory body formed after on the Supreme Court directions, EPCA monitors the progress of various steps taken by the government agencies and develops new policies to curb vehicular air pollution.

"The development appears to be a tacit move by the parking contractor mafia, who are apparently trying to thwart the new terms and conditions so as to run unauthorised parking lots in order to make money," said a senior MCD official requesting anonymity.

Last month, the civic agency had received flak from the EPCA for not complying with the different conditions to regularise parking sites in the city.

During a meeting of the EPCA with various civic agencies, Bhure Lal, its chairperson had taken the MCD officials to task for showing laxity about demarcating the parking sites, introducing handheld parking ticket machines and installing boards displaying rates.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/MCD-fight-holds-up-parking-lots/Article1-706191.aspx

Khan market parking: HC in favour of NDMC

2011-06-10T13:50:00.001-07:00

Saturday, June 04, 2011

The Delhi High Court on Friday gave its nod to a mandate by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to do away with the free parking facility in Khan Market.

Going by the views of the the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) and Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Justice S Muralidhar refused to interfere with the decision and noted: "There is paid parking in every major commercial centre and market in the NDMC area except Khan Market. The impugned decision was only extending the policy of paid parking to Khan Market as well...The traders' association has been unable to persuade the court otherwise."

The court has told the association to deposit a licence fee of Rs 5.34 lakh with the NDMC by 5 pm on June 6 if it wishes to maintain parking issues by itself.

Responding to the order, Sanjiv Mehra, president of the association, said: "We are going to pay the NDMC and keep the parking in our jurisdiction. Parking will be free at least for now.

Original news source http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/khan-market-parking-hc-in-favour-of-ndmc/799185/

City’s 300 parking lots under high vigil

2011-05-28T01:53:00.003-07:00

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Parking lots in the Capital will no longer remain the safe haven to hide stolen vehicles or the ones used for any anti-social activities. Following Wednesday's explosion at the parking area outside the Delhi high court, Delhi traffic police on Thursday have started scanning city's all 300 odd parking lots to identify such vehicles. They will soon come out with an exhaustive list of vehicles that were either stolen or used for any criminal activities in or outside Delhi or unclaimed for long, said a senior traffic police officer.

Traffic police on Thursday scanned a total of 261 parking lots to identify the vehicles parked there for more than three days. They have found as many as 410 vehicles that were parked in the parking areas at least three days ago.

"After completing the scanning process by Friday, the data will be sent to the crime branch to match the registration numbers of these vehicles with the available database of stolen vehicles or vehicles used for any anti-social activities.

After this, we will toe away these vehicles from the parking areas and also trace the ones who owned the vehicles," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Teams of traffic police went all over Delhi on Thursday to sensitise parking agents to be extra careful while letting vehicles to park.

Besides, the teams also sensitised authorities at taxi stands as well as TSR stands and halting points. A total of 284 taxi stands and 129 TSR stops have been covered, said officials.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/City-s-300-parking-lots-under-high-vigil/Article1-702388.aspx

SN market to get swanky parking lot boost from July

2011-05-28T01:53:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Come July and the heavily crowded Sarojini Nagar market will sport a cleaner look. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is in a rush to finish the Sarojini Nagar automatic multi-level parking lot by June 30. Once the parking lot is ready, vehicles will not be allowed to be parked on the roadside, which at present results in traffic blockage.

However, according to the civic agency, the current surface parking lots will continue to function, because the place is a local market as well, people sometimes visit it to buy groceries and park their vehicles for barely a few minutes.

"Considering automated parking lot makes sense if you want to use it for a longer time, the surface parking will be available for day-to-day needs of the residents," said a senior NDMC official.

The multi-level parking lot at Sarojini Nagar would accommodate 824 vehicles at a given point of time. NDMC officials said preliminary fire survey was over, and the completion certificate will be given soon.

The civic body also plans to make a parking lot at Shivaji Stadium functional soon. The parking lot can accommodate up to 1,200 cars.

While Shivaji Stadium is a conventional parking site, a multi-level parking lot on Baba Kharak Singh Marg — which has a July 30 deadline — will have palette technology.

The parking lot will cater to the traffic coming to Connaught Place, Hanuman Mandir and the state emporiums there.

This parking lot will accommodate 1,408 cars.

The two multi-level parking lots, at Sarojini Nagar and Baba Kharag Singh Marg, were to be completed by Commonwealth Games 2010 but due to delays in getting clearances, the work could not be completed.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/SN-market-to-get-swanky-parking-lot-boost-from-July/Article1-701600.aspx

Farmhouses face threat of sealing

2011-05-24T08:31:00.003-07:00

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

In the middle of the wedding season, a number of farmhouses in Delhi — that are popular venues for hosting parties — are about to be sealed. Delhi traffic police, with the consent of the state government, wants to seal farmhouses and motels that violate guidelines and cause inconvenience to motorists during wedding functions and other social gatherings.

According to guidelines, every farmhouse or motel rented out for a wedding ceremony or other social occasions, has to be built on at least 2.5 acres of land, of which minimum one acre is to be kept for parking vehicles.

Besides, these places have to be connected with the main road through a 60 ft approach road. No vehicle is allowed to be parked on the road, during any occasion.

"This year, we have identified 12 farmhouses and nine motels which violated conditions laid down in licences to hold social functions. We have sent the list to the commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), asking to either seal them or take immediate legal action against them," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Many farmhouses, owners of which rent them out for organising weddings or other social functions, without permission or no objection certificate of Delhi traffic police, have been identified.

A number of them were identified for parking vehicles on main or service roads, causing obstruction in traffic movement.

Nine of them are situated in the western range, while three are in the southern range, said the traffic police.

A list of nine motels indicated that all of them violated norms by parking vehicles on main road/service road, causing obstruction to traffic.

Of them, four are from western range and five from southern range.

"We have requested the additional commissioner of police (licencing) to cancel licences of these farmhouses and motels," said a traffic police officer.

Garg said the traffic department would deploy additional forces near farmhouses and motels during marriage seasons to keep an eye on them and zero in on violators.

"Traffic police, armed with video and still digital cameras, will be posted to take video footage and still images of the location where violations take place," he added.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Farmhouses-face-threat-of-sealing/Article1-701174.aspx

Automated underground parking to ease traffic woes for shoppers

2011-05-24T08:31:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Shoppers driving into the traffic clutter of GK-I, South Extension and Lajpat Nagar can soon forget about parking woes. No more shifting gears to slip into a narrow lane or haggling with parking attendants for space in the chaos.

Now, you can just zoom down under - literally. An automated multi-level underground car parking will be built at all the three markets to ease the traffic pressure. The blueprint is ready and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has already received the financial bid for the Lajpat Nagar parking lot. This will soon get the nod from the finance department.

At GK-I M Block and South Extension, the civic agency has also awarded the contract. Construction work will start in the next four-five months, said MCD officials.

"We have received the financial bids for Lajpat Nagar. In a day or two, we will be sending the bid to the finance department. Parking in these three prominent markets is a huge problem. Multilevel parking will not only solve the problem, but also ease traffic flow in neighbouring areas. Shoppers often park their cars in residential areas next to the markets,'' said a senior MCD official.

The projects include a nine-storeyed commercial complex with a seven-storeyed automated parking complex under the ground. "The two storeys above the ground will be used for commercial purpose. We want to keep the parking charges nominal. The companies can use the floors above the ground for commercial activity,'' said an MCD official. These parking lots will be machine-operated and car owners will be given a token after they park their vehicles near the lift. The car will be automatically parked in the empty space in the lot. A similar parking is under construction at Kamla Nagar market.

At Lajpat Nagar, the multilevel parking will be constructed at a cost of Rs 85 crore. It will come up near Lajpat Nagar police station and will have space for nearly 500 cars. At present, the area near the Lajpat Nagar market is choc-a-block with cars. "The peak load requirement of the market area is 2,600 cars. At any point of time, there are nearly 2000 cars parked in the area, including 700-odd cars of shopkeepers. The ideal parking space (single-lane parking) is of 1,200 cars. But with more cars crammed in the area, traffic movement is slow and triggers jams,'' said a senior traffic official. Sometime back, the traffic police had made vehicular movement one-way, but still there are massive traffic jams during weekends. "A multilevel car parking will solve the parking problems,'' he said.

Parking lots will be given to private construction companies on Built-Operate-Transfer basis for 35 years. And this includes the construction time. "This will ensure that the facilities are ready at the earliest, as the companies would like to begin operations soon," said Jagdish Mamgain, chairman, works committee, MCD.

MCD officials said the agency will be earning revenue of Rs 70 crore from the South Extension parking and close to Rs 17 crore from GK-I M block parking. The entire cost of construction will be borne by the private companies.

For GK-I and South Extension I &II, the civic agency has already awarded contracts to DSC Limited and Consolidated Construction Consortium Limited. "We are yet to sign the agreement with the company for GK-I parking, but for South Extension, the work has begun. The company is working on the blueprint and traffic plan, and will soon take the necessary approval from different agencies. The work is likely to begin in next four to five months,'' said Mamgain. As for approval from agencies like UTTIPEC and the environment department, MCD officials say it shouldn't be a problem. The Master Plan of Delhi 2021 has provision for underground car parking a these sites.

At South Extension, parking will be constructed at three sites. "In South Ex-II, there is a sub-station right in the middle of the parking space, so we decided to construct two multilevel underground parking lots with capacity to park 500 and 550 cars. In total, South Ex will have parking space for 1600 cars,'' said an MCD official. Similarly, at GK-I, two separate parkings will be constructed at the site of the existing lot.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Automated-underground-car-parking-to-ease-traffic-woes-in-3-Delhi-markets/articleshow/8540635.cms

Traders, residents support Metro's 'monumental' line

2011-05-24T08:30:00.001-07:00

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Delhi Metro's proposed line running through the Walled City area received unanimous support on Friday from the traders and residents, who also emphasised the need to integrate better parking facilities near the stations. The representatives aired their views and came up with a number of suggestions for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) at a meeting of the stakeholders.

Vijay Singh, who has been designated as the competent authority under the amended Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Act, had called a meeting to discuss the Central Secretariat–Janpath–Mandi House–ITO–Delhi Gate–Jama Masjid–Red Fort–Kashmere Gate line of phase III.

The proposed alignment runs within a distance of 300 metres of a number of protected heritage sites, including the Red Fort and Delhi Gate. At a few places it runs less than 100 metres away from the monuments. An amendment in the ASI Act in March 2010 bans any construction within 100 metres in all directions of a protected heritage site, one of the primary reasons that prompted the meeting.

After a presentation, DMRC's deputy chief engineer Saleem Ahmad said, "Apart from giving the much-needed connectivity, we are hopeful that our new line will give the residents of the area and the visitors to heritage monuments clean surroundings and more green spaces."

Suggestions and questions started pouring in immediately even as every single speaker supported the Metro line. Tariq Bukhari from the historic Jama Masjid, suggested to integrate space for cycle rickshaws while planning the station there.

VM Mehta, president of the Old Lajpat Rai Market Association, asked if the digging up for the Red Fort station would eat into the upcoming surface car parking at the market? Informing about the ongoing court case with the authorities in connection with a parking plan for Tikona Park and Subhash Park, Pankaj Bhatnagar from Daryaganj said they should be involved while planning anything for that place.

Vijay Rustagi, president of the Daryaganj RWA, said, "If the new alignment is in the public interest and if the safety of the monuments is assured, there should be no harm in Metro coming here."

Renu Gupta, chairperson of the MCD's city zone, too expressed her support for the line. Apart from Gupta, conspicuous by their absence were women from the area.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Traders-residents-support-Metro-s-monumental-line/Article1-700053.aspx

MCD making stilt parking provision mandatory for big plots

2011-05-22T08:22:00.003-07:00

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Residents of the national capital will now have to keep a provision for developing parking space at ground level for getting sanction of building plans on plots measuring more than 100 square metres. Following a direction from the Lt Governor, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has issued a circular in this regard. According to it, keeping provision of stilt parking (ground level parking) has been made mandatory for residential plots of more than 100 sq metres and up to 1000 sq metres.Without this, the building plans will not be sanctioned. The sizes of the plot will determine the parking space that has to be created. For a plot measuring 100 square metres, two equivalent car spaces will have to be developed. Owners will have to comply and submit an affidavit to this effect, officials said. There is also a proposal to make the owners deposit a specified sum in a bank as a guarantee, to ensure that they do not cover the designated parking space after getting the building plan cleared.

Original news source http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/mcd-making-stilt-parking-provision-mandatory-for-big-plots/693772.html

Kalkaji to get underground multi-level parking facility in a year

2011-05-22T08:22:00.001-07:00

Thursday, May 19, 2011

After a delay of nearly three years, Kalkaji in South Delhi is finally set to get a new underground parking lot that will be able to accommodate 376 cars. According to MCD officials, the parking system will be built on the lines of Palika Parking, managed by the New Delhi Municipal Council, in Connaught Place.

It will come up behind Deshbandhu College near Krishna Market on Main Kalkaji Road as part of the MCD's project to set up 22 parking sites across the Capital. There will be three parking levels, and the ground level will be developed into a green area. To be constructed at a cost of Rs 40 crore, the plot will be spread over 7,073.24 square metres.

For the last three years the project had been halted due to a delay in issuing tenders. It was finally issued in January 2010. But work was delayed again, after the MCD encountered problems over removing high-tension cables overhead. An MCD official said work has been stopped at present due to re-planting of trees. "It will take about a year to complete the project after work is taken up in a month or two," he said.

Work has been taken up on 13 of the 22 parking sites that have been identified, but work is going on at a snail's place even there. The Kalkaji project would be the fourteenth project to be taken up. Though work at four of the 13 sites — Parade Ground, Hauz Khas, Munirka and Model Town — were supposed to be completed by June, the completion deadline has now been extended to next year.

Parking lots are supposed to come up in Kalkaji, Shiva Market (Pitampura), Bhogal, Hauz Rani, Krishna Market near Preet Vihar, Rajouri Garden, Subhash Nagar, Q Block Pitampura, PVR Vasant Lok,PVR Saket, Malviya Nagar, Mohammad Pur near Bhikaji Cama Place, Janakpuri, Bhadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Friend's Colony, Ashok Vihar, Kailash Colony, Krishna Nagar, Hauz Khas, Munirka and Model Town II.

Two of the 22 projects — to be taken up at Mahavir Vatika in Gandhi Nagar and Ajmal Khan Road — have been dropped. "Work is going on at a very slow pace. Though it had announced in 2003 that 16 automated multi-level parking lots will come up in various parts of the city, it has started only at Kamla Nagar near Delhi University so far," said an MCD official.

Though the MCD was supposed to have constructed two parking lots in Karol Bagh and Paharganj before the Games, the projects were put on hold as the MCD was "not happy" with the quality of work. "Of the 245 surface parking sites in the city, 180 are still awaiting approval from the Traffic Police,'' an official said.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kalkaji-to-get-underground-multilevel-parking-facility-in-a-year/792825/0

Digicam is Delhi traffic police's new 'best friend'

2011-05-22T08:21:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

After chase-and-challan, Delhi traffic police have adopted click-and-challan method to reduce traffic norm violations. Armed with digital video cameras, traffic policemen will soon be seen at all important intersections across the Capital — they will click pictures of traffic violators and then send notices to them with photographic evidence.

The traffic department had introduced the camera operated violation detection system at select intersections of central and southern range about a month ago on trial basis.

"We had introduced only 20 cameraman police to man some intersections in the two ranges a month ago and have already issued over 5,000 notices based on camera operated violation detection system. We will now expand the system in all the five ranges," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

The police are also identifying violation and accident-prone intersections in eastern, northern and western ranges.

"We have 200 odd digital cameras with us. Gradually we will introduce most of these cameras at intersections especially to curb the trend of stop line violation and driving on wrong carriageway. Besides, their presence would help us manage traffic during rallies, processions and also VIP movements. Managing traffic during morning and evening peak hours will also be easier," said Garg.

This process, believe traffic police, would help generating awareness about the presence of police's 'third eye' before the Intelligent Traffic System comes in place.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Digicam-is-Delhi-traffic-police-s-new-best-friend/Article1-699246.aspx

Drive Drunk and Land in Jail in Delhi

2011-04-23T13:57:00.001-07:00

Thursday, April 21, 2011

In a drive to control the menace of drunk driving, the Delhi Police has swung into action and started enforcing the relatively new law which is prevalent in a majority of other civilised nations and has jailed over a thousand people for drunk driving and suspended licenses of over 800 during the current year, sending out a clear warning to DUI drivers to mend their ways or else..

'With most of the drunk driving cases resulting in imprisonment besides license suspension and payment of fine, better sense is expected from the people of Delhi,' Joint Commissioner of Delhi Traffic Police Satyendra Garg told reporters on Saturday after over 300 people were arrested in three hours. 'Continuing our efforts to rein in drunk driving, we had simultaneous checking at 50 locations and got 307 prosecutions in three hours,' Garg told reporters. Out of these, 195 were arrested for drunk driving.

Drunken driving is a non-compoundable offence with those caught sent directly to the court which determines the punishment. According to police, the vehicle is impounded when there is nobody else other than the drunk driver to drive it safely to its location. Driving license is required for handing over the vehicle and the person must not have consumed liquor. The violator is not allowed to drive a vehicle once he is detected to have consumed liquor beyond permissible limits.

Delhi Police is actively campaigning against drunk driving on various forums, including social websites like Facebook. A message posted by Garg on Delhi Traffic Police's Facebook page Friday read: 'The other day a friend of mine surprised me with the revelation that I owed him Rs.10,000. Totally clueless, I asked him to elaborate and he said the other day he had a few drinks in a 5-star hotel and then realised he risked being caught with possibility of DL and jail term. He decided to hire a room and spend a sum which he thought we cost him.'

Over 5,000 people have been challaned (ticketed)in Delhi this year on charges of drunk driving with 831 landing in jail. According to Delhi police stats, there has been a 250% rise in prosecution in the first three months this year compared to the same period last year-5,017 prosecutions compared to 1,927 till March end in 2010.

"There are a large number of cases of drunk drivers ramming their vehicles into the central verge, poles or trees and killing themselves. There have been cases of the combination of speed and drunk driving."

The law was made strict in September last year as it recognized that driving under the influence of alcohol poses a serious danger to others on the road as well as to co-passengers and the driver. The maximum punishment now is a 6-month jail term plus a fine of Rs 2,000 for the first offence; second offence lands you in jail for up to two-years with a fine of Rs 3,000 ($70).

The police hope that imprisonment for drunker driving will be a big deterrent. ``We are not taking it casually and we hope people won't take it casually either,`` says Garg. ``Many of the fatal accidents are a result of drunken driving but intensive checking this year has reduced these accidents by 51%,`` according to a news headline report by the national daily, TOI yesterday.

An alcohol level in the blood of more than 0.03 gms of alcohol constitutes drunken driving in most countries, though the earlier liberal standard of 0.08 gms is still prevalent in some countries. Usually, imprisonment can be awarded to anyone found with more than 0.03gm of alcohol but is usually awarded to those registering over 0.1gms.'It`s the court's assessment but most given jail terms of 10 days or more had consumed more than 0.15 gms,' according to a traffic officer who added that people often don't realize that they are driving after drinking too much. 'Many people we have caught have claimed that they were returning from an office party or family celebration and didn't realize that one drink can land them in such trouble,' he added.

DelWine and Indian Wine Academy are avid supporters of the law. DUI (Driving Under Influence) is considered a major offence elsewhere and it is time the drunk drivers get their due punishment. Strict enforcement of the law will act as a deterrent and will keep the drunk drivers under check. Cities like Mumbai apparently already enforce the law which is a state subject. One hopes other states will follow suit. Delhi Police deserves kudos and the gratitude of citizens of Delhi and one hopes it is not a mere drive but becomes a permanent practice.

It is our understanding that up to 2 glasses of wine consumed slowly with food, keeps you under the legal limits and perfectly safe and alert for driving. If you drink more, please choose a Designated Driver, hire a cab or a driver for the evening out

Original news source http://www.indianwineacademy.com/item_5_447.aspx

HC slams police panel over contract for hydraulic cranes

2011-04-23T13:56:00.001-07:00

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Delhi High Court flayed the Delhi Police (Traffic) Purchase Committee on Wednesday, describing it as a "committee full of blind people". It made the observation while deciding on a tender for 30 hydraulic cranes, meant for towing luxury cars and SUVs. Besides pulling up the members of the panel, which comprised senior police officers from the Traffic department, it also said the task of floating tenders should be given to people with the required expertise. "This is why technical experts should be there in a committee, and police officers should concentrate on the task of maintaining law and order in the city instead. The outcome is there for anybody to see what happens when policemen go into purchases that involve technical acumen. It certainly has something to do with different minds," a Bench of Justices S K Kaul and Rajiv Shakdher said.

Having "lost confidence" in the committee, the Bench asked the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to appoint an independent auditor to look into the matter. It also directed Commissioner of Police B K Gupta to probe and ensure that "no other petitioner is faced with such a Purchase Committee".

The matter concerned a tender floated by the Delhi Police Purchase Committee in August 2010 for hiring 56 small towing cranes and 40 big hydraulic towing cranes for lifting luxury cars and SUVs. A person called Rajesh Saini was found qualified, and the price bids were opened for hiring 30 cranes. The prices were also negotiated by the committee and it was brought down to Rs 4,750 per day per crane in November 2010. Though unsuccessful bidders filed a writ in the court against Saini, they were dismissed in December 2010, settling all controversies relating to the tender.

However, the committee did not issue the appointment letter for the tender to Saini and, in February, informed him that they wanted to give the contract a second thought — apparently because the cranes offered by Saini were too small.

Saini then filed a writ through advocate P S Bindra, terming the police officers' decision as arbitrary.

Taking it up for the first time on March 18, the Bench summoned the committee's head, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ajay Chaddha, and asked him for an explanation.

Though the counsel for the committee tried to convince the court that Saini's rates were inflated and required re-consideration, the Bench stated that the committee had "displayed gross incompetence". It was "horrendous" that they sent the matter for technical review only after negotiating and re-negotiating the prices, it added.

The Bench said though the exercise of floating tenders was to ensure transparency, the present instance had hardly served its purpose. "It was complete non-application of mind as the technical aspects should have been taken into account at the initial stage. One gets the impression that the committee did not know what it was doing," it observed.

The Bench then asked the Police Commissioner to probe the matter, and submit an action-taken report by the next date of hearing in May.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hc-slams-police-panel-over-contract-for-hydraulic-cranes/779027/0

The way ahead: Computerisation

2011-04-23T13:55:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

To keep a tab on the parking mafia which has been fleecing people, the civic authorities are mulling issuing computerised receipts through the handheld machines and putting up paying meters. The Delhi government has already started work in Lajpat Nagar market where paying meters will be set up to eliminate the need of parking attendants. Use of parking meters will also help in doing away with basic problems such as overcharging and parking more vehicles than the authorised limit.

MCD officials say if the experiment is successful they will implement it in their 293-odd parking lots.

