I had visited temple and observed that:-
1. There are two hall and each hall has been divided into eight lanes by affixing steel frames so that the devotees move in single file formation and do not cause congestion;
2. The ceremonies being conducted with in temple are being shown to the devotees through close circuit TV’s;
3. The arrangement of supply of bottled mineral water has been made in both the halls;
4. There is an arrangement of sale of tea, coffee, ice-cream to the devotees at a concessional rate.
5. It has been observed that the devotees while waiting for darshan of the Shri Saibaba purchase tea/coffee, ice cream and throw the plastic cups, sticks, bottles and wrappers below the benches thus the whole premises are spoiled and give a dirty look;
6. During the entire Darshan procedure that took about 2.30 hours on that day there were only two guards each in both the halls one at the beginning of the hall and another at the end of the hall where the devotees enter into another hall.
7. There were about 2000 devotees at any point of time being Sunday;
8. Unfortunately no Cops are present in the hall to control jumping of queues by the devotees;
9. The only cop present in the main hall was adding to the chaos by directing the devotees to throng and create mess in front puja sthall;
10. There are no boards all along the route that may help the devotees to move in any direction other than in which they are moving;
11. There is no provision of public address system or surveillance through cameras installed within hall;
12. In entire temple precincts there are no indication boards i.e. for collection of Vibhooti, cracking of coconut offering the Shawl and mukut.
13. No exit direction boards have fixed in and around temple area so that the devotees can take the particular route.
Thus it is in the interest of the temple authorities and the devotees that the following arrangements are made without any delay keeping in view the terrorist attacks on places of worship in India:-
a) The direction boards for guiding the devotees towards temple, emergency exit and exit points should be affixed at the earliest;
b) There should be atleast four to five guides/Guards and Cops specially trained in handling massive crowds and emergency situations should be deployed in the hall;
c) The public address system and the surveillance through cameras should be put in place immediately without any delay;
d) The sale of bottled water, ice-cream, coffee and tea should be banned with immediate effect on one hand so as to minimize the use of plastic that leads to pollution, accumulation of garbage inside temple and also to minimize the threat perception by terrorist organizations and antisocial elements who can play havoc with the lives of devotees in the garb of vendors or by supplying contaminated stuff. . You may please install water coolers for dispensing water to the devotees;
e) The direction boards to help and guide the devotees may be affixed so that the devotees are not stranded and do not have to depend on others.
Therefore in view of the aforesaid and continuing threat perception against religious institutions it is requested that immediate remedial steps be taken by the temple Trust.
Monday, June 8, 2009
National Highway No.1 – A Classic example of Planning Mess
National Highway No.1
A formula for disaster
Thousands of trees have been felled to make way for massive infrastructure projects- road widening & flyovers and commercial complexes, endangering the environment, laments Anil Sood
Many years ago, as a young man, when I traveled from Batala, a small town in Punjab, to New Delhi by road, the experience gave me a great thrill and pleasure. The driver maneuvered the bus on a double-lane road with thick shady trees on both sides. The head light beam almost formed an arc ahead -- a real treat for passengers to see. The arc not only reduced strain on the driver’s eyes, but it also improved visibility, making it easy to avoid accidents.
Once I shifted to South India in 1977, traveling from Delhi to Batala or Shimla became a regular feature, and the best part was that one could relax on the roadside underneath the many trees. Even during peak summer holiday time the journey was so comfortable.
Thereafter the double-lane road was broadened into four-lane and yet both sides of the road were still lined with plenty of trees. This new facility made the journey even more delightful, except while passing through the towns of Sonepat, Gannur, Panipat, Karnal Shahabad-Markanda and so on.
During those days one could conveniently travel by public transport from Delhi to any other part of North India. Thus traffic jams were unheard of, but accidents were a worrying factor. The reasons for accidents were not only the rash and reckless driving, but also the unplanned roads that merged with the highways, uncontrolled, illegal development of countless food joints on both sides of the roads and a deadly mix of slow moving traffic with the fast moving one.
With the passage of time Karnal got a well-planned and convenient bypass, and the road at Shahabad-Markanda was divided in such a manner that the city-bound traffic continued on the extreme left/right sides and the express traffic was confined to the four-lane middle road, thus the city-bound traffic was segregated.
To this day, some parts of the road from Panipat onwards till the Karnal bypass and from Karnal Lake to Ambala are surrounded with lush green trees that remind me of the bygone days when I traveled on this road, as is evident from the photographs. It is a driver’s delight to drive on this part of the country.
Unfortunately, after 1990 there has been not only a systematic failure of the interstate public transport system, but heavy tourist traffic has lead to multifold increase in the number of personal vehicles on the roads. The exploitation of commercial properties on the roads passing through densely populated cities has also led to unplanned growth, and encroachments have caused utter chaos, particularly at Panipat.
