1. law, govt and politics
2. legal issues
3. legislation
4. building laws

BUILT ENVIRONMENT
C O N T E N T S
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
From
President’s Desk
Earthquakes are one of nature’s greatest hazards to life on our planet. The
impact of this natural phenomenon is sudden, with little or no warning to make
preparations against damages and collapse of buildings/structures. In India,
almost 85% of the total buildings are non-engineered buildings made up of
earthen, stone or brick masonry walls and timber, thatch tile or slate roofs. These
buildings are more vulnerable and in the event of a major earthquake, there is
likely to be substantial loss of lives and property. The hazard of life in case of
earthquakes is mostly associated with man made structures such as buildings,
dams, bridges etc. It is for this reason that people say “Earthquakes do not kill
but unsafe buildings do”
India is an earthquake prone country and has experienced several major/
moderate earthquakes during the last 20 years. About 60% of the total area
of the country is vulnerable to seismic activity of varying intensities. The
earthquakes at Latur (1993), Jabalpur (1997), Chamoli (1999), Bhuj (2001),
Andaman and Nicobar Islands (2004) and Kashmir (2005) have exposed the
vulnerability of buildings in India. In all the above earthquakes, mostly the load
bearing buildings belonging to poor people got damaged /collapsed and as a
result lot of lives were lost. Mostly low income group people were affected. Out
of these incidents, the Bhuj earthquake had caused much more devastation
in term of lives lost and property damage. Here for the first time many multistoreyed apartments got damaged/collapsed and the affected people were
mostly from middle income group and from urban areas. It was observed that
multi-storeyed apartments housing several families can turn into a heap of
debris in a matter of seconds. This incident created a fear and led to serious
debate about the then prevailing construction practices and building codes.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Experts of Indian Buildings Congress are regularly visiting the sites whenever
any building collapse occurs in and around Delhi. The site visits clearly reveal that
a large number of buildings especially unauthorized buildings are constructed
without the help of structural engineers. Even the buildings which are approved
by Municipal Bodies are not subjected to strict checking of structural designs
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with the result that they are prone to structural deficiencies. Many of the existing
buildings do not meet the requirements of seismic design. The need for retrofitting
an existing building for seismic forces arise due to any of the following reasons: (1)
The building was not designed as per the codes (2) Subsequent updating of the codes
and design practice (3) Subsequent upgrading of the seismic zone (4) Deterioration of
strength due to aging of the building (5) Modification of the building (6) Change in use
of the building etc.
Mitigation of disaster caused by earthquakes has become increasingly important
in recent years. Disaster mitigation includes the reduction of seismic risk of existing
buildings through retrofitting. The planning of retrofitting an existing building differs
from the planning of a new building. A new structure can be built sufficiently earthquake
resistant by adoption of proper design methodology and quality control of construction.
But for an existing building, the constructed facility and functionality must be taken as
the basis for all planning and interventions. All structural interventions to enhance the
safety of buildings should be taken up by individual owners.
Let us not wait for an earthquake disaster to happen. Let us make our buildings safe
against earthquakes.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
(Dr. S P S Bakshi)
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Seminar on
‘Waste Management for Swachh Bharat’
Lighting of Lamp by the Chief Guest, Dr. YP Anand
A Seminar on ‘Waste Management for Swachh
Bharat’ was jointly organized by Indian Buildings
Congress and New Delhi Municipal Council on
February 5, 2015 at NDMC Convention Centre, New
Delhi. The inaugural function was attended by
many high ranking dignitaries. Dr. YP Anand, a true
Gandhian and former Chairman of Railway Board
was the Chief Guest of the Inaugural Function.
Welcome Address by Dr. SPS Bakshi
In his welcome address Dr. SPS Bakshi, President
IBC thanked the Chief Guest and all the participants
who had come to attend the seminar from far away
places. He informed about the activities of IBC and
importance of theme of the seminar which is very
much in confirmity with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
started by the Government. He emphasized that
waste management is a gigantic problem and the
cooperation of the people at large is of paramount
importance. Although nature has already created
the process of converting one type of waste to
another form by its natural biological cycle, however,
with growing demands of the human being, these
natural efforts have become more or less insufficient.
On the contrary, sometimes, the natural biological
phenomenon also generates some form of waste
that has a direct impact on the environment. For
example, annually, almost 250 million tones of
methane gas is generated by anaerobic digestion of
landfills which contributes to global warming.
Dignitaries on the Dais
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The Inaugural Function started with lighting of
ceremonial lamp by the Chief Guest Shri YP Anand
who was joined by Dr. SPS Bakshi, President, IBC;
Shri OP Goel Founder President; Shri Mahesh Kumar,
E-in-C, Haryana PWD & President IRC; Shri VK Gupta,
Vice President, Shri Dinesh Kumar, Vice President IBC;
Shri Anant Kumar, Chief Engineer, NDMC and Shri
Pradeep Mittal, Honorary Secretary of IBC. This was
followed by singing of IBC inaugural Geet.
Shri OP Goel, Founder President, Addressing
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Shri OP Goel, Founder President, in his address
informed that the Chief Guest Dr. YP Anand has done
his doctorate in waste management and has lot of
expertise in the field. He appreciated the interest
taken by Shri Jalaj Srivastava IAS, Chairman NDMC for
organizing the seminar on a theme which is of vital
importance in the current scenario. He expressed his
surprise to see the fellow Indians who exhibit poor
hygiene habits in their own country and behave
extraordinary well when they visit foreign countries.
Shri Goel emphasized for providing necessary toilet
facilities at convenient places and then get enforced
through appropriate legislation.
Chief Guest, Dr. YP Anand Addressing the gathering
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Inaugural address was delivered by Chief
Guest Dr. YP Anand. He congratulated Indian
Buildings Congress for doing outstanding work in
the engineering profession and emphasized that
management of waste including construction and
demolition waste is of paramount importance.
People should be conscious of the waste they
create and an attempt should be made to generate
minimum waste. One should follow the principle of 3
R- Reduce, Re-use and Re-cycle waste. If people are
forced to pay proportionally to the amount of waste
they create then automatically there will be tendency
of a common man to produce minimum waste. He
narrated his experience in the field wherein he had
installed bio-digester system in the various slum
colonies of Delhi including Nandnagari.
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Shri Pradeep Mittal, Honorary Secretary,
proposed the vote of thanks. He thanked the Chief
Guest for gracing the occasion inspite of his busy
schedule. He expressed his gratitude to the delegates
and invitees who had come from far away places. He
profusely thanked Shri Jalaj Srivastava IAS, Chairman
NDMC who had very kindly agreed to host the
seminar and make all necessary arrangements at a
very short notice.
Vote of Thanks by Shri Pradeep Mittal, Hony. Secretary
Two Technical Sessions were held. The 1st
Technical Session was chaired by Shri Dinesh Kumar,
Shri Anant Kumar,Co-chairman, Shri Dinesh kumar, Chairman & Shri
VK Nanda, Rapporteur
Vice President IBC & Fmr. E-in-C, PWD Delhi and cochaired by Shri Anant Kumar, Chief Engineer, NDMC,
Shri VK Nanda, Consultant was the Rapporteur. The
following papers were presented during technical
session:Use of Waste Material in Construction:
Concrete and Bitumen by Dr. Mahesh Kumar,
E-in-C, Haryana PWD & President, Indian Roads
Congress
Society and Sanitation: on the Toilet Trail,
Making Disposal Easy by Shri Ashok Khurana Fmr.
Director General, CPWD
Avoidance of Waste Generation for
Construction and Demolition Waste Management
by Dr. K M Soni, Chief Engineer, CPWD
Managing C&D Waste - MCD Initiative by Shri
VR Bansal, Superintending Engineer, North DMC
Bio-Medical Waste Management – Issues
and Challenges: A Case Study by Dr. Parampreet
Kaur Ahuja, PGI Engineer.
Solid Waste Management
Environment by Shri K.T. Gurumukhi
in
Built
Shri DC Goel Co-Chairman, Shri Mukund Joshi, Chairman & Ms. Kanika
Bansal, Rapporteur
The Second Technical Session was held after
the lunch where in Shri Mukund Joshi, Additional
Director General, PWD Delhi was the Chairman, Shri
DC Goel, Superintending Engineer, PWD Delhi was
the Co-Chairman and Ms. Kanika Bansal Consultant
Architect was the Rapporteur. The following
presentations were given during the Technical
Session.
Energy Recovery from Waste including Case
Study of Delhi by Shri J Bhattacharjee, Prof. Amity
University
Production of Biodiesel Fuel from Waste:
Japan Experience by Dr. Pawan Kumar, Associate TCP
Sustainable Solution for Organic Waste by
Shri Alok Gupta
Solid Waste Management for Clean and
Hygienic Delhi by Shri AK Jain, Fmr. Commissioner,
DDA
Utilising Grey Water by Shri V Koundanya,
Executive Director, WAPCOS
All the presentations were very informative and
were appreciated by the delegates and invitees
present.
NDMC Initiative for Public Toilets by Shri
Anant Kumar, Chief Engineer, NDMC
Clean India, Clean Schools by Shri SK Gupta,
Director, Hindustan Prefab Ltd.
IBC Congratulates
View of Audience
Dr. Mahesh Kumar, Engineer-in-Chief, Haryana PWD on being elected as President of
Indian Roads Congress. He was President Indian Buildings Congress during 2011-13
and was instrumental in publishing maximum number of Technical Documents of IBC
during the period.
Shri Divakar Garg on his taking over as Director General, CPWD. Prior to his promotion
Shri Garg was Special Director General HQ, at New Delhi. Born on July 1956, he joined
Central Engineering Services Class – I on December 18, 1978.
Lt. Gen. J Sikand,VSM, ADC, Engineer-in-Chief, IHQ of MoD (Army), New Delhi on being
awarded the coveted Ati Vishist Sewa Medal (AVSM) on 66th Republic Day
Dr. Nandita Chatterjee on her taking over as Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Poverty
Alleviation. A 1980 batch IAS Officer from West Bengal Cadre, Dr. Chatterjee was
Member Secretary, National Commission for Women prior to this appointment.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Shri Madhusudhan Prasad, on his taking over as Secretary, Ministry of Urban
Development, Govt. of India. An IAS Officer of 1981 batch of Haryana Cadre, Shri Prasad
was working as Special Secretary in Department of Commerce prior to this appointment.
