August 2009

Mumbai: Building the city of dreams
31 August 09 | The Economic Times
Abstract: Being the financial capital of the country, Mumbai has always been a magnate for fortune seekers from other parts of the country. Read More

Our commitment to the Commonwealth
31 August 09 | The Indian Express
Abstract: It is an image few forget: an opening day ceremony with Rajasthani dancers: turbaned men and choli-clad women, painted faces from Kerala, Vedic chanting as diyas float on an artificial lake. An old culture, captivating the new ones from Australia, Canada, and South Africa. Read More

50% quota for women in urban local bodies soon
31 August 09 | The Times of India
Abstract: After the Union Cabinet cleared 50% reservation for women in panchayats, the government is considering a proposal that will make every second member of India's municipalities female as well. Read More

Urban living may get costlier: Montek
30 August 09 | The Times of India
Abstract: Urban India will have to be prepared for an increase in price of government services. Read More

Bihar's River Front Project
28 August 09 | Hindustan Times
Abstract: The State Government has prepared a detailed project report (DPR) for the ambitious river front scheme along the river Ganga in Patna. The DPR for the Rs 40.53-crore scheme will now be sent to the Union Urban Development Ministry for approval. Read More

Capturing The Digital Sunrise
27 August 09 | Hindustan Times
Abstract: Ratul Puri invested Rs 850 crore on setting up his solar photo-voltaic (SPV) business between 2006-07 and 2008-09. The expectation: this sector would emerge as the next big thing. And that the early bird advantage would help Puri, 35, executive director of the Delhi-based Moser Baer, the world’s second-largest manufacturer of data storage devices like CDs and DVDs, dominate this industry. Read More

China And India Will Pay
27 August 09 | Newsweek | By Sharon Begley
Abstract: You can see their point. China and India account for 10 percent and 3 percent, respectively, of the man-made greenhouse gases now in the atmosphere, compared with 75 percent for the developed world (according to data compiled by the World Resources Institute). So why, they ask, should they cut their emissions of carbon dioxide? Read More

Surat Muncipal Corporation Sets New Service Level Parameters
25 August 09 | DNA
Abstract: Citizens of Surat can expect better services from the civic body which has set new service level parameters in the city. The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) was selected for Service Level Benchmark (SLB), a project initiated by the Ministry of Urban development to define service level in developing cities. Read More

Delhi, Mumbai Among Least Expensive Cities in the World
24 August 09 | The Times of India
Abstract: India's political capital Delhi and financial hub Mumbai have been ranked among the least expensive cities around the world by a survey, even as cost for food and housing in the country continues to rise. Read More

Europe's Best Paid Cities
24 August 09 | Hindustan Times
Abstract: Like the feeling of a hefty wage packet? Move to Switzerland. That's where you'll find the two cities with the highest-paid workers in Europe, according to a new survey of wages that was released on Wednesday. Read More

Property Owners May Soon Have Guaranteed Title Deeds
24 August 09 | The Times of India
Abstract: In a move to promote efficient land markets and enhance the capitalisation potential of property, urban development ministry has asked state governments and local bodies to speed up the property title certification system (PTCS) to grant conclusive title guarantee, as part of the reforms agenda under Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Read More

Kochi Eyes a Metro Stamp
24 August 09 | The Indian Express
Abstract: Keeping hopes afloat of a metro status for Kochi in the future, the State Government has taken the initiative to get approval from the Union Government for building a metropolitan area on the basis of the Kochi rural agglomeration plan under the JNNURM and the city development plan, official sources said. Read More

PM Climate Change Council To Discuss Energy Efficiency Mission
23 August 09 | Hindustan Times
Abstract: After setting a target of generating 20,000 MW solar power by 2020 under the Solar Mission, the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change will take up the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) at its meeting on Monday. Read More

Making the Capital a Cycling Destination
23 August 09 | Hindustan Times
Abstract: Many cities in the world, like Amsterdam, New York, Paris and Berlin, where bicycle sightseeing tours are pretty popular, thanks to active government involvement. Read More

Plan Panel Okays $5 Bn Loan from World Bank
23 August 09 | The Economic Times
Abstract: The Planning Commission has given a go-ahead to a proposed $5-bn World Bank loan for India’s urban sector. The Bank is now preparing a detailed concept note indicating what should be the main components of the loan, an urban development ministry official, who did not wish to be identified, said. Read More

Right Royal Mess
21 August 09 | The Times of India
Abstract: With about 13 months left for the 2010 Commonwealth Games to begin in Delhi, there is a real danger that several projects associated with the Games might not be completed on time. A Comptroller and Auditor General report submitted to the Prime Minister's Office and sports ministry has confirmed our worst suspicions. Read More

Housing Ministry Seeks Accurate Slum Population Numbers
21 August 09 | The Times of India
Abstract: The housing ministry is keen on an accurate enumeration of India's slum population so that benefits envisaged for them can actually be delivered. Read More