The National Highways Authority of India, to reduce congestion on the roads, has planned massive flyovers at Samalkha and Panipat. Similarly, the national highway from Ambala to Chandigarh is also being widened and massive flyovers are coming up at Ambala town and over Zirkpur near Chandigarh.
Once you pass through these patches one really wonders whether there was any necessity to construct massive flyovers passing through the heart of the cities where roads have eight lanes. One could have easily planned four-lane middle dedicated corridor for express traffic and two lanes on both sides on the road could have catered to the need of the city-bound traffic at Panipat, Samalkha, Ambala and the entire stretch of road from Ambala to Chandigarh. The small flyovers with clover leaves could have been planned to facilitate crossing over to other sides at lesser cost.
This is not to say that such planning does not exist in India. There are well-planned roads at Karnal and Shahabad-Markanda. The successful experiment could have been easily replicated at other places as well with lesser cost and inconvenience to road users. The cost of the flyovers is so mind-boggling that one feels the honest taxpayer’s money could have been easily saved and invested elsewhere or to say the least feeding the poor starving farmers.
However, the worst hit is the environment. Thousands of trees have been chopped off due to massive infrastructure projects. This has led to increase in temperature, dust storms and last but not the least, global warming. The middle verges at many places have also been concretized, totally eliminating the possibility of water recharging on the roads. Our leaders continue to make statements on International Forums and win applauds and some of our so called vigilant Indians have also won international fame for espousing concerns of “Global Warming” but have scant respect for the laws when they are confronted with local issues. Who cares?
With the elimination of the trees the arc has disappeared and now the light beam reaches straight into the sky leading to poor visibility. The Owner/drivers have now resorted to fitting powerful headlight bulbs that virtually blind them when other vehicles approach from the front or those that overtake them. The situation is one of the major causes of accidents on the highways.
However, what worries me is that since the road prior to Panipat is eight-lane and so is the road after Karnal By-pass, the lovely green belt on the four-lane road from Panipat to the outskirts of Karnal and from Karnal to Ambala Cantonment would also vanish due to haphazard planning.
No one thought that the dream of late Sher Shah Suri, who planned NH-1 with so many ‘carvansarais’ (rest houses or retiring rooms for travelers) all along for facilitating trade, would turn into another massive concrete jungle.
The worst part of planning by NHAI, as mentioned above, is that the slow-moving and fast-moving traffic continue to use the same road. The villagers from nearby hamlets bring tractors towing trolleys on the national highway from left, right and centre without following traffic laws.
The two-wheeler riders are another serious threat to the fast moving traffic. But the saddest part is that none of the planners has bothered to learn from mistakes in the past. We continue to ape Western planners, without even applying our mind to local conditions, circumstances and mentality that are often difficult to change.
A formula for disaster
Thousands of trees have been felled to make way for massive infrastructure projects- road widening & flyovers and commercial complexes, endangering the environment, laments Anil Sood
Many years ago, as a young man, when I traveled from Batala, a small town in Punjab, to New Delhi by road, the experience gave me a great thrill and pleasure. The driver maneuvered the bus on a double-lane road with thick shady trees on both sides. The head light beam almost formed an arc ahead -- a real treat for passengers to see. The arc not only reduced strain on the driver’s eyes, but it also improved visibility, making it easy to avoid accidents.
Once I shifted to South India in 1977, traveling from Delhi to Batala or Shimla became a regular feature, and the best part was that one could relax on the roadside underneath the many trees. Even during peak summer holiday time the journey was so comfortable.
Thereafter the double-lane road was broadened into four-lane and yet both sides of the road were still lined with plenty of trees. This new facility made the journey even more delightful, except while passing through the towns of Sonepat, Gannur, Panipat, Karnal Shahabad-Markanda and so on.
During those days one could conveniently travel by public transport from Delhi to any other part of North India. Thus traffic jams were unheard of, but accidents were a worrying factor. The reasons for accidents were not only the rash and reckless driving, but also the unplanned roads that merged with the highways, uncontrolled, illegal development of countless food joints on both sides of the roads and a deadly mix of slow moving traffic with the fast moving one.
With the passage of time Karnal got a well-planned and convenient bypass, and the road at Shahabad-Markanda was divided in such a manner that the city-bound traffic continued on the extreme left/right sides and the express traffic was confined to the four-lane middle road, thus the city-bound traffic was segregated.
To this day, some parts of the road from Panipat onwards till the Karnal bypass and from Karnal Lake to Ambala are surrounded with lush green trees that remind me of the bygone days when I traveled on this road, as is evident from the photographs. It is a driver’s delight to drive on this part of the country.
