Some points out of the CAG Report on working of Delhi Govt. :

DJB :

The CAG says that the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), responsible for the territory's water supply, has added only 1 MGD (million gallons per day) capacity of sewerage treatment plants, while laying about 900 km of sewer line during 2007-12 with an expenditure of Rs 1,634.18 crore.

 

“The DJB had not prepared any perspective plan for sewage management for XIth five year plan, and could collect and treat only 367 MGD (54%) out of 680 MGD of sewage generated in Delhi,” the report said.

 

Furthermore, there was a lack of equitable distribution of drinking water within the NCT, the CAG said, “due to lack of reliable data on population and water supplied to different areas,” and the absence of comprehensive metering of water meant that “less than 40% of water produced was billed during last three years.”

 

"The drinking water was not being distributed equitably amongst the population due to lack of reliable data on population and water supplied to different areas," it said

 

HOSPITALS :

In New Delhi’s hospitals, “emergency departments were not providing required services due to lack of essential equipment, medicines and adequate staff,” the report said, adding that “all the test checked hospitals were lacking in facility for purified and clean drinking water.”

 

In GTB, 31 medicines were not available for a month last year while in Rao Tula Ram Memorial hospital, patients complained that they had to purchase medicines from outside.

At Ambedkar hospital, the CAG found that 47 essential drugs were not available on many occasions during a period between 2009 and 2012.

More curiously, the CAG said that the 1000-bed Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and LN (Lok Nayak) Hospital, “have been using ambulances, mainly for miscellaneous purposes instead of for the patients”, apart from the fact that these vehicles did not have “essential equipment for basic life support system”.

 

"The OPD services were affected due to shortage of medical equipment, medicines, injections, infrastructure and medical support items. The Emergency Departments were not providing required services due to lack of essential equipment, medicines and adequate staff," it said.

In a glaring shortcomings, it was found that five hospitals did not have blood banks while the license for blood bank was not renewed in GTB hospital.

Underlining issues at the Directorate of Health Services, the CAG reported that no construction work has started at the land sites for 10 hospitals, ranging in capacity between 60-700, that were allocated between 1997 and 2008.

 

DELHI POLICE :

“Most of the funds earmarked for modernisation of Communication Branch of Delhi Police were not utilized,” the CAG said, “and as such, the modernisation of communication network in Delhi Police was not achieved.”

“Physical implementation of Intelligent Traffic System could not be started as of March 2012 due to deficient planning, thereby, depriving users of benefit of world class traffic system in Delhi,” it added.

 

TAX REVENUE :

While the tax revenues of the state increased by 21% to Rs 3,494 crore, the report pointed out short payment of value added tax ( VAT ) amounting over Rs 2,321 crore.

CAG has blamed imprudent decision making of the Delhi government in not getting the insurance cover on the basis of current valuation of assets by Indraprastha Power Generation Company Limited, resulting in a loss of Rs 2.33 crore due to under insurance.

The non-tax revenue, which constituted 2.06% of total revenue receipts during 2011-12 decreased by 89% to Rs 3,728 crore over previous year, it added.

Besides, the report also mentioned that about 39% of the audited cable operators in the city failed to pay taxes for the past three years. Moreover, the state department of finance was unable to recover entertainment tax Rs 1.26 crore from 12 cinema hall owners and luxury tax amounting to Rs  9.76 crore from the hoteliers.

 

TRANSPORT :

The auditor has criticized the department of transport for implementing the cluster bus scheme, “without a well laid out plan and concurrence of the Finance Department or Legislature.” The scheme involved corporatisation of private stage carriage buses.

 

DELHI TRANSCO :

The CAG also slammed Delhi Transco Ltd, a Delhi government company in-charge of major power transmission lines, for not being able to recover an amount of Rs 754.83 crore as transmission charge from BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd and BSES Yamuna Power Ltd.

 

OTHERS :

On implementation of projects under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, the auditor said the city Government could not utilise Rs 196.88 crore out of total grant of Rs 2823.18 crore.

"Construction of 44,720 Dwelling Units had to be dropped due to non-availability of hindrance free sites. Only 85 out of completed 10,684 DUs could be allotted to the beneficiaries," it said.

The auditor said delay in taking decisions by the Government escalated the cost of construction of Signature bridge on river Yamuna by Rs 672 crore.

more points will be uploaded soon.

