Kharghar fire station to be ready by Feb

To come up in Sector 12 of the node, the fire station will have four buildings besides parking space

Veda Ramaswamy, Kharghar

June 03, 2011 - DNA Navi Mumbai

Photographer - Umesh Pawar, DNA

The progress work of the fire station situated in Sector 12, Kharghar, which had slowed down after it had to face a few hindrances on the course of its construction has now regained its momentum. In spite of the delay, the fire station is expected to be functional by February 2012, as per schedule.

The fire station which has been allotted 30,000 sq. feet area of land by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) is proposed to have four buildings. The first building will have the staff office along with the fire brigade parking and would be three storeyed. The footing and plinth work of this building has been completed. The second and third building which would function as staff quarters, will be four-storeyed each. The work of constructing a footing column and tie beam has been completed in the second building while only the footing foundation has been laid in the third building. The foundation work of the fourth building which would be five storeyed and would house the drill and smoke room of the fire station has also been completed.

Cidco had awarded the construction work of the fire station to Mahavir Roads and Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. in August 2010. The construction work of the fire station had encountered a few obstacles which had slowed down the pace of work. "We were facing certain problems associated with sand and electrical maintenance. Due to this, the work was going on at a snail's pace. But all the issues have been sorted out and the work is being carried out at a full swing now," said an official from Mahavir Roads and Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. on condition of anonymity.

Since the time of its commencement in August, Cidco has allotted a time period of 18 months to the construction agency for completion of the project. "The work of the fire station had run into certain problems. But despite the issues, the fire station is expected to be ready by February 2012 as per the scheduled date," said Mohan Ninave, the chief PRO, Cidco.

Presently, the Kharghar node which has over 40 sectors, has to rely on the services of a fire station in Kalamboli. The Rs 50 crore project embarked on by Cidco will prove to be a lifeline for over 2 lakh residents of the node at times of averting a fire disaster.

NMMC carrying out renovation of city gardens

All efforts are on to complete the work before onset of monsoon

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi

June 03, 2011 - DNA Navi Mumbai

Photographer - Nandu Kurne, DNA

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has undertaken an initiative of renovating dilapidated gardens across the satellite city. Work is going on at full swing at various gardens under their jurisdiction. Major redevelopment is being carried out at four gardens while minor beautification work is being carried out at several other gardens. Efforts are on to complete the work before the arrival of monsoon. According to NMMC officials, around Rs 4 crore are being spent on the entire renovation work which is likely to conclude within the next 20-25 days.

Meenatai Thackeray Udyan in Sector 17, Vashi; Hegdevar Udyan in Belapur near Uran Phata; Tarabai Fulchand Madhavi Udyan in Sector 6, Airoli and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje Udyan in Sector 2, Nerul are the four gardens where the main renovation work is being carried out. "The condition of these gardens had worsened over the years. There was a heavy demand by the residents to restore these gardens since they are the only source of recreation in the vicinity. Hence the initiative was undertaken. Conscious efforts are on to complete the work before the onset of monsoon," said an NMMC official on condition of anonymity.

The renovation plan includes development of green lawns, jogging tracks, constructing benches for sitting and relaxing, good quality swings and slides and other such facilities at these gardens. The beautification plan for other gardens has also been decided and worked upon by the authorities. Before the work commenced, the gardens were almost in a state of ruin. "Cracks were formed on the jogging tracks in Meenatai Thackeray Udyan. Few swings and slides were broken too. I didn't allow my child to play on them fearing his safety. Gardens are the only recreational activity for small children. The NMMC has undertaken a good initiative to renovate these gardens and beautify them," said Rashmi Pande, a resident of Vashi.

Currently, the work of digging, plastering, brickwork, laying down foundation with the Plaster of Paris for the reconstruction of the jogging tracks with concrete is being carried out at these gardens. "We have been giving special attention to the beautification and redevelopment of gardens. Once the renewals of these gardens conclude, residents will not only regain their recreational area but also acknowledge the transformation," said Jagannath Sinnarkar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Garden Department, NMMC.