Unfortunately, after 1990 there has been not only a systematic failure of the interstate public transport system, but heavy tourist traffic has lead to multifold increase in the number of personal vehicles on the roads. The exploitation of commercial properties on the roads passing through densely populated cities has also led to unplanned growth, and encroachments have caused utter chaos, particularly at Panipat.
The National Highways Authority of India, to reduce congestion on the roads, has planned massive flyovers at Samalkha and Panipat. Similarly, the national highway from Ambala to Chandigarh is also being widened and massive flyovers are coming up at Ambala town and over Zirkpur near Chandigarh.
Once you pass through these patches one really wonders whether there was any necessity to construct massive flyovers passing through the heart of the cities where roads have eight lanes. One could have easily planned four-lane middle dedicated corridor for express traffic and two lanes on both sides on the road could have catered to the need of the city-bound traffic at Panipat, Samalkha, Ambala and the entire stretch of road from Ambala to Chandigarh. The small flyovers with clover leaves could have been planned to facilitate crossing over to other sides at lesser cost.
This is not to say that such planning does not exist in India. There are well-planned roads at Karnal and Shahabad-Markanda. The successful experiment could have been easily replicated at other places as well with lesser cost and inconvenience to road users. The cost of the flyovers is so mind-boggling that one feels the honest taxpayer’s money could have been easily saved and invested elsewhere or to say the least feeding the poor starving farmers.
However, the worst hit is the environment. Thousands of trees have been chopped off due to massive infrastructure projects. This has led to increase in temperature, dust storms and last but not the least, global warming. The middle verges at many places have also been concretized, totally eliminating the possibility of water recharging on the roads. Our leaders continue to make statements on International Forums and win applauds and some of our so called vigilant Indians have also won international fame for espousing concerns of “Global Warming” but have scant respect for the laws when they are confronted with local issues. Who cares?
With the elimination of the trees the arc has disappeared and now the light beam reaches straight into the sky leading to poor visibility. The Owner/drivers have now resorted to fitting powerful headlight bulbs that virtually blind them when other vehicles approach from the front or those that overtake them. The situation is one of the major causes of accidents on the highways.
However, what worries me is that since the road prior to Panipat is eight-lane and so is the road after Karnal By-pass, the lovely green belt on the four-lane road from Panipat to the outskirts of Karnal and from Karnal to Ambala Cantonment would also vanish due to haphazard planning.
No one thought that the dream of late Sher Shah Suri, who planned NH-1 with so many ‘carvansarais’ (rest houses or retiring rooms for travelers) all along for facilitating trade, would turn into another massive concrete jungle.
The worst part of planning by NHAI, as mentioned above, is that the slow-moving and fast-moving traffic continue to use the same road. The villagers from nearby hamlets bring tractors towing trolleys on the national highway from left, right and centre without following traffic laws.
The two-wheeler riders are another serious threat to the fast moving traffic. But the saddest part is that none of the planners has bothered to learn from mistakes in the past. We continue to ape Western planners, without even applying our mind to local conditions, circumstances and mentality that are often difficult to change.
Compulsion to be Corrupt- Police
All of us had been hearing a lot about corruption in Police and infact it is a matter of fact. A lot has been said about Police Reforms but the shocking part is that the Police Constabulary being the first face of Police that faces the general public and the key of cog wheel of investigation has been ignored even by fifth pay commission.
We have collected information under Right to Information Act, 2005 from Delhi Police, Punjab Police, Haryana Police and Uttar Pradesh Police. Since I have more information available with me about Delhi Police so I thought it fit to comment on Delhi Police only. It has been observed that each constable living in far flung area, with small family having two school going children, without any savings to his account, shall have either to beg or borrow an amount of Rs. 5,000-00 to Rs. 6,000-00 each month for below average standard of living.
During British regime the police was always under paid with a specific agenda that once underpaid they would indulge in corruption and under the threat of removal the Britishers would force them to act as per their own whims and fancies against the Indian freedom fighters and they succeeded.
In view of the information provided to us it is felt that even the mind set of present rulers has not changed.
Deficit per month Rs.755.00
1. Excess of Expense on account of washing over allowance: Rs. -33.33
2. Excess of Conveyance: Rs. -1,900.00
3. Motorcycle Maintenance: Rs. -300.00
4. Mobile Phone Expenses: Rs. -500.00
5. Share of Expenses on account of unclaimed Dead Body: Rs -2,000.00
6. Total Deficit per month: Rs. 5,488.33
In case the constable opts for insurance policy or any other saving scheme and gives pocket money to school going children or indulges in a luxury of giving any simple gift to his wife once in a blue moon the deficit would go up by another Rs. 2,500.00 per month. This amount is exclusive of the money spent by the Cop on himself during duty hours or commuting from Home to place of Duty & back. Therefore the total deficit would go up to Rs. 7,988.33 per month.