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Superintending Engineers, Executive Engineers, and
Assistant Engineers from CPWD, PWD Delhi, RITES,
MES and DDA.
IBC Delegation meets Shri
Divakar Garg DG, CPWD
A delegation of Indian Buildings Congress
(IBC) consisting of Shri CS Prasad, Immediate Past
President; Shri Pradeep Mittal, Honorary Secretary;
Shri SS Khurana & Shri VR Bansal. Executive Members;
Shri Raj Pal Arora, G.C. Member, Lt. Col. JS Sodhi,
Shri PSChadha and Shri SC Kakkar met Shri Divakar
Garg, Director General, CPWD on February 27, 2015.
CPWD is a pioneer construction agency of Govt. of
India doing all the construction activities for Central
Govt. and is an important founding member of IBC.
View of Participants
Shri DS Sachdev, Consultant Executive Training,
ITBP delivered lecture on need for external cladding
and aluminium composite panel cladding system
design and installation whereas Lt. Gen. (Retd.)
KT Gajaria spoke on different cladding materials.
Shri NC Jain of M/s. Ahluwalia Contracts (I) Ltd
explained the design and installation system of dry
stone cladding. The product demonstration from
Alucobond was also given during the programme.
The training programme was well appreciated
by all the participants who were benefited by the
technical presentations on the appropriate materials,
tools and equipments for the external cladding
systems.
Report on Activities of State /
Local Centres of IBC
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IBC delegation congratulated Shri Divakar Garg,
on his recent appointment as Director General,
CPWD. Important activities of IBC were explained and
active involvement of CPWD officers in the technical
activities of IBC especially in the forthcoming Annual
Convention was requested. He was also requested
to approve IBC as a Training Provider for the onsite
training of workers.
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IBC Training Prgoramme on
External Cladding Systems
Training for field engineers was conducted
by Institute for Training of Building professionals
(ITBP) under aegis of Indian Buildings Congress
on January 22-23, 2015. The programme was
attended by a number of participants at the level of
 Bihar State Centre, Patna
Bihar State Centre celebrated the Republic Day
by hoisting the National Flag on Jan 26, 2015 in the
presence of Shri Ganga Kumar, Managing Director,
BSBCCL and other prominent members. They also
participated at Gaya Heritage walk with Intact and
BSBBL offices for heritage building conservation in
Bihar.
20th meeting of Local Committee was held on Jan
31, 2015 when decision was taken to hold a seminar
in Patna on April 14, 2015 on ‘Vision 2047’ with the
help of NIT, IIT and BIT Patna.
 Andaman & Nicobar Centre
 Rajasthan Centre
Newly elected Executive Committee meeting of
A & N Centre, Port Blair was held on 10.11.2014 to
discuss and formulate future plan of action. Meeting
was chaired by Sri PK Singh, Chief Engineer cum
Secy (PWD) and Chairman IBC Port Blair. Secretary
IBC proposed to form subcommittee for proper
functioning of the Centre and more participative
work culture. After detail discussion, formation of
Three subcommittees comprising members from
Executive Committee and Co-opted Members were
formed for three major activities Administrative,
Membership drive and Training. Each committee is
headed by an Executive Committee Member.
Rajastahan Centre in Jaipur organized a technical
presentation on “Construction of Parking for 400
vehicles on C-Scheme Nallah with Commercial
Complex on PPP basis” on Feb., 18, 2015 at PWD
Campus, Jaipur. The presentation was done by Sh.
RG Dangayach, Retd SE, PWD.
It was also decided to organise an employee/
employer meet of construction industry at Port
Blair with the help of Labour welfare Department,
ITI Dollygunj and Builder’s welfare Association,
A&N Island. In addition to this, Centre has planned
to organise a training programme in North Middle
District and Nicobar district. Centre has also
planned to rope in more business houses engaged
in imparting training to construction skilled and
unskilled workers.
Meeting ended with the vote of thanks to chair
by Secretary, Sri Maheshwar Rao, EO to CE, APWD.
 Chhattisgarh Centre
7th meeting of the State Centre of IBC was held on
February, 5, 2015 at Raipur. More than 25 members
attended the meeting. Minutes of the 6th meeting
held on November 8, 2014 were approved. The
participants were requested to contribute papers
for the forthcoming 20th Annual convention and
Seminar to be held in Delhi in May 2015.
Land Acquisition is Now Easier
The government has decided to relax certain
provisions of the act and add Section 10A to the
legislation keeping in the mind the development
needs of India. The mandatory ‘consent’ clause as
mentioned in the earlier law and Social Impact
Assessment (SIA) will not be applicable if the land
is acquired for five purposes including national
security, defence, rural infrastructure (including
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Two technical presentations were given by
experts in the respective fields. Dr. Krish Dubey,
Management Consultant, USA delivered his lecture
on ‘Achievement of Goal” describing the various
factors essential for the target. Another technical
presentation was delivered by Shri Yogesh Beriwal
briefing about the primary and secondary steel
with explanation on various properties of primary
steel such as chemical composition, purification,
strengthening and deformation etc.
About 150 fellow engineers attended the
presentation. Prior to the technical presentation, Shri
G.P. Sharma, President of State Centre welcomed the
participants. Thereafter Shri C.L. Verma, Secretary,
briefed about the IBC’s vision & objectives and
requested the fellow engineers to become members
of IBC in large numbers. The presentation ended with
thanks to the Chair.
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electrification, industrial corridors and social
infrastructure), and PPP where ownership of the land
continues to vest with the government.
However, the compensation and rehabilitation
and resettlement packages will be applicable
according to the provisions of the new Land
Acquisition Ordnance for acquiring land for these
purposes. As per the changes brought in the
ordinance, multi-crop irrigated land can also be
acquired for these purposes. These amendments
will have a positive impact on infrastructure and
real estate sectors. The new norms will curb the
inordinate delays seen so far in the land acquisition
process for large-scale infrastructure and affordable
housing projects. Exemption to affordable housing
from the impractical provisions of Right to Fair
Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition
Act, 2013, underlines the focus of the mission to
provide ‘Housing for all by 2022’.
Power from Waste by NDMC
As part of the Smart City project, New Delhi
Municipal Council (NDMC) plans to become energyneutral-generating as much power as it consumes
by March 2016. The civic agency’s daily consumption
is 160MW, which increases to 200MW-250MW during
peak season. NDMC is setting up solar panels on its
buildings to generate power as part of its Solar City
project. It is working out a way for solar panels to be
installed on private buildings too.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Energy from Waste Plant
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NDMC hopes to generate at least 10MW from
the solar project, another 10MW or so from other
waste-to-energy projects and 190MW from the two
waste-to-energy plants which will use the entire
waste generated in a day. NDMC areas produce only
about 250 metric tones of waste daily, so the civic
agency will have to take waste from the municipal
corporations to become energy-neutral. The civic
agency has set up four small waste-to-energy plants
in its parks. It is working on another project to set up
similar plants in residential colonies.
This technology is called controlled pyrolysis.
Such plants are there in Pentagon and White House.
This will help reduce carbon footprint. In the long
run, NDMC hopes to sell power generated using this
technology. The biggest problem with waste-toenergy plants in Delhi is that they are unable meet
energy target as waste is not segregated at source
and has a low calorific value. In this proposal, NDMC
don’t have to segregate waste. It will be done by the
private concessionaire. The 170 metric tones of raw
waste will first be reduced to 140 tonnes of usable
waste, which will be used for energy generation.
AIIMS to Trauma CentreDedicated Corridor
A dedicated corridor is being built from the
AIIMS hospital to its trauma centre at Safdarjung
Hospital, which will dramatically reduce the travel
time between the two buildings from 30 minutes to
three minutes. Delhi Metro, is building this corridor
that is partly underground. It will be ready in the next
six months. The dedicated corridor is being built at a
cost of Rs 40 crore. The construction was extremely
challenging as the underground part of the corridor
is being built over the existing metro tunnels of line
2, that is, the HUDA City Centre-Jahangirpuri corridor.
The construction, in fact, had to be so specific that it
took six months for the DMRC to construct 500-odd
metres of the underground tunnel.
The trauma centre is located on the busy Ring
Road between Safdarjung Hospital and Bhikaji
Cama Place, away from the main AIIMS campus. At
present, ambulances transporting patients from the
main AIIMS building to the trauma centre take the
congested Ring Road and often get stuck there. The
entire corridor between AIIMS hospital and the jai
Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, located 2.5km
apart, was supposed to be underground. However,
now Delhi Metro is converting 56m of the original
underground tunnel into a 406-metre long road
at grade, from the AIIMS residential colony to the
trauma centre.
The construction of the 614-metre long
underground tunnel was challenging. The tunnel,
which has 406 metre being constructed at grade,
will be a dedicated corridor for vehicles of medical
personnel and ambulances. To build this, the tunnel
was constructed only 1.5 metre under the surface of
the road. Enough space had to be left between the
road tunnel and the Metro tunnels, so the bottom of
the road tunnel is 5.5 metre from the road surface.
The underground tunnel, which is going to be a twolane carriageway with a 1.5-metre wide footpath,
will be 4.2-metre high where commercial vehicles or
public transport will not be allowed.
PWD Plans Shallow Subways
In coming months, Delhi will witness a new kind
of subway. Referred to as a half in-half out model,
the covered cross-over will be a shallow version of
the conventional subway and can be used by both
pedestrians and two-wheelers. Around 1-1.5m of the
crossover will be below ground while the remaining
1-1.5m will be above ground. The road above it will
accordingly be elevated over the crossover. This
helps to ensure that there are not too many steps
for pedestrians and there will be additional safety
for two-wheelers as they will be visible due to an
elevated portion.
