Monday, October 28, 2013

Opposed to the state ignoring suggestions from the Centre and local bodies, Deora said


Maharashtra must follow central, BMC cell guidelines on mobile towers: Milind Deora

, TNN | Oct 29, 2013, 04.16 AM IST
READ MORE Union Minister of State for Communications|Mobile towers|Milind Deora|centre|BMC
MUMBAI: Union minister of state for communications Milind Deora has written to the state, asking it to ensure that the new policy on mobile towers doesn't "completely bypass" the guidelines of the Centre and the BMC.

"I urge you to incorporate the department of telecommunications' (DoT) guidelines and the final draft policy of the BMC in the gazette notification of the urban development department," Deora has written to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. On October 3, the urban development department issued a notification proposing a new mobile tower policy but unlike the BMC, it did not ask for exclusion of cell towers at schools, colleges and hospitals. It also did not mandate a written consent of 70% occupants of the building before a tower is installed there.

Opposed to the state ignoring suggestions from the Centre and local bodies, Deora said in the letter, "The DoT issued revised guidelines on August 1.... These guidelines were issued to all states based on detailed discussions with stakeholders, including citizens' groups of Mumbai. Based on the same guidelines, the BMC, in consultation with citizens' groups and corporators, issued the final draft policy on September 11. The BMC draft guidelines... covered the finer nuances for an urban city like Mumbai having high population density and high rise buildings."

He further pointed out: "Now I am made to understand that the state seems to be ignoring revised guidelines from the Centre and the civic body. This could send out wrong signals to Mumbaikars and citizens of Maharashtra." Deora also offered any technical advice from DoT if the state required. "There should also be an effective redressal mechanism in the revised guidelines," he said.

But allaying fears of negative effects of mobile radiation, a Cellular Operators Association of India said, "If towers are not allowed on schools, colleges, hospitals and other such buildings, it will adversely affect connectivity. It will lead to call drops and you will not be able to make calls properly." Maintaining that it was "safe" to have cell towers on such buildings, he said, "In some foreign countries, cell towers have been installed on schools and hospitals and there has been no health risk."

Anti-radiation activist Prakash Munshi and actress Juhi Chawla had recently met state officials, who apparently assured them that the suggestions from citizens' groups would be incorporated in the new state policy. "We were promised that the central and civic draft policies will not be overruled. Let us wait and watch," Munshi said.

Lax state fails to notify Act, may delay Metro-I

, TNN | Oct 28, 2013, 06.50 AM IST
READ MORE Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar metro|Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd|MMRDA|Metro Railways
MUMBAI: The state government's failure to notify the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro under the Metro Railways (Operations & Maintenance) Act 2002, may delay the commissioning of the project.

The state has promised that the entire 11.4-km route will be commissioned by Decemberend . But the Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) is constantly maintaining that it will commission the project this fiscal ; it is not committing to the December deadline.

In 2004, the urban development department had issued a government resolution for implementation of a tramway/ mass rapid transport system in the VAG Metro project through public-private participation and appointed MMRDA as the implementing agency. In 2007, the state had authorized the construction and maintenance of the project under the Tramways Act, 1886. But in 2009, the Centre, through a gazette notification , extended the Metro Act to all other metropolitan cities, including the MMR.

MMOPL sources said since March 2010, they have been writing to the MMRDA for clarity as to which Act is now applicable to the project. "Without this, no approvals can be obtained. Without an Act, the functioning of the concessionaire is illegal, and if this issue is not clarified soon it will delay the project," said a source.

Sources said that owing to the lack of clarity, MMOPL can't invite the Research and Design Standard Operations (RDSO) to inspect the Metro for safety features. "Unless the RDSO passes its remarks, the commissioner of metro railway safety inspect and certify it for operation," said a source.

In August, MMOPL had written to the MMRDA saying that it would not be responsible for any delay in "achieving the commercial operations date due to non-resolution of the issue by the MMRDA" . It also said the MMRDA will have to pay compensation for the "time and cost implication arising from the issue" . Sources said MMOPL has been pushing for the shift as it wants the state to change the fare structure and pay for the cost escalation.