"The maximum complaints that we get from motorists is related to overcharging and to address this problem we do want to start using the handheld machines so that parking attendants are not able to charge money at their own will. The Delhi government is working on such a project and after reviewing it we might also implement it depending on its feasibility," said a senior MCD official.

Tampering with the parking receipt is another major problem through which parking contractors overcharge people. To ensure this does not take place, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is in the process of starting a new system under which smart cards on the lines of Metro Smart cards will be issued to motorists to park their vehicles in Palika Parking. These smart cards can be recharged according to the requirements from single time parking to a monthly pass basis.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/The-way-ahead-Computerisation/Article1-687329.aspx

The way ahead: Computerisation

2011-04-23T01:00:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The MCD has decided to hand over the parking sites over Khushak and Sunheri canal, built by it before the Commonwealth Games, to the Delhi government for a total annual revenue of Rs 16.8 crore.

The sites, constructed after covering the two nallahs, will be given to the Transport Department, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi said in a press statement.

The total annual revenue payable by the Transport Department to MCD for Kushak Nallah site (on southern side of Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium) and Sunheri Nallah site (from CGO culvert to Lala Lajpat Rai Marg) will Rs 16.82 crore.

"The annual revenue payable in respect of parking site at Kushak Nallah covering an area of 57000 sq m is Rs 9.58 crore.

The revenue payable in respect of Sunhari Nallah covering an area of 43000 sq m is Rs 7.24 crore," it said.

The term of allotment shall be nine years subject to renewal on year to year basis, with an enhancement in the fee, depending in the whole-sale price index. The annual revenue shall be payable by the Transport Department in advance for each year of lease. Initially, the Transport Department will pay to the MCD an annual revenue for the parking sites at the rate of Rs 140.04 per square feet per month.

"The land of the parking sites will remain the property of the MCD and the Transport Department will not claim any right, title, or interest," the civic body said.

MCD has asked the Transport Department to deposit the advance annual revenue of Rs 16.82 crore within 10 days from today to enable it to proceed further for formal allotment of parking sites.

Original news source http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5129107

MCD too broke to fix roads, monsoon will be jam season

2011-04-19T12:52:00.001-07:00

Monday, April 18, 2011

Sunday's short spell of rain gave Delhiites a good reason to cheer but the coming monsoon won't be that cheerful — especially for commuters. If last year's monsoon was a bad experience for commuters, it's going to be worse this time. The Delhi Traffic Police have identified 339 roads in the city, which if not fixed before the monsoon, can create havoc for motorists and those who use two-wheelers and auto-rikshaws. Of the 339 roads identified as bad, 164 are under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD's) jurisdiction, 103 are managed by the Public Works Department (PWD) and 48 are in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area.

The roads marked as bad include Janpath, Ring Road, Savitri Flyover, East of Kailash, Adchini to Malviya Nagar, Hauz Khas Market, Minto Bridge, Kali Bari Marg, RK Ashram Marg and Daryanganj Road. Although most of the roads are in the MCD zone, the civic body may not be able to fix them soon because of a severe cash crunch.

The MCD is yet to pay Rs 250 crore to contractors who handled road projects in the past. The civic body was forced to dump several projects after contractors abandoned work in January.

"We have got a copy of the list (from the traffic police) and will try to finish the work before monsoons. Some stretches need construction of drains. We have asked the Delhi government for funds. We are trying to increase our revenue through property tax payment," said Yogender Chandolia, chairman, MCD's standing committee.

"We have prepared a list of roads where waterlogging can happen because of bad road condition and poor drainage. The civic agencies and departments have been asked to fix the problem," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic). The MCD had last September identified 450 points that needed repair before the monsoon but work on many of these stretches is still on.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/MCD-too-broke-to-fix-roads-monsoon-will-be-jam-season/Article1-686553.aspx

Licence scam in DTC: Vigilance probe ordered

2011-04-16T14:47:00.003-07:00

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

After criticism from the traffic police for the increasing number of accidents by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, the corporation is facing heat from within its ranks. Instances of licences that didn't sustain verification have now prompted the DTC to set up an internal vigilance inquiry into licences submitted by over 2,000 drivers. While the inquiry report is still awaited, sources said that initial findings have shown that some of the licences submitted were fakes.

Top sources in the transport department said that the matter came to light some months ago during a routine verification. The official said, "The details submitted (by one of the drivers) showed that the licence had been issued from the state licensing authority in Manipur. But the man had no knowledge of the state. So the issuing authority was contacted for verification, and it was found that no such licence had been issued to the driver." After this incident, several other "suspicious" licences were sent for verification. Sources in the DTC confirmed that one such licence issued from Bulandshahr has already been found to be false. The official added, "The licences which are being verified were issued not only from Manipur and Nagaland but also from the neighbouring states of Haryana, UP and Rajasthan."

Interestingly, a large number of the cases that have come under cloud are of drivers who were recruited through the Delhi State Subordinate Services Board (DSSSB). The recruitment exam for the DSSSB had taken place in 2009 but results were only announced late last year. DTC officials claimed, however, that only a part of the licences being verified were of drivers recruited through the DSSSB. A government official added, "The board doesn't verify the licences from the issuing authority but only tests the skills of the applicant." Sources, however, say that this is the first time that such a large-scale verification of licences has been carried out, especially of those coming in through the board. "It's a serious matter, and we are hoping to weed out the culprits soon," added the official.

Not surprisingly, officially, the department says the verification is a "routine" drive. The official said, "Licences of almost 2,000 drivers are being verified on a routine basis." Sources though claim that the internal vigilance report will be coming in shortly, and that action was expected to be taken as soon as the findings were made available. Meanwhile, the inquiry has put a hiatus on current recruitment in the DTC, admitted officials.

Original news source http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-13/delhi/29413169_1_licence-scam-dtc-officials-delhi-transport-corporation

Metro feeder bus owners cry foul over Gramin Sewa autos

2011-04-16T14:47:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

After the nine-seater Gramin Seva autos faced flak for plying without driving licenses, overcrowding and dangerous driving, the new complaint against them is plying on routes not assigned to them. The transport department had chalked out 66 routes on which the 5,060 permitted autos can ply. However, complaints poured in from West Enclave in Rani Bagh where these autos were seen plying between Rani Bagh and Britannia Chowk even though no Gramin Sewa Autos have been assigned this route.

Delhi Traffic Police received a complaint from drivers of DMRC feeder buses in the area on Monday evening that several of these Gramin Sewa Autos were plying unchecked in the area, thus taking away commuters the feeder buses cater to. "We deployed traffic personnel to check these claims and found eight such Gramin Sewa Autos plying in the area which have been booked for RC and permit violation and dangerous driving. Four more such autos were impounded on Tuesday morning, but it appears that word had spread following the prosecutions as no more such autos were seen in the area afterwards. If we receive similar complaints from other areas we will certainly take action immediately," said joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg.

Bijan Mukherjee, one of the complainants to the DTP in this regard, said, "We noted the number plates of 44 such autos that were plying on this route and presented them to the traffic cops. We had earlier approached senior traffic cops of our area who had claimed that these Gramin Sewa autos had applied for plying in this route to the transport department and the court, so they were not sure whether to prosecute them. We then decided to approach other senior officers. We will protest at Rohini court on Wednesday, when the auto drivers are supposed to appear in front of the court, as this route is strictly assigned to metro feeder buses. Last month, 70 such Gramin Sewa autos were made to leave the route between Shadipur and Inderpuri by traffic cops. Similar action should have been taken in our area but was not done."

The Sewa was aimed to cater to rural areas where the reach of DTC buses is limited. Accordingly, 66 such routes were chalked out by the transport department in the first week of March and each auto allotted a route. However, with the route assigned to the auto not displayed in the vehicle, it becomes difficult to check for route violations. "A system needs to be in place like the Blueline buses where the route assigned to the auto is displayed prominently. The transport department has uploaded the route numbers assigned to autos, but it is difficult to check route violations in this manner. We were not consulted regarding assigning of routes and the criterion for it," explained a senior traffic police officer.

Original news source http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-13/delhi/29413086_1_gramin-seva-auto-drivers-feeder-buses

Survey to rationalize bus routes

2011-04-16T14:46:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

If you've been complaining about buses not being available on your route, get online. The Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) is conducting a survey on rationalization of the existing bus routes. The survey, which started on Monday, asks for public opinion on where buses should go, and will try to quantify the frequency of traffic on current routes while identifying new ones.

The survey, for which the transport department of the Delhi government had given the go-ahead some months ago, can be filled not only on the transport department website but also on the DIMTS website (www.dimts.in). The form is a simple questionnaire and asks for modes of travel used by people on the bus routes, including walk trips, as well as the cost of the travel. It also asks for suggestions for improvement along with the frequency of change of buses to reach a destination.

Officials in the transport department admitted that the survey comes after several complaints about a lack of balance in bus routes in the current schedule. According to officials, once the survey has been completed, the findings will be compiled and used to rationalize the existing routes. The rationalization will also focus on the recent alternative modes of transport that have become available, and will do away with the archaic routes. "For instance, routes with Metro corridors will have fewer buses running on them," said the official. At present, the routes are based on manual estimation of bus ridership. However, with an operations control and a data centre coming up soon, all records will be automated and estimates made afresh.

Added a transport official, "The DMRC has also written to the state government to rationalize bus routes where the Metro has its network. We are working on it, and may limit the number of buses in certain routes where the Metro runs," he added. Also in the plans to revamp the transport system is a common ticketing system for Metro and DTC bus services. However, this is expected to take some time.

The survey, which will identify bus travel patterns and revamp the public transport system, will aim to minimize travel time for commuters, make travel seamless with easier changeovers of buses and properly timed frequency of buses. The survey format will register preferred travel patterns as well as the convenience of operators, so that rationalization of the routes can be effected. Once the study is completed, experts will look at the available number of DTC buses under the new cluster scheme and place them accordingly. Officials said currently, there are 650 bus routes, of which, only around 300 are operational. The rest were suspended as they were not feasible.

Original news source http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-12/delhi/29409445_1_bus-routes-dtc-transport-system

DTC buses turning into new 'killers'

2011-04-15T14:23:00.001-07:00

Sunday, April 10, 2011

The Delhi-government run buses appear to be turning the 'killer Blueline' way registering almost double the number of fatal accidents in the first three months of this year compared to the same period last year.

According to Delhi Police statistics, 21 fatal accidents were reported by Delhi Transport Corporation buses this year till March 31 as against 11 during the corresponding period last year.

"This makes a sharp increase in fatal accidents by DTC buses. People have been raising serious concerns about how dangerously the DTC buses ply on the road and the same is reflected in fatalities caused by these vehicles," Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (Traffic), said.

He pointed out that the strength of DTC buses has gone up but did not feel that it would alone account for the sharp increase in accidents. "Surely the way the DTC buses are being driven leaves much to be desired," he said.

To check the menace, he said, traffic police have prosecuted these vehicles whenever grave violations "come to our notice".

"As against 454 prosecutions in first three month last year, there has been a quantum jump of prosecutions this year to touch 1,799, which is nearly four times than last year," he said.

Police have also impounded 234 DTC buses when violations were serious. Last year, the number of buses impounded were 39 in the same period.

"All these measures and sensitizeing senior officers of DTC about the ground situation, it is hoped, will lead to better situation during the rest of the year. People rightly expect government-owned DTC buses to be model for public transport," he said.

He also pointed out that another menace on the road was the Gramin Sewa autos meant to cater to rural areas.

"These vehicles are flouting all rules of road discipline and beside extreme overcrowding these are menace to safety and traffic flow as well. We are prosecuting them vigorously despite people sometime accusing traffic police of patronising these vehicles.

"I am not denying corrupt traffic police personnel maybe taking money from them but let me mention the prosecutions in last month or so have been 2,961 including 296 cases of impounding," Garg said.

Garg said that when he interacted with presiding magistrates of traffic courts they told him that despite overloading by the Gramin Sewa autos, the officials do not charge them with permit violation.

Original news source http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-10/delhi/29402866_1_dtc-buses-traffic-police-blueline

HC stays Khan Market parking fee plan

2011-04-15T07:01:00.001-07:00

Saturday, April 09, 2011

The Delhi high court on Friday granted a stay on the New Delhi Municipal Council's (NDMC) decision to levy a vehicle parking fee in Khan Market.

Justice S Muralidhar suspended the council's decision, which was to be implemented from next week, on a plea by Khan Market traders.

During the hearing on the traders' plea, the court was surprised to be informed that NDMC has decided to charge for parking on the basis of an instruction from Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA). The EPCA had advised that this will reduce pollution, according to NDMC. The traders wondered what the co-relation between parking fee and pollution was and assailed the decision on this ground, saying the market had till now been held as an example to be followed as far as free parking was concerned.

Arguing for the traders, counsel Sanjiv Sachdeva alleged that "the NDMC's decision is discriminatory as there are various areas in the NDMC zones where free parking is still permitted".

"The market complex is visited by high-profile clientele comprising diplomats, politicians, judges, high government officials and, as a result, the market is under constant scrutiny with regard to the facility and amenities available," the traders added, protesting against the parking fee move.

HC's attention was also drawn to the fact that till now there is no parking mafia in the upscale market but NDMC's attempt to charge for parking might lead to a mafia mushrooming in the area.

Parking at the market has been free for the past 60 years. The tender for the paid parking has been awarded to a private company. In the petition, the traders also sought an order to quash the civic agency's step awarding the tender to a private company to run the paid parking system.

Original news source http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-09/delhi/29400513_1_parking-fee-free-parking-parking-mafia

Driving decorum: Saif to educate motorists

2011-04-08T03:17:00.001-07:00

Friday, April 08, 2011

If you want to win some words of praise by none other than Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan, this is just the right time. All that you need to do is follow traffic rules while driving on city roads. On Monday, Saif will educate people about dos and don'ts on the road at Central Delhi. All those who follow traffic norms will receive a card of appreciation from the star himself and may also get a chance to get his/her photograph clicked with the star. The violators, however, would get a lesson from him on importance of following road rules. Saif will be accompanied by a group of traffic police officials on Monday.

"The card will be autographed by Saif Ali Khan himself," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

According to officials, the star, who has been shooting in Delhi for his forthcoming film Agent Vinod, appreciated the efforts of Delhi Traffic Police to improve traffic management. "He has accepted our proposal to educate motorists," said a senior officer of the traffic department.

Involvement of celebrities in the mission helps a lot. "People, especially the youngsters, tend to make celebrities their role models. It has a huge impact on the youngsters who often violate traffic norms," said Garg.

Recently, when the cricket World Cup fever had gripped the city, traffic department brought legendary players of yesteryears like Kapil Dev, Bishen Singh Bedi, Kirti Azad to educate the people.

However, Saif will be there in Central Delhi on Monday sometime during noon. Traffic police, however, would decide the locations on Monday itself after observing traffic situation.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Driving-decorum-Saif-to-educate-motorists/Article1-682551.aspx

Delhi may soon levy congestion fee on vehicles

2011-04-08T03:16:00.003-07:00

Friday, April 08, 2011

Delhi may soon become the first city in the country to levy congestion charges on vehicles following the recommendation of a special team constituted by the Delhi High Court to address the capital's growing traffic woes. Delhi has almost 70 lakh vehicles, which is more than what the other three metros together have.

Plus, there are 11 lakh vehicles entering the capital everyday from adjoining towns, slowing average speed on its roads to a crawling 12 kmph. The best way to deal with it is to slap a traffic congestion fee on vehicles that will encourage people to use public transport, feels the high-power special task force, constituted by the high court to minimise congestion, reduce pollution and ensure equitable access to all classes of vehicles.

"There is congestion and we are looking at various things to reduce it," Delhi's Principal Secretary and Transport Commissioner RK Verma told ET. "We are studying in detail the plans for congestion charges which are at a conceptual stage," he added. Government officials said that the special team has proposed different options to introduce the congestion charges in the city based on the principle of "those who congest must pay".

Among the options being looked at include targeting the large number of outstation vehicles entering the city with entry charges and levying entry fees and increasing parking charges at central business districts such as Connaught Place, Lajpat Nagar and Karol Bagh. The congestion charge will minimise use of personal transport in favour of public transport systems like metro, buses, rail and BRT which despite rapid expansions in the recent past has failed to curb growth of private cars, which consume one-tenth of Delhi's space for parking.

By imposing congestion charges, Delhi will join the league of modern cities like London, Beijing and Singapore that have imposed heavy congestion charges during peak hours, high road tax and restricting registration of new vehicles to discourage private vehicles. In London, motorists pay £10 daily to travels to central city between 7am and 6 pm. Cities such as Pune, Mumbai and Bangalore too are expected to impose congestion charges on vehicles soon. The Delhi government has already implemented a multipronged strategy to deal with traffic blues including developing public transport systems such as metro rail and modern bus transport system and increasing registration and taxation of personal vehicles significantly last year.

Experts, however, believe that the implementation of the congestion charge will be hampered by lack of technical expertise like a comprehensive electronic data of all vehicle and computerised levy collections. "We lack the technical means to collect fee and other charges from personal motorised transport," said Madhu Kiswar of Manushi Sangathan, a Delhi-based NGO working in mobility. "The growing numbers of private vehicle are difficult to manage and adding to it massive government-owned vehicle in the Capital will further burden any such system."

Traffic Rules

Congestion charge will minimise use of personal transport in favour of public transport systems like Metro , buses, rail and BRT .

A special team has proposed different options to introduce the congestion charges in the city based on the principle of "those who congest must pay" .

By imposing congestion charges, Delhi will join the league of modern cities such as London, Beijing and Singapore.

Original news source http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/delhi-may-soon-levy-congestion-fee-on-vehicles/articleshow/7910585.cms

Parking: Khan Market traders move HC

2011-04-08T03:16:00.001-07:00

Friday, April 08, 2011

Traders from Khan Market in the capital have approached the Delhi High Court challenging the New Delhi Municipal Council's decision to charge money for parking vehicles at the market from next week.

Justice S Muralidhar, before whom the petition came up for hearing on Thursday, posted the matter for Friday while directing the counsel for NDMC to seek instructions from the department on the issue.

Filing a petition through counsel Sanjiv Sachdeva, the Khan Market traders' association has questioned the logic behind NDMC's move, arguing that "the NDMC's decision is discriminatory as there are various areas in the NDMC zones where free parking is still permitted."

"The market complex is visited by high-profile clients including diplomats, politicians, judges, high government officials, and because of this the market is under constant scrutiny with regard to facilities and amenities available with the market," the traders said, protesting the move to introduce parking fee.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Taking-picture-of-vehicle-must-before-towing/articleshow/7895494.cms

Taking picture of vehicle must before towing

2011-04-06T22:13:00.001-07:00

Thursday, April 07, 2011

After getting many complaints against cops demanding bribes with threats of towing away vehicles , Delhi Traffic Police have asked all contractors who provide cranes to the department to come equipped with a digital camera.

"Starting Friday, it will become mandatory for traffic personnel to take a picture of the vehicle errantly parked before attempting to tow it away. Towing a vehicle without taking a picture will be illegal. This will not just ensure that no bribes are taken by the traffic cops, but also help in keeping proof of the errant vehicle, if required," explained joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg.

In a new order issued to the dozen-odd private contractors who supply the 58 cranes to Delhi Traffic Police, both the contractor as well as the traffic personnel will become liable if they attempt to tow a vehicle without taking a picture of the vehicle first. Each of the contractors signed the new contract on Monday.

"It has been found that traffic constables demand bribe in exchange of not towing away an errantly parked vehicle or threaten to tow away a vehicle if not given a bribe even if the vehicle is not flouting any norms. The new order should be able to curb the problem," explained a senior traffic police officer.

The move comes after a traffic constable Sukhram, posted in East of Kailash area, was caught red-handed taking a bribe after a Facebook user tipped off senior traffic officials of the incident.

The traffic cop was spotted taking a bribe from a building contractor to stop the towing of a cement mixer in East of Kailash by a citizen who posted the same on the Delhi Traffic Police Facebook page. The corrupt cop was caught red-handed with the bribe of Rs 1000. Cops said the bribe had been recovered and departmental action has been initiated against the corrupt cop and two of his superiors. "While Sukhram was placed under suspension, action was initiated action against the ZO and TI for allowing cement mixers to be there during no-entry timings and not ensuring that cranes work for the right purpose ," explained JCP Garg.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Taking-picture-of-vehicle-must-before-towing/articleshow/7895494.cms

Rlys seek MCD help to decongest station

2011-04-05T22:29:00.003-07:00

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

To Decongest the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, the Railways have been trying to come up with a new entry point at the Sarai Kale Khan end. However, a parking lot run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi is standing in the way.

In order to put its plan into action, the Railways have proposed that the MCD shift its parking lot to a nearby area, which is currently lying unutilised.

The entry from the ISBT side caters to approximately 50 per cent of the passengers coming to the station. To facilitate easy movement, the Railways are planning an additional platform, which will directly lead into the station premises.

Following an inspection of the Sarai Kale Khan entry of the Nizamuddin Railway Station along with MCD

Commissioner K S Mehra, Engineer-in-Chief Ravi Dass and Transport department Additional Commissioner J S Sandhu in February, Divisional Railway Manager Ashwani Lohani wrote to then Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta. "The entry area is a mess, and needs to be improved for the convenience of the travelling public. At present, there is a scooter parking area that is operated by the MCD on land belonging to the Transport department, adjoining the foot-overbridge landing. The Railways might want this piece of land to develop a proper entry gate, booking windows and passenger holding area for the convenience of the public. The existing parking can then be conveniently shifted to the adjoining vacant plot of land," Lohani wrote to Mehta on February 14.

A reminder on the issue was sent to the Chief Secretary on March 18, requesting that a meeting be called for resolving the issue. However, officials said there is no response yet, and with a new Chief Secretary stepping in, the matter is likely to see more delay.

Officials said the Transport department has informed the Railways that the proposal to redevelop the Sarai Kale Khan ISBT has been approved by the UTTIPEC, and tenders have also been floated.

"Since that project will take at least 24 months for completion, if the land at the existing parking is transferred by MCD to the Railways, we can develop this area for an entry to the Nizamuddin Railway station. The plan is to create a hub in this area connecting the railway station to the ISBT through a skywalk and walkator," said a senior Railways official.

A plot of 5,000 sq m has been identified near the transport authority office for relocating the parking lot.

"The approximate distance of this plot from the station is 150m, which can be linked through the means of a skywalk. Essential services such as washrooms, queuing area with additional booking and PRS counters and bigger waiting halls have been proposed under this skywalk," a senior official said.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rlys-seek-mcd-help-to-decongest-station/772346/0

Illegal parking drive paying off for MCD

2011-04-05T22:29:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

MCD's move to crack down on illegal parking seems to have paid off. The civic agency's revenue from parking has doubled in the past year. Though MCD has regularized 75 illegal parking sites in the past few months, MCD officials say that strict implementation of parking rules is the main reason for the increase in revenue.