Kharghar becomes new address of Navi Mumbai

The open spaces in Kharghar are being developed into parks and gardens to cater to the recreational needs of the Navi Mumbai residents. The Central Park planned on the lines of Hyde Park in London and the Golf Course are being developed here by CIDCO. Being Asia's largest garden, the Central Park spread across 80 hectare, is touted to take Kharghar on the international map. It accommodates diverse functions of active and passive recreations starting from jogger's tracks, botanical gardens, amphitheatre, fountains, conservatories and theme parks to a full fledged sports stadium. Also, the 10-hole signature golf course spanning across 103 hectare would have the distinction of being the only golf course with international standards and facilities in Navi Mumbai. A club house, five star hotel and golf academy to train golf enthusiasts along with high class residential development are also being planned on the peripheral areas. The residents have been eagerly awaiting the completion of these projects as it will provide them with much more recreational opportunities than before. Earlier, the residents of Kharghar who had to travel to other nodes for spending a few hours of quality time with family and friends would now be able to enjoy a quick getaway right in their backyard. With so much in the offing for Kharghar locals, Veda Ramaswamy gets talking with the residents to know what they are looking forward to once these projects get accomplished.

- June 02, 2011 : DNA Navi Mumbai

Panvel keeps an umbrella handy!

Disaster management cell has 11 centres that will work 24x7 to help the people

Veda Ramaswamy, Panvel

June 02, 2011 - DNA Navi Mumbai

A disaster management cell in Panvel became functional from Wednesday. The cell, set up by the Panvel Municipal Council (PMC) and the administration of Panvel taluka, will be run around the clock.

The cell has come as a boon for residents and commuters as it has been built to counter flooding and help residents in case of any calamity. The management has created six divisions in Panvel and established 11 centres all across these divisions. The centres will not only provide relief measures to the residents under their jurisdiction but also undertake preventive measures to curb flooding and avoid occurrence of any mishaps during monsoons. Residents too can call up these centres if they are in trouble.

The six centres are at Panvel district, Panvel village, Morbe, Poyambe, Taloja and Ovle. Due to the presence of Panvel creek and river Gadhi in the region, surrounding areas run a major risk of flooding during high tide in monsoon. The areas that are most vulnerable to flooding are Palidevad, Vichumbe, Kalundre, Usarli, Karanjade, Khurd, Kolakhe, Vadghar, Gulsunde, Turade, Apta and Chavane in Panvel taluka. Koliwada, Kachhi Mohalla, Patel Mohalla within Panvel city limits are also in danger of flooding. "Our main aim is to keep people safe and rescue them from floods during monsoons. Apart from that, we are also taking preventive measures to avoid any accidents during torrential downpours," said SG Patankar, chief operating officer, PMC. The cell will not only rescue people stuck in floodwaters, it will help clear up waterlogged roads and help traffic move freely and also remove uprooted trees blocking roads.

Not only is the fear of flooding a major concern for officials, the danger of landslides during monsoon is a major cause for worry. Many villages in Panvel taluka are prone to landslides. "Villages such as Akurli, Bardoli, Chikhle and Machi Prabhal in rural areas of Panvel are highly sensitive to landslides during monsoon due to their proximity to Matheran hill ranges. There have been lots of accidents because of landslides in these villages. As a part of the Disaster Management Cell, we are trying to avert any such untoward calamity this year and conscious efforts will be on to help out the villagers in need," said an officer from the Panvel taluka administration office.

The cell is expected to be active till the end of monsoon to make sure that there is no damage and loss of property and human life in the area.

Kharghar, sought after destination

Earlier, one could only associate nodes like Vashi and Nerul with the words advanced and established. But now the scenario has changed completely. Kharghar is the new developed hub for Navi Mumbaikars. Situated amidst the green hills and the serene environment of the Kharghar hills, this node has seen a radical change in the past few years. The area which was considered difficult to access a few years ago, now offers a number of ready and under-construction projects, making it a favourite among the commercial property buyers. Located on the Mumbai-Pune highway at less than an hour’s drive from Mumbai, Kharghar adjoins the CBD of Navi Mumbai and is bound by two major highways and the picturesque Kharghar hills, making it a hot pick for the residential segment as well. Owing to its good connectivity through rail and roads and the presence of many recreational spots, Kharghar has become the much sought after destination among the young crowd too. What has taken this node a notch above the rest is the number of high quality educational institutions that one can find here. Besides, the upcoming Central Park and golf course are touted to make Kharghar globally prominent. Veda Ramaswamy gets talking with the residents of Kharghar on their opinion about the node transforming into one of the best areas of the satellite city.

- May 31, 2011 : DNA Navi Mumbai

NMMC ropes in IIT-B to ensure safety on Palm Beach Road

Civic officials to hold a meeting with institute to discuss safety audit; deliberate on corrective measures

Veda Ramaswamy, Vashi

May 31, 2011 - DNA Navi Mumbai

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) along with Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) is planning to conduct a meeting soon in order to implement the corrective measures suggested by the IIT-B for improving the safety of the vehicular traffic on the Palm Beach Road. The Road Safety Audit (RSA) which was carried out with an aim of reducing as well as eliminating most of the accidental rates and causes on the arterial road, was released by IIT-B on Saturday. The meeting would be conducted between the authorities once IIT-B finalises on the report after including inputs if any, by the traffic police department.