But MMRDA chief U P S Madan said, "The Metro will become operational by December-end . The RDSO has given approval to a number of safety features ." The delay in notifying the project under the Metro Act was because the state has been studying the legal implications of the shift on the concession agreement, he said, adding that one of the key issues were changes in the fare structure. "The fare structure has now been notified, but there are other issues. We don't want the agreement to be superseded by the Metro Act. These should soon be resolved and we shall notify the project under the Act." On cost escalation, Madan said it would be sorted out after the Metro was commissioned.

Fine print issues

In 2006, PM Manmohan Singh had inaugurated the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro. In 2007, the project was passed under the Tramways Act, 1886, as then there was no Act to deal with Metros. In 2009, the Centre by a gazette notification extended the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance Act) 2002, to all metropolitan cities, including MMR.

The 11.4-km VAG Metro has missed several deadlines since December 2010 till last month. Both the MMRDA and the state insist that it will be commissioned in December 2013, but MMOPL is not committing itself to this date; it said that the VAG will be completed this fiscal MMOPL said that as the project has not been notified under the Metro Acts, it cannot invite the Research Design and Standards Organisation to carry out inspections. Unless the inspection is done the commissioner for metro railway safety cannot issue a certificate, without which the Metro cannot be commissioned MMRDA says that the delay in shifting from the Tramways Act to the Metro Act is because the state government has been closely studying the legal implications on the concession agreement, especially the fare structure.

The project cost has shot up from Rs 2,356 crore to Rs 4,291 crore over the years.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Touts fleece citizens of Rs 1K for 30 licence

, TNN | Oct 24, 2013, 04.28 AM IST
READ MORE Regional Transport Office|learner’s licences
MUMBAI: Most residents do not seem to know that the regional transport office in Andheri has started issuing learner’s licences within 15 minutes of taking a test and, that too, for not more than Rs 30. Taking advantage of this lack of awareness, touts apparently have been fleecing applicants, demanding as much as Rs 1,000 for a " speedy deliverance” of the documents.

“It seems several citizens are not aware of our new system which is transparent, corruption-free and fast. The touts just guide people to the normal queue, which anyway leads them through a speedy process to get a learner’s licence. The agents are simply fooling applicants,” deputy RTO Bharat Kalaskar told TOI, urging citizens not to use an agent but to come directly to the office for a learner’s licence. He admitted that they had not been able to catch any of the culprits—most of them operate outside the RTO building—and disappear after collecting the fee. According to an official, the agents hang around the RTO building with application forms and usually accost their targets near the main gate close to Four Bungalows. “First, the touts will paint a false picture that getting a learner’s licence was a tedious process, involving multiple visits to the RTO. Winning the applicants’ confidence, they then assure them that the learner’s licences will be delivered the same day without any hassle,” the official said. “Falling in the trap, the victims agree to pay Rs 1,000 as service fee and get guided to the official counter where the token is issued.

On receiving the token, the touts escort the applicants to the door the licence section door and then vanish from the spot.

The fraud came to light after some of the victims enquired with others and found out that they had paid only the government-approved fee of Rs 30. The victims then lodged a complaint with Kalaskar. “According to the rules, one has to take a token, enter the learner’s licence section, show the documents (proofs), pay a fee of Rs 30, get data entered in computer, biometrics done and appear for an online RTO test,” deputy RTO Pradeep Shinde said. “The licence is then issued within 15 minutes. It is a simple process and there is absolutely no need for an agent to ‘help’.”

Maharashtra

 gets Rs 513cr to tackle cyclone

TNN | Oct 24, 2013, 04.33 AM IST
READ MORE World Bank|Disaster management
MUMBAI: The state government has received a Rs 513-crore grant from the World Bank which will enable it to put in place a mechanism to tackle cyclone-related disasters. I Z Kundan, secretary, disaster management said that the grant would be of great help in the construction of shelter homes along the 720-km coastal belt of the state.