During 2009-10, MCD collected Rs 61.13 crore from parking sites, whose number doubled last year. Following that, MCD has collected Rs 122.08 crore from parking. "We have taken several measures to bring down the number of illegal parkings in the city. Last year, we had floated tenders for 225 parking sites, which were operating illegally. Of these, nearly 75 parking lots were regularized," said asenior MCD official.

Another possible reason for the sharp increase in revenue from parking is strict enforcement of rules. To check parking of the vehicles beyond the permitted area by the parking contractors, the civic agency imposed the system of paying damage charges. "Contractors are supposed to pay 10 times the parking charges for extra vehicles in an authorized parking lot," said an MCD official.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Illegal-parking-drive-paying-off-for-MCD/articleshow/7880974.cms

Head constables can't stop, fine commercial vehicles: New order

2011-04-05T22:28:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

After enforcing road discipline among Delhiites, Delhi traffic police is now focusing on cleaning up its own department. To start with, traffic police have taken away the power from head constables to stop any commercial vehicle even if it violates traffic norms. This decision was taken after sev

Several complaints of bribes being taken by head constables from commercial vehicles were received.Many of these complaints were also lodged on the social networking site Facebook.

Policemen accepting bribe from a commercial vehicle is a common sight at several intersections in the city including Punjabi Bagh circle, Azadpur Mandi and Badarpur border among other locations.

"There have been instances where traffic head constables stopped commercial vehicles for traffic violations and took bribe from them to let them off," said a senior traffic police officer.

Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic) on Tuesday issued the order in this respect.

He said: "No head constable or a constable, whether on motorcycle or at traffic intersections will stop any commercial vehicle for traffic violations. If they notice any violation, they can fill up the violation slip for the violation by the vehicle. Any violation of the order would invite serious disciplinary action," Garg said.

He clarified that only a zonal officer of the sub-inspector or inspector rank or an officer of the department can stop and prosecute a commercial vehicle.

A head constable can fine anybody for a violation that does not have a penalty of more than R100.

"Our motto is not depriving a head constable from policing rights but from getting bribe," he added.

Traffic department has a total of 1,338 head constables of who 600 are deployed in the chase-and-challan wing.

With this new order in force, traffic police has seized the right of head constables to even chase commercial vehicles and fine them.

Now the head constables' role will be restricted to penalising people for violations of stop line, red-light jumping, triple riding on two wheelers, driving two wheelers without helmets, improper parking and defective number plates of non-commercial vehicles among others.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Head-constables-can-t-stop-fine-commercial-vehicles-New-order/Article1-681698.aspx

Driving sans licence can land you behind bars

2011-04-05T12:48:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

In a bid to bring down road accidents, the Delhi Traffic Police have decided to put motorists caught without a valid licence behind bars. What's more, the police will move court to award jail custody to motorists, including parents of minors, who drive on city roads without valid papers. A

round 100 people are caught driving without valid licence on the city roads every day, sources said.

"They contribute to road accidents to a large extent," said a senior officer of traffic police.

On Saturday, traffic police issued challans to 83 people for driving without licence.

Failing to cope with the problem of accidents by just slapping a fine of Rs500, the traffic police have decided to send them to jail.

According to Section 181 of Motor Vehicles Act, whoever drives without valid licence shall get imprisonment for up to three months or R500 or both.

This year till March 15, more than 5,500 people have been challaned for driving without licence. "We are approaching court to send drivers without licence to jail at least for a day to start with," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Driving-sans-licence-can-land-you-behind-bars/Article1-681407.aspx

NHAI asks Delhi govt to take over RTR-DK stretch

2011-04-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 04, 2011

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has requested the Delhi government to take over the stretch between RTR Crossing and Dhaula Kuan. For the past four years, the NHAI had been looking at various options, including building flyovers, to bypass the three traffic signals over the stretch. However, it has now abandoned the endeavour.

This means that commuters using this stretch will have to live with the daily snarls for some more years. A senior NHAI official said that they had written to the Delhi chief secretary a fortnight ago about the handover of the road. He added that the NHAI had appointed a consultant and was planning to clear the mess since the traffic jam was spilling over to the main expressway during peak hours.

Because of the poor distribution and disbursement of traffic at all the three intersections between RTR flyover and Dhaula Kuan, the vehicles pile up back on to the main flyover. During evening peak hours, crossing this small stretch takes at least 20 minutes. "The comfort of using the expressway ends as soon as you get off the main highway," said Bhawani Tripathi, a daily commuter.

NHAI officials said considering this ordeal of commuters they had engaged the consultant. "However, the unified body set up for approving all road and transport projects in Delhi, UTTIPEC, did not clear the plan. So, we carried out beautification on this stretch before the Commonwealth Games," one of them said.

He added that since the study report is with the NHAI, they would pass it on to Delhi government for reference or use. PWD, which will now take over the stretch, will hire RITES to carry out a feasibility study of the entire area that will include Dhaula Kuan, RTR and a part of Aurobindo Marg joining Outer Ring Road to manage the traffic mess.

"This is being done to find a comprehensive solution. The traffic flow on stretch has serious implications on the other points. The holistic study will help us for long-term plans," said PWD engineer-in-chief Rakesh Mishra.

For the past four years, NHAI had been looking at various options, including building flyovers, to bypass the three traffic signals over the stretch. It has now abandoned the endeavour.

Original news source http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-04/delhi/29379996_1_nhai-national-highway-authority-flyovers

CWG parking lot will now be a shelter for cluster buses

2011-03-31T13:11:00.003-07:00

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Transport dept acts after Shunglu Committee report questions future use of Games projects

Finally moving forward on the Sunehri and Kushak Nallah parking lot, the government has decided that the Transport department will use it for cluster bus parking and will also pay the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) an annual rental. In a high-level meeting held on Tuesday, it was decided that the lot will be handed over to the Transport department for parking cluster buses.

The decision comes days after the Shunglu Committee report questioned the legacy value of several Commonwealth Games projects. The Shunglu Committee had noted that "legacy use was unclear during the project execution and even after project completion".

The government has now gone on an overdrive to tie up the loose ends before it publishes its final report.

The decision to construct the parking lot over the Sunehri and Kushak Nallahs was conceptualised in June 2008. The project was executed at the cost of Rs 321 crore. The lot has been ready since August 31, 2010, though the completion was delayed by three months.

Spread over 21,875 sq m by covering the Sunehri Nallah (behind Lodhi Hotel upto Dayal Singh College along Lodhi Road) and the Kushak Nallah (from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium south gate to the Bhisham Pitamah flyover), the parking lot has been constructed in the form of an elevated road and can accommodate 820 buses. Prime facilities including modern toilet complexes, restrooms, paved footpaths, a well-planned drainage system and underground utility ducts.

The Transport department will have to pay the MCD Rs 7 crore annually for its usage and, in turn, will provide free parking to cluster bus owners. The Transport department claimed they did not want to take over the parking lot till the cluster buses arrived.

"Buses of at least five clusters can be accommodated here. What the Shunglu Committee does not realise is that had we rented out the parking lot in October itself, we would have ended up paying huge amounts to the MCD without the lot being put to use," said a senior Transport official.

The first batch of 50 buses from the first cluster, being run by Star Bus, was to arrive by January. By April, 232 buses were to be up and running. The project has, however, run into delays; not a single bus has been launched till now.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/cwg-parking-lot-will-now-be-a-shelter-for-cluster-buses/769506/0

NHAI, PWD pass the buck as Ashram suffers

2011-03-31T13:11:00.001-07:00

Thursday, March 31, 2011

There seems to be no immediate relief for commuters caught in the traffic mess at Ashram Chowk. The NHAI, which had appointed a consultant to find solutions to decongest the crossing, has abandoned it. It claims the proposed Kalindi Kunj bypass will offload traffic at the crossing and, hence, there is no need on its part to go head with the decongestion plan.

A couple of months after NHAI floated a tender to engage a consultant for preparing the decongestion plan, Delhi PWD also invited bids for a similar work in September 2009. However, the latter scrapped the tender saying it would only be a duplication of what NHAI was doing.

An NHAI official said that after the consultant had submitted the first part of the study report, the consultancy was terminated. "The NH-2, which is under our jurisdiction, starts from the Ashram crossing below the flyover. Since the snarl had become unmanageable, we had engaged a consultant to find a solution. Now with the Delhi PWD reviving the Kalindi Kunj bypass, the traffic heading towards Faridabad would largely use the new road," the officer said.

Sources in Delhi PWD said that they are only consulting a firm for the project for now, and it would take time to award the work. This means, it would take a few more years for the new road to become operational. While the bypass road is likely to improve the traffic flow below the flyover at this congested crossing, there is no relief in sight for the Ring Road traffic.

This issue has brought to light how there is complete lack of coordination among authorities, thus aggravating the problems. "Ring Road is not under our jurisdiction. The agency concerned (PWD) should find a solution to this mess. We are confined only to the highway and not the flyover," said the NHAI official.

The flyover on the Ring Road at the Ashram crossing gets choked during peak hours on all weekdays. "There is multiplicity of authority, and that's resulting in lack of coordination. The NHAI is doing what it deems fit even as the mess is worsening. And this is not just limited to Delhi but also the adjoining towns of Fariadabd and Gurgaon," pointed out Rohit Baluja, president of IRTE.

The Ashram Chowk crisis has come as an indicator of how a critical congestion scare is looming large over the capital. Transport experts say Delhi is well on its way to becoming the next Bangkok, notorious for nightmarish traffic jams. There are also ominous indicators across the city of intersections and flyovers breaching their designed carrying capacity a lot earlier than estimated.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/NHAI-PWD-pass-the-buck-as-Ashram-suffers/articleshow/7828476.cms

Special traffic force comes back in action

2011-03-31T13:10:00.003-07:00

Thursday, March 31, 2011

They look like any other traffic policemen on Delhi's roads but, unlike them, these officers are merciless when it comes to prosecuting violators. A group of specially trained traffic men called the special task force (STF) are now on Delhi's roads to rein in violations in troubled areas through saturated checks.

"Although intensified traffic management brought much relief, there are areas like BRT corridor, railway stations, market areas and no-entry points among others where general traffic policing did not curb violations," said an officer of Delhi traffic police.

Following success during the Commonwealth Games, Delhi traffic police on Saturday re-launched its STF with 10 teams for 10 districts. Absence of technical gadgets, habitual traffic violations and instances of trafficmen's connivance with violators prompted the re-launch of STF, the officer said.

"They not only catch violators, but also keep a strict vigil on their colleagues to identify those who connive with violators," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Special-traffic-force-comes-back-in-action/Article1-679585.aspx

Traffic cops go by the book to nail ‘tint’ offenders

2011-03-31T13:10:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

With every effort to make windows of cars shed their tint going in vain, the Delhi Traffic Police has now decided to go by the book to teach violators a lesson.

As many as 22,000 challans were issued by the Traffic Police to motorists driving vehicles with tinted windows between January and February, but it seemed to have no effect on the residents of Delhi. As police noted that the Rs-100 fine for such offence was not helping, the department opted for a change in strategy, which refers to Section 22(a) of the Rules of Road Regulations. According to this, the department can direct violators to report back to the police in 72 hours.

Now, in a new drive against tinted glasses that was on between March 3 and to March 15, the Taffic department issued 4,337 challans, and has started issuing "report-back" directions, spurring as many as 3,814 violators to remove the dark films from their cars on the spot.

"In these 3,814 cases, the offenders did not want to go in for the hassle of reporting back to the Traffic Police. When a direction is issued, the driving licence or the registration certificate of the offender is seized, and returned only when he reports back after rectifying the issue," said Satyendra Garg, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

However, as many as 2,855 directions were issued for violations such as tinted glasses, pressure horns (56 cases) and defective number plates (2,726 cases).

"As many as 2,401 offenders — out of a total of 2,855 — reported back to the department after rectifying the flaws in their vehicles. Of those who did not respond, 121 were summoned by the court and subsequently challaned," said Garg.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/traffic-cops-go-by-the-book-to-nail-tint-offenders/768964/

HC orders inquiry into parking mafia

2011-03-31T13:09:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

In an order that could put an end to the widely prevalent network between parking mafia and the police in the city, the Delhi high court on Wednesday directed the Delhi Police commissioner to inquire into one such nexus at Mangalam commercial complex in Rohini. "Such a nexus cannot be tolerated in ademocratic polity. The allegations raised are serious. Delhi government has a responsibility to curb the same ruthlessly. We add with a note of caution," said a bench of chief justice Dipak Misra and justice Sanjiv Khanna, while issuing notice to the Delhi government, Delhi Police commissioner, joint CP (vigilance) and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

The court also sought a detailed report by May 4 from the police commissioner and the vigilance department.

RK Singh, lawyer for the petitioner Shamsher Kaushik, argued in court: "Parking areas in Delhi are a breeding ground for criminal activities. Free parking areas are converted into paid parking, thanks to such a nexus. Delhi Police annually earned around R1,000 crore in this manner."

The vigilance department of Delhi Police had recommended to the commissioner about filing of an FIR against SHO Rohini, four other policemen and two men working for the parking contractor. A sting operation had revealed the policemen's involvement in the running the unauthorised vehicle parking on a DDA plot.

However, as reported by Hindustan Times on March 24, commissioner BK Gupta directed only "departmental proceedings" against the accused, it was revealed in a reply to an RTI query by Kaushik.

"Information received through RTI confirmed it was an unauthorised parking area from where the mafia and police made money. Anyone who complained were threatened by police personnel," Kaushik said.

A day after HT published the report, the commissioner directed to file an FIR against the said policemen and persons. The policemen were also transferred to police lines.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/HC-orders-inquiry-into-parking-mafia/Article1-679517.aspx

Arts Commission approves HC parking, finally

2011-03-31T06:50:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) has finally given a go-ahead to an under-construction multi-level underground parking being built opposite the Delhi high court. This after sending back the proposal several times in 2010. Earlier, the court had asked the DUAC to find a solution "as if the plans have to be sanctioned on a barren virgin land" and directed a joint meeting of all the agencies concerned for the project.

The project-that involves constructing the parking lot and an underpass connecting it with the court across the road-had faced hurdles since work began in October 2009.

The DUAC had rejected the proposal time and again owing to the presence of an unknown tomb, a Mughal era heritage structure. Moreover, the project proponent had failed to follow the procedure.

Earlier, the NDMC had slapped a stop-work notice on the construction, despite which work went ahead in full steam.

Said Anant Athle, NDMC's chief architect, "We had asked them to stop work as the proposal had not been cleared by the DUAC."

KT Ravindran, DUAC chairperson, clarified, "There is a particular pro-forma which the local body is supposed to fill. For the meeting held in March, the NDMC submitted a duly signed pro-forma, which signified that it had checked issues related to bye-laws."

"The (status of the) heritage structure was one of the issues. The ASI has been asked to restore the tomb. Then, there were design issues. The project proponents have now complied with all our suggestions. Hence the clearance," Ravindran added.

The project proponents have also been able to garner approvals from every single authority involved, including the Central Vista Committee, Forest department, traffic police and DDA.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Arts-Commission-approves-HC-parking-finally/Article1-679126.aspx

DTC cracks down on staff for reckless driving

2011-03-20T12:31:00.001-07:00

Friday, March 18, 2011

With DTC buses, including the recently introduced low-floor ones, embarking on a 'killing spree', the transport corporation has in the past two weeks sacked nearly 200 of its drivers. Delhi traffic police said as many as 17 people were killed by DTC buses this year till March 15. Last year, five people were crushed to death by these buses during the same period.

The Hindustan Times on February 27 had reported how in the absence of Blueline buses (notoriously known as killerlines), DTC buses have started crushing lives under their wheels.

The increase in the number of fatal accidents involving DTC buses forced the corporation to identify shortcomings in driving abilities among its drivers. Accordingly, Delhi Transport Corporation had initiated a skill test drive for its newly appointed drivers on February 26.

"We have sacked nearly 200 DTC drivers who were appointed on contract. They, despite having valid driving licences, do not have adequate skills to drive on city roads safely," said a senior DTC officer on condition of anonymity.

According to him the harsh step had to be taken to save DTC's image from being tarnished.

The corporation, which was facing acute shortage of drivers, had appointed about 5,000 drivers on contract before Commonwealth Games to run its fleet of 6,400 buses.

Nearly 50% of these are low-floor buses. The appointments, according to DTC officials, were made based on valid driving licences of the drivers and not on their practical experience of driving, said sources.

"We have issued more than thousand challans to DTC drivers till February 15 as compared to only 274 during the same period last year. More than 500 drivers have already been prosecuted for around 1,000 cases of traffic norm violations. They were prosecuted for all kinds of violations, including rash driving, red light jumping, tempering speed governors etc," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/DTC-cracks-down-on-staff-for-reckless-driving/Article1-675124.aspx

Delhi reverses trend on road fatalities

2011-03-17T08:23:00.001-07:00

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Contrary to the international trend, Delhi has managed to control the road fatalities during the last two years. According to a World Health Organization report, road fatality is on a constant rise in all developing countries of the world, but casualties in Delhi, which has more vehicles than the combined total of vehicles in the remaining three metro cities, have come down by 25 per cent since 2009. According to Delhi Traffic Police, strict enforcement against drunken driving and heavy commercial vehicles have contributed significantly in reducing road fatalities in the national Capital.

According to the WHO report, road fatality rate in developing countries was 13.3 persons per lakh population in the year 2000 which has been estimated to go up to 19 persons per lakh population by 2020. On the other hand, the fatality rate in developed world during the same period will decline from 11.8 to 7.8. The report says over 75 per cent of the total casualties occur in developing and transition countries. However, the records of Delhi Traffic Police suggest that the fatalities in Delhi declined by nearly 10 per cent in 2010 from 2009 and further by nearly 15 per cent till February this year as compared to the same period last year. This collectively has resulted in decline of nearly 25 per cent in the last two years.

Delhi had recorded 2,325 deaths in 2009 that came down to 2104 in 2010. A comparison of road deaths till February shows that the figure has come down 372 in 2009 to 337 in 2010 and further to 291 in 2011. The traffic police attribute the decline in fatalities to sustained prosecution of commercial vehicles and drunken driving during the recent times. According to Delhi Traffic Police, during the last 10 years only four years - 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 - have recorded less than 2,000 fatalities. The minimum was reported in the year 2002 with only 1,696 deaths. However, the traffic police is hopeful of bringing the number of deaths below 2,000 this year.

"Among all Indian cities, Delhi records the maximum number of deaths on roads. The number of vehicles in Delhi is more than the total number of vehicles in the three metro cities, yet strict prosecution has brought down road fatalities in all segments," said Satyendra Garg, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic). He said special emphasis is being laid to ensure safety on city roads through sustained prosecution against drunken driving and violations by commercial vehicles. "In cooperation with courts, the drunk drivers are sent to jail and their licences are being suspended. This year, 421 driving licences have been suspended and 490 drivers have been awarded jail terms for drunken driving. Strict action was also taken against errant school van drivers who have been found overloading children in vans," Garg added.

The data shows 46 deaths were caused by heavy commercial vehicles till February 2010 which has reduced to 41 this year. Similarly, fatalities caused by tractors this year are only 2 as against 10 deaths last year. However, the fatalities involving DTC buses have increased this year with 16 deaths as compared to 6 last year. There have also been lesser casualties involving private cars this year. The figure rests at 41 as against 54 in 2010. "While the heavy commercial vehicles are being booked and impounded for violation of Supreme Court guidelines, a majority of private cars involved in road fatalities are due to drunken driving which is coming down," the Joint Commissioner maintained.

Original news source http://www.dailypioneer.com/324954/Delhi-reverses-trend-on-road-fatalities.html

Drink driving on Holi will land you in jail

2011-03-16T13:05:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Avoid alcohol if you are planning to drive back from a party this Sunday. For, drink driving on Holi day can land you in jail. What's more, the Delhi traffic police authorities have also decided to suspend driving licences of people booked for drink driving for at least six months. "This time, driving in drunken condition would not be settled for Rs 2,000. Violators will face a jail term," warned Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic). The police have a tough day controlling motorists on Holi when there is usually a two-to-three-fold increase in the number of fatal accidents.

Last year, 15 people were killed in road accidents on Holi against the daily average of five fatalities. "We want this mortality rate to drop this year," said Garg.

In cases of drink driving, it is the court that decides the jail term. It can be for a day or up to even two weeks. There is a provision of imprisoning drunk drivers under section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, under which the court has already sent over 400 people to jail since August 2010.

The entire traffic police force of 5,000 men will be on the road on Sunday. Of them, about 400 men with breatalysers will check and punish drink drivers.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Drink-driving-on-Holi-will-land-you-in-jail/Article1-673920.aspx

Deadline crossed but work still on

2011-03-13T14:17:00.003-07:00

Saturday, March 12, 2011

The clock stopped ticking last October but many flagship projects of NDMC undertaken for the Commonwealth Games are still awaiting completion. The civic body has now assured that the work on Shivaji Stadium, which was supposed to be a venue for hockey, will be completed by June this year. And the new deadline for the completion of long-awaited multi-level parking lots at Sarojini Nagar and Baba Kharak Singh Marg is end-June.

Though the CP Redevelopment project was conceptualized in time for the Games, NDMC chairperson Parimal Rai on Friday insisted that it was never a Games-related project. Now the construction of the ambitious service corridor in CP is likely to be over by March next year while four new subways may be ready in the forthcoming financial year.

"We have failed in the Shivaji Stadium project due to various reasons. There was a stay by the high court on removal of a shop due to which we could not build the water tank. Now the play area is ready and only the work on the underground parking is left to be completed," said Parimal Rai after releasing the annual budget of NDMC on Friday.

The deadline for the stadium had been getting extended every few months. Once the Games got over, the civic body targeted March as the possible deadline for the project. The Central Vigilance Commission had also found some discrepancies in the cost of the project. Now once it is ready, NDMC will allow parking by office-goers and people visiting CP in the stadium parking lot.

The plan for building multilevel parking lots at Sarojini Nagar, BKS Marg and Kasturba Gandhi Marg, which are essential to ease the worsening parking woes in these areas, was floated in 2007. The estimated duration of the project was 30 months. But there is no progress in regard to the parking lot at KG Marg and it will be at least three months before the other two get functional.

Rai also insisted that CP had been given a facelift for Games though otherwise it was "never a Games project". He said the facade restoration was done before the Games and service corridor upgrade was now being taken up. He said, "It was a three-year-long project but JNNURM approved it only in 2008. The project should be completed by April 2012."

With CBI raiding the premises of NDMC officials on Thursday in connection with alleged irregularities in renovation of Shivaji Stadium and Talkatora Stadium, the civic body officials said it has already initiated penal proceedings against some of its employees. "The CBI has not given any formal intimation to us. It appears that the issues were the same on which we had started major penalty proceedings," Rai said.

Original news source http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-12/delhi/28683482_1_service-corridor-ndmc-parimal-rai

New Motor Vehicles Act: Stricter penalties for speeding, drunken

2011-03-13T14:17:00.001-07:00

Friday, March 11, 2011

For the first time, the government has decided to introduce strict penalties, including imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh on car manufacturers for faulty vehicle systems. A new provision would be included in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 that would make car manufacturers liable for penalty in case of faults.