Now to meet this need of bare minimum amount he is bound to indulge in borrowing as he cannot beg thus to repay indulge in corruption. Thus indulging in corruption is bound to reflect on his working efficiency, law enforcement and investigations. The issues like Nithari or Prof Sabharwal, Jessica Lal or Priyadarshini Mattoo shall continue to crop up very often. The BMW’s shall continue to mow down the innocent people and get converted into trucks over night. The Blue Lines would continue to recklessly kill the road users. The overloaded trucks would continue to damage the roads, cause pollution what ever we may say about global warming leading to accidents, unquantifiable amount of damage to life and property and loss to the State Exchequer.
Not only this they would also continue to be arrogant defiant, ruthless and reckless in their day to day life. They would continue to disrespect and even kill their colleagues and seniors out of sheer frustration.
Therefore, unless we address this root cause of corruption and pay reasonable salaries no reforms are going to work and improve the system. Law enforcement and poor and shoddy investigations would continue to be the first causality.
Therefore, in fitness of things it is utmost important that the issue is at least now dealt with properly and it is ensured that the lower constabulary is paid reasonable salary so that tomorrow if they do not perform they can be punished.
In addition to the reasonable Salary, there is a need to put in place a system to ensure that no Cop has to bear the expense of giving decent burial or performing last rites of unclaimed bodies.
I have not considered the expenses the cops end up spending on purchase of stationary for the police station, other expenses while treating the visiting officials.
I have visited web site of Delhi Police. Though under Right to Information a full disclosure about the Budget under different heads is to be made but it is not available. Who cares in Government and general Public lacks voice.
Babus please come out of your deep slumber and shed British mindset before it is too late.
We have collected information under Right to Information Act, 2005 from Delhi Police, Punjab Police, Haryana Police and Uttar Pradesh Police. Since I have more information available with me about Delhi Police so I thought it fit to comment on Delhi Police only. It has been observed that each constable living in far flung area, with small family having two school going children, without any savings to his account, shall have either to beg or borrow an amount of Rs. 5,000-00 to Rs. 6,000-00 each month for below average standard of living.
During British regime the police was always under paid with a specific agenda that once underpaid they would indulge in corruption and under the threat of removal the Britishers would force them to act as per their own whims and fancies against the Indian freedom fighters and they succeeded.
In view of the information provided to us it is felt that even the mind set of present rulers has not changed.
Deficit per month Rs.755.00
1. Excess of Expense on account of washing over allowance: Rs. -33.33
2. Excess of Conveyance: Rs. -1,900.00
3. Motorcycle Maintenance: Rs. -300.00
4. Mobile Phone Expenses: Rs. -500.00
5. Share of Expenses on account of unclaimed Dead Body: Rs -2,000.00
6. Total Deficit per month: Rs. 5,488.33
In case the constable opts for insurance policy or any other saving scheme and gives pocket money to school going children or indulges in a luxury of giving any simple gift to his wife once in a blue moon the deficit would go up by another Rs. 2,500.00 per month. This amount is exclusive of the money spent by the Cop on himself during duty hours or commuting from Home to place of Duty & back. Therefore the total deficit would go up to Rs. 7,988.33 per month.
Now to meet this need of bare minimum amount he is bound to indulge in borrowing as he cannot beg thus to repay indulge in corruption. Thus indulging in corruption is bound to reflect on his working efficiency, law enforcement and investigations. The issues like Nithari or Prof Sabharwal, Jessica Lal or Priyadarshini Mattoo shall continue to crop up very often. The BMW’s shall continue to mow down the innocent people and get converted into trucks over night. The Blue Lines would continue to recklessly kill the road users. The overloaded trucks would continue to damage the roads, cause pollution what ever we may say about global warming leading to accidents, unquantifiable amount of damage to life and property and loss to the State Exchequer.
Not only this they would also continue to be arrogant defiant, ruthless and reckless in their day to day life. They would continue to disrespect and even kill their colleagues and seniors out of sheer frustration.
Therefore, unless we address this root cause of corruption and pay reasonable salaries no reforms are going to work and improve the system. Law enforcement and poor and shoddy investigations would continue to be the first causality.
Therefore, in fitness of things it is utmost important that the issue is at least now dealt with properly and it is ensured that the lower constabulary is paid reasonable salary so that tomorrow if they do not perform they can be punished.
In addition to the reasonable Salary, there is a need to put in place a system to ensure that no Cop has to bear the expense of giving decent burial or performing last rites of unclaimed bodies.
I have not considered the expenses the cops end up spending on purchase of stationary for the police station, other expenses while treating the visiting officials.
I have visited web site of Delhi Police. Though under Right to Information a full disclosure about the Budget under different heads is to be made but it is not available. Who cares in Government and general Public lacks voice.