“These homes can withstand the cyclone fury and thus help people take shelter during emergencies. Also the fund will help build embankments on water bodies such as creeks and rivers, which would prevent water from gushing into cyclone-prone areas,” Kundan said. Although Maharashtra has not seen any cyclone in the recent past, the state is considered to be at risk.

The government’s plan to create a state-of-the-art disaster control room at the Mantralaya seems to have no takers yet.

The bidding process for setting up the control room that would map, monitor and suggest measures to tackle disasters, will start at the end of this month.

comment:- next news:- money for cyclone management skimmed away in scams

 
 
Times View

This is why crime continues unabated in Mumbai

Oct 23, 2013, 05.38 AM IST
This incident — a person in uniform throwing the rulebook and jurisdiction issues at a victim of crime — explains why crime continues unabated in Mumbai. It shows how the worst of babu culture has seeped down to even ground-level law enforcers

Related Story: RPF de-rosters home guard for not aiding woman

Tuesday, October 22, 2013


traffic police officer found using forged chalan books

, TNN | Oct 22, 2013, 07.31 AM IST
READ MORE Sanjay Kumar
AURANGABAD: Activists on Monday brought on serious allegations against a sub-inspector of the traffic police attached to the Cidco division, stating that there were "discrepancies" found in the fine collected by the traffic officials and the ones deposited in the government treasury. They alleged that the traffic personnel used forged receipt books and demanded a high-level inquiry in the matter.

Former corporator Sanjay Jagtap on Monday told TOI that woman traffic PSI Suwarna Deglurkar used a bogus challan book for slapping fines on vehicle owners flouting traffic norms in August and September 2013 and used the original receipt book and deposited a lesser amount in the government treasury. To support the claims, Jagtap has also produced copies of the original fine receipts submitted to the government treasury under the Right To Information Act.

Senior police officials said that the woman officer has been sent on a forced leave for a month and a high- level inquiry will soon be initiated in this case.

"After receiving complaints about the woman officer, I had filed an RTI application on October 19, 2013 and asked for a copy of the traffic police's chalan book, containing receipt numbers from 2904201 to 2904400, which she used for depositing in the government treasury," Jagtap said. "We had already collected six receipts issued by the woman sub-inspector to different auto-rickshaw drivers. On cross-checking the receipts issued by the officer and the ones submitted as government record, we were shocked to learn that different amounts, ranging from Rs 600 to Rs 200, were collected from the auto-rickshaw drivers and other vehicle drivers. In each case, Rs 100 was submitted to the government treasury, using original fine receipts," Jagtap said.

Aurangabad assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Ajeet Borhade said, "We are not denying that such a thing has a happened and this is unfortunate. The complaint against PSI Suwarna Deglurkar has reached the commissioner of police, Sanjay Kumar, and a probe will soon be initiated."

The activists demanded that a high-level probe be initiated against the woman officer and all the fine receipts issued in her tenure be audited.

The copies in possession of TOI show that one receipt issued by PSI Degluarkar to an Ape auto-rickshaw driver, Mahadev Ramchandra Dhakne, with the vehicle registration number MH-20-AA-1902, shows Rs 600 collected as fine under four different sections of the Motor Vehicle Act on August 19, 2013. Contrary to this amount collected as fine, the amount mentioned on receipt number GEN-2904222, submitted to the government treasury, which carries the same details, is only is Rs 100 and mentions only one section of the Motor Vehicle Act.

Police sources said that senior officials had received many complaints against PSI Suwarna Deglurkar of arrogant behaviour in public and abusing vehicle owners, especially auto-rickshaw drivers. After this matter was brought to the notice of the senior officials, Deglurkar was asked to go on forced leave.

refuge area FSI from the current 70% of the total construction to just 4%.

No HC relief for Palais Royale builders

, TNN | Oct 22, 2013, 02.02 AM IST
READ MORE Palais Royale|Supreme Court|Shree Ram Urban Infrastructure Limited|Gautam Patel
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court has refused to grant any interim relief to developers of the city's tallest building Palais Royale in Worli. A division bench of Justice S C Dharmadhikari and Justice Gautam Patel admitted a petition filed by Shree Ram Urban Infrastructure Limited, challenging the order of the municipal commissioner to reduce the building's refuge area as well as restrict the size of the public parking lot.