The penalty would be a fine of Rs 1 lakh or imprisonment of up to three months or both. In case a consumer finds manufacturing faults with the brake system or engine or any other part, he would now be able to lodge a complaint with the state transport authority. The authority would get experts to investigate the fault and then recommend action. The provision , which will be included as Section 182 A in the Motor Vehicle Act, has been included after a spate of complaints from consumers and recent instances of car recall by manufacturers.

The new provision is one of the 30-odd amendments that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has decided to introduce in the twodecade old Motor Vehicle Act. One of the major amendments is enhancing penalties for speeding, drunken driving and using mobile phones while driving. At present speeding carries a fine of Rs 400. The government has decided to introduce a graded system of penalty by imposing Rs 1,000 fine if the speed exceeds the permissible limit up to 10 km per hour and Rs 2,000 if it exceeds 10 km per hour up to 25 km per hour and Rs 5,000 if it exceeds by 25 km per hour. Even if you ask your driver to speed, a similar penalty will apply to you.

For the first time, mobile phone and other devices will be clearly defined under the law and new provisions would be introduced for using them while driving. So far, the Traffic Police uses a provision which carries a paltry Rs 100 fine for use of mobile phones or not wearing seat belts. Now these would be introduced in the Act. The Government has decided to enhance penalty for violation of traffic signals, using mobile phones while driving and not wearing seat belts or helmet to Rs 1,000.

Original news source http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-03-11/news/28680363_1_mobile-phones-penalty-seat-belts

Khan Market readies plan for multi-level parking lot

2011-03-11T03:13:00.001-08:00

Thursday, March 10, 2011

After numerous complaints of congestion and the lack of parking space in Khan Market area, the Urban Development Ministry has asked the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to prepare a proposal for a multi-level parking lot.

For some time now, the Khan Market Traders' Association had been asking the Land and Development Office (L&DO) and the NDMC to collaborate and provide the area with a much-needed parking area.

"We have finally received an intimation from the Urban Development Ministry to prepare a detailed proposal for the project," said a senior NDMC official. According to the NDMC, they have started working on the proposal and will send it to the L&DO for consideration.

Khan Market traders and the NDMC have identified a spot near Bible Bhavan, which belongs to the Urban Development Ministry, for construction of a parking lot. The NDMC has also written a letter to the Ministry asking them for possession of the land.

The parking problem in Khan Market has increased manifold over the years, with 74 residential flats in the market converted to restaurants and other commercial establishments apart from the already existing 150 shops.

Taking cognizance of the situation, the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) had recently directed the NDMC to charge a parking fee from visitors, which is currently a free facility. According to the EPCA, imposing parking charges will help ease congestion in the area.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Khan-Market-readies-plan-for-multi-level-parking-lot/760372/

After two months delay, NDMC to begin work on CP service tunnel

2011-03-11T03:12:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

After a delay of two months, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will soon start digging up the radial roads of Connaught Place to construct an underground service tunnel that can accommodate all the overhead cables.

Though the digging was to commence in January, it got delayed by two months due to an initial failure to gain permission for heavy tunnel boring machines in the area. However, the Delhi Traffic Police has now granted permission for six tunnel boring machines and 22 trucks for transporting dug-up soil, an NDMC official said. Work is expected to begin by next week.

Once the tunnel is ready, all the electricity cables, sewerage lines, wires and cables will be shifted into it. Work on constructing the tunnel, including joining it with all the blocks, will be completed in 240 days, an official said.

"We will start work in a matter of days. We have received permission for trucks to lift soil dug out during the work. These trucks are necessary to transport the soil to dumping grounds," said Anand Tiwari, NDMC spokesperson.

Joining the tunnels will require a lot of digging, and it may disrupt traffic. Hence, the Traffic Police has been asked to come up with an advisory before the work begins.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/after-two-months-delay-ndmc-to-begin-work-on-cp-service-tunnel/759703/

Tinted glasses: police vehicles under scanner

2011-03-08T00:46:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Continuing with their drive against tinted glasses, the Delhi traffic police on Monday went a step further and challaned police vehicles for flouting norms. Two police vehicles — both parked in police headquarters premises — have been challaned and issued notices to remove the dark films within 72 hours.

Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic), said: "We have challanned both the vehicles and also issued notices to them. We will also keep a strict vigil on private vehicles owned by police officers and will not spare any violators." In the next phase, he said, government vehicles will also be targeted.

Failing to stop motorists from using tinted glasses by just slapping penalties, traffic police resorted to impounding important travel documents to ensure that everyone follows the norm.

Under the drive, defaulters are not just fined but issued a notice to remove the tinted glasses. The police also impound driving licence and registration papers, which are later returned to the owner only when the vehicle with "correction" is taken to the area's traffic office within 72 hours.

"In a span of five days, we have issued challans to as many as 2,077 vehicles of which 1,356 were found to be fitted with tinted glasses. Of them, drivers/ owners of 573 vehicles removed the dark films on the spot, while 1,050 were issued notices. A total of 714 vehicles were found with defective number plates and seven fitted with pressure horns. They too were issued challans," said Garg.

Meanwhile, the traffic police have also started prosecuting police vehicles that used Delhi police logo or DP symbol in the registration number plates of their vehicles and slapped them with a fine of R2,000 for violation of registration certificate under Section 39 of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Tinted-glasses-police-vehicles-under-scanner/Article1-670754.aspx

Parking restrictions during India-Holland match

2011-03-08T00:37:00.004-08:00

Monday, March 07, 2011

No parking will be allowed on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg and Jawaharlal Nehru Marg during the India-Holland World Cup cricket match Wednesday at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, police said Monday.

'There is very limited parking for labelled vehicles in the proximity of the stadium and no parking for general vehicles there,' Joint Commissioner of Police for traffic Satyendra Garg said.

Park-and-ride facility has been created at Mata Sundari Parking and Shanti Van Parking, he added.

The Delhi Traffic Police have asked cricket fans coming in their vehicles to reach these sites and walk down to the stadium.

Those holding car parking labels have been advised to take Ring Road, JLN Marg, Asaf Ali Road or Bahadurshah Zafar Marg. A U-turn at Delhi Gate has also been allowed.

No diversion has been planned for Bahadurshah Zafar Marg or Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, he said.

'However, the public is advised to avoid roads connecting to Ferozshah Kotla roads from 12:00 noon to 3:30 p.m and 09:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m, Garg said.

Original news source http://www.sify.com/news/parking-restrictions-during-india-holland-match-news-national-ldhvOfhaaeg.html

Now pay and park at Khan Market

2011-03-08T00:37:00.003-08:00

Saturday, March 05, 2011

Shopping at those swanky outlets in Khan Market may now come with the rider of a parking fee. Visitors will have to pay on an hourly basis to park their cars from April 1. New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has been asked by the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee to take over the management of the parking space from the traders' association. Though the rates have not been fixed yet, sources in the NDMC said that initially it is going to be equivalent to the charges prevalent in other markets, for example Connaught Place. For the past 25 years, parking inside the market was managed by the trader's association and it was 'free' for both shopkeepers and visitors.

"A meeting was convened by the monitoring committee on Saturday to discuss the parking problem at Khan Market and it was recommended that the NDMC should take it over and make it an authorized parking,'' said Santosh D Vaidya, secretary, NDMC. "We are waiting for the final order by the committee, which is going to meet again on March 15. After that tenders will be floated for managing this parking space along with 53 other parking areas under us in New Delhi area. This will be the 54th authorized parking." Vaidya said the final plan is to create a multi-level parking like the one being developed at Baba Kharak Singh Marg in Connaught Place and Sarojini Nagar. "We have already written to the ministry of urban development for allotment of space on Amrita Shergill Marg," he added.

Bhure Lal, a member of the SC-appointed committee who chaired the meeting, added that once the multi-level parking was created nearby, no parking will be allowed inside Khan Market. "The parking space, which the traders claim to be managing for free, was originally a park. We want it to be restored," he said.

According to Lal, visitors do not get to park right now as most of the space is occupied by cars of the shopkeepers themselves. "Visitors have to pay extra money, sometimes Rs 20 per hour, to park their vehicles. Originally, the market had shops on the ground floor and residences on the first floor. But since conversion has been allowed, all the residences have been turned into restaurants and pubs. There is no space for pedestrians to walk and even a bomb scare can lead to a big tragedy in the area. Fire tenders cannot go in. We have asked the traders' association and civic agencies to come up with a presentation on how they are going to deal with these problems on March 15, after which a final decision will be taken," said Lal. The committee has also asked NDMC to do away with the old and obsolete government-owned cars lying at the parking space inside Lok Nayak Bhavan and put a check on government officials parking their vehicles on the main road.

The traders are, however, miffed over the imposition of parking charges. "We have been managing the parking here for 25 years and people are allowed to park for free. Imposition of charges as high as Rs 10-20 per hour will affect local people who come here to fulfill their daily needs," said a trader.

At any given point of time, it takes 15 minutes to enter Khan Market due to the serious parking crunch in the area. Khan Market traders claim that the parking problems have increased manifold over the years with no parking available at the nearby Metro station. The Lok Nayak Bhavan basement parking has been shut down. There are about 300 shops in the market and the footfall can be imagined.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Now-pay-and-park-at-Khan-Market/articleshow/7636452.cms

Soon, Chandni Chowk to be no-entry for cars

2011-03-08T00:37:00.001-08:00

Friday, March 04, 2011

The chaotic traffic situation at Chandni Chowk is soon going to be a thing of the past. Delhi's Lieutenant-Governor Tejinder Khanna has given the green light to Municipal Corporation of Delhi's ambitious Chandni Chowk redevelopment project on Friday. The civic agency plans to start work on the project by the end of March. As per the plan, the entry of motor vehicles will be not allowed inside Chandni Chowk during the daytime.

Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre ( UTTIPEC), a DDA-constituted body which looks at all transportation projects and transport engineering solutions in Delhi, experts had approved the project last week during a site inspection. "The L-G has given his approval to the project. The decision was taken in a meeting today. Our plan is in place and we just have to hold a meeting with residents of Chandni Chowk to discuss the plan. This will help us in decongesting this area which has historical significance,'' said Deep Mathur, director, press and information, MCD.

Original news source http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-04/delhi/28658115_1_chandni-chowk-cycle-rickshaws-sanjay-bhargava

Parking lot: HC to meet all agencies to reach solution

2011-03-02T00:14:00.003-08:00

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

The Delhi high court has asked the Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) to conduct a joint meeting of all civic agencies concerned on March 9 for an under-construction multilevel parking project for it and find a solution "as if the plans have to be sanctioned on a barren virgin land". The parking project at the Sher Shah Suri Marg opposite the high court premises had run into hurdles since work began in October 2009 due to a Mughal-era heritage structure in it the premises. Despite objections by NDMC, construction has continued in full zest. DUAC secretary Navneet Kumar confirmed, "We have received a copy of the High Court directives. But as our chairperson is out of Delhi, we cannot comment on the actual meeting."

The 15-century unnamed tomb of the Sher Shah Suri era is a notified heritage structure. It means, any project in connection with this structure needs to be referred to the Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC), and not to mention, the DUAC, which had rejected proposals for the parking project and an underpass joining the site and the high court premises on December 12, 2010.

In continuation of the high court's February 14 order on the augmentation of infrastructure to meet the increase in the court's manpower, Justice Pradip Nandrajog on February 23 had ordered for the meeting of all agencies concerned on March 9.

The February 23 order had taken cognisance of the DUAC's reservations to the continued construction activity and had directed, "The said issue would not be deliberated upon and the issue of sanction of plans would be taken up with reference to the concerned bye-laws, rules and regulations applicable as if the plans have to be sanctioned on a barren virgin land."

Noting that finalisation of the project required approval of seven authorities, which needed "to sit together at one time at one place and at one drawing board", the court directed the NDMC, ASI, DDA, PWD, Central Vista Committee, Airports Authority of India and chief forest officer of Delhi to attend the meeting.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Parking-lot-HC-to-meet-all-agencies-to-reach-solution-/Article1-668367.aspx

To go after illegal parking mafia, municipal body turns to police

2011-03-02T00:14:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

With the illegal parking mafia gaining control over more than half the parking sites in Delhi, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to take the help of the Delhi Police Crime Branch to tackle the situation. Standing Committee Chairman Yogender Chandolia said he has already met the Police Commissioner to discuss matters relating to illegal parking. Chandolia said the MCD, with the help of Delhi Traffic Police, had already met with some degree of success while trying to improve the parking situation in the Capital last year.

The number of authorised parking sites has been increased from 116 to 295.

"We are trying to identify more parking sites in the city. We are also trying to convert illegal parking sites into authorised parking sites. If the sites pose a problem, we will remove them altogether," he said at the Standing Committee meeting of the MCD on Tuesday.

Municipal councillors and zonal deputy commissioners have been requested to identify potential parking sites in their jurisdiction. The MCD will, in turn, take up the matter with the Traffic Police for giving a no-objection certificate to sites that are fit to be converted into parking lots.

The MCD has also posted Directorate of Enforcement personnel at various parking sites. Chandolia also issued a warning stating that contractors who fleece the public by charging them more will face punitive action.

Stating that the contracts of violators will be cancelled, he said, "There are many rules being broken in the area of parking, and the MCD needs the help of the police to rectify them."

The MCD will hand over breach-of-violation cases to the Crime Branch, Chandolia said.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/to-go-after-illegal-parking-mafia-municipal-body-turns-to-police/756514/0

Tinted glass violators won’t get away easily now

2011-03-02T00:13:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Despite numerous drives launched by the traffic police, cars with tinted glass can be regularly spotted on the roads of the capital. The fine of Rs 100 is hardly a deterrent. This poses a serious challenge to law and order - nothing is visible inside. Not surprisingly, in many major crimes, particularly against women, such cars have proved to be quite handy.

The traffic police, however, is promising to give the violators a very tough time. It's launching a drive on Thursday against tinted glass and car owners not sticking to the percentage of tint that's allowed will have to hand in either their registration certificate or their driving licence along with the usual Rs 100 challan slapped on defaulters. "A notice will be issued to them by the traffic personnel and the defaulter will have to report to the area traffic inspector where the violation was recorded within 72 hours for inspection of their vehicle. If the directions are not followed, the matter will be forwarded to the court," explained joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg. At present, there should be at least 70% transparency in the front and rear windows and 50% transparency on the side windows.

The same directive will also apply to those using vehicles with defective numberplates and pressure horns, said the cops. "Usually, since the fine is just a meagre Rs 100, which is nothing compared to the money spent on films (ranging from Rs 700 to Rs 14,000 for the more fancy ones that protect from UV rays), it is not enough of a deterrent. We hope that the stricter action will make the defaulters mindful of the rules," said a senior traffic officer.

In the first six weeks of the year, 20,000 vehicles were booked for tinted glass, significantly more than the 1500-odd such prosecutions last year during the same period. "Significantly, a major of these were repeat offenders, showing that despite being caught, Delhiites are mostly unmindful of the rules," said a senior traffic officer.

The "Rules of Road Regulations, 1989", framed by the central government under section 118 of the Motor Vehicle act states that, "a driver of a motor vehicle and every other person using the road shall obey every direction given, whether by signal or otherwise, by a police officer or any authorized person for the time being in charge of the regulation of traffic." Under the rule, even a traffic constable has the power to issue the notice to the defaulter, claimed traffic cops.

Tinted glass in vehicles have been a major source of concern for women's security as well as criminal activities. Delhi Police had earlier sent a proposal to the Union home ministry to amend the Motor Vehicle Act for enhancing fines on use of tinted glass. While Delhi Traffic Police is currently in the process of acquiring machines to test the percentage of tint, they claim that defaulters usually are aware that they were not following the regulations. "Usually, we can easily tell if the thickness of the glass is more than the permissible limit. However, if anyone contests the claim, we will send the matter to court. However, the prosecutions that have taken place this year have not been contested by the vehicle owners," said a senior traffic officer.

Tinted glasses have been known to be used by several criminals especially during rape and murder. Whether it was the murder case of IT executive Jigeesha or the infamous Dhaula Kuan and Mayapuri rape incidents, cars with tinted glass have been brazenly used.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Tinted-glass-violators-wont-get-away-easily-now/articleshow/7605467.cms

DTC in race for killerline tag?

2011-02-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

Sunday, January 27, 2011

In absence of the 'killer' Blueline buses, it seems the drivers of DTC buses have taken upon themselves to trample human lives under their wheels. Sample this: Till February 15 this year, as many as 11 people have lost their lives under the wheels of DTC buses. Last year, five people were crushed to death by the DTC buses during the same period.

Within this period 1,062 violations by DTC have been registered by traffic department compared to 274 last year.

The situation has gone so out of control that the Delhi traffic police had to initiate a special drive specifically against the DTC buses in the city.

Interestingly, the Delhi Transport Corporation has also sought the help of traffic police to curb road accidents by the DTC drivers that in turn has been tarnishing the image of DTC buses.

"The situation has already gone out of control within the first two months of the year.

If we do not start prosecuting the DTC buses, the death toll will increase heavily," a senior officer of Delhi traffic police said.

The Delhi Police have started prosecuting DTC buses for all kinds of violations, including dangerous driving, red light jumping, driving without wearing uniform or seat belt, overtaking, tempering speed governors among others. The Supreme Court has imposed a restriction on heavy vehicles overtaking any other moving vehicle and picking up the passengers from other than bus stops.

"Initiating an organised drive on February 13, we have already prosecuted more than 500 DTC drivers for around 1,000 cases of traffic norm violations. Many buses were found with tempered speed governors. We also took up the matter with the DTC and the senior officials of the corporation have welcomed the move against the erring drivers," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic). Nearly, 200 buses have been impounded for violating the Supreme Court order.

"Managing the DTC buses have become a tough challenge after the Blueline buses were phased out. Most of the accidents take place as the DTC buses are run by inexperienced drivers," said a senior traffic police official.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/DTC-in-race-for-killerline-tag/Article1-667327.aspx

MCD plans nine projects to ease traffic

2011-02-26T00:06:00.001-08:00

Friday, January 25, 2011

Improved roads and more six-lane flyovers are the MCD's answer to Delhi's increasing traffic problems. It will be executing nine new projects worth Rs 966.52 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. The projects were cleared in a Works Committee meeting of the MCD. They include improving the 47-km long lane in Okhla industrial area and providing a parking-cum-road at the Nauroji Nagar Nallah from Africa Avenue to the Ring Road, which alone will cost cost Rs 233 crore. These projects also include providing ready-mix concrete pavements in Rohini, a few areas in central and south Delhi, Najafgarh and Narela. Two six lane flyovers will also be constructed by them including a 525-metre six-lane carriageway flyover on Upper Ridge Road.

They will also build two six-lane divided underpasses, one on Shankar Road and the other from Vande Mataram Marg to Faiz Road. "All these schemes mainly focus on improving the traffic situation in the city," said Jagdish Mamgain, chairman of Works Committee of the MCD.

To facilitate pedestrian movement at busy intersections on 80-100 feet wide roads, the MCD also plans to build 20 foot overbridges that will cost the exchequer Rs 17.5 crore.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/MCD-plans-nine-projects-to-ease-traffic/Article1-666437.aspx

In BRT’s second avatar, time to change lanes

2011-02-24T00:51:00.002-08:00

Wednesday, Feb 23, 2011

Learning from its mistakes in the commissioning of the first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor — between the Ambedkar Nagar and Moolchand — which led to massive traffic congestion issues, the Delhi Transport department has this time drafted out plans for its upcoming BRT project more carefully.

What was initially planned as a single corridor between Karawal Nagar and Shastri Park has now been split into two routes — from Karawal Nagar to Gandhinagar and from Bhajanpura to Mori Gate — covering 15 km.

The Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System (DIMTS) is giving final touches to the plans. The corridor's central axis, from Karawal Nagar to Gandhinagar, will have a two-lane bus route on one side of the road.

This time, existing road space will not be taken up for the project. Instead, an embankment is being constructed along the left side of the road (leading northwards). The Public Works Department is already widening the stretch and an additional 15-m road (7 m for each lane) will be created along the embankment to accommodate the corridor. The two arms, from Bhajanpura to the main road, and from Shastri Park to Mori Gate, will, however, have bus lanes running in the middle of the road.

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Around 18 bus stations are being planned on the corridor, which is expected to ferry around 1.43 lakh passengers per day. Frequency of the buses has been planned at 3-5 minutes, which puts the vehicle requirement at 82 buses for both routes put together. The overlapping section between Khajuri Khas and Shastri Park will get a higher frequency of buses as the stretch is expected to have a higher ridership.

"There is no proper public transport system in the area, which has a population of around 7.7 lakh. Studies show 2,600 cycles ply here per hour, and ownership of cycle and two-wheelers have been increasing rapidly. Shared autos are also common here. Keeping these factors in mind, the area has a definite captive ridership for buses," officials said.

The cost of implementing the corridor is estimated to be Rs 20-22 crore per km.

The corridor will have signal prioritisation at the intersections, which means when a bus arrives at a traffic signal on the corridor, it will be allowed passage first when the traffic signal turns green. The system has already been tested at Khajuri Khas and Shastri Park, officials said.

Closed, swanky bus stations are being planned, which will be located on the central platform of the two-lane corridor. Commuters will have to pass through automatic fare collection gates to enter the station. The station will also have gates at the boarding and alighting points, which will open automatically — aided by radio frequency identification detectors — when a bus arrives and aligns itself with the platform.

The proposal also looks at doing away with conductors and having ticket vendors at the bus stations instead.

Meetings on the final details are on with the Environment Pollution Control Authority and the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre. Following their approval, the proposal will be sent to the Cabinet. The plan was sent to the government's Expenditure Finance Committee about a year ago. Discussions are also on with the Traffic Police.

The bus corridor will be integrated with the Delhi Metro at the Kashmere Gate ISBT and Shastri Park to provide seamless travel.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/in-brts-second-avatar-time-to-change-lanes/753487/0

From 2pm today, catch a Metro to Airport

2011-02-24T00:51:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, Feb 22, 2011

Four months after missing the deadline, the Reliance-led concessionaire, Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd (DAMEPL), will finally open the airport link for the public on 2pm on Wednesday. Passengers though will be getting a no-frills service, officials admitted.

Parking is not available at the New Delhi railway station (the originating station of the link) at present, said an official, adding, "We are also in talks to set up the cab services." That's not all still in the works. Sources said that besides cab services, the concessionaire was also trying to tie up other commercial services like pre-paid and TSR booths as well as check-in counters.

Good news is that along with passenger service DAMEPL will also provide porter services. The concessionaire has tied up with a private agency to deploy "educated" porters. "The porters have been given training in interpersonal skills for easy interaction with passengers," said an official. Refusing to divulge details about the porter rates, officials said that other services like radio cabs were expected to become available "soon".

