Sky bus to Sky Walk... What next?

Transportation spending is a win-win proposition…Tim Bishop

Now days the news paper should get levied by the entertainment tax for the kind of entertainment they provide by the various news especially about the new announcements regarding our beloved Pune city & the Pandora box that opens after the news! Many may feel exaggeration about my statement but see this sequence of some news about public transport of our city! Some 7-8 years back there was news about Sky bus which is claimed to be successful in other cities & even a demo has given & people started dreaming about one. Then suddenly some sky bus got accident in Goa & silently the proposal scraped up. Then there was BRT which is still making news but mostly for its failure though the try is on! In between there was Mono rail & the Metro, about which no body is speaking when & how? And now Sky walk! One day a news has come about standing committee clearing Sky walk  immediately next day there are columns of news that how the parties are opposing & claiming the Sky walk has been wrongly approved & is for some individuals benefit & things like that! And then a news come that the same people who have agreed up on the Sky walk proposal has given refusal about it! I don’t doubt their intentions & respect it very much regarding the genuinely towards the citizens of the city! Yet for a path breaking decision like going for Sky walks isn’t it a short time to accept the proposal & within 48 hours turn away the same? Agreed as per the quote of the great planner Tim Bishop, Transportation spending indeed is a win-win situation but for whom, is the big question here?

Well well if after so many examples still you doubt my statement about entertainment tax on news? At least if our rulers can’t save us from buying petrol for our vehicles at 70/ litter yet they are making us to smile for some reasons! I always wonder whose job is this really to ensure that to make such sensitive proposals which are supposed to be in the interest of the city & then only put forward for approval instead every time ending up with mockery of them? Have we not some capable personnel or we don’t want them to be involved in such proposals? In one of my recent write-up I have said affordable housing is everybody’s responsibility & one major step in making a home affordable is try to save on other expense & right now petrol expense is the maximum after education for any middle class family. Every family has minimum 2/3 two wheelers & a four wheeler for week ends. Today you go for interview of any job first they ask you about having two wheeler rather at many organizations that’s a must condition for the job & it’s indeed a need too! What does it indicate? It indicates common man's distrust of the public transport of this city & people prefer to spend on buying a private vehicle & keep its tank filled rather than to wait for a public vehicle which no one trust that will come in time & take them to their destinations. Many will think what it has to do with affordable housing but every rupee spend on petrol could have been saving which eventually could have been used for buying a home. After all affordable housing is not something coming from the Gods wish but it’s a thing which you & I have to do! When we say something affordable means like a cup of tea which a street worker can get at 2/-, a middle class person can get at "amrit tulya" (tea shop) at 5/- , a higher middle class can get at Vaishali at 15/- & a top class guy can get at 100/- plus in any five star joint; in nut shell each can have a cup of tea as per his requirement & capacity.

Can we say something like this about Public Transport? Ask any citizen of the city & he will say the first problem is commuting within the city & here every body have to try for their own solution as no option have been there by the system is a fact. Naturally all have to spend more than what public transport system could have done & here we start making the ultimate product i.e. the home costlier. We are unable to provide proper education at cheaper rate neither we can make a system which assures the people to keep their private vehicles at home & yet to reach their destinations in time in cheaper way & we expect them to have money to buy home & for the loan installments! To whom we are fooling? Our own self & nobody else!

Now we have come up with the idea of Sky walk, why it hasn’t shown in any of the development plan yet neither who are going to use them? Who has finalized the routes & on what basis? Why can’t we first get the existing footpaths in proper shape & make them free of encroachments first? Why it’s always insisted that PMC wont have any financial burden? What’s harm if the city pays for its own infrastructure? So many questions even a common man can have in his mind which we underestimate! Why don’t we just focus on one system of transport & let it run to its fullest? PMT is there & still so many of the people believes in PMT may be because of sheer monopoly but yet they use it. And so many of bus stops even don’t have shade to make their wait comfortable in rains or in summers & we are thinking of their walking comfortable! I am not commenting against Sky walks, just trying to remind the concerns that nothing can be executed by words of mouth & remember we can’t fool for a longer time to the crowd by making just popular announcements!