"Whether the commissioner's order is in consonance with the view of the division bench of this court, which itself is under challenge before the Supreme Court of India, is a matter which would require consideration and interim relief granted without considering the issues raised would amount to allowing the writ petition itself. That is impermissible in law. Hence, interim relief is refused," said the judges, scheduling the matter for final hearing on November 25.

Earlier this year, the HC had refused to order demolition of the building, but asked the commissioner to consider the refuge area granted to the building, which it termed as excessive. The commissioner had directed the developer to reduce the building's refuge area FSI from the current 70% of the total construction to just 4%. This would have meant demolition of the upper floors of the building.

Mhada Act (Chapter 8A) has no provision for such an acquired property to be de-acquired-chawl is believed to be over Rs 1,200 crore


Govt to hand over 100-yr-old residential colony to private developer

, TNN | Oct 22, 2013, 06.46 PM IST
READ MORE Residential colony|mhada act|Dattatray chawl
MUMBAI: The 100-year-old residential Dattatray chawl in south Mumbai suddenly finds itself in the limelight after the state government decided to hand over the property to a private developer.

What is intriguing is that the under two-acre land which houses over 1,500 residents was acquired by the state housing authority two decades ago.

However, two months ago, a state housing department official wrote a letter to the housing authority, Mhada, to exempt the property from land acquisition and allow it to be redeveloped by a builder.

This sent alarm bells ringing because the Mhada Act (Chapter 8A) has no provision for such an acquired property to be de-acquired. Naturally, a section of the residents are upset that the government took a unilateral decision without consulting them or giving them a hearing.

Some residents recently served a legal notice on the government, stating that the decision to surrender this property to a developer was illegal and against the law. Stakes are high because the property is located in a prime area (Grant Road) of south Mumbai where property prices in new buildings are as high as Rs 40,000 a sq ft.

The redevelopment potential of the chawl is believed to be over Rs 1,200 crore and this would be a bonanza for any developer. The government should rescind its order and allow the housing authority to redevelop the property on its own and earn a windfall.

Tax breaks for seniors on the house

, TNN | Oct 22, 2013, 06.02AM IST
NEW DELHI: If your parents are considering a reverse mortgage, here is a festival bonanza. The government has made the return from mortgaging their house to earn a monthly income more attractive. Now, the annuity income from a reverse-mortgage loan will become tax-free. The government has also scrapped the restriction of a 20-year annuity payment and said it would be applicable as long as the owner lives.

Several senior citizens have availed of the scheme, launched in 2009, to support them in their old age. Under a reverse mortgage loan, a senior citizen of 60 years taps the value of his residential house, while enjoying the security of using the same as his residence until either the mortgagee or his/her spouse survives.

The government has also allowed insurance companies to participate in the scheme. This is set to increase the annuity income three-fold from the present level on the same value of a reverse mortgage loan and usher in competition in this segment.

For example, a senior citizen has a house, the market value of which is Rs 1.25 crore. He or she can avail of a reverse mortgage loan of Rs 1 crore on the house. Only 80% of the value of the house is allowed as reverse mortgage loan. But, the entire amount is not handed out in one go. Of the total amount, a house owner can take 50% of the loan amount or Rs 15 lakh, whichever is lower, as a lump sum payout. The rest comes as annuity.


So, the owner who has availed of a Rs 1-crore reverse mortgage, is eligible for Rs 15 lakh as a one-time payment and the remaining Rs 85 lakh would be invested in annuity.

The amount of annuity depends from bank to bank and is calculated on the basis of the period for which the beneficiary wants to receive the annuity. For an average 10-year period, the annuity is Rs 420 per month for every Rs 1 lakh of reverse mortgage loan and for 20 years it is about
Rs 100 per month for every Rs 1 lakh reverse mortgage value. There is no benchmark so far fixed for life-long annuity.