The concessionaire will also offer a helpline service to commuters: 011-30802080. The helpline, available between the operational hours of 6am and 10pm, will offer information on fares, route, train operations and timings as well as double up as a public grievance system. Passengers can also use the helpline number to arrange for special arrangements like wheelchairs for senior citizens and physically disabled commuters.

According to DAMEPL officials, the frequency of trains on the Airport Express Metro line will initially be kept at 20 minutes. "This will be brought down subsequently, depending on factors like footfall, demand and other feedback," added the official.

DAMEPL also intends to ply four-six trains in the beginning, said sources. The concessionaire will be acquiring more trains from CAF, Spain, later. With a cost of Rs 5,700 crore, the Airport Express Metro line is the first PPP (public-private-partnership) Metro project in the city. The trains, which will run at a speed of 105kmph at present, have LCD screens showing flight information. A part of the compartments has been reserved for luggage.

With a base fare of Rs 80 for travel from New Delhi railway station to IGI airport, the airport link is targeted at those looking for a hassle-free commute to the airport. The concessionaire also hopes to address the need of commuters travelling to and from Dwarka to the heart of the city in a fraction of the time usually taken by other modes of travel. The fare for this service has been kept at Rs 100, which, DAMEPL officials claim, is "reasonable" for the comfort and time offered by the airport link. There are also monthly passes.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/From-2pm-today-catch-a-Metro-to-Airport/articleshow/7549752.cms

Traffic police want more autorickshaws

2011-02-23T22:24:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, Feb 22, 2011

After failing to rein in errant autorickshaw drivers, the Delhi traffic police now want to increase the number of three-wheelers plying on city roads to curb gross violation of traffic norm. Recently, the department had demanded lifting of cap on the number of autos allowed to ply on city roads. At
present, 55,000 autorickshaws ply on the Capital's roads. The Supreme Court had fixed the number of autorickshaws at 55,000 in 1997.

The Delhi Traffic Police believe that the sealing now should be lifted, as the city needs more three-wheelers to cater to the needs of commuters. This will not only give a huge relief to commuters, but will also help reduce traffic norm violations by them.

"We have taken up the matter with the transport department and also sought the chief secretary's intervention to approach the Supreme Court to lift the cap immediately," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

He said thousands of city commuters depend on cycle rickshaws and autos for commuting. "When the high court has already quashed sealing on one lakh cycle-rickshaws, the same should be done with autos as well," he said.

He said Mumbai has almost one-tenth of Delhi's road area, but over two lakh autos ply in the commercial capital.

Once the cap on the number of autos is lifted, the trend of overcharging or running without meter can be dealt with ease by the police.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Traffic-police-want-more-autorickshaws/Article1-665245.aspx

Mayhem on E-way

2011-02-23T22:23:00.001-08:00

Monday, Feb 21, 2011

Even though there was a lot of confusion among commuters on Monday, the traffic police claimed that they have no plans to shelve the new arrangement for the Cyber City area.

On Monday, the first working day since the trials started, motorists coming from Delhi complained that it took more time than usual to cross the toll plaza. According to them, the private concessionaire deliberately delayed the process of issuing toll slips. Further, a great number of vehicles bound for the DLF Phase-III road now have to take a U-turn near the toll plaza, impeding the flow at the gates. "Widening the service road near Ambience Mall would have been a better measure than implementing a new flow plan," Ashish Malik, a commuter offered.

Although the traffic authorities have taken the sensible measure of removing the signals at Shankar Chowk for the traffic flowing in from Udyog Vihar, and blocked the Udyog Vihar-Cyber City crossing to avoid the chaos, the volume of traffic on the slip roads still remain the same. "The problem will remain until you do something to reduce the traffic volume on the service roads," said Bhawani Shankar Tripathy of a local NGO.

Corroborating the claims, joint CP Alok Mittal said: "The reason why there were some jams was because people were not very sure about the turns and kept halting to seek directions," said Mittal.

However, the new traffic plan seemed to have found no takers among commuters on Monday. "It was very confusing for commuters coming from Udyog Vihar since they now have to take a compulsory left turn from Shankar Chowk and a U-turn almost immediately to reach Cyber City and IFFCO Chowk. The signage indicating this should be ideally on the right side and not on the left as it is in this case. Also, since the Cyber City stretch has been made one-way now, the existing median should be removed in order to facilitate direct access to various offices located in Infinity Tower," said Rajesh Kumar, who works there. The authorities, however, said that the median will be removed in the coming days and more signages will be put up.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/Morning-Mayhem/articleshow/7542413.cms

Metro to reach Ghaziabad by June

2011-02-21T01:00:00.003-08:00

Monday, Feb 21, 2011

The Delhi Metro will finally be reaching Ghaziabad this June. With civil construction work on the 2.57km stretch from Anand Vihar ISBT to Vaishali already completed, sources in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said that track laying and other finishing work was under way. Said a DMRC spokesperson, "Currently, track laying and finishing works of the two Metro stations on the corridor - Kaushambi and Vaishali - are in progress. The line is expected to become operational from June." This stretch will be an extension of line 4 (Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar ISBT) of the Delhi Metro network.

The extension of Delhi Metro into Ghaziabad comes after the Metro was extended to Noida in 2009 and to Gurgaon last year. DMRC is anticipating the ridership of line 4 to leap by 40,000 once the extension becomes operational. At present, the Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar line ferries 90,000 commuters, making it one of the more popular lines on the network. The two Metro stations on this elevated corridor are Kaushambi and Vaishali. With the opening of this stretch, the total length of line 4 will increase to 8.74km.

Said the DMRC spokesperson, "The extension of line 4 into neighbouring Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh is expected to benefit commuters from residential areas like Kaushambi and Vaishali. The daily commuters from the main Ghaziabad city who, at present, travel to Anand Vihar ISBT to board the Metro to their workplaces will also benefit." That's not all. The Metro corridor will also cater to the Sahibabad Industrial area as well as the offices of numerous private sector majors such as Dabur, said DMRC officials. Also, shoppers visiting the nearby shopping malls in the area will also be able to use the Metro services.

Both the Vaishali and Kaushambi Metro stations will have parking facilities. While Vaishali station's parking will accommodate about 250 cars, the parking space at Kaushambi will accommodate about a hundred cars. The DMRC is also constructing foot overbridges at the Kaushambi and Vaishali Metro stations to provide connectivity with the Sahibabad Industrial Area.

The extension will add to the Dwarka sector 21-Anand Vihar ISBT corridor, which is one of the most used lines on the Delhi Metro network. The network, which currently covers over 165km, ferries over 16 lakh passengers daily through over 2,500 trips, say officials. Next in line for the Delhi Metro network is Faridabad, which is scheduled to be connected in phase III of the network.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Metro-to-reach-Ghaziabad-by-June/articleshow/7535642.cms

Kondli-Rohini corridor may have mono rail

2011-02-21T01:00:00.001-08:00

Sunday, Feb 20, 2011

The Delhi government is again exploring the possibility of monorail transport to lessen traffic congestion. Delhi government chief secretary, Rakesh Mehta, has asked the transport department to do a fresh feasibility study of the project. Said Mehta, "Once the feasibility and viability study is completed, an investment decision will be taken based on it. A detailed project report (DPR) could then be undertaken."

The re-look at the monorail project comes after the RITES study on traffic problems in the city suggested the monorail in congested areas or places with severe right of way (ROW) constraints. Said a senior transport department official, "The study has suggested three corridors but we will be looking to undertake the feasibility study on only the Kondli-Rohini corridor." The reason for opting for this corridor, said the official, was the presence of the Metro in phase III in the other two corridors. Added the official, "The DPR should be undertaken in another two-three months." The corridor is expected to be 40km long and will be going through Delhi Gate, though the alignment will not be touching Daryaganj or the Red Fort area. According to sources in the department, the alignment will instead head towards Rohini after Delhi Gate via Kamla Market.

Mehta said: "A number of factors will be taken into account before we take a call on the monorail project. While studies show that it will be 30% less expensive than the Metro, the passenger-carrying capacity is also half of that of the Metro. But it's a better option for congested areas." Interestingly, the suggestion for the monorail has been shot down due to its high cost by both the DMRC and those lobbying for the integrated transport corridor (high capacity bus or BRT). Mehta admitted that a significant number of members of the special task force (transport), which has been specifically set up to look at transport alternatives, is against the monorail project. "But the government wants to do an independent feasibility study before taking any decision," said Mehta.

The differences between the monorail and Metro are significant, and not just cost-wise. While on the Metro 30,000 passengers per hour can travel one way, on the monorail the capacity is just 15,000. Also, the speed is only 20-30kmph on the monorail while it is 25-40kmph on the Metro. However, one advantage that monorail has over the Metro is that the Metro needs at least a 30-40m wide road for construction, while for the monorail, only 15-25m wide roads are needed. But with high costs involved — sources say the Kondli-Rohini corridor has been estimated at over Rs 8,000 crore — the government will need to look at alternate financial models to undertake the project, if it is accepted. Said an official, "The funding will have to be generated through PPP (public private partnership) or BOT (build operate transfer)."

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Kondli-Rohini-corridor-may-have-mono-rail/articleshow/7531258.cms

Cluster bus again delayed

2011-02-21T00:59:00.001-08:00

Saturday, Feb 19, 2011

Delayed by months, the launch of the much-hyped first bus cluster may get delayed even further. This time, the delay, say officials, is because of internal issues with the cluster owners. "The two set of owners have gone to court over internal issues while we are hoping this will not delay matters too long, the cluster won't be launched before mid-March," said a senior transport department official.

The latest delay comes after a long list of delays - in acquiring buses, conductors and even parking space. The first cluster was scheduled to be launched in December, which was then rescheduled to January and thereafter February. These orange and purple buses - denoting AC and non-AC low floor travel, were supposed to start with 50 buses on 32 routes in south Delhi. Ultimately, the cluster will have 230 buses.

The first cluster was awarded to a concessionaire consisting of six-seven former Blueline operators and an investor. The legal entity, which was divided into 51% stake for the Blueline operators and 49% for the investor, is known as Star Bus Service Pvt Ltd. Sources in the department said issues over stakes had prompted the stakeholders to approach the court. When contacted, Shiv Kumar, one of the Blueline operators, admitted that the matter had gone to court, but he refused to comment as it was subjudice.

Incidentally, the conductors are yet to be hired for the cluster. The transport department had outsourced the hiring of conductors or support and fare collection staff to Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transit System (DIMTS), which is finally hiring the staff now. These conductors will thereafter have to undergo training before they are put on the job, added transport department officials.

"The cluster should be launched by mid-March definitely," added the official optimistically. The cluster buses are set to be parked in the DTC Millennium Depot, which is also not ready. DIMTS officials claim that both the support staff as well as the parking bay in the Millennium Depot will be ready "in time". The buses, said Kumar, have been acquired and are awaiting deployment.

The delay in the launch of the cluster service comes in the wake of the transport department scrambling to get the corporatization scheme off the ground. Delhi's transport minister, Arvinder Singh, has been consistently claiming that the cluster would be launched "soon", even as more than 800 Blueline buses went off the roads in January.

As per the agreement between the transport department and the Star Bus Service, which owns the first bus cluster, the company will provide the buses and the drivers whereas the government will deploy its own conductors, hired by DIMTS. The first cluster which starts with 50 low-floor buses will run on 32 routes in south Delhi, including Ambedkar Nagar, Jal Vihar, Mehrauli, GK II, Okhla Enclave, Mori Gate, Arya Samaj road, Anand Parbat, Vasant Vihar, Vasant Kunj and several other areas.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Cluster-bus-again-delayed/articleshow/7523742.cms

First college of traffic management opens

2011-02-17T23:37:00.001-08:00

Thursday, Feb 17, 2011

What can bring in discipline in road usage in the NCR and bring down rate of road fatalities—proper education or harsh penalty? If the head of the AIIMS Trauma Centre Dr Mahesh Mishra is to be believed, Delhi can register a steep decline in road fatalities only by a manifold rise in penalty and putting road signages scientifically.

"Awareness or education can hardly bring in any major relief. Despite statutory warnings on cigarette packs, people do not stop smoking. Unless

they feel the pinch of the fine, road accidents cannot be reduced," said Mishra in the inaugural programme of India's first College of Traffic Management (CTM), an initiative of the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) at Faridabad on Wednesday.

The Motor Vehicle Amendment Committee recently has proposed an increase in penalty for traffic law violations by at least three times in the proposed amendment of the Act.

Besides penalty, he talked about scientific road signages. "The rate of road fatalities

has come down in Delhi in 2010 and that seems to have happened due to correct placement of road signs before CWG," he said.

Praveen Sood, IGP and Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic), Bangalore, who was also present at the function, said, "Road fatalities drastically reduced in Bangalore after we got the road signages corrected and educated the road users with the help of IRTE."

It is worth mentioning that the Delhi government, in a meeting last month, has the assigned International Road Federation, an NGO, to identify locations where road signs are wrongly placed. "We will then ask the MCD and PWD to replace them," said chief secretary Rakesh Mehta.

IRF chairman, KK Kapila, said: "We will soon start the process and take photographs of the faulty signages."

Emphasising on the need for road traffic education, Rohit Baluja, president, IRTE said: "Proper education about road safety can bring down accidents on roads drastically. CTM aims to educate people in all the areas of traffic management."

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/First-college-of-traffic-management-opens/Article1-663329.aspx

Clear south delhi roads of encroachment: High court

2011-02-17T02:43:00.003-08:00

Wednesday, Feb 16, 2011

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought an explanation from civic bodies and the traffic police on steps taken to remove encroachment from footpaths and roads in Jangpura, Bhogal, Pant Nagar and parts of Defence Colony in south Delhi. The order came after petitions filed by the Jangpura Residents' Welfare Association and Flyover Complex Welfare Association, which contended that earlier orders of the court, in this regard, were not being complied with by authorities.

Lawyer RK Saini, arguing for the petitioners, contended, "The Hospital Road in Jangpura was full of encroachments and 75% of the footpath had been occupied by motor repair workshops, dhabas and illegally-parked vehicles."

He alleged that tent houses and taxi operators were the other main culprits. Saini said encroachments on the road led to massive traffic snarls; pedestrians, too, were forced to walk on the roads.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the traffic police assured the court that necessary steps were being taken to remove encroachments. The traffic police told the court that 'no parking, no stopping' boards will be installed on various roads.

The court has already threatened to initiate contempt proceedings against the traffic police and civic agencies for not taking action against second hand car dealers and automobile workshops on both sides of the Defence Colony flyover.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Clear-south-delhi-roads-of-encroachment-High-court/Article1-662860.aspx

Vehicle collapse may cost more

2011-02-17T02:43:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, Feb 16, 2011

The Delhi traffic police are mulling a proposition to increase penalty for breakdown of goods vehicles that has become a regular sight on streets. The penalty may go up to Rs10,000. They believe that a steep hike in penalty for breakdowns will force heavy commercial vehicles to refrain from overloading and driving them in unfit condition.

This, in turn, will help ease traffic jams on busy city roads.

Delhi traffic police are now drafting a proposal, which will be presented to lieutenant governor (L-G) Tejinder Khanna on Thursday, said a senior traffic police officer.

He said: "We would request the L-G to bring in legislation or amend the state motor vehicle rule on this soon. We want the penalty to go up to Rs10,000."

At present, traffic police impose penalty of R100 per hour on a vehicle that breaks down on the road.

According to Delhi traffic police sources, a total of 177 heavy commercial vehicles broke down on several busy Delhi roads between February 7 and 13, causing severe traffic congestion.

Of these, 78 breakdowns took place at the southern range that includes NH8, NH 2, Ring Road and Outer ring Road. Delhi police commissioner BK Gupta told HT: "We need a deterrent to control any kind of traffic norm violations. Huge penalty is the only answer to the traffic problems and congestion."

Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic), said: "Delhi cannot afford major breakdown of vehicles on busy city roads. About a fortnight ago, breakdown of a heavy commercial vehicle on NH8 caused traffic jam for at least six hours."

Joy Upadhyay, a resident of Ghaziabad said: "A few days ago I had to miss my flight due to breakdown of a vehicle on Ashram flyover. On my way to Indira Gandhi Airport in the early morning, I was caught in a massive traffic jam due to breakdown of a vehicle. By the time I could reach the airport, the flight had taken off."

Traffic jams due to dislocation of heavy vehicles, especially goods carrying trucks have become a daily affair here. On Tuesday morning, traffic movement got affected badly for over two hours from Andheria More towards Gurgaon due to breakdown of a truck near Mandi Cut.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Vehicle-collapse-may-cost-more/Article1-662856.aspx

No cap on number, registration of vehicle, puller mandatory: draft law

2011-02-17T02:42:00.003-08:00

Tuesday, Feb 15, 2011

There will be no cap on the number of cycle-rickshaws plying on the Capital's roads, but pullers will have to register themselves to obtain an identity card to work, a government task force has proposed as part of an upcoming law.

After months of debate over the number of rickshaws that should be allowed in the city, a 12-member task force appointed by the High Court and headed by Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta has decided on unrestricted growth. "We have approved a final draft of the proposed law. We'll put it up for the High Court's approval soon," said Mehta.

The draft allows a person to operate multiple cycle-rickshaws after getting the vehicles registered, a provision the Delhi Traffic Police opposed rigorously on the ground that it would lead to road congestion. Existing laws allow only 99,000 cycle-rickshaws to ply in the city. But Delhi has up to eight lakh rickshaws, according to various estimates, with just one out of every eight plying legally.

"Cycle-rickshaws and other non-motorised vehicles shall be registered by an appropriate authority in a locality where the vehicle owner has his residence or place of business," states the draft, a copy of which is with Newsline.

The Bill proposes the formation of a Non-motorised vehicles Use Promotion Authority, or NUPA, to enforce the new law. It will be headed by Mehta and will have bureaucrats and civil society representatives as members. It will have to meet at least four times a year to decide on policy and review implementation.

With the proposed legislation requiring pullers to register themselves, Mehta said they would need to learn basic traffic rules.

Though the proposed legislation bans unregistered cycle-rickshaws from plying, it does away with the current norm of authorities impounding rickshaws that flout the existing rules.

"In case a rickshaw-puller is caught flouting rules or a rickshaw is found to be unregistered, authorities will have to release the vehicle once the defaulter pays the prescribed fine," a task force member said.

The draft also makes dedicated lanes on all roads the right of operators of non-motorised vehicles. "NUPA will ensure that local bodies provide equitable access of city roads for non-motorised vehicles, and create segregated tracks on arterial, sub-arterial and local level roads in urban extensions, as mandated by the Masterplan 2021," the draft states.

Non-motorised vehicles in Delhi are currently regulated by the Delhi Municipal Corporation (cycle-rickshaw) bye-laws, 1960, and the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Thelas) bye-laws, 1960.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/no-cap-on-number-registration-of-vehicle-puller-mandatory-draft-law/750002/0

No staff, so cluster bus service fails to roll out

2011-02-17T02:42:00.001-08:00

Sunday, Feb 13, 2011

The Delhi government's much-hyped corporatization of buses refuses to take off. After delays over procurement of buses, now the absence of conductors for the fleet seems to have stuck the launch. Officials in the transport department said the fare collection staff – the conductors — were to be hired by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) along with providing the parking space for the first cluster. Neither has been made available yet.

Admitted a senior DIMTS official, "The tender was floated last week for hiring a firm that will provide the manpower for fare collection. The RFP will be decided by February 15 and it will take about a week to 10 days before the manpower is ready to be deployed." Incidentally, the parking space, including the service area, in the Millennium Park Depot which will be used by the first cluster service is still under construction. Sources said the work is expected to get over in another week's time. Added a senior transport official, "The cluster, which will start on south Delhi routes, will now be launched by this month's end, though it could get delayed to March."

The delay in the launch of the cluster service comes in the wake of the transport department scrambling to get the corporatization scheme off the ground. Delhi's transport minister, Arvinder Singh, has been consistently claiming the cluster would be launched "soon", even as more than 800 Blueline buses went off the roads. The first cluster was supposed to have been launched in January, which was thereafter delayed to first week of February.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/No-staff-so-cluster-bus-service-fails-to-roll-out/articleshow/7483686.cms

Swanky ISBT to make bus ride comfy

2011-02-09T02:58:00.003-08:00

Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011

An airconditioned waiting lounge, a food court, glass lifts, a three-level underground parking lot for private cars and buses, a hotel to cater to visitors, a smooth integration with the neighbouring Metro station and a dedicated city bus network (DTC depot) - as the first stage of the renovation of the Maharana Pratap ISBT at Kashmere Gate nears completion, plans for the second stage are already under way. The entire project costs Rs 125 crore.

The good news is that phase I of the renovation is ready for completion by July-August this year. Said Ajay Pal Singh, VP (engineering) of the Delhi Integrated Multi-modal Transport System (DIMTS), "The first stage of the renovation is basically an upgrade of the ISBT, where we've segregated the arrival and departure blocks with a waiting area for commuters. We are adding a food court, glass lifts and escalators in the waiting lounge." According to Singh, the connectivity between the main road and the ISBT will be further bolstered with a continuous FOB for conflict-free entry into the ISBT. This FOB will thereafter, in phase II of the renovation project, connect to the Metro station in Kashmere Gate.

Connectivity, in fact, could be the buzzword for the renovated ISBT, as DIMTS has proposed a dedicated area for auto and taxi stands in the complex, plus an increased bus bay capacity. Later, in phase II, the underground expansion of the ISBT - down three levels - will have a dedicated parking space for over 300 cars and 800 two-wheelers besides connectivity to a neighbouring city bus stand, that is, a DTC depot.

The first phase, meanwhile, will see structural strengthening/retrofitting of the existing building against earthquakes. More importantly, there will be complete waterproofing of the departure, arrival and link/waiting blocks. Added Singh, "We are going in for improvement of the interior to give it an international look."

As part of this, basic facilities like toilets are being upgraded, while for the first time, the ISBT will have a sewage treatment plan (STP) as well as rainwater harvesting system. In the waiting lounge, a food court and restaurants will be given space alongside the ticket counter, which will be positioned right at the entry. Prominent signage, public information system, public seating as well as eco-friendly LED lighting are some other features that you will get to see by July-August this year.

That's not all. Enhanced security is a major part of the renovation, say DIMTS officials. "We have added a number of security features like CCTV and central surveillance. Also, boom barriers, metal detectors, an access control system for buses have also been introduced," said Singh. Display boards, LCD, and an updated firefighting system have also been installed.

Phase II of the project, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year, will expand the ISBT underground. Three basements are to come up, along with a hotel with a capacity for over 150 rooms opposite the entry point to the ISBT. Officials say the hotel will be a revenue generating exercise for the transport department of the Delhi government, which manages the ISBTs.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Swanky-ISBT-to-make-bus-ride-comfy/articleshow/7457438.cms

Rs 1 lakh extra for second car

2011-02-09T02:58:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011

If the findings of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) are to be believed, the city is fast heading towards chaos.