Thanks 

 

B S Vohra

New Rajendra Nagar body still does it the old way

NEW DELHI: With most residents' welfare associations ( RWAs) now behaving like quasi-authorities, there is one that remains cast in the old mould. The RWA in R-block, New Rajendra Nagar believes that civic agencies—not tax-payers—should be made accountable for services. It collects a nominal annual membership of Rs 100 from residents but tries to get them all essential services by building pressure on the civic agencies concerned. 

"All we collect from a household is the annual membership fee. The RWA is not there to collect maintenance charges—that is the job of civic utilities. Our job is to ensure they do theirs. Residents already pay for basic services through taxes, and water and power bills, so why should anyone pay more?'' said D M Narang, general secretary of the association. 

The RWA takes its task quite seriously. "Household trash is collected by auto tippers every morning. There is also a dhalao nearby where garbage is collected routinely. The 33 parks in the locality are maintained by the municipal corporation or individuals," said Narang, adding, "we try to get the work done by civic agencies on behalf of the residents. A large part of DJB's bill is sewer charges, so whenever there is a sewer related problem, we ensure DJB does the work". 

The RWA gets the area discom, which maintains streetlights on behalf of the corporation, to keep them in order. For security, households pool in to hire guards for their lane while the RWA takes up problems with the local police. 

Recently, the RWA has moved a proposal to increase the annual membership from Rs 100 to Rs 500. "There are approximately 1,100 houses in R-block. We do not pressure anyone to pay the membership fee, people pay willingly,'' said Narang.

with thanks : Times of India : LINK

For Bhandaris, it was a matter of principle

NEW DELHI: When the Bhandaris, O P and Aruna, of Munirka Enclave were dragged to court in 2006, they did not foresee becoming the face of a judgment that would bring the working of most residents' welfare associations (RWAs) in the city under the scanner. The couple took a stand to not pay their RWA for services provided by civic agencies. A local court's recent judgment in their favour will have ramifications for not only Munirka Enclave but also other RWAs across the city. 

The Bhandaris' legal battle started in 2006 when the then RWA president, H C Saroha, filed a case in court. O P Bhandari, 72, says he refused to pay the RWA its Rs 200 maintenance charge as its services were "just artificially created". In 1990, when Bhandari shifted to Munirka Enclave, the charge was Rs 50; it has since increased to Rs 500 per month. 

"I completely agree that there should be a body that looks after colonies," says Bhandari, a former employee of India Tourism Development Corporation. "It should look after common areas like staircases and shafts. But no such services are being provided". 

He says the RWAs have no business charging for services like garbage collection, maintenance of parks, repair of drains etc as these jobs are done by the MCD. "RWAs have become bodies that collect funds from residents and waste them on unnecessary things. They have harassed us many times in between." 

But the RWA denies these allegations. Its office bearers say they charge for services not provided by the civic agencies. They are contemplating contesting the court's verdict. "We have lost the case on some technical points but we do plan to contest it," said a senior functionary of the RWA on condition of anonymity. 

"The Bhandaris do not pay for the colony's security that's not provided by DDA or MCD. Also, municipal workers are not always there for cleaning and maintenance," he added. 

Saroha, the complainant, says the RWA funds ensure proper cleaning of the common areas. "The civic agencies look after roads and horticulture, but common areas like chutes, quarters for labourers, chowkidars etc are taken care of by the RWA. And the Bhandaris do not pay for these services," he said.

with thanks : Times of India : LINK

Hit by verdict, RWAs at a turning point

NEW DELHI: A local court's order that residents' welfare association's (RWAs) in colonies developed by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) cannot collect maintenance charges has put a question mark on the functioning of RWAs in the capital. RWA fees—variously called maintenance charges, membership fees, common service expenses or simply security charges—may soon be challenged by residents following the landmark judgment. 

Most plotted colonies were developed by DDA and handed over to the MCD, whose offshoots—the three municipal corporations—are now responsible for their maintenance. But RWAs claim the corporations do a shoddy job so they have to look after local maintenance. Also, the charges are necessary for hiring security staff, they say. 

"While it is fair to say that municipal corporations have to do the maintenance work and the state is there to provide security, the same is not true in practice," said Ashutosh Dikshit, member of URJA, an organization of RWAs. "If we left the maintenance of parks to MCD, they would be in a shambles," said Rajiv Kakria, member, GK-1 RWA. 

The RWAs claim they need more funds to properly maintain their neighbourhoods but their present legal status is a hurdle. Dikshit says the associations are at present registered as societies under the Societies Act of 1860 which does not grant them statutory or legal protection. URJA is seeking statutory status for RWAs. 