Bindeshwar Pathak awarded Stockholm Water Prize
21 August 09 | The Times of India
Abstract: Indian sanitation expert and founder of Sulabh sanitation movement in India, Bindeshwar Pathak has been awarded the prestigious 2009 Stockholm Water prize. Read More

Commonwealth Games 2010 to be Revenue-Neutral
21 August 09 | Business Standard
Abstract: Despite setting an ambitious target of generating revenues in excess of Rs 900 crore, the organisers of the ‘Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi’ expect the event to be “revenue neutral”, meaning all that is earned through TV rights and other commercial deals will be spent on the game. Read More

Work at CWG 2010 Venues Way Behind Schedule: CAG Report
20 August 09 | The Times of India
Abstract: It's not just the terror threat that would be bothering the government ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. In fact, an official audit of the city's preparedness for the prestigious event will only add to its worries. Read More

Paying for Our Infrastructure
20 August 09 | Mint
Abstract: A loan worth $1.2 billion doesn’t sound small to most of us. But in the world of infrastructure, it’s a mere drop in the ocean. Especially so when the Planning Commission has estimated that India needs around $500 billion of investment until 2012 if it is to keep growing steadily. Where is this money going to be come from? Read More

World Bank Clears $1.2 bn IIFCL Loan
20 August 09 | Mint
Abstract: India Infrastructure Finance Co. Ltd (IIFCL), the Union government-owned lender to infrastructure projects, successfully concluded negotiations with the World Bank for a $1.2 billion (nearly Rs5,850 crore today) loan last week and is expected to receive the money as early as this fiscal. Read More

Water and Sanitation for All
20 August 09 | Mint
Abstract: At the World Water Week in Stockholm, professionals are trying to find creative solutions to a basic problem that affects millions of persons worldwide. Read More

Solar Panels To Burn Electricity Cost By 90%
20 August 09 | DNA
Abstract: Take to solar power and say good bye to hefty power bills. Read More

Centre Will Ensure No Shortage of Funds for Mumbai: Reddy
19 August 09 | Hindustan Times
Abstract: The UPA-led government at the Centre would ensure that there is no shortage of funds for Mumbai's development, Union Minister for Urban Development Jaipal Reddy said in Mumbai on Tuesday. Read More

No Easy Release of Funds if JNNURM Work Unsatisfactory: Centre
19 August 09 | Business Standard
Abstract: The Centre today warned that the states that have not implemented projects under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) satisfactorily will find it difficult to get financial aid from it in future. Read More

India’s Green Federalism
19 August 09 | Mint
Abstract: Besides a national strategy for climate change, a sub-national strategy for states and Union territories is a natural part of the solution. Read More

What Will London Hide from the World in 2012?
18 August 09 | The Telegraph | By Adrian Michaels
Abstract: India has apparently started to stockpile bamboo as it plans to build walls around some of its slums to hide them from view. Read More

Chennai: Urbanisation Sans Urbanism?
18 August 09 | The Indian Express | By M G Devasahayam
Abstract: “INDIA lives in its villages,” said Mahatma Gandhi, over six decades ego. No longer. At least not in Tamil Nadu, the first major State to reach the historical threshold of 50:50 rural-urban distribution of population. Crowning Tamil Nadu’s urbanisation is Chennai, the fourth largest metropolis of India. Read More

Gujarat Likely To Make Solar Power Compulsory For New Buildings
17 August 09 | DNA
Abstract: The state government is planning to make it compulsory for all new buildings to have solar power generating units and rainwater harvesting systems installed on them. Read More

New Delhi to Hide Slums With Bamboo 'Curtains' During 2010 Commonwealth Games
17 August 09 | The Telegraph
Abstract: New Delhi is to hide the city's poor during the 2010 Commonwealth Games by erecting bamboo 'curtains' around their squalid shanty homes. Read More

The Browning of India
16 August 09 | Mint
Abstract: Environment minister Jairam Ramesh has said that the government plans to set up a US-style Environmental Protection Agency as well as special green courts. Read More

Property Rights for Women Under New Slum Policy
15 August 09 | The Hindu
Abstract: The Centre has decided to grant land patta and occupancy right of dwelling units in the name of a woman member of the beneficiary household under the Rajiv Awas Yojana for slum dwellers and the urban poor. Read More

The Future for Urban India
13 August 09 | Mint | By Sanjoy Chakravorty
Abstract: As the number of people living in cities increases, India will have to grapple with several major concerns. Read More

Cities More Unhealthy: Environment Report
12 August 09 | Hindustan Times
Abstract: Seventy per cent of Indian rivers are polluted. Underground water in 19 states is contaminated. Air pollution in 90 per cent Indian cities can cause respiratory diseases. Forests in India are depleting. Read More