Road block: A multi-level parking facility is coming up at Connaught Place to address parking woes in the heart of the city. File pic

According to a recent presentation by the MCD before the Special Task Force formed to solve the transportation woes of Delhiites, 9-10 per cent of the geographical area in the Capital is needed just for parking vehicles. The basis of MCD's report are transport department figures of 2008 when the city had 54 lakh registered vehicles. In the past two years, the number has crossed 60 lakh.

MCD has proposed that the city be divided into different zones, congestion charges be introduced, the rule of one family one car be enforced and if a car owner buys a second car, the owner should be charged a fee of Rs 1 lakh per car and underground parking in places like parks, race course and stadiums be introduced.

The MCD report also blamed incidents of road rage, stress among Delhiities, late response in Emergencies on congestion. On an average three different car spaces are needed per car in the city, as a result, the current fleet occupies nearly 9-10 per cent of Delhi's geographic area. Delhi has only 11.5 per cent of forest area. The report says congestion and heavy traffic results in the loss of fuel worth Rs 1,000 million annually. "Daily registration of cars (as on 2005) generates demand for 2.5 million sqm -- roughly equivalent (to the size) of 310 international football fields," stated report.

Solution!
The report suggests large public spaces such as parks, race course, playgrounds, stadia and under-utilised public amenities and land at select localities can be utilised for off-street parking through use of basements. There should be a cap on the number of vehicles that can ply in the city. Vehicular registration should be discouraged through higher registration fees (taxes). This can be done by a mandatory rule of one car per household. An upper cap of one car per household should be stipulated and any additional car could be charged a one-time fee of about Rs 1,00,000 per car and higher municipal tax in terms of 10 per cent per year of the assessed tax, advocated the civic body. Some of the suggestions among these were made last year in a RITES report.

Different pricing
The report says, entire Delhi be divided into zones:

Zone A: Would include the central business areas and NDMC area, where short-term parking on hourly basis will be provided between 9 am and 9 pm with high charges that would increase with every hour of parking. These areas will be provided with Automatic Mechanical Parking (AMPs) and private parking lots. Beyond these timings, the parking fees could be charged at a lower rate for longer duration of time.

Zone B: The area outside NDMC but within the Ring Road. In these areas a combination of AMPs and Carbon Metered Parking (CMP which will check fuel emission and decide on parking rebate at the time of entry at the parking lot) can be provided at selected interchanges, especially at the bus terminus, DMRC stations and other identified locations close to public transport corridors. Parking in these areas will also be on short-term basis but at a slightly lower tariff as compared to Zone A.

Zone C: Would cover the area falling between Ring Road and Outer Ring Road. These areas are little distant from the epicentre of the city, hence the travel needs are different than in Zone A and B. In these areas a combination of AMP and CMP can be provided at selected interchanges, especially at the bus terminus, DMRC stations, BRT stops and other identified locations close to public transport corridors. These will be long term parking lots of 8 to 12 hour duration at a nominal tariff to encourage the vehicle owners to park at these facilities and avail the public transport system.

Zone D: Will include the areas outside the Outer Ring Road. Large CMP may be provided at the locations adjoining the public transport stations of Metro, Monorail / LRT, BRT, Bus Terminus, etc. These will be long term parking lots of 8 to 12 hour duration at a nominal tariff to encourage the vehicle owners to park at these facilities and take the public transport system.

The report also says while finalising the parking charges, congestion factor should be kept in mind. Parts of the city can be coded and categorised broadly in three categories -non-congested, congested, very congested. "For example, Chanakyapuri may have high parking charges but no congestion charges as the area may not be congested. Similarly, for example Connaught Place may have high parking charges and also high congestion charges," states the report.

Capital chaos
* The road space is shared by at least 30 different types of vehicles, each with different static and dynamic characteristics.
* Delhi has the highest number of vehicles among all major cities in India.
* A total of 1087 vehicles are registered every day, of which 1021 are personal vehicles. Nearly 3,65,000 vehicles are registered annually.
* Public transport ridership has dropped from 60 per cent to 41 per cent in the past eight years.
* Private vehicles are left parked 95 per cent of the time while public modes of transport spend more time on road.
* Around 45 million sq.m. of land is needed for parking of already registered vehicles.
* The city needs a space equivalent to 310 international football fields to accommodate the number of cars which are registered in a single day.
* The working population of the National Capital Region (NCR) is estimated at 70 lakh.
* Traffic congestion causes an overall loss of Rs 840 crores per month.
* On an average 6 people die everyday in road accidents in Delhi.

What is STF?
The Delhi government has constituted a Special Task Force for the city following a Delhi High Court order. Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta (left) is chairman of the STF. The STF has 14 members including the various agency heads, experts from transport and urban planning. It was constituted in March, 2010. Its primary work is to explore all issues related to road traffic in Delhi with a view to minimise congestion, reduce pollution and increase mobility. Any proposal which the government, the MCD or any other local authority or agencies wishes to implement is first put before the STF.

MCD: we are toothless
MCD in its report has admitted that it is a toothless tiger. As per the Motor Vehicle Act, the responsibility to penalise or cancel the permission for errant parking operators or enforce its guidelines rest with the Delhi Traffic Police and MCD at best can lodge an FIR against the parking operator. The Delhi Traffic police is itself so overburdened that it is not possible for them to keep check or control on parking lots, hence leading to mismanagement or over-exploitation of the parking created. Above all no scientific data or study or expertise is available with the MCD for creating new parking spaces and ensure the guidelines or directions are followed.

Punishment for parking
Proposed minimum parking fee in CP and other central business district areas which falls under Zone A could be Rs 20 for two-wheelers and Rs 50 for cars for the first two hours. In zone B areas it could be Rs 15 for two-wheelers and Rs 30 for cars. In zone C it could be Rs 10 for two-wheelers and Rs 20 for cars. And in zone D it could be Rs 5 for two-wheelers and Rs 10 for cars. The price will increase marginally after two hours and after four hours of parking it will increase on hourly basis.

No street-fighting
In residential areas, MCD wants that car owners do not use the roads for long-stay parking. Building norms will be enforced to promote parking in residential areas. The report says parking in private off-street locations will be promoted through necessary amendments to the building bye laws. "Option of providing exemption from payment of property tax will be explored to promote private parking lots. By providing additional Floor Area Ratio (FAR) steps will be taken to create more parking spaces in residential areas. Parking of both owners as well as visitors on streets near flats will be prohibited and enforced," it added.

Beijing blues
The Beijing administration has doubled the public parking fees in 13 of Beijing's busiest areas from their current prices. The new pricing will start from April 2011. According to reports, the 13 areas include Wangfujing, the Lufthansa Centre and Beijing Railway Station. The current parking fee of 2.5 yuan for 30 minutes will be increased to 5 yuan for half an hour within the first hour, and 15 yuan per hour afterwards. The authorities said the purpose of the increase is to adjust traffic volumes through different pricing levels, reduce traffic congestion in busy areas and encourage citizens to use public transport. Those who work in areas where parking fees will be increased will have to add up to 75 yuan to their daily eight-hour parking fee.

London dreams
The London congestion charge is a fee for motorists travelling within the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ), a traffic area in London. The charge aims to reduce congestion. The zone was introduced in central London on February 17, 2003. Though not the first in UK, it was the largest when introduced, and it remains one of the largest in the world. A payment of £10 is required each day for each vehicle which travels within the zone between 7am and 6pm; a fine of between £60 and £180 is levied for non-payment. From January 4, 2011 several changes were implemented based on public consultation, which included the removal of the Western Extension, a charge increase from GB £8 to GB £10, and the introduction of an automated payment system.

Original news source http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/feb/090211-News-Delhi-parking-space-tax-Rs-1-lakh-extra-for-new-car.htm

MCD to demolish foot-over-bridge in Daryaganj

2011-02-09T02:55:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011

One of the oldest and landmark foot overbridges in the city - the iron bridge at Netaji Subhash Chandra Marg - is soon going to be dismantled.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has asked the Delhi Traffic Police to make alternative arrangements for traffic on this busy route so that the 47-year-old structure can be dismantled.

In a related development, residents of Daryaganj are hopeful that Delhi Metro's plan to extend its Central Secretariat line till Jama Masjid will solve the traffic problem in this area.

"We have decided on the company which will dismantle the bridge. We can't carry out the work during daytime, as the road underneath is one of the busiest roads in town. We have to do the work at night. The bridge is constructed in one piece. There is no support in the middle. So we have to remove the main part of the bridge in one go. We will use two-three cranes to lift the main portions,'' said an MCD official. According to traffic police officials, the decision on traffic diversion will be taken in a day or two.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Marg is one of the main roads leading to Red Fort and the mad rush at Daryaganj simply adds to the traffic. Local traders say that the demolition of this bridge will aggravate the traffic mess on this road. "There are so many schools in New Daryaganj and kids often use this bridge to cross over. If MCD doesn't construct an underpass or subway, then people will have to risk their lives to cross the road. As there is a intersection right after the bridge, traffic never stops here. MCD should find a solution to this problem before dismantling the bridge,'' said Ashok Sahdev, vice-president of Daryaganj Traders' Association.

The bridge is in a dilapidated condition as it is very old. Moreover, it has become a hub for drug peddlers and local goons. "It has served its purpose and is now in a precarious condition. Ever since it was constructed, it has never been used much by people living in this area. As one has to climb too many stairs, locals prefer to cross the road without using the bridge. So many illegal structures (shops) have come up below the bridge which further add to the traffic congestion,'' said 78-year-old Haji Mian Faiyaz-Uddin, who runs a hotel near Jama Masjid.

Earlier, MCD was planning to construct an underpass-cum-subway to ease the traffic congestion on this road. But now with Delhi Metro planning to extend the Central Secretariat line till Jama Masjid, MCD is banking on it to construct a subway. DMRC officials say that if MCD approaches them with a proposal then they will incorporate it in their plan for the Jama Masjid Metro station. "If MCD wants we can construct a subway along with the Metro station. We are right now in the planning stages so we can incorporate such suggestions. We need to work out the technical details,'' said Kumar Keshav, director (projects), DMRC.

Locals too are hopeful that the Metro will solve their traffic woes. The carriageway is very narrow and a good portion of it is encroached by small shops. "People park their vehicles on the road which further adds to the congestion. We have asked traffic police to make Netaji Subhash Chandra Marg one-way so that there is a smooth flow of traffic,'' said Sahdev.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/MCD-to-demolish-foot-over-bridge-in-Daryaganj/articleshow/7455833.cms

Proposal for web-based parking solution

2011-02-09T02:53:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011

Greater Kailash Part II and Bhikaji Cama Place are the choice for a pilot project under a proposal for a web-based parking solution to root out the mafia that rules the parking lots in the city. Connaught Place may also be taken up as a pilot project.

Chief minister Sheila Dikshit has constituted a core group under the chairmanship of chief secretary Rakesh Mehta to study the proposal. The Delhi government is considering a web-based parking solution to put an end to control of parking lots by mafia, leakage of revenue and encroachment on non-parking areas in the capital.

A presentation on Information Technology-enabled Parking Management System was made before chief minister Sheila Dikshit in a meeting on the parking issue on Tuesday.

After the presentation, the CM set up a core group. The committee will have on board commissioner (transport), commissioner (MCD), chairman (NDMC), secretary (IT), Jt. CP (traffic), project director (Survey of India) and a representative from National Innovation Council to look into how the proposal can be executed. The core group has been asked to give its report to the CM.

The proposal aims at developing a web-based parking solution, which will eliminate human intervention. It is a broad-based proposal in which payments can be facilitated over mobile phones and it will be possible to track availability of parking space online.

It has been proposed that two pilot projects will be taken up at Bhikaji Cama Place and GK-II. Greater Kailash II has been chosen for the pilot project in the residential category. Bhikaji Cama Place has been chosen as it is a busy official hub. Connaught Place may also be included in the pilot project later as a case study for a commercial hub.

If cleared, the web-based parking solution will be implemented as a pilot project for six months to see the effectiveness and viability of the new system.

According to secretary IT, Delhi government, Savitur Prasad, the proposal aims at providing a scientific solution which ensures transparency.

For instance, using the data on the expanse and profile of the colony available through GIS maps, the web-based solution will make use of information on houses and space available in GK-II. A plan for parking and an assessment of the number of cars in the colony will be made in collaboration with the civic body in charge of the colony, the RWAs and the traffic and Delhi Police. Space for parking will be earmarked and random parking on the roads will be organised for better management. All this will be coordinated through a web-based model to put an end to manipulation by the parking mafia.

In case of a parking area like the one around Bhikaji Cama Place, the parking will be mapped and it will be possible to find out the availability of parking online. The proposal also talks of a provision to allow booking of parking space and even payment of the parking charge over the mobile.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Proposal-for-web-based-parking-solution/articleshow/7455655.cms

More space at High Court parking lot

2011-02-07T23:48:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, Feb 08, 2011

Do you work in an office near the Delhi High Court? If yes, this judgement will surely bring you some relief. Space for parking nearly 200 cars will now be available at the parking lot in the court complex for outsiders, a Delhi government official told MiD DAY.

Not only the lawyers of Delhi High Court, but also anyone going to nearby areas would benefit from the automated underground car parking in the court complex.

"Although 85 per cent of the car space would be reserved for lawyers, the rest can be used by visitors. Anyone who goes to various offices in ITO can use the parking space in the court premises," said the official. The parking project has been cleared by the city government on Monday and will cost Rs 182.71 crore as per the revised plan.

"The revision is due to cost escalation and inclusion of the scope of work for five year maintenance," Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said.

The automated car parking which is to be constructed by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will have six levels to house 1,550 cars. Earlier the construction cost was estimated to be Rs 125 crore and the parking facility was to be made functional by the Commonwealth Games 2010. However, the deadline was missed. The parking place is to be constructed on an area of around 10,000 sq.m. The ground above the parking lot will be landscaped.

No human assistance
As per the plan, drivers will take a tunnel to drive into the lobby of the multi-level parking lot, where signs will guide them to leave the vehicle in one of 21 slots. On leaving the car, the driver will take the car keys and will automatically be issued a parking ticket. The parking system will assess the size and weight of the vehicle and assign it to a suitable parking slot. An automated system of travellators and special car-lifts will then transport the vehicle to the designated slot.

To retrieve the vehicle, the driver will access the ticket machine at the lobby. On reading the coupon, the computer will automatically identify the slot where it has been parked and transport the car back to the lobby.

85 percent
Of the car space would be reserved for lawyers
Rs 182 crore
Cost of Delhi High Court parking project approved by city government
Rs 125 crore
A previous estimate of the cost

Original news source http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/feb/080211-News-Delhi-parking-issue-high-court-four-wheelers.htm

Move to stop errant drivers getting licence

2011-02-07T23:47:00.004-08:00

Monday, Feb 07, 2011

In what can have wider ramifications for the Motor Vehicles Act, a trial court has summoned five senior government officials to discuss the possibility of evolving a system that can stop erring drivers from securing alternative driving licences from various parts of the country following the cancellation of their original licence.

Motor Accident Claim Tribunal judge Swarna Kanta Sharma sought the personal appearance of the Secretaries of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Delhi government's transport department. Besides them, the court also sought the presence of two DCPs, including traffic. The court asked the officers to explore the possibility of working together with the traffic police department to evolve a mechanism to stop errant drivers from securing multiple licences from various parts of the country after cancellation of their original ones.

Seeking the involvement of UIDAI, the court said, "I believe that if a system is evolved which will have unique identity processing system to have coordination between other states and the state of Delhi, it will help in curbing this menace of drivers using fake driving licences or one person possessing many driving licences." The judge also directed that the copies of her order be sent to various officials and the UIDAI Secretary "for the next date of hearing for filing of their responses and compliance."

The issuance of summons to five senior officials came after the court felt that there were many MACT cases where the menace of errant drivers securing alternative licences has "surfaced and re-surfaced again and again". The court was hearing a case involving a man who continued to drive a Blueline bus even after cancellation of his licence following an accident in 2005. The driver, whose licence was cancelled following an accident, continued to drive the vehicle as the official records of the traffic police showed that his licence was valid.

The defect was detected when the driver was involved in another accident in 2006, which led to the filing of a case by the family of the deceased seeking compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act. The court issued directions to officials against seeking exemptions from personal appearance as the Transport Commissioner and the DCP, Traffic Police, who were asked by the court to appear before it earlier, had sought exemption from personal appearance on some grounds.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Move-to-stop-errant-drivers-getting-licence/articleshow/7447768.cms

Cops crack down on unruly traffic

2011-02-07T23:47:00.003-08:00

Monday, Feb 07, 2011

The law is finally taking its right course on Delhi roads. The traffic police are coming down hard on drivers even for minor offences, booking errant motorists under the Motor Vehicles Act.

In January alone, cops suspended 277 licences for drunk driving. At least 289 people were sent to jail in the past one month while 630 cases are facing trial for the same offence. "Compared to 550 challans for drunk driving in January last year, this year the number has shot up by three times to 1,807 challans. In at least five cases, offenders were sent to prison for more than 10 days, while three faced jail terms between six and nine days. Another 18 offenders got jail terms ranging between one and three days,'' said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

This latest effort of the traffic police has been a success. "Compared to 26 fatal accidents involving cars in January 2010, only 19 cases involving cars were reported in January 2011. The total number of accidents has also seen a 10% decrease from 161 in January 2010 to 147 in January 2011," Garg said.

The number of prosecution of motorist for using tinted glass has also increased exponentially, up from 997 in January last year to 14,115 in January this year. There has also been a two-and-a-half-times increase in the number of prosecutions for defective number plates. The number has risen to 27,188 this year from 11,492 last year.

Prosecution for improper parking has also gone up. While 10,017 challans were issued in January last year, 11,986 challans were issued in January this year. A total of 33,943 motorcycles were checked in the same period while 76 have been impounded.

The traffic police claimed for the 27{+t}{+h} consecutive week there has been a fall in fatal accidents. However, in the case of cars the decline is marginal. "Last year, we had considerable success in checking road accidents as we had enforced strict lane driving and had even sent several such violators to jail. This helped in bringing down the number of fatal accidents by 10% from that of 2009. We now hope to cut down the number of fatal accidents even more,'' said Garg.

The joint commissioner of police said owners of cars with illegal red beacons were also prosecuted. "While there were no prosecution under this head last year, this year we have issued challans against 73 private vehicles belonging to MPs, MLAs, political leaders and even policemen for using red beacons illegally,'' said Garg.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Cops-crack-down-on-unruly-traffic/articleshow/7447395.cms

Delhi Traffic Police chief upset with VIP law breakers

2011-02-07T23:47:00.001-08:00

Monday, Feb 07, 2011

Miffed by traffic violations by VIP vehicles, Delhi Traffic Police chief Satyendra Garg has taken to the Facebook to highlight some judges and bureaucrats brazenly break traffic rules.

Despite facing pressures from VIPs who seemingly do not feel guilty violating traffic laws, the joint commissioner of police has made it clear that no one is above the law.

Writing in Facebook Sunday, Garg brought to the notice of fellow citizens that he saw five cars, two with red beacons, parked in a no-parking zone area in Connaught Place -- the capital's shopping hub.

'How do you handle this situation... There is a traffic police motorcycle with two officials,' an exaxperated Garg posted.

'You ask (the) traffic officials why they were not prosecuting (the) illegally parked vehicles. He comes to you and tells softly that one of the vehicle is (that) of a high court judge whose wife had come for shopping, the other red beacon vehicle (is) of a director level officer of home ministry and the three others were Mercedes and other brands.

'You have to respond to (the) Head Constable who is feeling intimidated. I want people to respond to this query of Head Constable,' he wrote.

In no time came 122 responses. Most people insisted that the policeman must prosecute the violators.

One of them, Ajaya Chand, said: 'If the senior officers of Delhi Police and their bosses will support the Head Constable, then and only then will the problem be solved.

'Today, the Head Constable is more than afraid of losing his job or (getting) a reprimand if he actually does his job,' Ajaya Chand said, and cited how the British Home Secretary's official driver was fined for speeding.

Garg then presented another post: 'Another situation. A judicial magistrate visits one area of the city in a private car, commits traffic offence, checked by traffic officials, feels offended.

'Goes back to his court, next day rings up his counterpart to 'handle' the concerned traffic officials.

'These officials are called by area traffic magistrate, forced to wait for hours, asked to apologise to the offended magistrate.

'Police take the stand and apology was not given with support from seniors. Magistrate makes situation difficult as he deals with all court challans. How do you handle this,' Garg wants to know.

The public response was swift and universal: everyone wanted the police to be merciless with traffic violators, no matter who they were.

And for good measure, some suggested to Garg to ape Delhi's famed and former traffic police chief Kiran Bedi, pointing out that she was as tough with commoners as she was with VIPs.

Last month, Garg had vowed to pursue a crackdown on drunken driving, tinted glasses and cars with illegal beacon lights.

Original news source http://www.sify.com/news/delhi-traffic-police-chief-upset-with-vip-law-breakers-news-national-lchv4fjfagj.html

Metro or monument: What will Delhi pick?

2011-02-06T22:40:00.005-08:00

Monday, Feb 07, 2011

Is the safety of heritage monuments in the Capital more important or expanding the Metro rail network in violation of the stringent rules of the Archeological Survey of India, which protects them?

This is the tough call the central and Delhi governments are expected to take when the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) presents a proposal to build a 7-km underground line running close to many heritage monuments, including the Red Fort.

The proposal is to be presented to the Planning Commission by the middle of this month. The extension is being proposed for the underground lines connecting Central Secretariat with Kashmere Gate via Janpath, Mandi House, ITO, Delhi Gate and Red Fort. "This should be treated as utility work and there should not be any major objections from ASI. Minor modifications can be made but there is hardly any scope to go for major changes in the proposed alignment," said Kumar Keshav, director (projects) of DMRC.

"We tried to keep the line away from major heritage properties wherever possible. But in some places, the line might have gone close to them," he said.

The ASI, however, has a different take on the issue. ASI director (monuments) AK Sinha said: "The entire stretch would be examined to see whether it violates the law."

Extension of this metro line has become the need of the hour for several reasons including decongesting Rajiv Chowk by channelising Noida-bound traffic directly from Central Secretariat through Mandi House and making chaotic Old Delhi areas accessible to people.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Metro-or-monument-What-will-Delhi-pick/Article1-659420.aspx

Cops crack down on share autos

2011-02-06T22:40:00.003-08:00

Sunday, Feb 06, 2011

The traffic police on Friday cracked down on the nine-seater Gramin Seva autos across the city for violations ranging from diverting from their assigned routes to plying without driving licence to overcrowding, among others. As many as 323 drivers were issued challans while 110 share autos were impounded. In west Delhi alone, 49 autos were impounded. The transport department has chalked out 61 routes on which these autos can ply. In east Delhi, which has a large number of the Gramin Seva autos operating in Laxmi Nagar, Mother Dairy and IP Extension, only three autos were impounded. Officials claimed that the drive was carried out as many share autos are seen on main arterial roads in violation of the directive.

Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg said, "We will continue with the drive and keep these autos in check. Overcrowding, driving without licence and plying without a permit can prove very dangerous. We have deployed our staff to check any violations."