Long back in our childhood there was a prank in which one guy used to ask other " Tula Kapuskondyachi gosht sangu? (Shall I tell you story of Kapuskonda?) On which when the other guys replies “Sang (Yes)", then the first guy use to say “Sang kay mhantos, tula Kapuskondyachi goshta sangu?" (What yes? shall I tell you story of Kapuskonda?)And the teasing goes on, at the end the other guy used to get irritated & realizes that he has been victim of a prank as there was no such story of Kapuskonda! When I read such news every day about new promises by our rulers to the citizens about infrastructure I remember this story because here it’s like a prank being played on us by announcing each day something new especially about the Public Transport. Yesterday it was Sky bus, today its Sky walk, I wonder the day isn’t long where we will be told Sky Choppers i.e. Helicopters are going to be introduced to solve the traffic problems!

Let’s realize the pranks friends or else it will be too late for us & then nothing we will have left with us except the hefty bills of our daily needs which we only will have to pay!

--
Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

Envo-Power Committee, Credai, Pune

Please do visit my blog to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani !

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/

Social Side of Sanjeevani !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16939159@N05/sets/72157625491480779/

www.sanjeevanideve.com

Think Green, Think Life

Development Charges & the City!

Justice is the insurance which we have on our lives and property. Obedience is the premium which we pay for it... William Penn.

On the verge of recent news about Pune Municipal Corporation's decision for new development charges, I think this quote is applicable perfect. First off all let’s accept that the city is growing & we need infrastructure to sustain this growth. Right from Power to Water to Roads to Drainage to City Greening to Public Transport & not to forget Education as well Public Health, so many things we need to make our life comfortable in this city & which we expect from the local body! And it’s not just Pune but every city is facing the problem of these increasing demands about infrastructure versus generating the money to provide it! Even the most forward countries like USA & the cities over there have complaints for their garbage or civic bodies in cities like Boston have the snow removal from streets in winters as a big problem & have to spend fortune from their yearly tax budgets on such issues.

So what’s big deal if PMC has increased the development charges for new construction which is a big too to generate some revenue for developing infrastructure in the city? Well well! Has the topic so simple then there wouldn’t have been any fuss but what’s the reality & logic behind this entire development charges as ell taxation thing, let’s have a close look.

First of all it’s true that the development charges which till now were maximum Rs 9/ sft of FSI or plot area whichever is less for the development of the plots which were less than 1 acre i.e. 44000sft & for below that it was merely Rs 6/sft. Means even a plot of 1 lac sft would have to bare charges of Rs 9 lac, fair enough! And as these charges weren’t increased for last 15 years the PMC's argument that they need a rise is justifiable, only if that would have been only the charges PMC is taking from the new home building person. Issue is on the name of various premiums like balcony premium, staircase premium, parking premium, radaroada deposit PMC is already taking money for every new construction & that to in proportion of ready reckoner charges in that locality i.e. in proportion of land rates. These all accumulates to approximately Rs250-500 /sft. In addition to that one has to do water line development, drainage line development & here only the joke is possible that if a road is passing through my property & I have to get FSI of that road then I have to pay the money to make that road & get the name change on 7/12 & then I get the FSI! It’s like I am buying a property & I am asking to the seller to do all these things & then will pay the money to him, imagine such deal in any other business! Here the argument is the road is going to make the property price appreciating, well & who guarantees it? And whose job is to make the road which are shown in Development Plan & if any property or locality is going to get appreciated means isn’t that even the city is going to get more tax payers as there will be buildings & they will have residents in it, similarly we are taking all the development charges as well premiums from the person who is developing the property, so why he should bare the road making charges & is such facts have been considered while raising the development charges?

