Friday, Jan 8, 2010
After making a mess of Connaught Place by starting digging work in Middle Circle to transfer all cables and pipelines underground before Commonwealth Games and Outer Circle to upgrade eight subways New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) officials are now saying they might not be able to complete the work in Middle Circle before the Games.
This has hit CP's traders hard. They say sales have dropped by more than 50% and that they might be forced to hold protests against the ongoing work. Construction of the CP Metro station had earlier given them a setback and they are just recovering from it.
NDMC had started digging work in Middle Circle to carry out service ducting to place all cables and pipelines underground before the Games. But NDMC sources say that while tunnelling will be completed before the Games, they will not be able to transfer the service lines underground by then. Then why the hurry?
Said an NDMC official: "We will complete tunnelling before the Games but cables and pipelines will be placed underground only after the Commonwealth Games. Once tunnelling is complete, we will re-lay the road and beautify the area. The tunnel had to be made before carrying out beautification of the area and we will be ready with the tunnel before the Games. No further digging will be needed later as the service lines will be transferred underground through openings that will be made overground.''
At present, facade restoration work is going on in 16 blocks of CP. It has already eaten into footpaths, making it difficult for pedestrians to walk in the area. Around 30-40% of restoration work has been completed till now. Besides this, NDMC has also begun construction of eight subways in Outer Circle, which has completely choked traffic in the area as only half the carriageway is available for traffic.
The traders are also sceptical about the subway work which has an August 2010 deadline getting completed before the Games as the monsoon is likely to delay work for at least two months.
Said president of New Delhi Traders' Association, Atul Bharghav: "They are holding CP to ransom. We cannot continue to bear losses for six months. Sales have dropped by more than 50% and this is peak business time for us. I have been getting calls from agitated shopkeepers. In such a scenario, we might have to hold protests. NDMC shouldn't have started work on the project like this. They are cutting it too close to the deadline. We are going to hold a meeting on this matter on Friday to chart our course of action.''
Says Sneha Singh, who works in a bank in CP: "It is complete madness. It takes me an hour just to get to CP and there are constant traffic jams on Panchkuian Road, Minto Road etc. I have to get out of my house in Lajpat Nagar at least two hours before office hours in order to get to office on time. Finding parking is also impossible with no parking now available in Outer Circle and Middle Circle.''
Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/NDMCs-digging-frenzy-in-CP-stalls-traffic-hits-trade/articleshow/5421640.cms
Monday, January 11, 2010
Footfall of 65,000 on new Anand Vihar Metro line
Thursday, Jan 7, 2010
With a footfall of around 65,000 by late evening, Delhi Metro's Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar line grossed Rs.870,000 on its first day, an official said Thursday.
"Till 8 p.m. the new line recorded footfall of 65,000 and raked in Rs.870,000," a metro official told IANS.
Although officials said that on its first day, the new Metro line that runs across the eastern and north eastern part of the capital bordering Uttar Pradesh, had a smooth start, commuters had some complaints.
Commuters complained that the trains weren't frequent, coming at an interval of 15 minutes although the frequency is supposed to be one train every eight minutes.
A commuter said: "We had come with high hopes. But trains are coming after after 15 minutes only."
Expected to ease traffic flow in densely populated east Delhi and help thousands of commuters coming from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh to the national capital daily, the 6.25-km elevated line is expected to ferry 100,000 passengers daily by the end of this year.
Original news source http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a105826.html
With a footfall of around 65,000 by late evening, Delhi Metro's Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar line grossed Rs.870,000 on its first day, an official said Thursday.
"Till 8 p.m. the new line recorded footfall of 65,000 and raked in Rs.870,000," a metro official told IANS.
Although officials said that on its first day, the new Metro line that runs across the eastern and north eastern part of the capital bordering Uttar Pradesh, had a smooth start, commuters had some complaints.
Commuters complained that the trains weren't frequent, coming at an interval of 15 minutes although the frequency is supposed to be one train every eight minutes.
A commuter said: "We had come with high hopes. But trains are coming after after 15 minutes only."
Expected to ease traffic flow in densely populated east Delhi and help thousands of commuters coming from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh to the national capital daily, the 6.25-km elevated line is expected to ferry 100,000 passengers daily by the end of this year.
Original news source http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a105826.html
Monday, January 4, 2010
Anand Vihar Metro line opens to public Jan 7
Monday, Jan 4, 2010
Delhi Metro will open its services from Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi up to Anand Vihar, close to Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Jan 7, officials said Monday.
Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will inaugurate the new 6.25 km line Jan 6 and it will be thrown open to the public the following day.