Senior traffic officials have stressed time and again that share autos are a menace on the road. These are also responsible for slowing down traffic on arterial roads. Drivers are usually fined Rs 500 and owners Rs 1,000 for not carrying a valid licence. Plying without permit invites a fine of Rs 2,000 while overcrowding can cost Rs 100, said the traffic cops.

As a result of the crackdown, the autos fast disappeared from many areas, specially Rohini. Overcrowding came up as the biggest problem with 132 auto drivers being booked for this offence. Forty-eight drivers were booked for plying without a driving licence.

Auto drivers, however, claimed they were only being helpful as this was the only mode of transport for many locals. Gramin Seva has seen many takers in the city but complaints of blocking main roads and holding up traffic by abruptly stopping in the middle of the road are common.

The nine-seater vehicles, of either Mahindra or Tata Magic make, are a common sight in Kalkaji, Govindpuri, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, BRT corridor and MG Road in south Delhi; and Seelampur, Shakarpur, Mother Dairy Road, IP Extension in east Delhi.

The transport department had charted out specific routes for the share autos, with permits issued strictly against these routes. The 61 routes cater to rural areas where the reach of DTC buses is limited.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Cops-crack-down-on-share-autos/articleshow/7433923.cms

No more fancy number plates

2011-02-06T22:40:00.001-08:00

Saturday, Feb 05, 2011

Vehicle owners in Delhi may be in the habit of flaunting a police logo or phrases like 'Government of India', 'MP' and 'MLA' on their vehicle's number plates. Soon, however, the practice will cost them dear. Come February 15, the Delhi traffic police would start treating this as registration certificate violation and levy a fine of Rs 2,000.

However, to begin with, the traffic police wants to deal with violators in Delhi Police, who often use its blue-and-red logo on number plates, in an attempt to escape traffic checks, even during violation of norms.

Delhi traffic police have received reports about men in khaki and others flouting the Motor Vehicle Act by using the police logo or designation on number plates.

Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic) said, "On Monday, after a meeting with police commissioner BK Gupta, I have written to our men in all districts and units to come down heavily on police two-wheelers and cars and challan those that have number plates fitted with the police logo or with 'Delhi Police' or 'DP' written on it."

The drive will begin on February 15 across Delhi.

"We have given them about a fortnight to remove such stickers or letters," he added.

According to police sources, politicians, central and state government officers, mediapersons, non-governmental organisations who use logos or stickers on registration number plates will also be covered later.

"So far, we challanned such violators Rs 100, that was meant for using defective number plates. But merely a Rs 100 fine did not make any difference," said the officer.

"We will now levy a fine of Rs 2,000," the officer added.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/No-more-fancy-number-plates/Article1-658712.aspx

Now Hi-Tech traffic control centre and online driving licence in Delhi

2011-02-06T22:39:00.001-08:00

Friday, Feb 04, 2011

The Capital on Friday got a state-of-the-art operations control centre (OCC) that will ensure a more efficient traffic management in future. Chief minister Sheila Dikshit inaugurated the facility located at the ISBT building at Kashmere Gate.

The government has claimed to have set up a new hi- tech road transport management system for smoother traffic flow. Officials said the integration of various transportation technologies such as the intelligent signaling system, automatic vehicle location system and the automatic fare collection system will help achieve that. After the implementation, all these technical projects would be monitored at the new OCC. The centre receives real- time video feeds from on- site CCTV cameras to enable monitoring of traffic flow on the BRT corridor. Officials said it would also, if needed, remotely take over the actual operation of the traffic signals from the centre itself.

The CM said the state- of- the- art integrating facility houses a very sophisticated monitoring and control system.

In coming time, the OCC will allow monitoring of movement of buses to ensure their adherence to performance benchmarks, speed limits, routes, bus stops and punctuality.

The CM also inaugurated a new smart card- based driving licence system in the city and then got her driving licence renewed at the facility. Under the system the applicant's identity is verified by matching the fingerprint before he/ she is allowed to sit for the learner licence test.

The DIMTS is assisting the transport department in the design, development, installation, operation and management of the smart card- based PSV badges. These smart cards are embedded with a tamper- proof electronic chip.

Original news source http://www.newsdowntown.com/2011/02/now-hi-tech-traffic-control-centre-and.html

Police logo on pvt vehicle? Report the crime to cops

2011-02-03T22:37:00.001-08:00

Friday, Feb 04, 2011

Don't let the Delhi Police logo bother you form now onwards if it is on a private vehicle. Note down the vehicle's licence plate number and report it to the traffic police. In a move to curb the misdeeds of Delhi Police officers on the roads, the Delhi Traffic Police have issued a circular to all the districts informing them that "If any private vehicle - bike or car - has a registration number plate with the Delhi Police logo or Delhi Police written on it, then person concerned will be prosecuted". The officers will have to pay Rs 2,000 fine for the offence starting from February 15.

"We have been getting a lot of complaints that several police officers have the logo or 'DP' written on the number plates of their private vehicles. They are wrong in thinking that they will be barred from prosecution. We will prosecute them under the Motor Vehicles Act," said Satyendra Garg, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

The officers, meanwhile, have already started removing the logos from their vehicles. An officer said that "a large number of traffic challans every year pertain to defective number plates. According to section 39 of the MV Act, no one can put an extraneous mark on the number plates of private vehicles. The number plate should not be of distinct size and distinct character".

Officials said that over 20 lakh people are prosecuted for different violations in Delhi every year and registration number plate has a sizeable share in the violations. "Police officers have been escaping prosecution thus far on the pretext of identity proof, but no one can be above the law," said the officer.

"According to the Motor Vehicles Act, the size of registration plate should be 200X100 mm for two/three-wheelers and 540X200 mm or 500X120 mm for cars. The letters in the registration mark should be in English and numerals in Arabic," the officer added. For transport vehicles, the writing should be in black on a yellow background, and for others, black on a white background. Further, the rear plate must have the number in two lines, while the one in front can show it in a single line.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Police-logo-on-pvt-vehicle-Report-the-crime-to-cops/articleshow/7420804.cms

Give parking space to trucks and buses

2011-02-02T22:49:00.003-08:00

Thursday, Feb 03, 2011

You may soon find Delhi's parking lots open round the clock. Delhi government on Tuesday asked Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to provide space to trucks and buses in its parking lots, which are otherwise parked along narrow roads on residential colonies resulting in traffic chaos.

Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta said MCD has been asked to accommodate such tempos and buses in its parking lots, which remain vacant during the night. The direction came in response to the complaint of the traffic police that illegally parked commercial vehicles often cause traffic chaos on Delhi's streets.

According to a senior traffic police officer, illegally parked vehicles along narrow colony roads not only cause traffic jams but also result in accidents sometimes. The officer said that these vehicles are generally parked in unattended and unlit areas and are difficult to be spotted at nights. While the problem exists in almost all over Delhi, the traffic police officer especially pointed out Karol Bagh, Dev Nagar and Anand Parbat, which are hub of tourist buses.

"The commercial vehicles need a place to park only at nights. This is the time when MCD's parking lots are generally vacant. Such an arrangement would solve traffic police's problem and would also mean more money to parking contractors," Mehta said.

A senior MCD official said they would work out a concrete plan in this regard soon and present it to the traffic police and Delhi government soon.

The traffic police also sought government's intervention to ensure continuous electricity supply to traffic signals at major intersection in the Capital. Traffic police argued that electricity cut leads to traffic signal failure and cause traffic snarls. They argued that some of these intersections are very critical and dysfunctional traffic signals spell chaos in no time.

Mehta said the traffic police have been asked to prepare a list of such critical junctions. "I have asked the discoms to provide power supply to these signals from 2-3 different feeder lines. In case of power cut from in one feeder the supply from the other feeder would keep these signals working," Mehta said.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Give-parking-space-to-trucks-and-buses/Article1-657797.aspx

A points system for road offences?

2011-02-02T22:49:00.001-08:00

Thursday, Feb 03, 2011

Jumping a traffic light or using cellphone or any other communication device that distract the attention of drivers could attract a fine of Rs 1,000 each, as per the recommendation made by the committee set up by the highways ministry.

The panel, which reviewed the existing Motor Vehicles Act, has recommended incorporation of stringent punitive provisions and heavy fine against traffic rule violators.

"The ministry will review the recommendations and take a decision soon as to whether we need a new Motor Vehicles Act," transport minister C P Joshi said after a copy of the report was submitted to him on Wednesday.

In its report, the committee -- headed by former road transport secretary S Sunder -- has suggested overhauling the existing Act to lessen road accidents.

It has mooted penalty and imprisonment for drink driving, which could be between six-month jail term and Rs 2,000 fine and a year in prison and Rs 10,000 fine, based on the level of alcohol found in bloodstream of drivers.

The committee has recommended point system for cognizable offences, and the driver would lose licence if s/he accumulates 12 points. It has proposed maximum punitive points for rash driving or speeding while in an inebriated state. Such offenders will get three points each per offence, and in the case of reckless driving, offenders would get four points for second and subsequent offences.

"Points awarded for an offence shall remain on record for three years from the date of issue. At any point, if the cumulative total of the point accrued by a driver crosses the limit of 12 points, the driving licence will be suspended for a year. If a driver, whose licence has been suspended, again accumulates 12 points, his licence shall be cancelled for five years,'' the committee has recommended.

The expert group has suggested that no person should use cellphone or any other communication device while driving. "The aim is to ensure that drivers' attention shouldn't get distracted," said Dinesh Mohan, a panel member.

Portability of number plates -- in case of vehicle re-registration in a different state -- has also been suggested. It has been proposed that from 2015 onwards all vehicles should renew their registrations annually.

The report has suggested specific tests and certification for each category of drivers.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Panel-moots-strict-penalty-against-traffic-rule-offenders/articleshow/7414146.cms

Fewer fatal accidents due to tractor impounds: Police

2011-02-02T22:48:00.002-08:00

Wednesday, Feb 02, 2011

They had emerged as the newest killers on the capital's streets during the Commonwealth Games, but thanks to stricter regulation and prosecution of heavy vehicles, the Delhi Traffic Police's vehicle impounds have started resembling tractor showrooms. "There was ubiquitous, ceaseless construction
during the Commonwealth Games held in the city last year. As a result, tractors, which were used as carriers of construction material and debris by private contractors, were found to have claimed 41 lives on the city's streets. The corresponding figure for the previous year's fortnight had been just 28," said a senior traffic police officer.

Just three months after the number of people killed by their recklessness saw an increase of as much as 41%, not only has the number of fatal accidents that tractors were involved in dipped from five to two, as many as 246 of them have also been taken off the city's streets.

"As compared to January 2010, the number of accidents has seen a decline of almost 66%. This can only be attributed to the fact that we have impounded as many as 246 of them this month, as compared to just 82 last January," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

The Motor Vehicles Act is clear about the fact that there is no point in allowing the tractor, which is an agricultural vehicle, to ply in an urban setting.

In fact, tractors have claimed as many as 340 lives in the last decade.

Garg said that the steep increase in the number of tractors being sent to impound pits was part of a larger crackdown on errant heavy vehicles plying dangerously on the capital's streets.

"As compared to January 2010, we have already prosecuted 3,000 heavy truck vehicles (HTVs), 4,000 light goods vehicles (LGVs), 1,000 delivery vans and 553 tractors, instead of 271 last year," joint CP Garg said.

According to figures compiled by the Delhi Police, as many as 5,673 heavy vehicles have been impounded as compared to 4,209 in January 2010.

"Most of these vehicles have been prosecuted for Supreme Court violations, especially for offences such as their drivers not having proper licences," Garg said. "These prosecutions have made this fortnight the 26th consecutive one during which fatal road accidents have been found to be decreasing," Garg added.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Fewer-fatal-accidents-due-to-tractor-impounds-Police/Article1-657780.aspx

Reflective tapes must on trucks

2011-02-02T22:48:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, Feb 02, 2011

Soon, all trucks that pass through Delhi will be fitted with reflective tapes. The Delhi government, in a recent policy-level meeting, has ordered the transport department and the traffic police to ensure that no truck is left out. According to Rakesh Mehta, chief secretary, "Use of reflective tapes in trucks would help reduce accidents and risk of collisions, as they would give better visibility to trucks on highways."

Delhi registered an alarming number of fatal accidents caused by trucks last year. According to traffic department records, out of 2,104 road accidents, 257 were caused by trucks. The accidents resulted in the loss of 262 lives.

"When trucks break down during night hours on the highway these often lead to fatal accidents. Use of reflective tapes on trucks will definitely help reduce accidents as other road users could see them from a distance.

According to a recent study conducted by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Affairs, users of retro reflective tapes on trucks can reduce accidents by more than 30 % at night.

"Use of reflective tapes should be made mandatory on cars, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles," said KK Kapila, chairman, International Road Federation, who was also present at the policy-level meeting, where the decision about the reflective tapes was taken.

"During checks at the border, we found that trucks are not fitted with such tapes and so, henceforth, tapes will be fixed onto trucks at the border itself," said a senior officer of the transport department.

Delhi traffic police would soon initiate extensive checks at all points on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-Haryana border to ensure the same.

"I'm going to issue an order to our men posted on the border to ensure that all trucks are thoroughly checked and those not fitted with reflective tapes are prosecuted," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

"During the drive, traffic policemen will also check other aspect of violations by trucks, including drunken driving, violation of registration certificates and permits and violation of Supreme Court guidelines," Garg added.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Reflective-tapes-must-on-trucks/Article1-657783.aspx

CM opens 2 flyovers for east Delhi residents

2011-02-02T01:07:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, Feb 02, 2011

Commuters travelling between Delhi and Ghaziabad will now have a smooth ride as chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday inaugurated two flyovers - at Anand Vihar and G T Road. These projects will help reduce traffic jams at the border and reduce travel time between the two cities. A railway overbridge/underbridge was also inaugurated at Nand Nagri.

Dikshit said that with the commissioning of these two flyovers she hoped that traffic woes of east Delhi residents "will be part of history". She also announced that more such projects will soon come up in various parts of Delhi.

"There is a constant need in Delhi for developing better road network system and upgrade of the existing ones for catering to the ever-increasing traffic," she said. The grade separator at Anand Vihar ISBT crossing on road number 56 has been constructed at a cost of Rs 200 crore with 690-m long, six-lane dual carriages. It also has three foot-overbridges. "To ensure safe pedestrian movement on this stretch, signalized pedestrian crossings will also come up to prevent any accidents. This is being done as the FOBs are not ready for use as yet,'' said a PWD official. "To facilitate free left turn, existing bridges over the nullah at the T-junction of road number 56-57, 56-58A and 56-71 have been widened,'' said a PWD official.

According to PWD, G T Road at Apsara Border caters to large volume of traffic from the ISBT to Uttar Pradesh and vice-versa. "The grade separator commissioned at a cost of Rs 227 crore has been constructed with composite steel with pre-fabricated steel girder. This stretch has two underpasses along two sides of the road overbridge," said a PWD official. These flyovers were conceptualized five years ago and the proposals were approved in 2008.

A railway overbridge/underbridge - constructed at a cost of Rs 107 crore by Delhi Tourism And Transport Development Corporation - was also inaugurated at road number 68, Nand Nagri. The CM said that this road is one of the most important roads in trans-Yamuna area. It provides connectivity to GTB Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital, Swami Dayanand Hospital, IHBAS and the UP border. The project was taken up as part of the scheme for closing all railway level crossings in Delhi. It is a unique combination of overbridge/underbridge, which caters to the requirements of both slow and fast moving traffic, and will provide signal-free traffic movement at Nathu Colony and at railway level crossing.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/CM-opens-2-flyovers-for-east-Delhi-residents/articleshow/7407583.cms

Leaders of Sikh community call on PM, ask for reversal of Delhi Police order

2011-02-02T01:06:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, Feb 02, 2011

It seems that Delhi Traffic police's efforts to make women two-wheeler-drivers and pillion riders wear helmets might go down the drain.

As the word spread that Delhi government had asked the Traffic Police to reverse an earlier order exempting women from wearing helmets while riding two-wheelers, members of Sikh community came out strongly against the proposal. Leaders of the community called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and gave him a memorandum that called for not implementing the order as it was against the tenants of their religion.

"We won't allow this as it goes against our religion. Sikh men are not allowed to wear anything over their turbans while Sikh women are supposed to keep their heads covered, so helmets do not go with our religious beliefs. Similar proposals in other countries had met with strong protests and governments of the US and Britain had to finally accept the recommendations of our community," said Paramjit Singh Pamma, who met the Prime Minister along with other leaders of National Akali Dal, Sikh Welfare Society and Shri Guru Nanak Sathsang Sabha of Chennai.

The government had on January 12, decided to enforce the helmet law more stringently for bikers and pillion riders, irrespective of their gender. "We have asked the traffic department to make it mandatory for women driving two-wheelers and also those riding the pillion to wear helmets," Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta had said.

Delhi is the only city in the country that has exempted women driving two-wheelers or riding as pillion from wearing helmets since 1999. According to the traffic police, the exemption was allowed following the protests by the Sikh community in the Capital.

According to the police, last year 700 people had died in Delhi two-wheeler related accidents. Most of them were not wearing helmets.

Heads up
Facts about helmet according to Delhi Traffic Police:
* It should not obstruct vision
* It should not impair with hearing
* It should be light weight
* It should not cause fatigue which causes crashes
* It should not cause skin diseases

Original news source http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/feb/010211-News-Delhi-Leaders-of-Sikh-PM-Gul-Panag.htm

In 2 days, 865 school vehicles prosecuted

2011-02-02T01:05:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, Feb 02, 2011

A photo of an overcrowded Maruti van ferrying schoolchildren posted on a popular social networking site by an ordinary citizen triggered off a special drive by the Delhi Traffic Police against errant school vehicles. Drivers of 520 school vehicles were booked on Monday and another 345 were prosecuted on Tuesday for offences ranging from overcrowding to dangerous driving to driving without licence. Several private vehicles were also found carrying schoolchildren without valid papers.

Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg said, "Out of the 865 vehicles prosecuted, 370 were school buses while 495 were school vans. We also impounded 54 and 42 vehicles on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, for registration or permit violations. The drive was conducted across the city when the vehicles were dropping students home after school on Monday. On Tuesday, we carried out checks in the morning too. We intend to keep up the drive as it is a matter of safety of schoolchildren and others on road."

On Monday, the maximum number of violations were reported in south Delhi where 146 drivers were prosecuted and 22 vehicles impounded. West Delhi came a close second with 131 drivers being booked and eight vehicles impounded. From Parliament and Lajpat Nagar circles, cops impounded nine vehicles each - the maximum for any traffic circle. "Several private Maruti vans carry more children than what is allowed. Usually, the seating capacity of a Maruti van is eight adults, including the driver. Even though the Delhi government notification allows not more than 11 children and the adult driver in a Maruti van, several school vans are seen ferrying over 15 children, putting their safety at risk," said a senior traffic officer.

Vehicles of several prominent schools were also among those booked. The two recent fatal accidents caused by school bus drivers in north Delhi that resulted in the death of three persons, including a traffic cop, and the sudden fire in a school van in central Delhi have raised concerns about the safety of kids who are daily subjected to precarious driving.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/In-2-days-865-school-vehicles-prosecuted/articleshow/7406989.cms

Action against illegal car parking

2011-01-31T21:34:00.002-08:00

Tuesday, Feb 01, 2011

Coming down heavy on second-hand car dealers and other commercial transport operators who park their vehicles on government land, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to start a special drive to clear the roads. MCD commissioner KS Mehra has directed all zones to impound such vehicles and charge heavy penalty from their owners. The penalty amount on each car is anywhere between Rs 4000 and Rs 9000 per day. Sources say officials in all zones have been asked to start the process of procuring their own cranes.

Areas like Lajpat Nagar, Defence Colony, Karol Bagh, CR Park, GK-1 etc are infested with second-hand car dealers who often park the vehicles they are selling on public land. "It is mess. Whenever we carry out raids, they remove their vehicles. But within days the cars are back. They are parked all over from roads to pavements," said an MCD official. In a recent circular, MCD sources say, Mehra has asked deputy commissioners of all the zones to start a drive against illegally-parked cars.

Officials say that in the Delhi Municipal Council Act, there is a provision to impound such vehicles and impose a heavy penalty. The penalty is charged on the basis of the weight of the vehicle, crane charges etc. "In the past, there was a court order which upheld MCD's decision to charge a penalty of Rs 5000 per day per vehicle from dealers who illegally parked their cars. Apart from that there are other charges as we keep the vehicle in our area and hire cranes to lift it," said an MCD official.

The Central zone has already started taking action against illegally parked vehicles. In a raid last week, officials there impounded 20 cars from both sides of Defence Colony flyover and collected close to Rs 60,000 in fines. "We have to remove all kinds of encroachment. It is mostly second-hand car dealers who park their cars on public places. But we also impounded heavy generator sets from New Friends colony; tempos, water tankers from Tuklaqabad and cars from Lajpat Nagar and Defence colony. The penalty can be anywhere between Rs 4000 and Rs 10,000 per day, and in some cases even more. The amount will keep adding with each passing day," said an MCD official. Similar action has also been carried out in City and Paharganj zones.

"Despite several attempts, we were not able to keep public spaces encroachment free. But now, all zones are making concentrated effort to implement commissioner's order," said an official.

After reining in second-hand car dealers, MCD is mulling a similar action against unauthorized parking lots. Recently, the MCD decided to charge 10 times of the parking fee from contractor for each car that was parked illegally. "Currently, we charge 10 times the parking fee from the contractor. But we are thinking that on contractors too we should impose fines similar to the ones slapped on second-hand car dealers."

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Action-against-illegal-car-parking/articleshow/7400411.cms

MCD gets traffic police green light for 25 new parking lots

2011-01-31T21:34:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, Feb 01, 2011

Delhi police's traffic wing has given a go-ahead to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to set up parking lots at 25 more sites.MCD has received 'no objection certificates' for 25 new parking sites and tenders for the facilities would be floated soon, said Yogender Chandolia, chairman of MCD's standing committee.The civic body has already received NOC for 35 sites earlier and tenders have been floated for them."It was after the Lt Governor's intervention last week that we received the traffic police's NOC for these sites," Chandolia said.Before providing NOCs to a site, the traffic police personnel do conduct on-site surveys to make sure vehicular movement is not obstructed in the area.

Original news source http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/mcd-gets-traffic-police-green-light-for-25-new-parking-lots/559781.html

Bus depot on riverbed without DDA permission

2011-01-31T04:09:00.003-08:00

Monday, Jan 31, 2011

The contentious Millennium Depot of the Delhi Transport Corporation on the Yamuna riverbed has come up without permission from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the land-owning agency. In an RTI reply last week, the DDA's planning department said that "no permission for construction of depot at this location has been given."

"We had given permission for temporary parking for some 600 buses during the Common-wealth Games," said a senior DDA official on condition of anonymity.