Now the development charges have been made 2% of ready reckoner land prises,means if at Karve road the recokner price is Rs 4000/sft then the person will have to pay Rs 80/sft as development charges making it Rs 80 lac rupees for a plot area of 1 lac sft! This earlier was Rs9 lac only! Now imagine the hike! Many a will say what’s big deal; the builders earn enough so no harm in hike. Agreed builders earn enough but whose money is it after all & I will ask another question over here is there a guarantee that after paying such charges the resident in the house will be getting the entire infrastructure which an ideal city deserves? With this logic why the rikshwalas or any party have to run a rally for hike against Petrol prices,as any way every body is going to hike their respective products rate? Yet we all protest unreasonable price hike is a fact because it's to assure the cause is being protected behind the price hike.

We all know that no change happens in a single day or even a year especially when things like a city is a subject of development but look at the situation in city! The news papers are tired of shouting over poor Public Transport, with petrol price going over Rs 70/lit & no public transport available, maximum of earnings of a common man is literally going in burning the currency! Public health & Education is going way out of budget for not only poor’s but even for middle class or higher middle class! Leave apart all this, many of the localities don’t even got proper roads or basic things like good water supply & drainage. Worst is no firm action plan for the same is there. Years after year we keep on listening the promises about Clean & Green Pune which each day we are searching for. And with all this loading are we not changing the definition of affordable houses in itself? What’s the ideal cost of affordable housing & who is going to decide it? This is the question we should ask to ourselves & then should decide such charges is what logical approach would have been. As if we are going to pay nearly Rs 500/sft of construction area to PMC then imagine the cost per sft of construction till final completion & we speak about making the houses for common man! I am not saying that its the increase in development charges which only will make affordable housing impossible, its just one of the factor. Issue is the purpose for which we are collecting this money, its important to ensure that it goes to proper use as there only lays the key to affordable housing. And unless we assure a system doing this job till then just increasing development charges is not justifiable. On the better note, we do have capable people in & out of civic bodies but they too all seem helpless with the situation!

It’s high time that the term transparency should be implemented in not only speeches but work also or else it’s not long that there will be outburst in public sentiments! The increase in number of slums & illegal construction is just tip of the iceberg & is an indicator of our failure to provide proper housing to the needy ones! There is a very nice fraze in Marathi “mhatari meli tari chalel pan kal sokavala nahi pahije" means it's ok to sacrifice something but the system should not be held at ransom for few! This is exactly what happening with Pune city. It’s not about the hike in development charges it’s what we do with the development is what going to matter for the common man! And for that we all should be vocal enough on this issue as its not the developers or the public body, it’s you & me who will be at suffering end, this should be the thought process!

Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

Envo-Power Committee, Credai, Pune

Please do visit my blog to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani !

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/

Social Side of Sanjeevani !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16939159@N05/sets/72157625491480779/

www.sanjeevanideve.com

Think Green, Think Life

River & Real Estate of the City…

To make an error is human, to repeat it is stupid… Aristotle

When I read news papers every day I can’t stop remembering this quote by the great thinker! Especially about encroachments on rivers flowing through the city & may it be Mithi River for Mumbai or am nadi for Pune, scenario is same. Right from the ancient times river has major impact on real estate development, agreed there may not be the term real estate then nor the specie named as Builders yet from the beginning of civilization man has been comfortable to reside in the vicinity of a river. There are hundreds of example all over the world right from Harappa-Monhanjaro in the basin of Indus to Egyptians who chose Nile for their settlement. You take any big city it’s been set around some big & perennial river.
Since then till now man has always been comfortable besides river  & its very natural as a river assures water supply which is a basic need of any society also its a source for agriculture & transportation too. Same way for hygiene also its must as then we have to yet found drainage treatment plants, so drainage also taken care by a flowing river.

Coming to present times when land is a scarce commodity & we are trying to utilize every piece of it at its most & at such time a river or any water body flowing right through the city & not perinea i.e. flowing only in rainy season, is bound to get the target of men around it! Here lies the big difference between all our forefathers residing adjoining rivers & us. They had realized the importance of the rivers & were keen on protecting them too & not just exploiting the advantages from the river. They controlled their pollution levels, restricted the use of water & never has encroached river rather made her sacred giving her statues of God, river god! It helped in maintaining proper relation with river, here this relation term is very important as no relation can be maintained only by just taking, and we need to give also. This is what exactly we have forgotten! We are convinenantly neglecting the later part of the relation i.e. giving something back to the river from which we keep on taking continuously.