"The Commissioner for Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) R.K. Kardam today (Monday) inspected the Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar line of the Delhi Metro and the formal clearance is expected Tuesday," Delhi Metro spokesman Anuj Dayal said.
After the flagging-off, it is planned for the VIPs to travel by the inaugural train up to Anand Vihar, accompanied by officials and media.
This will be the fourth line of the Metro network and has five stations - Laxmi Nagar, Nirman Vihar, Preet Vihar, Karkardooma and Anand Vihar. The last two will have parking facilities. About 100,000 commuters are expected to use it everyday.
Metro authorities said that they will allot three to four trains for this route. Delhi Metro, which began services on a small scale in December 2002, now ferries nearly 900,000 commuters every day.
Original news source http://www.littleabout.com/news/53711,anand-vihar-metro-line-opens-public-jan-7.html
Delhi Metro will open its services from Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi up to Anand Vihar, close to Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Jan 7, officials said Monday.
Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will inaugurate the new 6.25 km line Jan 6 and it will be thrown open to the public the following day.
"The Commissioner for Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) R.K. Kardam today (Monday) inspected the Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar line of the Delhi Metro and the formal clearance is expected Tuesday," Delhi Metro spokesman Anuj Dayal said.
After the flagging-off, it is planned for the VIPs to travel by the inaugural train up to Anand Vihar, accompanied by officials and media.
This will be the fourth line of the Metro network and has five stations - Laxmi Nagar, Nirman Vihar, Preet Vihar, Karkardooma and Anand Vihar. The last two will have parking facilities. About 100,000 commuters are expected to use it everyday.
Metro authorities said that they will allot three to four trains for this route. Delhi Metro, which began services on a small scale in December 2002, now ferries nearly 900,000 commuters every day.
Original news source http://www.littleabout.com/news/53711,anand-vihar-metro-line-opens-public-jan-7.html
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Buses go off Connaught Place
Saturday, Jan 2, 2010
Delhi began the New Year by diverting buses off Connaught Place, the nerve centre of the national capital, as part of massive preparations for the Commonwealth Games from October 3-14.
This was done to ensure hassle-free renovation and beautification of the British-era market complex.
The New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) is building new subways in the outer circle, a service corridor in the middle circle, renovating buildings and making other improvements. To keep the work going at a steady pace, all buses except those to New Delhi railway station will be kept away from Connaught Place.
"Buses for New Delhi railway station will continue to ply through Connaught Place. Routes of all other buses have been changed," a Delhi traffic police official said.
An advisory board comprising officials from NDMC and traffic police has issued a notice that only half the number of vehicles that ply on a normal day will be allowed through the outer circle. This arrangement will continue for two-and-a-half months.
Original news source http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_buses-go-off-connaught-place_1329917
Delhi began the New Year by diverting buses off Connaught Place, the nerve centre of the national capital, as part of massive preparations for the Commonwealth Games from October 3-14.
This was done to ensure hassle-free renovation and beautification of the British-era market complex.
The New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) is building new subways in the outer circle, a service corridor in the middle circle, renovating buildings and making other improvements. To keep the work going at a steady pace, all buses except those to New Delhi railway station will be kept away from Connaught Place.
"Buses for New Delhi railway station will continue to ply through Connaught Place. Routes of all other buses have been changed," a Delhi traffic police official said.
An advisory board comprising officials from NDMC and traffic police has issued a notice that only half the number of vehicles that ply on a normal day will be allowed through the outer circle. This arrangement will continue for two-and-a-half months.
Original news source http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_buses-go-off-connaught-place_1329917
189 booked for drunken driving in Delhi
Friday, Jan 1, 2010
As many as 189 people were booked for driving under the influence of alcohol in the national capital on New Year's Eve, police said Friday.
Delhi Police prosecuted 189 people for drunken driving Thursday night as a part of their drive to check violation of traffic rules.
"Several police teams - static and mobile - kept a tight vigil in the capital to check people driving under the influence of alcohol," Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said.
Two magistrates were stationed at Parliament Street police station to fine the offenders.
Staff equipped with breath analysers and alcometres were deployed near pubs, malls and hotels as part of a drive to check dangerous and drunken driving during the festive season.
Police Control Room (PCR) vans were also pressed into service to ensure hassle-free flow of traffic.
The number of offenders has come down rapidly this year as 384 people were booked for drunken driving on the New Year's Eve of 2008.
Original news source http://www.twocircles.net/2010jan01/189_booked_drunken_driving_delhi.html
As many as 189 people were booked for driving under the influence of alcohol in the national capital on New Year's Eve, police said Friday.
Delhi Police prosecuted 189 people for drunken driving Thursday night as a part of their drive to check violation of traffic rules.