The DTC has requested the DDA to change the land-use to make the depot permanent. The site was earmarked for the dumping of fly ash. The controversy over the bus depot started after the Common-wealth Games with the Delhi government's reluctance to shift out of riverbed, where permanent construction is not allowed. The matter reached the high court recently.

Meanwhile, no department of the Delhi government wants to share the blame for the depot.

Even the DTC itself, in an RTI reply, put the responsibility of building the depot on the public works department. When the RTI query asked whether the Millennium Depot was a permanent or a temporary structure, the DTC said, "The depot has been constructed by the PWD; the information can be had from the Chief Engineer's office of the PWD."

The Prime Minister's office (PMO) recently referred a protest petition on the issue from environmentalists to chief secretary's office in Delhi. The chief secretary in turn referred it to the environment department, which then referred the matter to the Delhi Development Authority saying the issue pertained to riverbed, which was under the DDA's jurisdiction.

In 2009, the office of the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor as gave Delhi government the permission for temporary parking of buses on the Ash Pond area for the Games.

Although no permanent structure was supposed to have come up there, the Delhi government went ahead and spent Rs 60 crore to develop the 61-acre area. In the petition to the PM, environmental groups called this an "open loot" of Delhi's natural asset, the floodplains.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Bus-depot-on-riverbed-without-DDA-permission/Article1-656624.aspx

Markers of road safety now bent and broken

2011-01-31T04:09:00.001-08:00

Sunday, Jan 30, 2011

Dull and worn out bollards (plastic dividers), broken or bent by reckless drivers, are a common sight on the road. In a city that is infamous for its drivers who are unmindful of traffic rules, the civic neglect of these bollards — key for lane driving and traffic regulation — mirrors the devil-may-care attitude towards lane discipline and its importance.

Commuters complain that most bollards are not visible from a distance as the reflective surface has either worn off or become dull due to pollution and dust. These are now just ugly stumps on the road, which are neither removed nor replaced by agencies concerned for months, say commuters. Nakashi Choudhury, a commuter, said, "Bollards are a good idea but people rarely follow lane discipline. They go zig-zag and suddenly swerve to a different lane. As a result, the car behind is many times forced to enter the wrong lane. Every day I see drivers going over the traffic bollards."

Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg said, "Drivers need to be more civic-conscious and should not need to be watched in order to follow simple rules. We try asking for a replacement of these damaged bollards at the earliest as these are essential for lane discipline and traffic management. We count these damaged bollards as operational losses. We usually ask for a replacement from the government agency responsible for the particular road."

Senior traffic officials claimed that unless the matter is pursued vigorously, these bollards are not replaced for a long time. Lack of signages to indicate lane segregation is another cause for confusion among commuters. A senior traffic officer admitted, "The quality of bollards is sometimes not very good, as they fast lose their reflective surface and are not visible from a distance. We can definitely look into this and come up with a better alternative. People also need to be more responsible. They take short cuts and even if we insist on putting signages, they do not want to follow lane discipline. There are very few law-abiding citizens."

In Delhi, usually slim fluorescent orange plastic bollards are used to segregate traffic at traffic signals for safe delineation system useful for motorways and busy arterial roads. These bollards, being malleable, can give way on minimum impact, bouncing back in case a vehicle runs over them. However, due to frequent wear and tear, most of these break and hardly serve as a deterrent for drivers. On stretches such as Mathura Road, Subramaniam Bharti Road and BRT corridor, broken bollards are a common sight.

But according to traffic cops, using concrete or steel bollards is a bad idea. "Using concrete bollards on road will only cause more accidents and damage. There could be any reason for overshooting a lane. If a vehicle rams into a concrete bollard, it can lead to a pile-up. Lane driving is desirable, but risking people's lives is not a solution," said a senior traffic officer.

Both temporary and permanent bollards serve several functions — such as channeling traffic, diversions, closures and semiclosures — to improve the safety and flow of traffic. Flexible bollards can also be used to create AM/PM contra-flow lanes on bridges and separate lanes to prevent dangerous manoeuvres.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Markers-of-road-safety-now-bent-and-broken/articleshow/7388587.cms

Phase-out on schedule; Blueline buses off roads from Feb 1

2011-01-31T04:08:00.001-08:00

Sunday, Jan 30, 2011

With the final deadline to completely phase out Bluelines expiring Monday, the 'killer' fleet, which had gained notoriety for involvement in frequent mishaps, will be off the roads from February one.

As part of efforts to streamline the public transport system in the city, the Delhi government had shunted out 823 Blueline buses on December 14 and removed 389 more on December 31 out of a total of 2,052 such vehicles.

Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely had earlier said January 31 will be the "last day" for the remaining 840 Blueline buses in the city. He had said the state-run Delhi Transport Corporation will able to meet the transportation needs of the people.

Officials said the "complete phase-out" of the fleet is "on schedule" and notices have been issued to Blueline operators to surrender their permits by tomorrow.

The Delhi High Court had on January 20 reserved its order on the city government's plea not to permit the Blueline buses to come back on roads. The bus operators had moved the court seeking to run their buses on the roads till the government implements the new cluster bus system.

The court has turned down operators' plea for extension of permits of one-third of the 2,000 Bluelines which lapsed. Justifying its decision to phase out Blueline buses, the government had told the court that the private buses are six times more accident-prone than DTC buses.

A Delhi government official said any Blueline bus plying on roads after January 31 will be impounded as permits have been suspended. Asked about some Bluelines running on roads after painting the vehicles white, he said a drive will be launched and all buses running without permit will be seized.

Asked about the challenge before the DTC, an official from the transport agency said it is capable of handling the passenger traffic of the city. "We now have a fleet of 6,200, including 3575 low-floor buses. We are confident of being able to handle the situation. There will be no problem. At any given day, at least 5,000 DTC buses are there on the roads," the official said.

The Delhi government has been trying to modernise the entire public transport system in the city and has procured hundreds of swanky low-floor buses, including air-conditioned and non-air conditioned vehicles.

The government had last year announced an ambitious cluster bus service scheme under which corporate entities were proposed to be given certain routes in the city on the pattern of cities like Paris and London. The first cluster bus service is expected to begin its operation in February.

Delhi government had in 2009 divided nearly 650 bus routes across the city into 17 clusters, each comprising profitable and non-profitable routes and decided to give each cluster to a private operator.

Original news source http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/phase-out-on-schedule-blueline-buses-off-roads-from-feb-1/articleshow/7389232.cms

Soon, helmets must for women bikers, pillion riders

2011-01-29T02:34:00.001-08:00

Saturday, Jan 29, 2011

Women riding two-wheelers and even those on pillion may soon have to wear helmets. The Delhi government has asked the traffic police to reverse an earlier order exempting women from wearing helmets while riding bikes. The government, at a meeting on January 12, decided to enforce the helmet law more stringently for bikers and pillion riders, irrespective of their gender.

"We have asked the traffic department to make it mandatory for women driving two-wheelers and also those riding pillion to wear helmets," Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta said on Friday.

The government will now have to bring in a legislation to lift the exemption.

In 1999, the government had made it mandatory for both men and women on two-wheelers to wear helmets. The implementation of that rule sparked protests by the Sikh community.

They argued that Sikh men were not allowed to wear anything over their turbans while Sikh women had to keep their heads covered, so helmets did not go with their religious beliefs.

Keeping their sentiments in mind, the government amended the law to exclude all women and Sikh men from the rule.

The Delhi Traffic Police have welcomed the latest move.

"Last year, 700 people died in Delhi in motorbike accidents. Most of them were not wearing helmets," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Soon-helmets-must-for-women-bikers-pillion-riders/Article1-655926.aspx

Parking violations: MCD cracks the whip on erring contractors

2011-01-26T21:17:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, Jan 26, 2011

Tired of complaints, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to crack down on parking contractors for flouting norms. The MCD has decided to fine the parking contractors in the city for each car parked improperly in the area allotted to them. "For each car parked outside the yellow
line at parking lots, a contractor will have to pay R100 as fine. We are taking these measures to ensure that they do not park haphazardly," said Yoginder Chandolia, chairman standing committee.

The civic agency has decided to start the process of fining parking attendants from Friday.

"Our teams will visit parking lots at random and fine erring contractors. We have notified the contractors about it so that they can clean up their act," said a senior MCD official.

MCD officials say, most contractors cram as many vehicles as possible in their lots, causing traffic jams and other problems. "We have received complaints from the traffic police that there have been major traffic jams due to haphazard parking of cars. So, we have taken this step," added the officer.

Many arterial roads often get clogged due to haphazard parking. The MCD recently got a No Objection Certificate from the traffic police for running 60 more sites in the city. At present, the civic agency has only 116 parking lots in the city. With the new addition, the number has gone up to 176.

Recently, the civic agency conducted random checks of various parking lots and found that many contractors have encroached upon land to increase the size of their parking lots.

"Our checks will ensure that parking contractors do not indulge in any kind of illegal activities," he added.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Parking-violations-MCD-cracks-the-whip-on-erring-contractors/Article1-654722.aspx

New cars to cost more as MCD plans parking fee hike

2011-01-24T22:14:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, Jan 25, 2011

Buying a car in the city is likely to get more expensive. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) plans to double the night parking fee which a buyer has to pay while registering his vehicle.

Those planning to buy cars priced between Rs4 lakh and Rs10 lakh will have to shell out Rs12,000 as night parking charge against the prevailing Rs4,000. For luxury cars, costing more than Rs10 lakh, buyers will have to pay Rs 20,000.

The civic body says it is planning this rise to replenish its depleting coffers. The exponential increase in construction costs is another reason. "There has been tremendous increase in the cost of building material and other expenses. We require more money to ensure that the construction of parking lots is completed on time,`` a senior municipal corporation official said.

The proposal will be placed before the civic body's standing committee on Tuesday. For using MCD roads and parking spaces, Delhiites have to pay a one-time night parking charge to the municipal corporation while registering the vehicle. "People often park vehicles outside their homes or on roads and other public places which belongs to MCD. They have to pay for using MCD land for parking," the official said.

With close to four lakh new cars added every year to Delhi's vehicle load, the proposed increase is likely to become a good source of revenue for the civic agency. Till now, luxury cars did not have to pay these charges. But now MCD plans to levy a charge of Rs 20,000 on all cars priced above Rs 10 lakh.

Similarly, the civic body has almost doubled the annual fees on commercial vehicles. Private buses, tempos and trucks will now have to pay between Rs4,000 and Rs8,000. Keeping in mind the growing number of private and radio taxis with all-India permit, MCD plans to charge Rs 10,000 annually as night parking charges.

Justifying the proposed hike, MCD officials said, for building a manual multi-level parking for one car, the government spends approximately Rs 4 lakh and for an automated multi-level parking the payout is approximately Rs 9 lakh. "This means for every new car in Delhi, the government incurs an expenditure of Rs 4 lakh for a manual parking. With limited parking space available we have no option but to build multi-level parking and with the sharp rise in construction cost, we need more money," said a senior MCD official.

Unfortunately, the parking scenario in the city hasn't improved much in the last few years. MCD has plans for several parking projects, which includes 21 conventional multi-level, 15 automated multi-level and 4 stack parking lots, to create room for close to 8,000 cars. But none of these projects are nearing completion. In fact, most of them, sanctioned in the last two-three years, are in the initial stages.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/New-cars-to-cost-more-as-MCD-plans-parking-fee-hike/articleshow/7357056.cms#ixzz1C1bIOWlX

Traffic advisory for Shia procession

2011-01-24T22:13:00.003-08:00

Tuesday, Jan 25, 2011

Traffic is likely to be affected in some parts of central and south Delhi on Tuesday due to a Tazia procession on the occasion of Chehallum by the Shia Muslim community. On this occasion, a Tazia procession will be taken out from Imambara, Pahari Bhojla to Karbala, Jorbagh. The procession is supposed to start at around 9am and reach Karbala in the evening, said officials.

Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg said, "There is likelihood of congestion on the route of the procession. General public are advised to plan their journey in advance and avoid the above-mentioned routes. The latest information regarding the traffic situation on the route of the procession can also be obtained from the 24-hour traffic helpline no. 23010101. Motorists are requested to follow the directions of the traffic policemen deployed on the route of procession."

The procession is to go via Pahari Bhojla towards Jama Masjid, Chawri Bazar and Ajmeri Gate. The procession will cross Deshbandhu Gupta Road, R K Ashram Marg, GPO - ultimately to reach Masjid at Red Cross Road, said traffic cops. It is then expected to travel back via Sansad Marg, RML, Mother Teresa Crescent, Teen Murti roundabout, Krishna Menon Marg, Tughlaq Road and Aurbindo Marg to reach Karbla.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Traffic-advisory-for-Shia-procession/articleshow/7356352.cms#ixzz1C1ZOQJgP

Metro services to be partially affected on January 26, 29

2011-01-24T22:13:00.001-08:00

Monday, Jan 24, 2011

Delhi Metro services on three lines will be partially curtailed on Republic Day and Saturday when the Beating Retreating Ceremony will be held in view of strict security measures.

The lines which will be affected due to restrictions imposed by Delhi Traffic Police are - Line 2 (HUDA City Centre Jahangirpuri), Line 3 (Dwarka Sector 21-Noida City Centre/Anand Vihar)and Line 6 (Central Secretariat-Badarpur).

On Wednesday, there will be no Metro service available at Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Race Course and Patel Chowk Metro stations of Line 2 and Mandi House, Barakhamba Road and Pragati Maidan Metro stations on Line 3 till 12.30 PM. Khan Market station of Line 6 will also be closed during the period.

However, passengers can use interchange facility at Rajiv Chowk and Central Secretariat stations, DMRC spokesman Anuj Dayal said.

He said short loop services will be run between NOIDA City Centre to Indraprastha, Anand Vihar ISBT to Yamuna Bank and Dwarka Sector 21 to Rajiv Chowk.

On Saturday, Metro services on Line 2 and Line 6 will be curtailed from 3.30 PM to 6.30 PM.

"On Line 2, the Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan stations will remain closed during this period. However, interchange of passengers from Line 2 to Line 6 and vice-versa will be allowed," Dayal said.

In addition, all Metro parking lots will remain closed from 2.00 PM on January 25 to 1.00 PM on January 26. This step has also been taken as part of the security arrangements, he said.

Original news source http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/metro-services-to-be-partially-affected-on-january-26-29-81344

Work on rail overbridge to affect traffic

2011-01-23T22:40:00.001-08:00

Sunday, Jan 23, 2011

The traffic police has warned commuters of possible traffic disruptions due to the work on widening of the rail overbridge and a portion of Road No. 37 from Prem Bari Pul to Keshav Puram. "Some traffic diversions and changes are planned. The traffic coming from Prem Bari Pul and heading towards Tri Nagar and Keshav Puram will be diverted for around two Months from January 24," said joint CP (traffic) Satyendra Garg.

Commuters planning to go from Prem Wari Pul towards Tri Nagar and Keshav Puram are advised either to use Lawrence Road under pass near Britannia Chowk. They can also take the road between Wazir Pur Industrial area via Ashok Vihar T-point and then proceed to Deep Market Road and Gulab Singh Road. "Appropriate traffic signages will be placed to guide motorists. Also, dequate traffic staff has been deployed to ensure smooth and uninterrupted flow of traffic,'' said Garg.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Work-on-rail-overbridge-to-affect-traffic/articleshow/7343326.cms#ixzz1BviWBE2U

Delhi Govt is planning a monorail corridor connecting Kondli to Rohini Sector 21

2011-01-23T22:39:00.001-08:00

Saturday, Jan 22, 2011

with Mumbai about to get W its first monorail, the focus is back on the pilot monorail line project connecting Kondli to Rohini Sector 21. The Delhi Government is considering carrying a detailed project report on the monorail corridor (Kondli to Rohini via Delhi Gate), identified by RITES in its latest study on problems related to Delhi traffic.

The biggest advantage of monorail is that it can be constructed on roads with Right of Way (ROW) as little as 18 metres and a turning radius of 50-70 metres, making it ideal for congested city roads. Hitachi Monorail System on Friday made a presentation before Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta and Secretary (Transport) Rajni Kant Verma and other experts including DMRC.

Sources in the transport department said that if the Government agrees, operating cost deficiency will be borne by the Government to reduce financial burden on the company. "It is also clear that such project would not be completed without the participation of the private players," the sources said.

The proposal was earlier put in cold storage after DMRC and promoters of the controversial Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor opposed the mono rail project saying its carrying capacity is lesser than Metro and it's a costly affair as compared to BRT.

After the presentation, both DMRC and BRT promoter Geetam Tiwari opposed the project. Interestingly, one section of the Delhi Government favours the monorail project while the other section opposes it citing Metro and BRT as better options.

Talking to The Pioneer, Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said that Delhi Metro and Geetam Tiwari have opposed the proposal.

Mehta said that Hitachi had informed them that they are providing monorail corridors in Kita-Kyushu, Osaka, Tama and Okinawa. Beside this, they also discussed the funding pattern and assured that funding would not be a problem for the project.

The Delhi Government is planning a monorail corridor connecting Kondli to Rohini Sector 21 via Delhi Gate covering 40.3 km in the Capital. The project is based on the RITES report 2010 pertaining to Delhi traffic mess and its solution.

Earlier, Delhi was supposed to get three monorail lines which would have served as effective feeders to main transport modes like Metro and buses. The monorail links were planned for congested areas in Walled City, east and north Delhi with lines between Delhi University and Pul Bangash (via Shakti Nagar, Anand Parbat, Ajmeri Gate, Delhi Gate, Red Fort, SPM Marg), Daryaganj and Kondli (via Yamuna river crossing, Geeta Colony, Scope Tower, Vikas Marg, Patparganj, Kondli Road) and Budh Vihar to Shakti Nagar.

The networks will stretch over 41.5 km in total.

Transport department's Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) DIMTS (Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit Limited) was entrusted with the task of carrying out a feasibility study of the proposed corridors.

Original news source http://epaper.dailypioneer.com/ThePioneer/Pioneer/2011/01/22/ArticleHtmls/22_01_2011_003_016.shtml

Millennium depot fate hinges on PIL

2011-01-23T08:35:00.001-08:00

Saturday, January 22, 2011

The much-touted millennium bus depot of the Delhi government and DTC is under the gaze of the Delhi high court for alleged encroachment over the Yamuna river bed.

HC on Friday clearly told both authorities that the survival of the parking lot, made to house buses recently purchased by DTC in the run up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, will depend on the outcome of the PIL filed by an NGO. The court, however, declined to stay the construction of an embankment by the city government on the flood plain of the river Yamuna where the world's largest bus depot has been built.

"Any construction carried out shall be subject to outcome of writ petition. The defendant (Delhi Government and DTC) shall not claim any special equity right over the same", a bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said while hearing a PIL filed by V K Jain, the president of the NGO 'Tapas'. The NGO had moved an application challenging the move to use the area as a permanent bus depot and sought a direction for its demolition.

In its plea, the NGO alleged that the depot has been built on the Yamuna river bed violating the zonal laws of Delhi and while it was supposed to be a temporary structure just for the duration of the Games, the authorities have made it permanent parking lot.

"The Delhi government is proceeding to encroach upon the river flood plain in utter disregard to the zonal development plan 2021 of the DDA, approved by the Ministry of Urban Development," the petitioner alleged.

"The action of the government is all the more violative of the concept of good governance for it has, instead of setting an example in showing respect to the law, carried out the construction which is violative of the zonal plan," the petitioner added. He also said the construction of the depot near Nizamuddin Bridge would cause an environmental disaster as the depot is located on the active flood plain and water recharging area.

However, the Delhi government defended the construction saying it doesn't encroach onto the river bed. It also pointed out that there had been constructions on the same land even earlier.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Millennium-depot-fate-hinges-on-PIL/articleshow/7336897.cms#ixzz1BsQtWG9R

Republic Day: Security beefed up, traffic diversions announced

2011-01-23T08:32:00.001-08:00

Friday, January 21, 2011

A total of 15,000 security personnel, snipers, sniffer dogs and bomb squads have been deployed by Delhi Police to ensure elaborate security and traffic arrangements for the Republic Day Parade Jan 26 and its full dress rehearsal Sunday, officials said.

'All security arrangements are in place. More than 150 companies (15,000 personnel) from paramilitary and other state forces will be deployed besides Delhi Police personnel. Another 1,500 traffic policemen will also be on the streets,' Joint Commissioner (Traffic) Satyender Garg said.

A massive ground-to-air security apparatus has been put in place for the parade. Snipers will be deployed at high-rise buildings while around 100 CCTVs will keep a tight vigil on people's movement between Rajpath and Red Fort, the route of the parade.

Mobile hit teams, anti-aircraft guns and sharpshooters of National Security Guard will be deployed at various places while paramilitary and Delhi Police commandos will keep a close watch along the parade route.

The security has also beefed up at railway stations across the capital. Around 1,300 security personnel have been deputed at New Delhi and Old Delhi railway stations.

'A total of 700 constables and 600 Home Guards, Railways Protection Force personnel, backed up by sniffer dogs and and bomb disposal squads have been deputed. Gadgets like scanners and CCTVs are in place,' Additional Deputy Commissioner (Railways) B.S. Gujjar told IANS.

'The vendors outside the railways stations are thoroughly being briefed about the security measures and have been asked to keep an eye. The parcel and parking lots will be emptied,' he added.

Security personnel, accompanied by bomb squads and sniffer dogs, will be deployed at public places like railway stations, bus stands and important buildings and markets. Vehicles entering the city will also be checked.

Around a hundred sniffer dogs would be on duty, said an official.

In the Lutyens' zone (central Delhi), which houses government establishments and MPs bungalows, around 2,000 troopers will be on guard. Snipers will also be deployed at key points.

A multi-layer security ring is already put in place at Rajpath, where President Pratibha Patil will unfurl the tricolour and take the salute of marching contingents.

'Special emphasis is being laid on anti-sabotage checks, access control measures and intelligence coordination. The entire route of the parade will be covered by special security and anti-terror arrangements,' said another police official who is part of security arrangements.

The border areas will also witness tight security arrangements. Top police officials from the National Capital Region (NCR) three days ago reviewed the security arrangements and coordination between the security forces.

The meeting was attended by officials from Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida and was chaired by Delhi Police Commissioner B.K. Gupta at the Delhi Police headquarters.

Besides the air defence measures, helicopters of the Indian Air Force will hover around Rajpath and all along the route of the parade.

Patrolling in crowded market areas has been intensified and checking and frisking in metro, railway stations, bus terminals and other point of entry to the capital tightened.

Security at the IGI airport has also strengthened in coordination with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Meanwhile, Garg announced that no vehicles will be allowed to ply on the Rajpath after 6 p.m. on Jan 25 till the end of the parade Jan 26. No traffic will be allowed on Tilak Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and Netaji Subhash Marg up to Red Fort after 4 a.m. Jan 26.

For the full-dress rehearsal Sunday, no traffic will be allowed from Vijay Chowk to India Gate from 5 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. while traffic restrictions on the rest of the parade route will be imposed from 10 a.m

Original news source http://www.indiatalkies.com/2011/01/republic-day-security-beefed-traffic-diversions-announced.html