Kakria said although his RWA charges only Rs 100 per month, the fee is not compulsory. "In a year we collect about Rs 6 lakh from residents, which is insufficient. We had to let go of some of our colony guards as gardeners, sweepers and contractors also need to be paid. We also organize cultural events and there are costs for water harvesting." 

The court ruled that RWAs can collect maintenance charges if they have been constituted for a multi-storey building complex (defined as a structure with four or more storeys of apartments) under the erstwhile Apartment Ownership Act. Most of the old DDA developed apartments do not fall in this category. Another condition about a pre-existing agreement between DDA and the RWA for collection of maintenance charges is also not applicable in most cases. 

"We will hold a meeting of all RWAs on this issue. If need be, we might approach the higher court," said Amit Aggarwal, executive member of the Vasant Kunj RWA. "If the government does not want us to collect funds, it should provide us with necessary facilities," he added. The Vasant Kunj A-Block RWA, Aggarwal said, charges Rs 200 monthly to pay salaries of 17 guards and for other services. 

While RWAs claim their existence is essential, many residents TOI spoke to said they pay membership fees not because of faith in these bodies but due to fear of boycott. 

"When I pay house tax to the corporation, why should I pay extra money to any RWA for maintenance of colony roads, parks or streetlights? None of the RWAs gets its accounts audited and selection of members is arbitrary," said Pradeep Kumar, a resident of Lajpat Nagar. A south Delhi resident said, "Most houses have private guards, so why do we need to pay security charges? But if I do not pay, the RWA can make my life difficult by denying parking space, club membership or withholding important documents like IGL forms etc," he said. 

A Sarita Vihar resident said, "I have lived here for more than a decade but am still reluctant to pay maintenance charges. The reason is lack of regular sweeping, poor maintenance of back lanes and a closed system that fails to engage residents in the management of their neighbourhoods". 

RWAs, however, stress that the system based on maintenance charges has improved colonies. Gulshan Rai, executive member of the RWA in C2-Block, Janakpuri, said, "RWAs provide many basic services and funds are needed for these, but if someone does not want to pay, they simply don't." The RWA collects Rs 1,500 a month per household.

with thanks : Times Of India : LINK

Tariff shock likely if discoms win appeal

NEW DELHI: Just when political parties are raising the pitch over bijli-paani issues, a newpower tariff shock looms large over the city. Sources said that power discoms BSES Rajdhani, BSES Yamuna and Tata Power Delhi have gone to the Apellate Tribunal of Electricity seeking immediate implementation of certain directions that the tribunal has ruled in their favour which the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission has con8tested in the Supreme Court.

Discoms said that till the time the SC grants a stay on any of the orders, DERC was duty bound to follow the tribunal's directions in tariff issues like pending dues to discoms worth over Rs 5,000 crores.

Power sector experts said that if the ATE ruled in favour of discoms, it could have a cascading effect DERC chairperson P D Sudhakar told TOI: "Whatever the ATE decides will be subject to the final SC decision. There are a number of ATE orders on tariffs which we have contested in SC and the hearings are still ongoing. If the ATE rules for discoms, certain dues will have to be paid to the power companies. But this will be spread over a period of time otherwise tariffs will rise drastically.''

with thanks : Times of India : LINK : for detailed news.

RWAs : join the Mega Federation of Delhi

RWAs, we hereby invite you to join the Mega Federation of Delhi. Please mail us your contacts to : rwabhagidari@yahoo.in

EAST DELHI RWAs JOINT FRONT : Hindustan Times

Power issue : Hindustan

WHY & HOW MOSQUITO SHOULD BE ERRADICATED

DEAR FREINDS,

WHY IT IS ESSENTIAL TO ERRADICATE MOSQUITO

1.Because it causes discomfort,diseases & death.

2.It disturbs sleep leading to inadequate sleep which may lead to industrial & road side serious accidents.

3.One has to burn goodnights ,all outs kchuwa chap agarwati etc ,has to keep the windows 7 doors closed to prevent mosquitoes from entering house.All this causes indoor pollution & increased chance of transmission of communicable diseases.

4.One has to put the fan on high speed to avoid its bite causing increases incidence of breathing problems,common cold etc specially in children & old age leading to hospitalisation

5.By taking all measures ,one or its all family members, cannot be 100% sure of safety from mosquito bite all the time.

6.Because it is very very easy to eradicate mosquito rather then to prevent its bite if we take following steps.

7.If mosquitoes are not eradicated ,a society of say 1000 houses looses annuallyat least 30,000/year on purchase of mosquito repellents besides other above mentioned risks & problems.