High–Tech Street Lighting
in Delhi
With women’s safety a daily concern, Tata Power
Delhi is deploying high-tech street lighting for the
first time. The futuristic streetlight system, equipped
with the astro-timer technology, is being set up
along with LED lights to curb wastage of precious
electricity. There are close to 1.6 lakh streetlights in
north and northwest Delhi, contributing to a load
of 25.3 MW. Discoms are working to ensure not
only 100% functionality of these lights but are also
installing them in new areas. The astro clock is an
astronomic programmable timer which is used to
switch on and off the lighting loads according to
sunrise and sunset times for a particular location.
Sunrise and sunset times are calculated automatically
for that day of the year by the astro clock according
to the geographic parameters as defined by the user.
By 2015, Tata power Delhi promises to install astro
timers at all switching points which would conserve
annual energy to the tune of Rs 3.9 crore.
High-Tech Street Lights
A normal subway has a height of 2.4m though
2.1m is also sufficient which is what is likely to be
used for these cross-overs. The resultant road on top,
a miniature version of a flyover, will be much cheaper
compared to a flyover. These structures can be built
for Rs 2 crore or so, depending on location specific
requirements. The road on top will be elevated to
about 1.5m against the height of 7m for normal
flyovers. Such cross-overs will be most suitable
where the service lane is lower than the main road or
where there is a two-lane service road.
Ensuring all streetlights are energy-efficient
is another project taken up by the discom. Tata
Power Delhi has undertaken a pilot project replacing
50 high-voltage streetlights with LED lights on
the stretch between Sudhir Bose Marg and Delhi
University. This will result in about 48% reduction in
power consumption. For providing better lighting
on main roads and flyovers of the city, the company
is maintaining close to 30,000 new and efficient
octagonal streetlight poles which have replaced
earlier steel poles.
Energy and persistence conquer all things.
Benjamin Franklin
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
A foot over bridge has about 50 steps while a
subway has around 25. Since roughly half of the
cross-over box will be underground, the number of
steps needed to access it will reduce to about 10.
In fact, it might make sense to have just a ramp
and no stairs which will also make it convenient for
cyclists, two wheelers and differently-abled persons.
The passages meant for pedestrians and twowheelers might be segregated using barricades. The
new concept will make it easier for pedestrians and
cyclists to cross roads with heavy traffic.
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Outer Delhi to get
a ‘Smart’ City
Commercial focus may move out of New Delhi
with big plans of Smart City development being
made on the outskirts. Around 24,000 hectares in
Najafgarh, Kanjhawala and Narela will be converted
into a model city. It will have, among other facilities,
100% power, 100% web connectivity, 24/7 water
supply, and high frequency mass transport.
DDA wants to create a model city that can be
replicated in other parts of the country. Development
is likely to bear visible results between the next
five to ten years at the end of which the Smart City
should be functional. As a model, DDA has picked
the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, or GIFT
City as it is otherwise known as, which was the
first Smart City commissioned as part of the 100
Smart City campaign. There is a lot to learn from the
manner in which GIFT City is shaping up. The area
here coming up is barren like Outer Delhi, so DDA
will try to replicate their efforts of water regeneration
and recycling. Smart City will be a model not only
in technical advancement but also in its approach
towards utilizing precious natural resources like
water.
The Smart City in Delhi, for which DDA has
been given charge, will have to fulfil the set of
parameters that define a standard Smart City. These
include dedicated bicycle lanes, high frequency
mass transport, 24x7 water and power supplies to
all households, no water logging incidents in a year,
100% internet coverage, 30 minutes emergency
medical response time, and facilities like parks, retail
outlets, parks, schools and recreational areas to be
located within 400 metres of 95% households.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
School Toilets by Hindustan
Prefab
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Hindustan Prefab Ltd. (HPL) will construct and
operate around 2,500 to 3,000 toilets in schools
across the country for over 20 public sector
companies, including ONGC, BSNL, SAIL and IRCTC.
Each toilets, including its disposal system, will cost Rs
2-4 lakh, depending on the region, according to Shri
Rajesh Goel, Chairman and Managing Director, HPL.
The company will also provide a two-year annual
maintenance contract that will include maintenance
training.
Prefab Toilets
A toilet in Leh requires different material and
technology for water and disposal as compared to
one in Bhuj. The technology and manufacturers
of such products are available in India and will not
require any foreign technology or manufacturers.
According to Shri Goel, Prefab is the perfect solution
for such projects, which have to be completed in a
limited time frame of one year, with contributions
from the corporate social responsibility budget of
companies, and with involvement of various state
governments.
DJB Kicks off Project for Clean
Yamuna
Delhi Jal Board launched the first phase of its
59km interceptor sewer project in an attempt to keep
the Yamuna clean. This project will ensure that only
treated sewage is discharged into the three major
drains Najafgarh, Shahdara and supplementary
which release water into the river. The interceptor
project will improve the water quality of Yamuna.
The Govt. wants to clean the Yamuna and this
project will help to achieve the objective. The revival
of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers is top priority. The
implementation of the interceptor sewer project
would ensure that around 70% of the pollution load
going into Yamuna is prevented.
The project involves laying of interceptor sewers
along the three major drains to cut off sewage
flowing from 180 subsidiary drains and transport it
to the nearest treatment plant (STP). This will ensure
that only treated sewage is discharged into the river.
The project is divided into six different packages,
including interceptor sewers, manholes, and rising
main. The cost of the project is Rs 1,962 crore. Under
the first package, the existing capacity of the STP at
Dwarka will be augmented from 20MGD to 40MGD.
DJB has also set up a decentralized drinking water
treatment plant, based on reverse osmosis treatment
technology, with water dispensing machines (ATMs)
at Sector 3, Dwarka. The ATMs operate as cashless
vending machines. Each consumer has been issued a
smart card to draw water from the kiosk. The capacity
of the decentralized RO plant is 1,000 litres per hour
and all the water ATMs have been provided with a
storage capacity of 500 litres. Currently, these kiosks
cater to a population of 20,000. These ATMs will not
only bring a remarkable improvement in the living
conditions of the residents of the area but also help
to improve the present environmental conditions.
New Office Complex in
Lutyen's Zone
The central government plans to build a massive
new secretariat spread over nearly 10 acres in the
Lutyens' Bungalow Zone to overcome an officespace shortage of about 22 lakh sq ft. The new
secretariat would be at least twice the size of the
Scope Complex on Lodhi Road, which has offices
of 24 public sector units and has over 9,000 people
working in the building. The idea is to bring all wings
of every ministry or department in one building
for efficient delivery and better intradepartmental
coordination. At present, wings of many ministries
and departments spread across many parts of the city.
The congested Metro stations are soon going
to make way for well-planned spaces that allow for
smooth integration between vehicular, pedestrian
and Metro traffic. The Government has given goahead for turning 11 such Metro stations into
integrated transport hubs. According to this plan,
skywalks and arcades will be built in and around one
existing and 10 upcoming Metro stations to permit
seamless travel and to decongest the routes around
these stations under a new plan for intermodal
transport. The objective is seamless transition and
interchanges between different modes to complete
the trip and availability of options to select different
modes to make travel cheaper, faster and more
comfortable.
The plan aims at effective organization and
spatial allocation of various para-transit modes,
such that convenience to public transport users is
maximized and efficiency of all modes is improved,
it will also improve walkability, with a high quality
public realm that is comfortable and safe for all to
use. As per plan, the new Dhaula Kuan station will
be linked to the Airport Metro Express line and a
network of skywalks with travelators will be installed.
In Moti Bagh, the skywalk will integrate with the
station entry concourse and a subway shall be built
on site.
Upcoming Biz Hubs to Rise as
Smart Cities
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development
Authority (MMRDA) has decided to transform all
upcoming commercial hubs into smart cities which
will have public Wi-Fi, integrated CCTV camera
network, smart parking system, solar lighting apps
to find utilities, among other things. MMRDA has
indentified Panvel, Kalyan, Alibaug-Pen, Bhiwandi
and Vasai-Virar, which will be connected to Navi
Mumbai International airport through the proposed
Virar-Alibaug multimodal corridor.
To strengthen the brand value of commercial
hubs, they are to be equipped with advanced facilities
before they are made operational. The MMRDA has
already undertaken the Smart BKC project, where
the Bandra-Kurla Complex is set to be developed as
a smart city by next year.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Almost every ministry and department has been
demanding more space to accommodate people.
Currently they have no option but to take office
space on rent. Sometimes departments have to
wait for long periods till adequate space is found for
them. The problem is only going to grow in future.
The Central Public Works Department has a lot of
land in its possession in Ghitorni, south Delhi, where
such an office complex can be built, but this option
is not being considered because most ministries and
departments are headquartered in the LBZ and want
space in that area.
Multimodal Travel for Delhi
11
Redevelop Old Buildings into
Affordable Housing
Faced with acute land shortage, the Maharashtra
Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada)
has started to redevelop properties acquired by it
over the years, in a bid to make houses affordable.
Of the 21 properties it owns in the island city of
Mumbai, Mhada plans to start redeveloping 15, by
which it stands to generate at least 500 new homes.
The remaining six properties have been left in
abeyance, as they are under litigation.
While people who currently live on those
properties will get new homes, Mhada will also
be able to create more affordable houses by
redeveloping them. This is one of the ways to
improve housing stock where the properties have
been acquired by Mhada, because of reasons such
as failure of landlords to pay their dues or redevelop
their properties. The construction is expected to
be completed within 18 to 24 months. The first
redevelopment project has been started at Lalbaug,
where the housing agency will get 61 apartments
after rehabilitating 87 tenants.
U’Khand NHs to be Upgraded
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Government has prepared a massive plan for
realignment and improvement of existing National
Highways in Uttarakhand that would make travel to
Char Dham smoother safer and shorter. The plan
covers seven stretches - NH-58, NH-94, NH-108, NH109 and NH-125 totaling approximately 890 kms
that conncect pilgrimage destinations and also
Tanakpur in the hill state. The project would take
at least three years for construction considering the
difficult terrain where man and machinery would be
deployed for major civil work. The total investment
would be around Rs 12,000 crore.