"Several police teams - static and mobile - kept a tight vigil in the capital to check people driving under the influence of alcohol," Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said.
Two magistrates were stationed at Parliament Street police station to fine the offenders.
Staff equipped with breath analysers and alcometres were deployed near pubs, malls and hotels as part of a drive to check dangerous and drunken driving during the festive season.
Police Control Room (PCR) vans were also pressed into service to ensure hassle-free flow of traffic.
The number of offenders has come down rapidly this year as 384 people were booked for drunken driving on the New Year's Eve of 2008.
Original news source http://www.twocircles.net/2010jan01/189_booked_drunken_driving_delhi.html
Friday, January 1, 2010
Anand Vihar Metro line to open for public next week
Thursday, Dec 31, 2009
Commuting from trans-Yamuna and Ghaziabad will no longer be a difficult experience as Delhi Metro is set to open its Yamuna bank-Anand Vihar line in the first week of January.
"There will be an inspection of this over six-km long line Jan 4. Two to three days after that, it will opened for public," a Delhi Metro official told IANS.
"This will make commuting to trans-Yamuna and Ghaziabad a smoother one. This metro line will take commuters close to Ghaziabad though it will not cross the Delhi border. We have achieved the target in spite of the collapse of the metro bridge in the same line earlier 2009," the official added.
The 6.17 km-long line will have five stations at Laxmi Nagar, Nirman Vihar, Preet Vihar, Karkardooma and Anand Vihar. The last two will have parking facilities.
"Looking at the paucity of space and congested localities, we are providing parking facility at Karkardooma and Anand Vihar stations only," the official said.
At Karkodoma, the platform will be at a height of 20 meters, which will be the highest elevated metro station so far.
Metro authorities said that they will allot three to four trains for this line. "After its public opening, we expect around 40,000 more commuters to take help of Delhi Metro," the official said adding that with this new line, Delhi Metro will have a network of 96 km.
Delhi Metro ferries nearly 900,000 commuters every day.
Original news source http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/anand-vihar-metro-line-to-open-for-public-next-week_100297235.html
Commuting from trans-Yamuna and Ghaziabad will no longer be a difficult experience as Delhi Metro is set to open its Yamuna bank-Anand Vihar line in the first week of January.
"There will be an inspection of this over six-km long line Jan 4. Two to three days after that, it will opened for public," a Delhi Metro official told IANS.
"This will make commuting to trans-Yamuna and Ghaziabad a smoother one. This metro line will take commuters close to Ghaziabad though it will not cross the Delhi border. We have achieved the target in spite of the collapse of the metro bridge in the same line earlier 2009," the official added.
The 6.17 km-long line will have five stations at Laxmi Nagar, Nirman Vihar, Preet Vihar, Karkardooma and Anand Vihar. The last two will have parking facilities.
"Looking at the paucity of space and congested localities, we are providing parking facility at Karkardooma and Anand Vihar stations only," the official said.
At Karkodoma, the platform will be at a height of 20 meters, which will be the highest elevated metro station so far.
Metro authorities said that they will allot three to four trains for this line. "After its public opening, we expect around 40,000 more commuters to take help of Delhi Metro," the official said adding that with this new line, Delhi Metro will have a network of 96 km.
Delhi Metro ferries nearly 900,000 commuters every day.
Original news source http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/anand-vihar-metro-line-to-open-for-public-next-week_100297235.html
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
BSZ parking: Last week on, this week off
Thursday, Dec 31, 2009
What was described as the only solution to the parking mess on Bahardur Shah Zafar Marg — an underground multi-level parking lot to be built by MCD at Shaheed Park — has hit a roadblock. Under fire from Delhi High Court for allowing construction activities within 100 metres of protected monuments, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has refused to give permission to MCD, saying it was in the prohibited area of two centrally-protected monuments — Khooni Darwaza and Ferozeshah Kotla ruins.
Though the parking was meant to cater to Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, MCD has now shifted the site to Parade Ground near Chandni Chowk. How this will help office-goers on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, by any stretch of imagination, is not known. MCD commissioner K S Mehra told TOI: ''We will continue to try for permission from ASI and revive the original parking plan at Shaheed Park. There has to be a policy change.''
That's a remote possibility for now. A senior ASI official said: ''MCD approached us for permission five months back and the case was referred to an expert advisory committee. The committee asked MCD to submit drawings of the plan showing the location of all ASI monuments in the vicinity to ensure they were not harmed. The area is archaeologically rich and there has been evidence of ancient structures buried there. MCD was supposed to refer back to the committee with proper drawings documenting all the centrally-protected monuments. But since this committee has been dissolved after a Delhi HIgh Court order, there is no one to give them permission now.''