What river expects from us? Nothing, a little care about her banks as well not to pollute her by our acts, that’s it. At the same time we are not the sole beneficiary of the river, many other species from fishes to birds to so many of plants all of which helps in keeping the river clean. They all also survive on the same river & have equal right on her is what we need to remind our own self. Rather we are the one who pollute & all other species try their best to clean up our mess. We call our self most intelligent specie but where our intelligence run away when its time of showing responsibility towards the river, is what I always think?

Recently all the news papers are full about rivers in our beloved Pune city getting encroached, mostly by the developers (as the news says). Well, have we ever thought what’s the reason & why it’s happening so? For most the answer is simple, it’s for greed! True in some way but then what we are doing against it & is it really just the developers who are responsible? Again no partial view because I myself in the same profession, but have we really been serious in protecting our Rivers? Ask this o our own self & we will know that we haven’t even marked the river boundary lines on the banks leave apart guarding the same. When ever we speak about encroachment then first thing is we should be clear about the boundaries of the same & then whose job it is?

The most spoken river of the city i.e. Ram nadi, the joke is we haven’t yet cleared whether its river or Nallah! And again it’s not about is a Nallah or River as any natural water body is equally important for us & needs to be protected in its natural way. Truth is we don’t want to take responsibility & that’s why the encroachments go on by all the concerned as the poor river cant speak out by herself. But it’s not true, why river, each of natural water way speaks out in its own way; we have experienced it all over & around the city in last rains! Its like hell broke loose with every nallah, stream, river whatever we call it started overflowing & hitting whatever comes in its way & we name it flash flood! Is it really? We knew what’s coming & this year also the picture hasn’t changed. This reminds me a story from Panchatantra of a monkey who used to say in every rain I will build a home next year & never did so & at end dies because of the winter which followed rains! Well agreed we are predecessors of a monkey but surely we are much wiser at least considers our self so!

First of all we need to demarcate every natural water source not just on plans but on field. It’s same like marking roads on the surface. This will make all the land holders adjoining such sources about the exact line of the channel which is the main reason why presently we are talking about encroachments. Mark it in permanent way like concrete poles or something which will remain in position. Then we can decide about the way we will be protecting the channel. In many forward countries where river is flowing right through the city the banks have been well build for e.g. Sean in Paris or the river of Singapore. This may not be appalled by the nature lovers but urbanization is a fact & most of the slums come up adjoining to river also the garbage & drainage finds its path to the same & walling the channel surely will curtail this damage. We can have a green belt or zone inside this wall & then the river bed. We should also have the access to the main river/ nallah bed at fix intervals for maintenance as I have seen at many places where the retaining walls have been built on both the banks it becomes impossible for the maintenance equipments like JCB to go in the channel bed for even cleaning!

Another important factor is increasing urbanization around the natural water channels have reduced the absorbing capacity of soil & more rainfall in the form of water which we call runoff is coming to these channels in a short period of time causing sudden flood like situation. Here every society as well developer should carry their Rain water harvesting of the complex & try to percolate the rain water falling in their premise only. Try to plant as many large growing trees we can as their roots hold soil & the same soil holds the rain water. Letting of drainage in rivers is another matter of extreme concern as it directly affects survival of other species depending on the river water. So a need of adequate Drainage Treatment Plants to treat the drainage water & then only let in the rivers & making the policies accordingly is there.

Another important factor is growing population & our incapability to homes to all the classes & that’s what makes them encroach not only river beds but what ever vacant lands available in the city. Somewhere we as a developers & the system are only responsible for this situation. And we should have our self governance while working out the projects from this aspect.

What I feel is, instead looking for whose responsibility it is, let’s think what’s my responsibility towards my river? There only lies hope for the poor river of our city!

--
Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

Envo-Power Committee, Credai, Pune

Please do visit my blog to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani !

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/

Social Side of Sanjeevani !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16939159@N05/sets/72157625491480779/

www.sanjeevanideve.com

Think Green, Think Life