12
Since land sliding is a chronic problem in most
of the vulnerable areas, different treatment has
been planned for different localities. All locations
including submerging and sinking zones have
been identified. Stretches that have bad geometrics
causing accidents would also be removed or treated.
Construction of long bridges will reduce the total
length of the stretch and travel time significantly.
There are provisions for building viaducts to
bypass areas that are prone to land sliding and
other hazards. There are specific plans for building
bypasses for towns on these stretches including
Joshimath, realignment of the highway passing
through Srinagar.
Intelligent Transportation
System – Ahmedabad
An intelligent transportation system involving
simple technology will be implemented in
Ahmedabad. The project, which will be implemented
over a 10 km stretch, will use 14 cameras and four
VMS (variable message sign) boards to gather, infer
and disseminate information to commuters using
that stretch.
Much like the parking boards set up in Palika
Bazaar or the ones put up by NDMC in Connaught
Place, these four boards will give information on the
number of vehicles on a road, the average speed of
vehicles, whether there is a diversion, etc. A driver can
then decide whether to go ahead or take a detour.
The driver will be provided with all the available
data. This will help bring down congestion on roads
considerably. Zero-Sum, which is being funded by
Japan International Cooperation Agency, has also
pitched its technology to other cities, including
Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara.
No extensive digging or cabling is needed to
install the system. The data from the cameras is
transmitted to the central server through mobile
communication networks. The central server will
not be a physical entity but a cloud-based one. The
cameras will record each vehicle passing by and its
speed to calculate the average speed of traffic on the
stretch. This data will be sent to the server, which in
turn will display it on the VMS board. The traffic police
will also have access to the server to communicate
important information like a diversion on the road or
a detour planned in case of an accident. The routing
of information through mobile networks to each subzone of the ITS network will have a dual network for
reliability which will keep the system from collapsing
if one mobile network is down. The business model
is also viable and self-sustaining.
The revenue from the advertisements on the
boards, which will have dedicated space, will make
the project lucrative. Also, if the project involves
a public-private partnership, the temptation for
advertisement revenue will ensure the company to
keep the VMS functional at all times.
This system could be the answer to Delhi’s
traffic problems. The city has over 80 lakh registered
vehicles. With a finite road network, the increase
in vehicles, without proper traffic management,
can deepen the chaos on Delhi roads. That’s where
ITS comes in handy. Delhi has been struggling to
find a holistic system to manage traffic. Though
surveillance cameras have been installed at various
intersections, the traffic needs to be stream-lined,
especially where a set of arterial roads, like Ring Road,
carry the maximum load. A large number of vehicles
use the arterial roads to reach their destinations.
Information on alternative routes is not provided,
leading to concentration of vehicles on the main
roads.
Zero Liquid Discharge Pilot
Project
The Centre will not allow any of the 140 drains
between Gangotri and Gangasagar to open into the
river Ganga to discharge municipal and industrial
waste water. The government decided to launch
a pilot project to usher in a 'zero liquid discharge'
regime.
The pilot project, between Mathura and
Vrindavan in western Uttar Pradesh, will be carried
out involving private companies in consultation with
the state government. Water resources ministry and
It will be implemented in such a manner that
the drains do not open into rivers at all. All water
will be recycled in a scientific manner so that it can
be reused by municipal bodies and industrial units.
Even farmers may be able to use it for irrigation. A
concept where the recycled water can be sold to
end users. Many western countries use this model to
conserve precious water.
Besides launching this ambitious project, the
government will also set up a national volunteer
force - Ganga Vahini - on the pattern of Red Cross
to keep watch on activities that pollute river.
Volunteers, mainly ex-servicemen, college students
and members of civil societies and Territorial Army,
will help people/tourists to follow all do’s and don'ts
to keep the river clean. Volunteers will not interfere
with religious practices of people. They will only
guide the people to practice it in a manner that it
does not pollute the river.
Buyers to be Protected against
Unfair Agreements
In a move to safeguard the interest of home
buyers and other consumers who are often taken
for a ride by private players citing certain conditions
in the agreement, the consumer affairs department
will bring them under the ambit of unfair contracts.
The provision in the Consumer Protection law will
enable consumers to file a complaint against such
players. All agreements between consumers and
private players will be treated “unfair” if these include
one or more out of the following identified clauses.
Any provision in the contract which allows a
disproportionate penalty on either party against
the actual loss caused due to the failure of the
agreement will be enough to bring it under the
"unfair" category. For example, if a real estate player
fails to deliver a house in time, it pays little penalty
as a compensation to buyer. But, if a buyer fails to
make the payment in time, he is made to pay huge
fine. This is an unfair provision, and needs to be
eliminated from the contract conditions.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The 'zero liquid discharge' is a concept where
the entire industrial and municipal waste water
can be reused after recycling without discharging a
drop into any river. At present, after being treated
in different sewage treatment plants and common
effluent treatment plants, the municipal/industrial
waste water goes into drains and eventually gets
discharged into river.
the Central Pollution Control Board will be involved
at every stage of implementation. It will hopefully
be completed in six months. The success model
will eventually be replicated for all drains and rivers
across the country in due course.
13
If the contract has a provision that allows either
of the parties to replace it with a new player without
consent of the other party, that provision also be
termed as unfair. There have been several cases
where developers have sold their projects to others
without consulting their consumers. In such cases,
the end users face the worst ideal.
The other conditions that make a contract unfair
are the demand to make excessive security deposit
and the refusal to foreclose the loan even when the
consumer is ready to pay the applicable penalty.
Even if the contract has a provision that entitles
a party to terminate the agreement unilaterally
without reasonable cause, it will be an unfair one.
This provision is for protecting the consumers who
are placed in an "unequal" bargaining capacity.
New Realty Projects
Witness Dip
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The number of new residential projects launched
in top eight cities in India have seen a significant drop
during the June-September period as slow down in
demand had forced property developers to go slow
on their forthcoming project launches. According to
a study by Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), the number
of new residential units launched during the quarter
ended September 2014, was 21 per cent lower than
the same period last year. While all housing segments
saw a decline in new launches, the study done for top
eight cities of India reveals that new launches in the
affordable housing segment witnessed the highest
drop of over 50 per cent in Q2 FY15 as against the
same time last year. While the demand remains the
highest in the affordable segment, this is not the
segment that developers prefer due to the larger
scale of construction and management. Additionally,
the input costs for development have started to inch
upwards making it tougher for developers in the key
cities to provide affordable housing within the city
limits or even in the peripheral region.
14
Supply outstrips demand in most of these cities
due to weak market sentiments and slower growth
rate in sales due to which the new launches have
remained checked. There is a conscious effort by
developers to keep the number of units low. This
in turn has been instrumental in keeping the prices
stable. The additional disadvantage that many
developers are facing is the dearth of land, which
can be developed within reasonable city limits.
Factors such as land pricing, development cost, the
cost of construction and material among others
have also seen some escalation in the last few years,
which have made developers choose their projects
carefully.
The stagnant property market has led to the
highest ever unsold stock of 815 million sq ft of
residential space across six cities at the end of the
September quarter this year, Cumulative sales were
down by 25% from the previous quarter, making it
the lowest since 2009. This is the highest ever unsold
inventory in the history of India's residential market.
E-Waste Dismantlers Flout
Safety Norms
Tonnes of electronic waste being dismantled
in Indian Cities on a daily basis not only pollute the
environment but also create a serious health risk for
workers and other people in the vicinity. A visit to the
area makes it obvious that the e-waste management
rules are far from being implemented here as
dismantlers neither use any safety gear nor follow
pollution norms. Worse, pollution control agencies
have no clue about the goings-on in illegal units.
Truckloads of e-waste mostly discarded desktop
computers and TV sets are brought for dismantling
every day where circuit boards are acid-washed or
heated on electric stoves or with blowtorches after
which recyclable metal components are retrieved.
In the process, fumes from heavy metals and acids
result in environmental pollution, which also have
serious health implications for workers.
Dismantling of e-waste is a thriving market
with turnovers in crores. It generates employment
for many but the profits go to the middlemen. The
workers who dismantle the electronic goods are
exposed to lead, cadmium, mercury and acid fumes
making them vulnerable to severe health impacts.
Waste from the dismantling process is being thrown
into nearby drains, which flow into Yamuna or
Hindon.
Faith consists in believing,
when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary
To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
Report Illegal Structures
Online
the three IITs over a year to develop the new variety
of cement. IIT Delhi began the project in 2013. The
other IITs were roped in this year.
The Mumbai civic body will install a software to
digitally track illegal constructions in the city. The
move is expected to curb illegal construction in the
city and bring corrupt officials under the scanner.
The new cement is almost as strong as regular
cement. The quality has been tested at IIT-D and
Development Alternatives laboratory too. In fact,
IIT has built a two-storied building in Jhansi using
this cement. However, it will still take a few years
before the cement is made commercially available. It
needs a Bureau of Indian Standards certification and
standardization before it can be used on a large scale.
No sector of the economy consumes more material
than construction and of all the materials used in
construction, cement accounts for the largest share
of resources extracted from nature. Obviously, any
saving can yield a huge benefit for the environment.
The software will be on the lines of the pothole
tracking system launched in November 2011.
Citizens will be able to shoot and upload photos of
illegal constructions inside buildings, floor space
index violations as well as encroachments on roads,
footpaths and open spaces. Other than complaints
from citizens, the website will include details of
irregularities and action taken status. All information
will be available to the public, which earlier had to be
sorted separately from each ward.
IITs Develop Low Carbon
Content Cement
Buildings in the city may soon be able to reduce
their carbon footprint, though by a slim margin,
thanks to low-carbon cement or 'LC 3'. Scientist
at IIT Delhi, along with IIT Bombay, IIT Madras
and an environmental NGO called Development
Alternatives, have developed a type of cement
that is not just low-cost, but can emit 20% to 30%
less carbon than regular cement. For every tonne
of cement produced, about 0.82 tonnes of CO2 is
emitted. The most energy-intensive part of cement
production is making clinker grey balls of ground
limestone and clay made by heating them at very
high temperatures. These are then ground into a
fine powder to make cement. CO2 is a byproduct
of this process, which is why cement production is
a contributor of global warming. Cement usually
contains about 70% of clinker and 30% fly ash.