Babus please come out of your deep slumber and shed British mindset before it is too late.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Power Reforms- Privatisation - A complete failure
The Power Reforms were introduced with much of fanfare with a view to improve the quality of supply, reduce the abnormally high T & D Losses by privatising the distribution of power. The idea was that the private sector can infuse new life to the collapsing distibution system by investing in the infrastructure. The ROE of 16% post tax was a sure shot bait to attract the private distributors and it did so. The reforms have miserable failed in Orissa the first one to adopt power reforms. The Power Reforms have failed in the City of Delhi particularly in the areas controlled by BSES - BRPL and BYPL. Though it is claimed that the T & D loss reduction target has been achieved by both the DISCOMS but some how I am not able to figure out how come distribution losses continue to be at about 30%. Politically the tariff is not being allowed to be increased now in view of public protests but the moot question remains that the amount of subsidy is paid out of our hard earned money paid through taxes and ultimately we bear the brunt of inefficiency of DISCOMS. Now in Maharshtra there is a proposal to levy "Reliability Charge". Again, if the DISCOM is allowed to charge the reliability charge then how the license was granted to DISCOM at first instance. We all need to join hands and fight out the arm twisting tactics DISCOMS.
Parking - A complete Mess
Very often if you go to market park your car in a parking lot manned by Contractor handing you over a parking ticket, once you return you find your car has been towed away by traffic police. Reason illegal parking. The basic question arises how a parking is illegal when a contractor hands over you a ticket? How a car driver would know whether the parking is legal or illegal? Who is supposed to take action against the erring contractor or officers responssible for allowing the illegal parking that are operating in the City of Delhi despite the fact that there is no clearance from traffic police? How both the local police and traffic police can cleep over the matter? Strangely in most of the cases the Supreme Court Order is flouted by permitting parking on left side of the road which is basically bus bay that is to be kept free from encroachments so that the busses can ply. There is need to wake up and take up the issue collectively with the authorities.
Public Transport System of Delhi - A Planner's Disaster
Almost five years ago we had carried out survey in the Capital City of Delhi and the results were astounding. Annually fuel worth 24 crores goes up in the air at each of such 20 intersections selected by us and whooping man hours worth Rs. 1300 went up in smoke. Despite the Government having been put to notice nothing has been done in this regard by the Government of Delhi. By constructing fly overs the points of congestion have been shifted. Since the busses do not ply on designated routes, general public is forced to use private vehicles leading to congestion on roads now through out the day. Since 1977 onwards there is no policy on National Level on Public Transport. It appears that this is the last issue on planner's minds. The draft National Transport Policy is yet to be implemented. If this is the state of affairs of the Capital City of India one can imagine plight of the other Cities.
Collapsing Drainage System of Delhi
With the onset of monsoon most of the parts of City of Delhi would be inundated. Courtesy blocked drainage system admitedly that has collapsed as majority of the drains have ben settled and nothing can be done.[MCD admission before Committee on Petitions - Legislative Assembly of Delhi - Report table in the House on 26th Novemebr 2006]. On one hand over the ground massive construction is going on whereas no planns have been prepared to revamp the collapsed drainage system of Delhi till date by thed Planners of Delhi. The Delhi Jal Board charges you in ecah bill Sewerage Charges. GOD knows where the money is spent and how the money is spent. We pay property taxes to MCD again GOD knows where and how the money is spent. We must assert our rights and demand an explanation from the Government agencies.
Airports - Night Curfew in India
IGI Airport Delhi – Another Planning Mess
I am frequent flier and keep hopping in and out of Delhi very often. I remember the days when for the fist time the skies were opened for private airlines like Modiluft, Eastwest, Jet Sahara and few small airlines. In the evening while returning from Bangalore, Mumbai or Calcutta the Airline staffers used to invite passengers the way touts invite passengers at Inter State Bus Terminals. Free flow of liquor in Private airlines used to be major attraction for the passengers in the skies. As a frequent flier I did get free tickets from Modiluft but by the time I could travel the Airline did not exist.
Thereafter, for some time the private players remained subdued and once again the Private players returned with a bang. Very often I had to catch a n early flight to ensure that I don’t miss hearing at Court or Tribunal and used to catch the last flight so that I do not end up in catching a flight that hovers around for quite some time in the skies.
Then came up the proposal of privatization of airports and Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore Calcutta, Mumbai and Chennai Airports were put on private development mode. The shifting of Airports out of the cities of Delhi, Bangalore, and Hyderabad was a welcome step as all these three airports were situated in the middle of the City as such in view of growing air traffic resulting into high levels of noise pollution and high costs of hovering over the Cities. The moving Airports out of the City was also necessitated due the fact that any human error on the part of the Pilot could lead to massive tragedy as had happened with Sahara Training Aircraft at Palam Airport at New Delhi. Finally the airports at Bangalore and Hyderabad shifted out of towns. The IGI Airport for the reasons best known to the planners of the City continued to remain at the same location despite having planned to shift out of Delhi in various Master Plans prepared by the DDA and Ministry of Urban Development.