The high court had pulled up ASI for granting permission within 100 metres of such monuments for development work, resulting in ASI withdrawing permission to PWD for Barapullah Nallah.
Last week MCD officials had said that work on the parking lot at Shaheed Park was going to start soon.
But the standing committee agenda tabled on Wednesday clearly mentioned ''change of plan of site from Shaheed Park to Parade Ground, Chandni Chowk area''. Tenders for the proposed Shaheed Park parking lot have been floated, and while the standing committee on Wednesday gave in-principle approval to the plan, officials said shifting the project plan to Parade Ground was only an interim measure. ''The parking plan will go to the House now,'' said a senior MCD official.It was to be one of the biggest parking lot under a park in the city and would have accommodated about 700 vehicles.
Around 1,500 vehicles are parked in the Bahadurshah Zafar Marg area daily with space for only around 500 in the authorised parking lots, according to sources. Around 24 such parking sites were supposed to be constructed under the green cover in Delhi before Commonwealth Games 2010 but work has begun on only four.NEW DELHI: This New Year's eve, an increasing number of Delhiites are opting to hail a cab or designate a driver to take them home after spirited year-end bashes. With rising awareness about the ills of drunken driving and strict prosecution by the traffic police in the past year, radio cab operators and chauffeur services say advance bookings for the early hours of January 1 have touched an all-time high.
''There is no point driving back in the fog, especially after some drinks. I have already made an online booking for a cab for 3am on January 1,'' said Shashwat Khanna of Defence Colony, who is headed to a friend's farm on MG Road.
Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Party-safe-Delhiites-rush-to-book-cabs/articleshow/5397308.cms
What was described as the only solution to the parking mess on Bahardur Shah Zafar Marg — an underground multi-level parking lot to be built by MCD at Shaheed Park — has hit a roadblock. Under fire from Delhi High Court for allowing construction activities within 100 metres of protected monuments, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has refused to give permission to MCD, saying it was in the prohibited area of two centrally-protected monuments — Khooni Darwaza and Ferozeshah Kotla ruins.
Though the parking was meant to cater to Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, MCD has now shifted the site to Parade Ground near Chandni Chowk. How this will help office-goers on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, by any stretch of imagination, is not known. MCD commissioner K S Mehra told TOI: ''We will continue to try for permission from ASI and revive the original parking plan at Shaheed Park. There has to be a policy change.''
That's a remote possibility for now. A senior ASI official said: ''MCD approached us for permission five months back and the case was referred to an expert advisory committee. The committee asked MCD to submit drawings of the plan showing the location of all ASI monuments in the vicinity to ensure they were not harmed. The area is archaeologically rich and there has been evidence of ancient structures buried there. MCD was supposed to refer back to the committee with proper drawings documenting all the centrally-protected monuments. But since this committee has been dissolved after a Delhi HIgh Court order, there is no one to give them permission now.''
The high court had pulled up ASI for granting permission within 100 metres of such monuments for development work, resulting in ASI withdrawing permission to PWD for Barapullah Nallah.
Last week MCD officials had said that work on the parking lot at Shaheed Park was going to start soon.
But the standing committee agenda tabled on Wednesday clearly mentioned ''change of plan of site from Shaheed Park to Parade Ground, Chandni Chowk area''. Tenders for the proposed Shaheed Park parking lot have been floated, and while the standing committee on Wednesday gave in-principle approval to the plan, officials said shifting the project plan to Parade Ground was only an interim measure. ''The parking plan will go to the House now,'' said a senior MCD official.It was to be one of the biggest parking lot under a park in the city and would have accommodated about 700 vehicles.
Around 1,500 vehicles are parked in the Bahadurshah Zafar Marg area daily with space for only around 500 in the authorised parking lots, according to sources. Around 24 such parking sites were supposed to be constructed under the green cover in Delhi before Commonwealth Games 2010 but work has begun on only four.NEW DELHI: This New Year's eve, an increasing number of Delhiites are opting to hail a cab or designate a driver to take them home after spirited year-end bashes. With rising awareness about the ills of drunken driving and strict prosecution by the traffic police in the past year, radio cab operators and chauffeur services say advance bookings for the early hours of January 1 have touched an all-time high.
''There is no point driving back in the fog, especially after some drinks. I have already made an online booking for a cab for 3am on January 1,'' said Shashwat Khanna of Defence Colony, who is headed to a friend's farm on MG Road.
Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Party-safe-Delhiites-rush-to-book-cabs/articleshow/5397308.cms
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