All green (environment friendly) buildings
identified on the basis of use of water/energy
conservation methods, recycled materials, solar
power, natural lighting and energy self-sufficiency
across the country will get special logo in the new
year. This will not only help people to identify
green buildings, but also give a sense of pride to
the owners. This will also motivate others to go for
green building concept, driving many co-benefit
associated with it.
At present, buildings get star rating by a
government agency – Bureau of Energy Efficiency
for energy efficiency and other green ratings by two
private bodies. This is part of several other initiatives
which are to be taken up by the environment ministry
in 2015. Promotion of renewable energy –solar and
wind- in a big way is an important component of the
government’s plan.
Fast-Track Arbitration Courts
An ordinance has been issued that brings
in relevant amendments in the Arbitration and
Reconciliation Act, making it mandatory for a
judge presiding over commercial disputes to settle
cases within nine months. India was losing out on
commercial disputes as it took sometimes as long as
20 years for the court cases to come to a conclusion.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
IIT scientists have developed a variety of cement
using just 40%-50% clinker and have supplemented
it with low-grade calcined clay and low-grade
limestone, which otherwise are being wasted.
Calcined clay is essentially China clay waste that is
burnt. There are no takers for low-grade limestone
in mines. The cement now developed will have a
major impact on India's limestone reserves that
are depleting. Since this technology requires less
limestone, the reserves will last us longer. It took
Green Buildings to get
Special Logo
15
Setting up of dedicated commercial courts under
each high court would help speedy disposal of cases
and also serve the purpose of making India the
hub of arbitration. Today, multi-national companies
prefer destinations like Singapore for early resolution
of their disputes in India.
The amendments to the Arbitration and
Conciliation Act, 1996, in the form of an ordinance,
aimed at giving a message that setting commercial
disputes in India will no longer be a time – consuming
affair at the same time would bind many MNCs
filing arbitration cases out of India to settle within
India as the cause of action is here. According to the
arbitration law amendments, the presiding officer
of a commercial dispute will have to clear the case
within a nine-month time-frame. The arbitrator will
be free to seek an extension from the high court.
But in case of further delays, the high court will be
free to debar the arbitrator from taking up fresh
cases for a certain period. The move comes amid the
government’s keenness to attract maximum foreign
investment by projecting the ease of doing business
in India. Another amendment puts a cap on the fee
of an arbitrator. The arbitrator will also have to spell
out if there is a conflict of interest in the case he or
she is taking up. Most of the recommendations of the
Law Commission have been accepted. While some
have been incorporated in the law itself, some of he
recommendations will be used while framing rules.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Smart Town of Japan
16
The consumer electronics giant that started in
Osaka and is now spread across the world has brought
to fruition an experiment on smart living. Powered
by Panasonic Corporation and with help from a
host of other agencies, both private and public, the
Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town (SST), $500 million
project, envisages a hyper-modern habitat for 30004000 people that will see houses being lit up during
emergencies by the electric car parked outside, an
‘ungated’ colony that will have its residents always
covered by a mesh of surveillance devices without
them ever feeling locked in, and an environmentally
responsible lifestyle that will see CO2 reductions by
70%, of water by 30%, and energy by another 30%.
Fujisawa, a quiet and quaint town on the outskirts
of bustling Tokyo, the smart town will have 1000
homes. Already, about 100 families have moved in
that will bring to the company an expected 27 billion
yen in revenue when all the units are sold by 2018.
The group plans three more such townships soon
in Japan. And if the initial response is anything to
go by, there will be no shortage of takers. The vision
is grand and the execution meticulous. Company
aims to achieve almost zero CO2 emissions for its
detached houses with the all pervasive presence of
solar panels, storage batteries and advanced energy
saving equipments.
Japan is a country that has throughout its
history dealt with disasters, natural and manmade,
and the builders of the SST haven’t lost sight of that.
In emergencies, normal living condition can go on
for three days with its community continuity plan
that will ensure a steady supply of water, food and
power. Functioning toilets will be thrown in for good
measure. Customers can choose between all-electric
and fuel cell type homes according to what suits
them best, using which they can in fact generate
the energy they need. They will be helped in their
conservation efforts by the town’s essential passive
design, geared to naturally utilize Fujisawa’s wind,
sunlight, water and ambient heat.
The smart town does not compromise on
security, doing away with the gated existence, which
may be physically secure but gives rise to a sense
of cloistered unease to introduce to its residents an
unobtrusive safety that comes from a combination of
surveillance cameras, lights and patrols. Roads that
detect human or vehicular movement and illuminate
automatically in the dark will just add to this sense
of wellbeing. During the day, mobility will be easy.
Residents will be able to move without much effort
or expense even if they don’t have their own cars.
There will be common electric vehicles that can be
shared and battery assisted bikes that can be rented,
helped all along by the charging stations strewn all
around the township. Panasonic will be able to show
off the smart colony to the entire world when it
gathers in Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics.
Best Tall Building in the world
– One Central Park
A residential building in Sydney “One Central
Park” has been named the best tall building in the
world. The award was given on November 7 by
the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
(CTBUH) based at Chicago’s illinois Institute of
Technology . Designed by French design group
Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Australia’s PTW, it beat 87
other International entries to top the list, and was
commended for its visible use of green design. The
building’s key features include hanging gardens, a
cantilevered heliostat, an internal water recycling
plant and low-carbon tri-generation power plant.
One Central Park has been awarded a five-star, green
star by the Green Building Council Australia.
Park’s local water centre will save up to 1m litres of
drinking water per day. The building’s tri-generation
plant is due to be completed in November 2015
and it is estimated to save the equivalent of 136,000
tonnes of greenhouse gas emission over 25 years.
One Central Park is also unusual for its cantilever
that is covered with a series of reflector panels. These
panels automatically redirect natural sunlight to
various parts of a nearby park during shady periods
of the day.
In the evening the heliostat turns into an LED
artwork called Sea Mirror. Together with Blanc’s
gardens and Halo, a wind-powered kinetic sculpture
in the nearby green, the three represent $8m worth
of public art. The 623 apartment building is just one
part of a $2bn mixed-used development precinct.
Central Park is a joint project between Frasers
Property and Sekisui House and is located in a part
of inner Sydney undergoing major revitalization.
Freedom Tower – New York
One Central Park
Grey water is currently piped into the laundry
and bathroom areas within the apartments, and
used to water the external green areas. Central
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
French landscape artist Patrick Blanc was
commissioned to design the 1,120sqm of vertical
gardens that cover the surface of the building.
35,200 plants and 383 different species were used.
The gardens use a remote controlled, dripper
irrigation system and a special process developed by
Blanc in which the roots of a plant are attached to
a mesh-covered felt, soaked with mineralized water.
This allows the plants to grow without soil along
the face of a wall. The gardens are maintained by a
local green roof and wall company called junglefy.
The company was forced to replant some of the
building’s gardens last year after a water source was
accidentally cut and the system’s alarm failed. While
it is the building’s on –site water recycling factory
and power plant that are responsible for most of
the water and energy savings, the gardens are a
visible and tangible reminder of innovative green
infrastructure.
The Freedom Tower or One World Trade Centre
is a silvery skyscraper which has risen from the ashes
of September 11, 2001 terror attack to become
a symbol of American resilience has opened for
business. The building’s footprint is a 200-foot square
with an area of 40,000 square feet, nearly identical to
the footprints of the original Twin Towers. The tower
rises from a 185-foot windowless concrete base,
designed to protect it against truck bombs and other
groundless terror threats. Originally, the base was
intended to be clad in decorative prismatic glass, but
a simpler glass-and-steel façade was adopted when
this proved unworkable. The current base cladding
Freedom Tower
17
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
design consists of angled glass fins protruding from
stainless steel panels, similar to those on World Trade
Center. LED lights behind the panels will illuminate
the base at night. Cable-net glass facades on all four
sides of the building for the higher floors will be
consistent with the other buildings in the complex.
They measure 60 feet high and range in width from
30 feet on the east and west sides (for access to the
observation deck) to 50 feet on the north side, and
70 feet on the south for primary tenant access. The
curtain wall was manufactured and assembled by
Benson Industries, using glass made in Minnesota by
Viracon.
18
and wind power. The windows are made of an ultraclear glass which allows maximum daylight to pass
through, while interior lighting is equipped with
dimmers that automatically lower the lights on
sunny days, thereby reducing energy costs. Like all
of the new facilities at the World Trade Center site,
One World Trade Center will be heated by steam,
with limited oil or natural gas utilities located on
site. One World Trade Center is expected to receive
a LEED Gold Certification, making it one of the most
environmentally sustainable buildings of its size in
the world.
From the 20th floor upwards, the square edges
of the tower’s cubic base are chamefered back,
transforming the building’s shape into eight tall
isosceles triangles or an elongated square antiprism.
Near its middle, the tower forms a perfect octagon
in-plan, and then culminates in a glass parapet
whose shape is a square oriented 45 degrees from
the base. A 408-foot sculpted mast containing
the broadcasting antenna is secured by a system
of cables, and rises from a circular support ring
which will contain additional broadcasting and
maintenance equipment. At night, an intense beam
of light will be projected above the spire, being
visible over 1,000 feet into the air above the tower.
Security Features: Along with the protection
offered by the reinforced concrete base, a number of
other safety features were included in the building’s
design, in order to better prepare it for a major
accident or terrorist attack. In line with the new
philosophy, the building features substantially thick
reinforced concrete walls for all stairwells, elevator
shafts, risers, and sprinkler systems; extrawide,
pressurized stairwells; a dedicated set of stairwells
exclusively for the use of firefighters; and biological
and chemical filters throughout its ventilation
system. By way of comparison, the Twin Towers
used a purely steel central core to house their utility
functions, protected only by a system of lightweight
drywall panels.