The Rs 85 lakh that the house owner has received would be invested in annuity and he will get an annuity of Rs 35,700 per month for 10 years and Rs 8,500 for 20 years. Now, after the National Housing Bank's (NHB) intervention, this amount would be trebled.

Until now, only banks were allowed to participate in the scheme. The entry of insurance companies, is expected to stir up the sector. NHB chairman R V Verma said the changes in the tax treatment for annuity will help large-ticket reverse mortgage loans for a shorter tenure.

Flight of fancy: An airport at Panvel makes no sense



Flight of fancy: An airport at Panvel makes no sense

22 Oct, 2013, 04.00AM IST
7 comments 




Cidco, the nodal agency for the project, claims that the land purchase should be over soon, and the airport should be operational in 2017.
Cidco, the nodal agency for the project, claims that the land purchase should be over soon, and the airport should be operational in 2017.
ET SPECIAL:

By: Hormuz P Mama

Land acquisition for Mumbai's planned airport at Panvel has dragged on, as the owners demand . 20 crore an acre — about five times the market value. The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), the nodal agency for the project, claims that the land purchase should be over soon, and the airport should be operational in 2017. That is unlikely. The airport site is about the worst anywhere, from the ecological and civil engineering viewpoints.

Developers will have to change the course of the Ulwe River, widen the Gadhi River to avoid flooding, construct embankments of three smaller rivers, fill up Panvel Creek and reclaim the land around Waghivli Island. They will also have to level two hillocks , cut down 160 hectares of mangrove forests that protect the coast against erosion, and 130 hectares of reserved forest.

The ministry of environment and forests grudgingly cleared it only when told there was no alternate site. This is not true. The Karnala Bird Sanctuary's buffer zone is only 9.5 km from the airport site. Cidco said it was 12.5 km, to get the sanctuary declared a non-ecosensitive area, and avoid environmental clearance. Environmentalists have covered the impact of aircraft operations on birds, but no one has studied the impact of birds on aircraft operations.

Bird ingestion into aero-engines can be as fatal to aircraft and passengers as to birds — a key reason to drop the site. Delays have increased costs from Rs 4,766 crore in 2006-07 to Rs 14,573 crore. Actually, that may be an underestimate.

Site preparation could cost almost half that amount. One cannot have an entire new airport on a difficult site for that amount. The new airport will have mainly domestic operations, with international operations mostly at the present airport .

Much of the important transit traffic at Mumbai airport is domestic. So, international passengers arriving at Mumbai will travel to Panvel to catch their connecting flights, increasing transit time. Ideally, passengers should catch their connecting flights in the same terminal.

Also, Cidco has no experience of airport development — or of any other work of such complexity. While Panvel will have an ultimate annual capacity of 60 million passengers , Mumbai needs a 100-millionpassenger airport. Most major airports around India have that much ultimate capacity and also handle many more passengers annually than any Indian airport.

The figures for 2012 are: Jakarta 57.8 million, Dubai 57.7 million, Hong Kong 56.8 million, and Singapore 58.2 million. Delhi had 34.2 million and Mumbai 30 million, ranking 37 and 48 respectively , on world passenger rankings. Mumbai airport is turning away airlines and passengers, while competing airports try to attract them to increase global connectivity.

Mumbai airport is served by just 47 international airlines, with direct flights to only 41 destinations, while Singapore and Dubai airports have 106 airlines and 130 airlines, connecting them to 240 and 220 destinations, respectively. Mumbai airport is uncompetitive because of high charges and lack of capacity. An airport used by many airlines as a transit hub offers greater connectivity with major destinations globally, and higher frequency of services.

India does not have a single regional hub. The second airport at Panvel will put Mumbai at a competitive disadvantage . And it is not the only suitable site. Nevali has 1,700 acres of former defence ministry land, now with the state government. Local politicians campaigning for it had said that another 2,000 acres could be "easily acquired" . Environmentally and engineering-wise , it is problem-free . 


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An airport there could be larger, come up faster and be cheaper than at Panvel. Mandwa-Rewas could have offered a dream airport, with over a million passengers a year capacity.