The 10-kilometer six-lane speed road which connects Vashi and Belapur is known for its high accident rates. In 2010, there were a total of 107 accidents recorded on Palm Beach Road, including 16 deaths, 34 critical injuries, 10 minor injuries and 70 accidents without any injuries. In the wake of the fatality rates increasing on the high speed corridor, Municipal Commissioner Bhaskar Wankhede had appointed IIT-B to conduct a RSA last year. A reconnaissance survey was carried out on December 14, 2010, followed by the main survey on March 12, 2011 and succeeded by the night-time audit in April, 2011 by the transportation systems engineering department group of IIT-B.

The RSA draft report includes several safety issues observed by the IIT-B team during their inspection. Corresponding recommendations have also been stated in the report for improving the safety measures. The summary at the end of the report stated around 40 essential safety issues and the consequent suggestions to rectify them. The report also had 300 photographs related to the issue in order to support their issues. The key problem area causing a major percentage of the accidents on the Palm Beach Road as highlighted in the list is the Killa Chowk.

The Chowk is mainly a junction for the heavy vehicles to commute. Hence, heavy vehicular traffic forms the foremost cause of accidents followed secondly by cars. Another major safety issue brought to notice by the report is the breaking of speed limit. “The speed limit assigned on the Palm Beach Road is 60 km per hour while it is just 30 km per hour on the bridge towards Vashi. However, the vehicles zoom past at a speed of around 100-120 km per hour which proves to be the root cause of most of the accidents. The speed limit of the motorists has to be curtailed in order to ensure the safety of commuters on the road,” ACP (Traffic) Shrikant Dhivare said.

Many other safety issues were stated in the report like the absence of crash barriers on the flyover causing visibility problem at night, street lights being covered by overgrown trees, autos awaiting passengers covering the road curves, pipelines encroaching the road, dysfunctional traffic signals etc.

“NMMC would be conducting a meeting to execute these changes along with IIT-B once the report is finalised. The draft won’t need any additional inputs from the traffic police department as all the issues have been highlighted clearly with the required changes that are needed to be implemented,” Dhivare added. All efforts to contact NMMC officials proved futile.

Civic official suspended for dereliction of duty

Veda Ramaswamy, Koparkhairane

May 31, 2011 - DNA Navi Mumbai

In order to curb the inefficiency of work, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has resolved to take strict action against the officials found guilty of any offence. As an example of this ruling, the municipal commissioner Bhaskar Wankhede suspended Mahendra Mahadik, the sub-inspector of cleanliness department, who was in-charge of clearing of drainage system at Koparkhairane on Saturday. Along with Mahadik’s suspension, two other officers, Praveen Thorat and Satish Sangdi were given show cause notices by the commissioner.

As part of the pre-monsoon preparations, NMMC had undertaken the initiative of clearance of nullahs across the satellite city to avoid water logging two months ago. In order to keep the work in check and to see to it that it gets completed on schedule, the commissioner used to supervise the areas personally. Mahadik had sent a report to the NMMC stating that the work of clearance of nullahs at Sector 17, Koparkhairane had been completed. But on his visit to the site on Saturday, the commissioner observed that the work had been done superficially. A periscope was used by him to have a look at the work done. The detailed view showed that the nullahs had been cleared from the surface but were clogged and filled with sludge deep within. As a result of the inadequacy and false reporting of the work being completed effectively by the officers, the commissioner decided to take strict action.

“Mahadik had sent me a report of the work on the clearance of nullahs being completed successfully. But on my visit to Koparkhairane, I found that the work had not been carried out efficiently. The nullahs were filled with sewage which would have led to water logging during monsoon. Hence Mahadik was suspended,” Wankhede said adding, the two other officers were given a show cause notice and asked to reply to the same by May 31. Their work would be monitored till then and based on their work progress, their fate would be decided.

The commissioner is considering making spot visits frequently and punish the officials found guilty of any offence and facilitate the efficiency and planned completion of any project undertaken by the NMMC. “The suspension of Mahadik is a wake up call for all the other officials. He would be given a chance to explain himself and if his answer is found legit, his suspension would be reverted. But such stern actions would continue to take place against officials found guilty,” Wankhede concluded.