Sustainability : Like the other buildings of the
rebuilt World Trade Center Complex Freedom Tower
or One World Trade Center includes a number of
sustainable architecture features. Much of the
building’s structure and interior is made from recycled
materials, including gypsum boards and ceiling tiles,
and about 80 per cent of its waste products are also
being recycled. Although the roof area of any tower
is comparatively limited, the building will implement
a rainwater collection and recycling scheme for its
cooling systems. The building’s Pure Cell phosphoric
acid fuel cells will generate 4.8 megawatts of power,
and its waste steam will also help generate electricity.
The tower will also make use of offsite hydroelectric
The building is no longer 25 feet away from West
Street, as the Twin Towers were; at its closest point,
West Street is 65 feet away. The windows on the side
of the building facing in this direction are equipped
with specially tempered blast-resistant plastic, which
looks nearly the same as the glass used in the other
sides of the building. Its structure is designed around
a strong, redundant steel moment frame consisting
of beams and columns connected by a combination
of welding and bolting. Paired with a concrete-core
shear wall, the moment frame lends substantial
rigidity and redundancy to the overall building
structure while providing column-free interior spans
for maximum flexibility.
In addition to optimal safety design, new security
measures will also be implemented. All vehicles
will be screened before they enter the site by the
underground roadway, including for radioactive
materials. Four hundred closed – circuit surveillance
cameras will be placed in and around the site, with
live camera being monitored around the clock. A
computer system will use video-analytic computer
software designed to detect potential threats such
as unattended bags and retrieve images based on
descriptions of terror or other criminal suspects.
Once the World Trade Center site is fully completed,
the plaza will be opened entirely to the public, as
was the original World Trade Centre plaza.
Space Elevator – A Reality
A Japanese construction company aims to build
an elevator that will reach 96,000km into space by
2050. Robotic cars powered by magnetic linear
motors will carry people and cargo to a newly-built
space station, at a fraction of the cost of rockets. It
will take seven days to get there. A space elevator can
now become a reality because of the development
of carbon nano-technology. The tensile strength is
almost a hundred times stronger than that of the
steel cables so it’s possible.
At the moment they would be able to create
carbon nano-tubes that are only 3cm long, but
cables long enough to reach into space may be ready
by 2030. A working space elevator could signal the
end of Earth-based rockets which are expensive
and dangerous. Using a space shuttle costs about
$22,000 per kilogram to take cargo into space. For
the space elevator, the estimate is only about $ 200.
Constructing the space elevator would allow small
rockets to be housed and launched from stations
in space without the need for massive amounts of
fuel required to break the Earth’s gravitational pull.
The firm is working on robotic cars that will carry 30
people up the elevator.
Window that Blocks Heat
Energy Efficient Wall Material
A research team from Bayreuth University and the
Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research in Germany
has developed a new wall material that is capable
of keeping indoor humidity levels at bay in order to
create healthier indoor environment and prevent
the formation of mildews or moulds. The research
team has discovered that the addition of porous,
flake-shaped glass particles to plasters significantly
alters indoor humidity levels due to the ability of the
adulterating material to rapidly capture and retain
moisture in the air before releasing it slowly. The
team used Vycor glass in the development of the
humidity changing plaster, as the specific parameters
of the material can be precisely controlled during
the manufacturing process. The glass particles
can be manufactured in the form of spheres, fibres
or flakes, while the porosity and pore size of the
material can be adjusted in order to control its effect
upon atmospheric humidity. Minor changes in pore
size can significantly alter the humidity absorbing
propensity of the glass, enabling the researchers to
adapt the material to different indoor conditions.
This is a critical advantage that the glass particles
possess as an artificially manufactured material.
Other materials which possess similar absorption
properties such as zeolite and ceramic, are not
amenable to such precise adjustment and control.
Testing of plasters embedded with the glass flakes
showed that the mixtures were capable of absorbing
far more moisture than other materials traditionally
used for curing humidity. The glass-flake plasters
also rapidly increase in mass following gains in
humidity, attesting to their ability to absorb greater
amounts of moisture. When added to the walls
of room with a volume of 30 cubic metres and 40
square metres of surface area, the material should be
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Scientists are developing a new kind of smart
window that can block out heat when the outside
temperature rises. The advance could one day help
consumers conserve energy better on hot days and
reduce electric bills. Scientists are pursuing smart
windows that can respond to energy cues, like
electricity, gas, light and heat. The heat sensitive
ones are particularly useful for cutting down energy
use when it gets hot outdoors; the windows turn an
opaque white to block unwanted heat, while still
allowing light to pass. They become transparent
again as temperatures drop. But current methods
for making these windows use jelly-like materials
called hydrogels that swell in the heat, which hurts
performance. The researchers are developing more
efficient hydrogels now.
19
capable of absorbing more than half a litre of water
from the indoor atmosphere more than enough to
achieve a near total reduction in humidity levels.
Solar Power fit for Desalination
A desalination technology powered by solar
panels could provide enough clean, palatable
drinking water to meet the needs of India's waterdeficient villages. Sixty per cent of India is underlain
by salty water and much of that area is not served by
an electric grid that could run conventional reverse
osmosis desalination plants.
An analysis by Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) researchers Natasha Wright and
Amos Winter shows that a different desalination
technology called electrodialysis, powered by solar
panels, could provide enough clean, palatable
drinking water to supply the needs of a typical
village. Finding optimal solutions to problems such
as saline groundwater involves detective work to
understand the full set of market constraints. After
weeks of field research in India, and reviews of
various established technologies, Winter said, “when
we put all these pieces of the puzzle together, it
pointed very strongly to electrodialysis which is not
what is commonly used in developing nations.”
Floating City Of China
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
This innovative city plan was commissioned by
the China Communications Construction Company
(CCCC) as a eco-friendly city expansion alternative
to continuing on land. With the amount of pollution,
deforestation, and other detrimental environmental
impacts that are a part of our current city
development system, the Floating city was created
as an attempt to minimize the carbon footprint for a
sustainable future.
20
The Floating city plan is modelled after a current
project that CCCC is working on. They are in the
process of building a bridge that will link Macau,
Hong Kong, and Zhuhai. The designer will use preexisting technology and elements of the bridge
construction in their floating city. The proposal is
to create concrete molds and casts of the necessary
hexagonal building blocks that will be floated out to
the project site.
The Floating city will have an above ground layer
and an underwater layer. There are two designated
areas for greenery and gardens, plus a network
of walkways and tunnels that will allow people
to traverse the city. Designer is opting for electric
cars to reduce pollution and they have ports for
submarines to dock. They also have a series of canals
and waterways that will allow boats to operate as a
means of transportation. The city will have a farm, a
hatchery, and a waste disposal centre in order to be
entirely self-sufficient. There are plans for a hotel and
an entertainment hub that will appeal to residents
and visitors alike. The city’s link to the outside world
will be an enormous cruise dock that will facilitate
travel and tourism. If this plan becomes a reality,
then floating cities may very well be the trend of the
future.
World’s Fastest Train Line
in Japan
When it comes to building high-speed trains,
Japan is continuing to embarrass the rest of the
world, with the latest line, capable of travelling
the 286.4 km from Tokyo to Nagoya in 40 minutes.
This will the world’s fastest train line. This is less
than half the time it currently takes the celebrated
Shinkansen bullet train to travel the route, with
trains reaching speeds of 482.8 kph-thanks to their
maglev (magnetic levitation) technology. Maglev
uses extremely powerful superconducting magnets
to float the train 10cm above the track, allowing
for frictionless movement. The technology has
previously been used to build short demonstration
lines in cities including Tokyo. A 43km test track that
opened up in November this year proves so popular
with the Japanese public that more than 150,000
individuals applied for 1,200 pairs of seats, with the
winners to be decided by lottery.
It is difficult, but not impossible, to conduct
strictly honest business.
Mahatma Gandhi
Central Japan railway Co plan to finish the work
by 2027 before extending the line from Nagoya to
Osaka before 2045. This second route will travel
331 miles in just 67 minutes, shortening the current
travel time of 138 minutes. The Tokyo-Nagoya route
will pass by MtFjui, but commuters hoping for a
breath-taking view will be disappointed – with 86%
of the line run through tunnels with some travelling
40 metres below ground when passing under urban
areas. The estimated cost of the line to Nagoya is $
51.5 billion. Central Japan Railway will be funding
the project entirely through cash generated by its
current bullet train lines (the most popular in world)
a sensible move for a company that reported a higher
operating profit margin than even Apple in the fiscal
year ending March 31.
Malaysia –New Arbitration
Hub
financial agency like the World Bank for loan, they
have to sign a mandatory arbitration clause so that
the agency’s fund is not blocked in a protracted legal
tussle.
AL BAHR Towers, Abu Dhabi
Each rising 25 stories tall, the Al Bahr Towers
house the headquarters of the Abu Dhabi Investment
Council and the Al Hilal Bank. Both towers are
wrapped in a honeycomb-patterned skin composed
of 2,098 separate shades that fold and expand
according to the time of day, effectively mediating
the amount of sun allowed into the building. The
unique geometric pattern was both bio-inspired and
chosen to resemble a pattern culturally abundant in
the region. But the structures also have a quantitative
environmental effect: they reduce glare, solar gain,
and energy consumption by simply functioning as
mechanical shades for the windows.
Malaysia is now eyeing Singapore’s dominant
position as the favoured arbitration destination
for Indian lawyers and mediators. Laying out a red
carpet for arbitrators from India, who usually head
out to Singapore to thrash out corporate deals
involving several hundred crores a year; Malaysia has
now announced visa and work permit exemption
for foreign arbitrators and lawyers appearing in
arbitrations.
Singapore and Malaysia already offer tax
exemptions to arbitrators and lawyers. But with visa
and work permit exemption, Malaysia will attract
more arbitration’ cases from Indian corporate and
commercial entities.
Such cases are not dealt with in a general court
of law because of high costs and the inordinate delay
in pronouncing verdict. Any commercial dispute
requires quick redressal because delay will hamper
business. Also, if a MNC approaches an international
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Arbitration centres are neutral venues that deal
with multi-crore commercial disputes between
MNCs and help thrash out a non-adversarial solution.