One day I was shaken out of deep sleep with loud noise and thereafter one after the other many panes started moving in the direction towards airport. I could not realize till the time the News appeared both in Print and Electronic Media about operation of third runway at IGI. So our life became miserable thereafter as almost 64 plans started landing within span on one minute and it became difficult to even talk on telephone leave alone sleeping peacefully in the afternoon or in the night. One of my neighbors who was disturbed as none in his family could sleep be it his grand daughter or himself or his wife or aged parents came to me and suggested to find out as to how all of a sudden this Runway became operation in utter disregard to environmental norms, International civil aviation rules and without necessary Environmental clearances. That just reminded me that similar situation arose at Heathrow Airport where the residents joined hands together and fought and made Government to think and act by insulating all the houses falling within landing funnel from Noise Pollution and also clamp night curfew on flights. So I decided to file the applications under Right to Information Act 2005.
Since the landing approach to newly constructed Runway 3 covers vast area of residential colonies like Mehrauli, Vasant Kunj, Mahipalpur having many schools and hospitals the operation of Runway 3rd sounded to be the most illogical decision as it s not only against the noise pollution norms laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board but also is in violation of the mandate of the International Civil Aviation Organization and Building Bye laws of DDA.
Earlier the landing funnel covered Jawaharlal Nehru University near Vasant Vihar, South Central Ridge Area where the height of the buildings falling within landing funnel was restricted to two stories obviously with logic. But now the flight path covers four storied buildings that show the criminal negligence on the part of the planners. Moreover when the terrorist threat on ground is so serious, who knows when some one may target any aircraft flying at such a low height and cause massive damage to life and property?
The information received from CPCB, Ministry of Civil Aviation came as a rude shock to me. The gist I am reproducing here under:-
Noise Pollution Permitted Limits
Area Code Category of Area/Zonw Limits in dB(A) Leg
Day Night
A Industrial Area 75 70
B Commercial 65 55
C Residential 55 45
D Silence Zone 50 40
CPCB had conducted surveys around IGI to monitor the Noise Pollution levels in and around Vasant Kunj, that was during material time away from landing Funnel was as under:-
Spot of survey: JNU
Sr. No Date of Monitoring *Time Results (Leq)
(dBA)
1 12-04-2004 Night Time 60.27
13-04-2004 Day time 62.38
2 21-04-2004 Night Time 59.32
22-04-2004 Day time 61.27
3 15-07-2007 Night Time 65.9
16-07-2007 Day Time 65.8
• Night Time – From 10.00 pm to 6.00 AM (8 hours)
• Day time – From 6.00 AM to 10 PM (16 hours)
Since during the material time of survey the aircrafts were descending over the Ridge Area as such the noise pollution level at JNU was much lesser than the present levels that ranges between 100dB during day time and around 120 dB at night time while landing the aircrafts over residential areas of Mehrauli, Vasant Kunj and Mahipalpur.
Further, the response from Ministry of Civil Aviation also came to me as another shock the relevant text of which is as under:-
As per the rules framed by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in in its annexure 2 on Rules of the Air at Para 3.1.2 has prescribed the following standards (relating to residential colonies falling under landing funnel)in this regard, the relevant text is reproduced as under:-
“except when necessary for take off or landing, or except by permission from the appropriate authority, air craft shall not be flown over the congested areas of the cities, towns or settlements or over an open air assembly of persons, unless at such a height as will permit, in the event of an emergency arising, a landing to be made without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.”
Therefore, it is clear that except for emergency no plane could fly over the residential areas and land as a matter of routine except in the case of emergency. Now armed with this information I decided to find out as to how the Ministry of Environment and Forests has cleared the project and accorded Environmental Clearance. I did know that I would be in for another rude shock as in India we can expect any thing to happen. The response under RTI from MOEF is not only shocking but clearly indicates a classic case of non application of mind. The relevant text is reproduced as under:-
Environmental clearance accorded by the Ministry vide its letter no. Environmental Clearance – IGI Runway - DIAL- 3 by MOEF – File No. 10-10/2006-IA-lll dated 17th January 2007. The relevant text is reproduced hereunder:-
“Trees in the airport limits are proposed to be cut. It is indicated that that the noise dispersion model has been studied at the runway and that the sound level ranges from 65 dB to 85 dB. The sound level measured at the nearby residential area is 51 to 57 dB. Several mitigation measures to reduce the impact have been proposed which includes orientation of runway, proper scheduling of the aircraft and use of acoustic noise absorbing materials and green cover development. Noise level will be maintained (as prescribed for Industrial ctivity) as under as under noise standards notified.”