8.Blood & platelets transfusion has its own dangerous risks of transmission of blood born diseases like hepatitis B & HIV

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                


STEPS TO BE TAKEN TO ERRADICATE MOSQUITO :

1.First of all we have to believe /convince ourselves that:

a) mosquito can be eradicated .

b)Mosquito can breed in stagnant water only if an adult mosquito from somewhere comes to site of stagnant water & lays eggs in it .

3.We ourselves have to search for breeding sites not only in our desert coolers but in other places also like any water collection in drains ,ditches ,ponds etc. For such a dangerous animal ,one does not have to depend upon officials of govt department when it is only one time measure & one can do it.If we search 100 sites we may find breeding in only 10 sites & if we spray diesel in all 10 sites ,next time we may find breeding in only 1-2 sites.The number has to decrease day by day.In just 10 days an area can be free from mosquitoes for ever if adjacent RWAs do it together .

4.We have to survey the area & find out the colony which is having massive mosquito presence even in severe winter or severe summer.It can be confirmed by visiting the colony in the evening & looking for mosquitoes & speaking to people.

5.Search or ask people  of the area with heavy mosquito presence about where abouts of massive  collection of water .

6.Look for area of maximum breeding & get it cleaned by paying to the casual willing workers living nearby.We can always find some needy persons who will do it for some money.Put some diesel to kill larvae.If stagnation is removed or the water is cleaned of major debris & some diesel is sprayed the breeding may not recur.If it recurs ,the process can  be repeated once or twice every 4^th day.

Mosquitoes of all types whether of dengue or malaria or brain fever , come out & fly off from the place of breeding in evening just after sunset & can be easily seen.It indirectly identifies the hidden place of breeding which some times may be difficult to detect in day time as some times water is too little & hidden to be seen in the partially covered drains.Initially it is difficult to identify larvae specially if they are too many & mixed with debris.It becomes esy to identify if we sprinkle little diesel over the suspected site of breeding.If there is breeding the water surface will start vibrating due to increased activity of larvae due to blockage of dissolved oxygen supply & larvae will stand out clearly .

7.When a big site is eradicated/controlled ,many small sites automatically vanish & 99% of mosquito problem in an area of 8 kms around is solved.If at all ,there remains an area with breeding ,it can be detected & controlled.

8.Today the problem is as we all including the care takers of buildings ,schools ,institutions only worry about breeding in desert coolers as malaria department challans only if there is breeding in desert coolers .All of us are conditioned to look only in coolers.We all think that to check & take care of breeding in drains 7 ponds is the duty of malaria workers .We all depend upon few workers of malaria department for our dangerous problem of centuries.This problem is no problem if we just share the work of malaria department & look for  breeding sites other then desert coolers not only in rainy season but even in severe winter & cold ,not only in our own colony but in other colonies also.

9.We all are intelligent .It is not right to allow mosquito to kill us ,terrorise us ,to lock our selves behind closed doors & windows.

10.Remeber it breeds only in stagnant water that too in that portion which is in darkness & all larvae die if diesel/kerosene oil sprayed.

Dr VK AGGARWAL

A-7 EAST OF KAILASH NEW DELHI 110065

8800164455

Holi celebrated at Priyadarshini Vihar

Holi festival was celebrated at Priyadarshini Vihar with great enthusiasm and spirit.  All men, women and children participated in playing holi with flower petals, sandalwood paste tilak and dry gulal.  Jokes, kavitas and songs were recited by the residents, enjoyed by everyone.  Traditional gujia, kachori and thandai were served after the celeberations.  Some pictures for our members to enjoy.

 

 

Wishing you all a Happy Holi !

 

Ram Gupta

Priyadarshini Vihar RWA

Men rob Delhi businessman's house with toy gun

New Delhi: Four unidentified people, posing as BSES employees, entered the house of a businessman and made away with cash and jewellery worth lakhs of rupees after threatening his wife and children on Thursday with a toy gun, police said.

The incident was reported from Soorajmal Vihar of east Delhi's Anand Vihar area around 2.30 pm.

"The four men gained entry to the house of Pankaj Aggarwal. At the time of the incident, Aggarwal was out of the house," a police officer said.

 "The accused kept Aggarwal's wife and three children hostage at the point of a toy gun and robbed of Rs.3 lakh in cash, some jewellery and one iPhone. They tied the hands and legs of the victims before fleeing from the spot," the officer added.

According to the officer, the accused appeared familiar with the routine Aggarwal followed.

with thanks : NDTV : Link