Opposition from people who distrust the politician-builder nexus killed it. A consultant recommended a common airport for Mumbai and Pune, as they have overlapping passenger catchment areas. The sites at Ansoli and Wada could also be looked at. The Panvel site could even seriously compromise Mumbai's status as commercial capital.

The writer is an independent aviation analyst

Kalyan International Airport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalyan International Airport
कल्याण अंतरराष्ट्रीय विमानतळ
IATA: none – ICAO: none
Summary
Serves Mumbai Metropolitan Region
Location Kalyan, Maharashtra, India
Kalyan International Airport was a proposed greenfield airport which if chosen would serve the as the second airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region The project site is located around an abandoned World War Two airfield near Kalyan in Thane district, Maharashtra, India.

Preface

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests raised environmental objections on the proposed location of the Navi Mumbai International Airport near Kopra Panvel area, because the construction of the airport would involve reclamation of low-lying areas in an ecologically fragile zone as well as destruction of several hectares of mangroves. The proposal of one of the alternate sites is centred around 1,800 acres (7.3 km2) of land owned by the Airports Authority of India, the site of an abandoned World War II era airfield[1] The Kalyan-Nevali location was to be considered for a future Kalyan International Airport to serve as a second International airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan region if the airport at Kopra Panvel was not approved.

History

See also: RAF Kalyan
The airfield at Nevali was used by the Royal Air Force pilots during World War II to give operational cover to the Bombay region. Its concrete runways still exist, albeit in an abandoned state. The ownership of the land resides with the Airports Authority of India, and the extract of 7/12 (land record) shows the ownership of the 1,700 acres (6.9 km2) of land is with the Airports authority of India.[2] A small portion of the land is used by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) for research activities. The total area of the Nevali air base was over 1,800 acres (7.3 km2). Post-Independence, the ownership of the land was transferred to the Ministry of Defence.

Location

The airport is located on Malanggadh Road at village Nevali 12 km from Kalyan railway station and also 55 km away from the current CSIA airport at Sahar Mumbai. The location is close to urban areas of the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation including Kalyan, Dombivali, Bhivandi, Mira-Bhayander, Ambernath, Badlapur, Shahapur and Ulhasnagar The area is also close to the Highway intersection of Shil Phata. Nearest railway stations are Kalyan railway station, Ambernath railway station and Badlapur railway station on the central line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network Nearest National Highways are the National Highway NH-222 and the National Highway 3

Benefits of Kalyan location

  • The Airbase still has a concrete runways that were used by the British warplanes during World war II, some old hangars as well as the remains of Control Cabin also present.
  • The total area of the Nevali Airbase is over 1,800 acres (7.3 km2) which is relatively free of any natural obstacles, and, as there was an operational airbase 60 years ago, the site is already surveyed as fit for landings and takeoff of small aircraft.[citation needed]
  • No possibility of CRZ (Coastal Regulatory Zone) violations, flattening of mountains or diversion of any rivers.
  • The site has sufficient land for two parallel runways length 14,700 ft (4,500 m) or 4,500 mts in the direction 18L/36R and 18R/36L (North - South), additional 800-1000 acres of land can be easily acquired for further expansion like cargo hub and cargo handling facilities.[citation needed]

Present status

In October 2006 the Government of Maharashtra first proposed the Kalyan-Nevali site as a fit candidate for a third airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. In August 2007, former national security advisor (NSA) M K Narayanan had communicated to the then chief minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, that the airport could not come up on the 1,800 acres of defence ministry land, as the area was near the site for a research and development laboratory of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).as the laboratory was being constructed in the adjacent area, the land was not suitable for airport development on safety and security grounds.[3]

References

  1. Jump up ^ http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_state-seeks-an-airport-in-kalyan_1060976 Government of Maharashtra seeks third airport for Mumbai in Kalyan
  2. Jump up ^ http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6407658.cms Article in Marathi daily Maharashtra Times shows the 7/12 is with the Airports Authority of India
  3. Jump up ^ http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/nsa-had-rejected-kalyan-site-for-mumbai-airport-in-2007-110082000099_1.html NSA had rejected Kalyan site