The DATA appearing in MOEF report is diametrically opposite to the survey conducted by CPCB thus the operation of Runway 3 is clearly in violation of all the norms and the laws.
It is matter of record that World over in view of the noise pollution the Airports are at least two hours drive from the City so that the ghost of noise pollution does not haunt the resident. The reason being due to higher noise pollution the residents would suffer from Insomnia (Sleepless ness) leading to higher stress levels, high blood pressure and heart related ailments.
It may not be out of place to mention here that initially the Airlines charged “Congestion Charges” from the passengers for no fault on its part as the Government and private airline operators increased the number of flights causing mid air congestion without augmenting the basic infrastructure in and around Airports. Still one could get away with bearing cost of negligence by the Government and the Airlines but the moot question now arises who would bear the cost of criminal negligence committed by the Planners and Government functionaries who have planned and implemented the third runway little realizing that people would suffer from the multiple complications and the damage cannot be quantified in monetary terms.
The worst is that none of the Authorities i.e. DGCA, Ministry of Civil Aviation, CPCB and Commissioner Police have come out of the deep slumber despite the fact that the Citizens have lodged formal complaints. Strangely the Commissioner Police Delhi who is the designated authority under the Pollution control Rules, has also failed to act.
That reminds me the popular mandate of the Constitution of India “Government of the people by the People and for the people” that stands now changed to “Government of the few by the few and for the few” because if Safdarjang Airport can be closed for Security reasons as well as for Noise Pollution why the IGI could not be shifted on same grounds out of the City in line with the one at Hyderabad and Bangalore?
I am frequent flier and keep hopping in and out of Delhi very often. I remember the days when for the fist time the skies were opened for private airlines like Modiluft, Eastwest, Jet Sahara and few small airlines. In the evening while returning from Bangalore, Mumbai or Calcutta the Airline staffers used to invite passengers the way touts invite passengers at Inter State Bus Terminals. Free flow of liquor in Private airlines used to be major attraction for the passengers in the skies. As a frequent flier I did get free tickets from Modiluft but by the time I could travel the Airline did not exist.
Thereafter, for some time the private players remained subdued and once again the Private players returned with a bang. Very often I had to catch a n early flight to ensure that I don’t miss hearing at Court or Tribunal and used to catch the last flight so that I do not end up in catching a flight that hovers around for quite some time in the skies.
Then came up the proposal of privatization of airports and Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore Calcutta, Mumbai and Chennai Airports were put on private development mode. The shifting of Airports out of the cities of Delhi, Bangalore, and Hyderabad was a welcome step as all these three airports were situated in the middle of the City as such in view of growing air traffic resulting into high levels of noise pollution and high costs of hovering over the Cities. The moving Airports out of the City was also necessitated due the fact that any human error on the part of the Pilot could lead to massive tragedy as had happened with Sahara Training Aircraft at Palam Airport at New Delhi. Finally the airports at Bangalore and Hyderabad shifted out of towns. The IGI Airport for the reasons best known to the planners of the City continued to remain at the same location despite having planned to shift out of Delhi in various Master Plans prepared by the DDA and Ministry of Urban Development.
One day I was shaken out of deep sleep with loud noise and thereafter one after the other many panes started moving in the direction towards airport. I could not realize till the time the News appeared both in Print and Electronic Media about operation of third runway at IGI. So our life became miserable thereafter as almost 64 plans started landing within span on one minute and it became difficult to even talk on telephone leave alone sleeping peacefully in the afternoon or in the night. One of my neighbors who was disturbed as none in his family could sleep be it his grand daughter or himself or his wife or aged parents came to me and suggested to find out as to how all of a sudden this Runway became operation in utter disregard to environmental norms, International civil aviation rules and without necessary Environmental clearances. That just reminded me that similar situation arose at Heathrow Airport where the residents joined hands together and fought and made Government to think and act by insulating all the houses falling within landing funnel from Noise Pollution and also clamp night curfew on flights. So I decided to file the applications under Right to Information Act 2005.
Since the landing approach to newly constructed Runway 3 covers vast area of residential colonies like Mehrauli, Vasant Kunj, Mahipalpur having many schools and hospitals the operation of Runway 3rd sounded to be the most illogical decision as it s not only against the noise pollution norms laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board but also is in violation of the mandate of the International Civil Aviation Organization and Building Bye laws of DDA.