Govt to roll out Rs 225k cr plan to house slum dwellers
12 August 09 | The Economic Times
Abstract: In its most ambitious bid ever to house 6-crore slum dwellers and realise the vision of a slum-free India, the government is rolling out a massive plan to build 50-lakh dwelling units in five years across 400 towns and cities. Read More

Cisco Gets Set to Make Buildings Intelligent
12 August 09 | Mint
Abstract: The converged building systems unit is ready to roll out products that integrate IT to buildings to optimize energy use. Read More

Lessons from Surat Plague
12 August 09 | Mint
Abstract: Led by the city’s municipal commissioner S.R. Rao, the city administration used the crisis to clean up the city. Two years later, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage even declared Surat the second cleanest city in India. Read More

India's Land and Air Getting More Polluted: Govt
11 August 09 | The Hindustan Times
Abstract: About 45 per cent of India's land is degraded, air pollution is increasing in all its cities, it is losing its rare plants and animals more rapidly than before and about one-third of its urban population now lives in slums, says the State of Environment Report India 2009 brought out by the government. Read More

Ministry Releases Report After Eight Years
11 August 09 | Mint
Abstract: After eight years, the ministry of environment and forests, released the State of the Environment 2009, on Tuesday. The report covers the state and trends of the environment (land, air, water, biodiversity) and five key issues, namely, climate change, food security, water security, energy security, and urbanization. Read More

Manmohan Bats for Urban Street Vendors
11 August 09 | DNA
Abstract: Prime minister Manmohan Singh took up the cause of urban street vendors on Monday, asking all states to implement the revised National Policy on Urban Street Vendors, 2009, as a "personal intervention". Read More

Downturn Hits India Renewables; Solar Plan By Dec
10 August 09 | Reuters.com
Abstract: The global financial crisis is hurting India's hopes of attracting about $21 billion worth of investments in renewable energy by 2012, but a new solar plan expected to be rolled out by December could provide a boost. Read More

Delhi Seeks Special Transport Fund
10 August 09 | Hindustan Times
Abstract: With many transport projects gathering dust due to lack of funds, the Delhi government is rallying hard for Urban Transport Development Fund. Read More

Historic BRT Could Draw High-End Crowd
09 August 09 | DNA
Abstract: That the Ahmedabad Janmarg is a historic initiative for India was amplified on Saturday by the officer on special duty at the ministry of urban development, SK Lohia. Read More

India to Target Beggars in 2010 CGames Clean-Up
08 August 09 | AFP
Abstract: India plans to round up beggars to shield foreigners from New Delhi's rampant poverty during the Commonwealth Games, seen as a showcase of the country's emerging economic might. Read More

Delhi's Double Displacement
08 August 09 | Business Standard | by Sunil Sethi
Abstract: A large and long-established slum close to my neighbourhood, on the edge of the All India Medical Institute, was removed some years ago and its inhabitants sold tiny plots of land in a resettlement colony on the southern outskirts. Read More

India Needs To Shape Up
08 August 09 | The Hindu
Abstract: With a $19 billion solar energy plan that sets ambitious targets, India has tried to compensate for its serious, retrogressive lack of initiative in addressing climate change. Read More

Building Cities for 21st-Century India
05 August 09 | Business Standard | By Sanjeev Sanyal
Abstract: Mahatma Gandhi had once famously said, “India lives in its villages”. With the urbanisation of China in the last 20 years, India is the last major country with a rural majority (65-70 per cent of the population still lives in villages). However, this is changing very rapidly. Read More

Bus Project is Really an Urban Development Plan
05 August 09 | DNA
Abstract: As cities expand, people move across greater physical distances for their work, studies, shopping and recreation. One of the biggest questions that cities are facing is how to deal with the immense movement of people. Read More

Solar Mirrors To Line Border In Rann Of Kutch
05 August 09 | The Times of India
Abstract: Until now, the only thing shining in the Rann of Kutch was a mirage. Now, the scorching sun could light up another sparkling ring along the inhospitable border with Pakistan, if a Rs 61,019 crore dream comes true. And, it won't be an illusion, but real mirrors. Read More

PM Council Approves Solar Mission
04 August 09 | Hindustan Times
Abstract: The Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change on Monday approved the National Solar Mission, which aimed at solar generation target of 20,000 Megawatt by 2020. Read More

India Sets Out Ambitious Solar Power Plan To Be Paid For By Rich Nations
04 August 09 | The Guardian
Abstract: India plans to generate 20GW from sunlight by 2020, putting green energy targets of developed nations in the shade. Read More

India Needs Cities Network for Easy Rural-Urban Shift
03 August 09 | Mint
Abstract: India is set to be the fastest growing economy in 2010, surpassing even China, according to the World Bank. Meanwhile, Mumbai dreams of becoming another Shanghai and the Bandra-Worli sea link is supposed to be one of the many steps in that direction. Read More

The Walking Class Must Protest
03 August 09 | Mint | By Vivek Moorthy
Abstract: Roads should be built or widened only after meeting clearances for pedestrian area and safety. Read More