External links

=========================

NSA had rejected Kalyan site for Mumbai airport in 2007


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Read more on:    Barc | Mumbai Airport | Jairam Ramesh | M K Narayanan
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Even as a three-member committee of experts began a review of options for the contentious second Mumbai airport, now a political issue, the Union civil aviation ministry is stressing why the idea of an alternative site at Kalyan was grounded in 2007.
In August 2007, former national security advisor (NSA) M K Narayanan had communicated to the then chief minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, that the airport could not come up there, on 1,800 acres of defence ministry land, as the area was near the site for a research and development laboratory of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). That BARC site could not be shifted, the NSA had said.
“The Maharashtra government had sought NSA’s opinion. NSA had clearly stated that as the BARC laboratory was being constructed in the adjacent area, the land was not suitable for airport development on safety and security grounds. The area around is already declared as a no-development zone,” civil aviation ministry sources told Business Standard.
BARC sources confirmed that a sophisticated laboratory was under construction in Kalyan.
State government officials said thereafter Kalyan had not been even considered an alternative site. The government and its undertaking, City and Industrial Development Corporation, have been pursuing Navi Mumbai as an alternative option.
Kalyan re-emerged as an alternative to the controversial Navi Mumbai site recently, with Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh saying he’d sent on requests of three MPs from Thane district (where Kalyan is) to the expert appraisal committee.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

APMC traders indulge in sheer profiteering to keep the prices of vegetables high-Citizens paid Rs 1,150cr extra


Experts blame prices on ‘open market’

, TNN | Oct 21, 2013, 03.20 AM IST

READ MORE stocks|Inflation
MUMBAI: APMC traders indulge in sheer profiteering to keep the prices of vegetables high, say sources. "But since July, the profiteering trend has been a bit under control, mainly because of the government's opening of 121 fair-price outlets in the MMR," said a source.

 In January-March, the APMC earned Rs 7.5 crore a day on an average on a sale of 3,000 tonnes of vegetables. At the time, wholesale vegetable prices were in the range of Rs 20-25 per kg. After March, when wholesale prices almost doubled because of inflation and alleged hoarding and profiteering, the APMC earned around Rs 14 crore a day on an average on the sale of the same tonnage in April-June. When prices went down in the July-September period (but were still higher than January-March) the APMC earned Rs 9.5 crore a day on an average.

 Agriculture and marketing expert and APMC director Sanjay Pansare blamed the increased prices of vegetables on the "open market trend". He said traders are buying stocks directly from farmers. "Traders from across the state go to places like Lasalgaon, Narayangaon and Pimplgaon, where stocks of onions, tomatoes, cabbages and other main vegetables are sold to them directly. The stocks should ideally arrive at the APMC first and from the APMC should go to retailers."

 He said middlemen often buy from farmers and then sell to the APMC for a profit, making prices soar. "Such traded stock from the villages costs even more when another chunk of traders buy it from the APMC and sell it to retailers. Thus, consumers end up paying many times more than what it took to produce the vegetables in the first place."

 Pansare also said that the APMC's turnover was not as high as experts believe it to be. "It's true that the common man has had to pay through his nose for vegetables in recent months, but that is because of the reasons I mentioned. The APMC's turnover has been low because during the same period, stocks went down from the pre-April levels."

 But some experts, who did not want to be named, refused to buy Pansare's version of the turnover and refuted his statement that the stocks had gone down.




Citizens paid Rs 1,150cr extra for vegetables from Apr-Sep

, TNN | Oct 21, 2013, 03.28 AM IST
READ MORE stocks|spread|Inflation
MUMBAI: People in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai are estimated to have paid Rs 1,150 crore more for vegetables over April-September than they would have, had prices remained at the January-March levels, reveal the state government's agriculture and marketing experts.

The figure has been arrived at after taking into account the extra amount wholesalers at Vashi's Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) received during April-September after rates rose since March.

A back-of-the-envelope calculation shows that the APMC made Rs 765 crore. Since retail prices are at least 50% more than wholesale prices, people in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region paid Rs 1,150 crore extra (a 50% retail mark-up on Rs 765 crore).