These include disputes pertaining to domain
name, maritime arbitration, international trade and
contracts, construction, documentary credits, sale
of goods and investments. An example of such
arbitration was a recent dispute between ONGC and
Cairn Energy which was awarded in favour of Cairn.
21
As the sun moves, 2,000 umbrellas open and
close to reduce interior thermal energy by 50
percent. The shades are each individually controlled
by linear actuators that are programmed to react
to the sun as it sweeps across the sky. Throughout
the day as the sun bends around the buildings, each
shade flattens out to block out much of the incoming
heat and light. Because normal windows can be used
instead of heavily treated ones, the need for artificial
light is significantly reduced while solar gain is also
reduced by 50%. At night, all of the shades fold up
to resemble the mashrabiya a patterned wooden
lattice characteristic of Arabic architecture.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
On top of a unique, culturally relevant facade
and an innovative design to conserve energy, the
architect has incorporated PV cells on the roofs of
the towers to power the mechanical shades. Ample
green spaces complete the sustainable design with
drought-resistant plants and flowers surrounding the
exterior ground level. The project was completed in
June 2012, and was the first in the Gulf to be awarded
the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) Silver rating.
22
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
3
2
1
3
2
1
23
Swachh Bharat Mission: An
Overview
Dr. Mohammad Isa Ansari
General Manager and Social Sector Expert
Intercontinental Consultants and Technocrats Pvt. Ltd.
Introduction
Sanitation generally refers to principles,
practices, provisions and services related to
cleanliness and hygiene in personal and public life
for the protection and promotion of human health
and wellbeing and breaking the cycle of disease
and illness. It is also related to the principles and
practices relating to the collection, treatment,
removal and disposal of human excreta, household
waste and other pollutants. Sanitation generally
refers to the provision of facilities and services for the
safe disposal of human urine and feces. Inadequate
sanitation is a major cause of disease worldwide and
improving sanitation is known to have a significant
beneficial impact on health both in households and
across communities. The word ‘sanitation’ also refers
to the maintenance of hygienic conditions, through
services such as garbage collection and waste
disposal.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Every year some 3.4 million people, mostly
children, die from diseases associated with
inadequate sanitation and hygiene. Over half of the
hospital beds in the world are filled with people
suffering from sanitation and related diseases. The
World Bank's has estimated that a dollar spent on
sanitation saves nine dollars in health, education and
economic development.
24
In India, the situation is so bad that approximately
half the country's population still defecate in the
open. They rely on toilets with individual septic
tanks, pit latrines of various kinds, or turn to the great
outdoors. In addition, public places in the country are
very dirty and even local self government authorities,
such as municipal bodies, are not serious about
cleaning them. People throw garbage everywhere,
thus habits like littering and spitting in the streets
are not only hideous as they can have serious health
consequences too.
Foreigners and people returning home India
alike have often commented on how bad Indian
cities smell. It is therefore very important that people
should change their attitude andhabits about
staying clean throughout the country and make PM’s
Swachh Bharat Mission to a grand success.
Littering and Garbage throwing
on the Streets
Lack of hygiene in India’s public place is not
a new occurrence. It has stayed in the country
for many generations and continues to grow to
this date, without people realizing that keeping
their environment clean is a societal obligation.
Although, the country has grown in many respects
through economy, technology, industrialization and
population, cleanliness is an area in which India lags
behind.
People are selfish towards their public space
polluting it in every way possible, from spitting to
hurling rubbish materials on the streets. It is not just
humans who dirty public spaces; even stray animals
who are uncared for, such as street dogs use the
open spaces for defecating. This makes walking on
the streets and on the unpaved footpaths a fraught
experience, as we have to be cautious about where
we step and whether it is a relatively safe area to
step into. Such sanitation problems have generally
been ignored, with neither the government nor
the citizens accepting responsibility and taking the
matter seriously.
Popular sites in the country such as beaches,
rivers and monumental sites are equally littered with
plastic and other waste materials. Even with dustbins
available on sites, people prefer to litter the streets
as there is no proper waste disposal strategy in the
country. The roads are cleaned manually which
becomes a difficult task to achieve, given the size
of the population and the amount of litter on the
streets.
The use of plastic, steel and other nonbiodegradable products have had tremendous
impact on the country’s environmental degradation
and litter problem. However, the use of plastic bags
is being banned in some cities, littering habits have
not changed among the population and plastic is still
being used by most of the population as a cheaper
alternative to biodegradable products. Such habits
are not just a concern because of cleanliness but are
also very harmful for the environment.
Reasons behind India's Problems
Overview on Sanitation and
Cleanliness
Most important duties by the people of India
- If you find someone littering the ground before
you pick it up yourself and tell them about the PM's
Swachh Bharat Mission. Don't fight or shout at him,
educate and tell him that we all are the torch bearers
of that mission.
The fact that PM Narendra Modi started by
cleaning the streets himself has sent a message to
everyone that public places should be kept clean
and free of dirt. In the past, government officials
were never in charge of cleanliness. But this mission
has led them to pick up brooms for the first time
and clean their offices. Although authorities are not
forced to clean, they are compelled to take part in it
given that they see the PM Modi himself doing so.
If it's only a mission initiative, then it will not
last. The sanitation drive must be backed by action.
Municipal authorities have to ensure that public
places are kept clean and the garbage is disposedoff properly. They must make sure that people do
not dump their garbage everywhere. There should
also be increased focus on waste recycling.
PM has unleashed a mass movement for
sanitation and cleanliness. But the question of what
dirt means in India demands a deeper reckoning.
The Swachh Bharat Mission is billed as the most
ambitious attack ever on the squalor that is India. In
a 360 degree publicity campaign, PM inspires and
urges and sets targets. Ministers and officials have
been made to brandish brooms, whether or not they
want to. Starting on 2nd October, 2014, Mahatma
Gandhi's birth anniversary, PM has unleashed a mass
movement for cleanliness drive in the country.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Sanitation is always regarded as a key of
development intervention. It deals with maintenance
of hygienic conditions through services such as
collection and disposal of waste. Several deadly
diseases because of lack of sanitation like diarrhoea,
dysentery, typhoid, malaria, jaundice, filariasis,
dengue and schizophrania the outcome of improper
or lack of sanitation.There are several reasons behind
India’s sanitation problems as mentioned below:
First, authorities have no priority for
sanitation and cleanliness; second, local bodies
don't have adequate financial resources to maintain
cleanliness. Local bodies in the country are not
financially sound unless they are supported by both
the central and state governments.
Outdoor defecation - We are painfully
aware of this problem. When half of a country lacks
sanitation and 600 million people defecate outdoors
as they defecate on the beaches, they defecate on the
hills, they defecate on the river banks, they defecate
on the streets,and they never look for cover. It is not
just an ugly sight; it is a public health emergency and
a social scandal.
Dumping waste in water bodies - A lot of
our drinking water comes from rivers. The same
rivers which are used as a carrier for everything from
general trash to corpses. National priorities for all
should ideally supersede religious sentiments of
a few, but this is a sticky issue for the lawmakers.
People should make choices on whether immersion
of idols, remnants of religious offering to Gods and
the bodies of the deceased should be mixing with
the water our children drink.
Lack of public awareness, motivation and
difficulty in educating the poor and slum dwellers.
Lack of wide publicity through electronic
and print media.
Resistance to changepeople’s attitude and
habits.
Non-cooperation from people, household’s
members and relevant NGOs.
Unwillingness on part of people to spend
one separate bin for recyclable waste.
Non availability of primary collection
vehicles and equipment.
Paucity of financial resources for procurement
of tools, modern vehicles as well as lack of support
from the government.
Lack of public bins - Let's accept that India
just doesn't have enough public bins. So most end
up throwing on roadsides.
Lack of technical know-how and skilled
manpower for treatment and disposal of waste.
Overflowing public bins - Because of one,
whichever public bins are there are overflowing.
Delay in clearance of disposal sites/Waste
Collection Depot.
Lack of powers to levy spot fines.
No accountability - if the Municipal authorities
are not working well due to incompetence, the
public can do nothing about it.
25
PM has launched this campaign, saying,
cleanliness is very close to Mahatma Gandhi's heart.
A clean India is the best tribute we can pay to Bapuji
when we will celebrate 150th birth anniversary in
2019.
Sanitation Scenario in
Neighboring Country
Poverty is not a convincing explanation either.
Bangladesh, for instance, has a GDP per capita
$2475.97, compared with India's $5238.02. But
in Bangladesh, now almost nobody defecates in
the open. Poorer, water scarce countries in SubSaharan Africa are transitioning to toilets. Also, the
civic awareness emerged in Europe in the late 19th
century. For that to happen in India, the heavy hand
of the government is needed in this regard. Look at
East Asia, including China, where they impose strict
penalties for littering. But unless everyone has access
to a minimum level of services of sanitation are fines
feasible and fair?
Social Stigma
Recently Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh, Haryana and Bihar have confirmed a
stubborn resistance to toilets across the country
particularly northern areas. In many homes with
toilets, at least some members of the family prefer
open defecation. Going out to the fields is seen as
part of a wholesome life; toilets are for the feeble, the
old, for women. The unambiguous message should
be toilets for everybody.
Remedial Measures
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
The author suggests sustainable remedial
measuresto createhealthy livingenvironment in the
country. Followings are some of the main points:
26
Stop littering- Attitude/habits that create
insanitation and portrait to others an example
to behave in same manner should be strictly
discouraged.My appeal also goes to the government
to give Swachh Bahrat Mission a top priority in its
policy initiatives.
Create Awareness - We protested against
Delhi gang rape? Protest for Lokpalbill? Protest
for Swaraj? Great! We support that too. But then
what? What did you do? You threw all the banners,
pamphlets, posters and plays cards you brought
on the ground and went home. You didn't give
a damn about cleaning. Though, in Hong Kong,
people protest for democracy. They litter. But they
returned back to clean what they and others threw
on ground. This is the basic thing and should be
taught in school. For the rest, it would help to have
voluntary neighborhood groups solely responsible
for educating the public; hold meetings and review
progress in the regional language so that it is
understood by everyone. This is not a one day or
one month or a year's job. This is a constant effort
until every new born child in India grows up with
parents who have the right understanding about
cleanliness and are heatedly against road and civic
place littering.