Earlier the landing funnel covered Jawaharlal Nehru University near Vasant Vihar, South Central Ridge Area where the height of the buildings falling within landing funnel was restricted to two stories obviously with logic. But now the flight path covers four storied buildings that show the criminal negligence on the part of the planners. Moreover when the terrorist threat on ground is so serious, who knows when some one may target any aircraft flying at such a low height and cause massive damage to life and property?
The information received from CPCB, Ministry of Civil Aviation came as a rude shock to me. The gist I am reproducing here under:-
Noise Pollution Permitted Limits
Area Code Category of Area/Zonw Limits in dB(A) Leg
Day Night
A Industrial Area 75 70
B Commercial 65 55
C Residential 55 45
D Silence Zone 50 40
CPCB had conducted surveys around IGI to monitor the Noise Pollution levels in and around Vasant Kunj, that was during material time away from landing Funnel was as under:-
Spot of survey: JNU
Sr. No Date of Monitoring *Time Results (Leq)
(dBA)
1 12-04-2004 Night Time 60.27
13-04-2004 Day time 62.38
2 21-04-2004 Night Time 59.32
22-04-2004 Day time 61.27
3 15-07-2007 Night Time 65.9
16-07-2007 Day Time 65.8
• Night Time – From 10.00 pm to 6.00 AM (8 hours)
• Day time – From 6.00 AM to 10 PM (16 hours)
Since during the material time of survey the aircrafts were descending over the Ridge Area as such the noise pollution level at JNU was much lesser than the present levels that ranges between 100dB during day time and around 120 dB at night time while landing the aircrafts over residential areas of Mehrauli, Vasant Kunj and Mahipalpur.
Further, the response from Ministry of Civil Aviation also came to me as another shock the relevant text of which is as under:-
As per the rules framed by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in in its annexure 2 on Rules of the Air at Para 3.1.2 has prescribed the following standards (relating to residential colonies falling under landing funnel)in this regard, the relevant text is reproduced as under:-
“except when necessary for take off or landing, or except by permission from the appropriate authority, air craft shall not be flown over the congested areas of the cities, towns or settlements or over an open air assembly of persons, unless at such a height as will permit, in the event of an emergency arising, a landing to be made without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.”
Therefore, it is clear that except for emergency no plane could fly over the residential areas and land as a matter of routine except in the case of emergency. Now armed with this information I decided to find out as to how the Ministry of Environment and Forests has cleared the project and accorded Environmental Clearance. I did know that I would be in for another rude shock as in India we can expect any thing to happen. The response under RTI from MOEF is not only shocking but clearly indicates a classic case of non application of mind. The relevant text is reproduced as under:-
Environmental clearance accorded by the Ministry vide its letter no. Environmental Clearance – IGI Runway - DIAL- 3 by MOEF – File No. 10-10/2006-IA-lll dated 17th January 2007. The relevant text is reproduced hereunder:-
“Trees in the airport limits are proposed to be cut. It is indicated that that the noise dispersion model has been studied at the runway and that the sound level ranges from 65 dB to 85 dB. The sound level measured at the nearby residential area is 51 to 57 dB. Several mitigation measures to reduce the impact have been proposed which includes orientation of runway, proper scheduling of the aircraft and use of acoustic noise absorbing materials and green cover development. Noise level will be maintained (as prescribed for Industrial ctivity) as under as under noise standards notified.”
The DATA appearing in MOEF report is diametrically opposite to the survey conducted by CPCB thus the operation of Runway 3 is clearly in violation of all the norms and the laws.
It is matter of record that World over in view of the noise pollution the Airports are at least two hours drive from the City so that the ghost of noise pollution does not haunt the resident. The reason being due to higher noise pollution the residents would suffer from Insomnia (Sleepless ness) leading to higher stress levels, high blood pressure and heart related ailments.
It may not be out of place to mention here that initially the Airlines charged “Congestion Charges” from the passengers for no fault on its part as the Government and private airline operators increased the number of flights causing mid air congestion without augmenting the basic infrastructure in and around Airports. Still one could get away with bearing cost of negligence by the Government and the Airlines but the moot question now arises who would bear the cost of criminal negligence committed by the Planners and Government functionaries who have planned and implemented the third runway little realizing that people would suffer from the multiple complications and the damage cannot be quantified in monetary terms.
The worst is that none of the Authorities i.e. DGCA, Ministry of Civil Aviation, CPCB and Commissioner Police have come out of the deep slumber despite the fact that the Citizens have lodged formal complaints. Strangely the Commissioner Police Delhi who is the designated authority under the Pollution control Rules, has also failed to act.
That reminds me the popular mandate of the Constitution of India “Government of the people by the People and for the people” that stands now changed to “Government of the few by the few and for the few” because if Safdarjang Airport can be closed for Security reasons as well as for Noise Pollution why the IGI could not be shifted on same grounds out of the City in line with the one at Hyderabad and Bangalore?
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