The actual extra amount the public paid could be much higher than the estimate: APMC sources said retailers often hike prices by 60-70% and sometimes by over 100%.

"This is sheer profiteering. But since July, the profiteering trend has been under control, mainly because of the government's opening of 121 fair-price outlets in the MMR," said a source.

In January-March, the APMC earned Rs 7.5 crore a day on an average on a sale of 3,000 tonnes of vegetables. At the time, wholesale vegetable prices were in the range of Rs 20-25 per kg. After March, when wholesale prices almost doubled because of inflation and alleged hoarding and profiteering, the APMC earned around Rs 14 crore a day on an average on the sale of the same tonnage in April-June. When prices went down in the July-September period (but were still higher than January-March) the APMC earned Rs 9.5 crore a day on an average.

Agriculture and marketing expert and APMC director Sanjay Pansare blamed the increased prices of vegetables on the "open market trend". He said traders are buying stocks directly from farmers and middlemen. "Traders from across the state go to places like Lasalgaon, Narayangaon and Pimplgaon, where stocks of onions, tomatoes, cabbages and other main vegetables are sold to them directly. The stocks should ideally arrive at the APMC first and from the APMC should go to traders."

He said middlemen often buy from farmers and then sell to the APMC for a profit, making prices soar. "Such traded stock from the villages costs even more when another chunk of traders buy it from the APMC and sell it to retailers. Thus, consumers end up paying many times more than what it took to produce the vegetables in the first place."

Pansare also said that the APMC's turnover was not as high as experts believe it to be. "It's true that the common man has had to pay through his nose for vegetables in recent months, but that is because of the reasons I mentioned. The APMC's turnover has been low because during the same period, stocks went down from the pre-April levels."

But some experts, who did not want to be named, refused to buy Pansare's version of the turnover and refuted his statement that the stocks had gone down.

Metro needs 169 more subsidized vegetables outlets

Thane and Navi Mumbai need at least 300 fair-price outlets for the cost of vegetables to come down appreciably. At present, the metropolitan region has 121 subsidized vegetable selling centres.

Consumers and market experts said the impact of the centres has been limited. "For retailers to bring down prices, they must feel the pinch. We need more fair-price shops for this to happen," said an expert. The 121 centres sell 34 types of vegetables for 30-40% less than market rates. Each of the outlets sells up to 550 kg of vegetables a day.

Explaining the limited impact of the centres, a trader at Vashi's Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) said that 300 to 350 people buy vegetables at each centre a day, which comes to between 36,300 and 42,350 buyers across all the centres a day. "This is a small number, given the massive consumer base of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region," he said. Compared to the centres, South Mumbai alone has nearly 13,000 retailers or vendors and suburban Mumbai an equal number, said an expert. About 10,000 more are spread across Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Kalyan-Dombivli.

Some experts say the centres have had a greater effect to bring down prices in their vicinity. APMC sources said the existing centres had saved consumers at least Rs 200 crore since they opened.

"Going by their effect in their immediate neighbourhood, one can safely say that that the addition of say 169 centres would go a great deal further to keep prices in control," said citizen activist Rajeev Chaugule, who lives in Bhandup. "I lament the fact that the government has been unable to increase the number of fair-price outlets."

Lalbaug residents Avinash Satam and Ritesh Mujumdar said areas like Parel, Malabar Hill, Hindmata, Sion Koliwada, Nariman Point, Mazgaon, Matunga, Colaba, Worli, Marine Drive and Grant Road have only one centre each despite being densely populated. "Such areas have the capacity for many more fair-price shops."

Meanwhile, traders have predicted a slide in vegetable prices following a good monsoon; also, farmers will be forced to deliver their stocks to the market quicker because of a lack of good storage facilities. APMC trader Mohan Dongare said the rise in prices after March was caused by a supply shortage owing to insufficient rains last year. "It was a bad monsoon that affected the yield. But with bountiful rains this year, the markets will have an overflow of vegetables as storing them will be a problem in the villages. This will ultimately bring down prices for consumers."
































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