Rubbish overflowing in public areas - This
is an administrative issue, and there is no excuse to
why decentralized municipalities, gram panchayats
and other local governing bodies are not performing
as expected. Recycling awareness drives are limited
to school children and urban areas and even these
impressionable young minds are likely to replicate
what they see their adults do. Recycling is not
very relevant to an average rural India, but waste
production is much higher in the urban areas anyway.
Managing waste is a personal responsibility and
should be tackled more responsibly on a household
level first. Our country has seen massive vaccination
drives like the pulse polio garner fantastic response
and participation from the masses. The health
benefits of cleanliness are immense and we as a fast
developing super power should reap the benefits of
it collectively.
Polluted air - Our urban citizens breathe
some of the most polluted air in the world. Rapid
industrialization and increased personal vehicular
traffic are only making this worse. As citizens, we
must ensure our vehicles are regularly maintained
by PUC standards.
Vandalism and graffiti are least important,
but very relevant for citizenry. Our national heritage
sites and public infrastructure have been scrawled
upon, spat at, urinated on and subject to disrespect.
As citizens, it is up to us to maintain and beautify our
most visible and public wealth which we paid for to
build and maintain. These are some ways in which
we can contribute to the herculean goal of a cleaner
country our ancestors fought for. It is up to every
citizen to take baby steps to support our government
to create a better world for us today and tomorrow.
It is a high time we began to shun malaria,
cholera, typhoid fever and other related diseases
completely, by paying maximum attention to the
protection of the environment, by making it clean,
beautiful and safe for life.
If you see roadside stalls littering the place
around them, locate the nearest dustbin and gather
all the waste to be disposed-off. Try to move the
dustbin closer to the stalls so that they all have
common access to it.
If all of us donate as many dustbins as we
can to small shopkeepers especially thelawalas,
chaiwalasetc who might not be able to afford it,
we can help a lot in keeping the streets litter free.
Moreover, this is easy, doesn't require a lot of time
or commitment and requires some money, but not
a lot.
If you maintain a garden outside your house
and compound, make sure that while watering your
garden, the water doesn't make gullies by the sides
of the roads. That often creates slurry and speeding
cars splash them around which dirties the roads.
Stop sticking bills, postersand pamphlets on
the wall.
Stop laughing at those who clean.
Engaging more celebrities, that's an initial
incentive to many passive ones sitting, watching the
whole drama. It starts with imitation, but I believe
will end in realization and creation.
Teaching kids about health, hygiene and
cleanliness.
Research should be encouraged in
Universities/Research
institutions
regarding
handling waste. Precisely, in detailed study of
Garbology which is a science of garbage.
Heavy and deterent fines for people who
litter, seriously that's a must as is prevalent in metro
train & stations.
Making sure garbage collecting vehicles are
regularly collecting garbage from their assigned
neighborhoods and not leaving out a single home
while on duty.
Abolition of open WCD and provision of
covered containers or closed WCD (Waste Collection
Depot).
The capacity of dustbins provided at the WCD
should be increased and they should be monitored
regularly on each WCD, if it is overflowing, should be
immediately emptied.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Employ poor to clean your locality - It will
be more than useful. Let’s say you live in Hauzkhas
and want to get your Hauzkhas area cleaned. Count
the number of houses/flats in Hauzkhas. Say 500 and
you want to employ someone to clean it. Collect 500
rupees from each family.Now you will get(500x500)
= 250000. Now you can easily employ 10-15 people
to clean your Hauzkhas area. One arrow two targets.
You will be satisfied with yourself that you are
helping to eradicate poverty.
Prohibit littering on the streets by ensuring
storage of waste in bins.
Street sweeping covering all the residential
and commercial areas on all the days of the year
including Sundays and public holidays.
Employ more workers. Delhi alone needs at
least 50000 workers and there are just 3000.
A team of workers properly trained and
equipped with modern cleaning tools should be
appointed for each area/block/locality/ward for
constantly managing proper collection of waste.
Transportation of waste in covered vehicles
on a day to day basis.
Place more bins, huge numbers of bins are
needed.
Buy more high tech equipment for cleaning.
Direct municipal authorities/police to help
workers in cleaning.
If you commute to places on public transport,
make sure that you don't throw wrappers of chips,
candies and such tit-bits out of the windows on the
streets. If someone else does it, ask them politely not
do it again.
Stop spitting - Seriously? You need to spit
on road or on wall after you chew tobacco or paan?
That’s disgusting, gross and no one would like to
clean it. It just doesn't feel right.
No one should spit or clean his nose on
the streets. In some cases the sputum is so harmful
that the germs are carried from it and they infect
others with tuberculosis. In many countries spitting
on the road is a criminal offence. Those who spit
after chewing betel leaves and tobacco have no
consideration for the feelings of others.
If you chew tobacco, find a dustbin to spit
into. The world is not your garbage bag. Have respect
for the property you frequently use and depend on
for your livelihood.
27
Check that the Municipal workers are
regularly cleaning streets as assigned in respective
area/locality/ward/block, they often remain absent.
All TV channels and radio should have full
coverage to spread the message of the government
in building Swachh Bharat through sensitizing the
masses to keep the surroundings clean.
A complete list of rules should be made by
Municipal authorities to maintain cleanliness for
displayed in each street/locality/area/ward/block
and citizens should be strictly made to follow the
rules and regulations laid by Municipal authorities
either by conferring monetary fine or punishments
even for slightest unsanitary habit like spitting on
the streets.
Also, almost on a daily basis, policemen/
municipal task forceshould be dispatched to
target spots where the population of people is
thick to control the activities of traders, hawkers,
shopkeepers, in order to make sure that they carry
out their activities within the confines of the relevant
laws governing the area.
Concluding Remarks
Sanitation and cleanliness has become a need
of time and an important aspect for PM’s Swachh
Bharat Mission complete success. PM’s Swachh
Bharat Mission, although a massive task can be
achieved by mutual cooperation withMunicipal
authorities and citizens both. Moreover, it should be
clearly understood that unless citizens share equal
responsibility with the Municipal authorities, the
goal of achieving a complete Swachh Bharat Mission
is hard to achieve.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
However, PM’s Swachh Bharat Mission initiative is
praiseworthy for wanting to pay serious attention to
public health, hygiene and sanitation, which affects
the quality of life for millions. But it needs to be
careful to make the poor and other marginal social
groups’ partners in this Swachh Bharat Mission plan.
28
Nevertheless, sanitation remains our worst
concern. India is the least improved country when it
comes to access to proper sanitation. In some places,
modern toilets have been set up but they have no
water. We have the largest population in the world
that defecates in the open.The need for public toilets
is a matter that requires urgent attention but lack of
infrastructure and strains in economy has caused
inaction and even indifference towards maintaining
proper public amenities in the country.
Spitting on the streets is another habitual
concern. Although in the Western countries it is
considered rude and a social taboo, in India though it
is not socially acceptable yet people spoil the streets.
It has become socially acceptable. It is not only
visually unpleasant to see, but can spread bacterial
diseases and is a major health concern of which most
of the population is unaware.
Apart from spitting being an unsightly habit,
the main problem is that it can spread disease.
This is a particular concern, as an incurable strain
of tuberculosis which is transmitted via droplets
released when an infected person spits, coughs
and sneezes.It is therefore important to educate the
citizens about the harmful effects of spitting.
Overall, public spaces in India are poorly
maintained. As the population in the country
continues to grow into the billions, with economic
limitations, it has been difficult to give particular
attention to their outside environment. Sanitation
problems such as litter, lack of public toilets and
spitting on the streets are a growing concern which
hinders not only the quality of the environment but
also the global image of Indian society as a whole.
The people of the entire nation must participate
faithfully in PM’s Swachh Bharat Mission drive
and make it their duty to build India clean, green,
beautiful, hygienic and thereby fulfill the biggest
dream of Mahatma Gandhi.
CALL FOR PAPERS
Indian Buildings Congress will be holding
its 20th Annual Convention and National
Seminar on ‘‘Innovative Concepts in Making
of Smart Cities’’ in May 2015 at Vigyan Bhawan
in New Delhi. Authors are requested to
contribute their papers. The paper should not
exceed 3000 words and should also contain
an abstract of about 200 words. Prospective
authors should send their brief abstract by
April 15, 2015
INDIAN BUILDINGS CONGRESS
CHIEF PATRON
M. Venkaiah Naidu
VICE PRESIDENTS
V.K. Gupta
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Urban
Development, Housing and Urban Poverty
Alleviation
Former Director General, CPWD
Parimal Rai
Principal Secretary, PWD, Health/UD, Goa
PATRONS
Madhusudhan Prasad
Dinesh Kumar
Former Engineer-in-Chief
PWD, Govt. of Delhi
Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development
Dr. Nandita Chatterjee
Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty
Alleviation
H.K. Jaggi
CAO (Const.),Northern Railway
PRESIDENT
Dr. SPS Bakshi
HONORARY SECRETARY
Pradeep Mittal
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
C.S. Prasad
HONORARY TREASURER
Brig. Girish Joshi
Chairman, S.R. Technical Institute
Chairman & Managing Director, EPIL
Dy. Dir. General Works (Designs), MES.
Former Director General, CPWD &
Chief Advisor, EPIL
EXECUTIVE MEMBERS
Surendra Singh Khurana
FOUNDER PRESIDENT
O.P. Goel
Former Chairman, Railway Board &
M.D.,Indian Railway Welfare Org.
Former Director General, CPWD
V.R. Bansal
SR. VICE PRESIDENT
Shobhit Uppal
Superintending Engineer, North Delhi MCD
Akhilesh Kumar
Dy. Managing Director
Ahluwalia Contracts (I) Ltd
Executive Director (Projects), HUDCO
Editorial Board
Member
Pradeep Mittal
Member
P. S. Chadha
Member
Bhishma Kumar Chugh
Co-Editor-in-Chief
K. B. Rajoria
Editor-in-Chief
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