A move towards new analysis

At Green Eminents we are experiementing analysis with new digital data. Great to see the SRTM data outputs.

Copyright@ Green Eminent, Vadodara (INDIA)

Advanced GIS Training at Vadodara - 16-22 Jan 2010

Green Eminent invites application from the candidates for the attending the Training Workshop to be organised on Geomatics - Environment, Water Resources, Flood Hazard Zones and Transportation Development Project.The fees for the each workshop would be Rs. 2500/- (5 days training) inclusive for basics of Geomatics and one choosen workshop topic.Participants are request to send their application before 10th January along with Demand Draft of Rs. 2500 (Non Refundable) payable in favour of "Green Eminent, Vadodara". and mail the details at gercbrd@gmail.com. The fees are inclusive of workshop materials, lab charges and light snacks only.In case participants requires accomodation which can be booked by us in the city. For further details contact : Green Eminent, 304 Time Square, Fatehgunj, Vadodara - 390 002. Tel: 91 -0265-3015418, +919898353419

Why Surat Slum Demolished??

The SMC under the pretext of providing alternate housing to the Slum Dwellers of Surat at the site located 15 kms away from the present location, has demolished the slums. In the context it has given repeated floods also the reason for the shift. It is well remembered that Surat 2006 flood did not spared more than 50 percent of its area from water level 4-12 feet on the steets. More housing societies, apartments, and office establishments was severely affected. The reaction by the irrigation department was to plan an new embankment, which they did after year. Now, the new plan is not known to the people, new embankment was constructed whereever they could find the land vacant adjacent to the river bank. Now it looks the embankment may create further danger to the city.

The SMC has not listned to the peoples demand while taking the decision to uproot them from present site. Moreover, they are forcibly removed. A mockery of the present housing and habitat policy, Jnnurm - IHSDP/ BUSP guidelines. What makes city government so hostile!!

Same old attitude, peoples consultation, participation and sharing of plans is minimal. Whatever has been done to complete the assign tasks, get the funds and make the city 'slum free'. Their rights has been violated has already been explained in earlier post.

The flood provides the best opportunity to demolish the slums, the obstruction of the releasing of flood water is blamed on the slums but not on the town planning and the encroachment of the river basin by the builders lobby abetted by administration with utter disregard to the environment and ecology.
The narrowing of the Tapi river is revealing one. 40 years back it could carry 10 lakhs cusec of water. It has been reduced to 3.5 lakhs cusec. After the flood it can not accept more than 3 lakhs which can be further reduced if there is high tide to 2.5 lakhs. I. E 14-8-06
The general width of Tapi is 600 meter which is 400 meters at Adajan. 200 meters has been reduced because of encroachment of Tapi by the builders. Again when Ukai dam was constructed, there was no Hazira Complex. The Hazira Industrial complex raised 2 to 3 meter reducing the releasing of water of Tapi to the sea.

Green Eminent, has recently submitted its evaluation report on the concern sites to the community affected by the present housing policy of the SMC. Lets see how things shape in coming times..

Common Men and City

Following is an email forwarded to me by someone, I think it raises several questions.
Makes you think alot;

Common Man- My Foot---------------General feeling amongst High Class People
Common Sense is very Uncommon.
Our Attitude: Let Common Man Suffer, but our Children Should Have all privileges.
Apparently, the definition of Common Man has been revised, reinvented, rediscovered and rephrashed as per the vested thinking of some builders & real estate brokers in Ahmedabad.

Common Man is one :
a) Who has a bunglow with large open space.
b) Who has a decent Car
c) Who has capability to book multiple house units & artifically jack up dwelling units price to an unaffordable level depriving the real needay first time buyers.
d) Whose children studies in International tag school where annual fees is about 5-6 lacks.
e) Who watches the first show of movies in Multiplex on every friday.
f) Who goes for outing every vacation
g) Who spends 15-20 days at least in foreign land outside India every year.
h) Who goes to Mall for daily purchase of household eatable items.
i) Whose children in teens goes to Australia, UK etc for further studies.
k) Who keeps all white goods and pricy technical gadgets.
and so on.

Builders are eying these common man and construction houses for these people only.

Can anybody ask these builders and real-estate brokers about the fundamentals of building price valuation in the face of the fact the property price appreciation that have taken in last 4-5 years @ 400%. What was available at 4-5 lacks for 2 BHK at Western Ahmedabad say in 2005 and the same flat is available at now 20-25 lacs. If somebody purchases at 25 lacs for 2 BHK flat at this time and if the rate of appreciation continues then after 5 years, 2 BHK flat will cost Rs. 75 Lacs -1 Crore.

Is it not mockery. Builders are simply befooling people in the name Real Estate Shining. To further befool public so called common man, they have hijacked the first page of Dailies and insert all misguiding articles on Metro Projects, Green Building Projects, Satellite Township Project, etc

We all know that Metro Project for Ahmedabad is not feasible till 2050 at least. Integrated Township project has not seen the light of the day for many years, however that has benefitted a lot to builders in fleecing gullible customers by charging exhorbitant prices much above their true value.

The more you write through blog , the more GoG has turns nelson eye to the soaring problem and help the builders to keep plundering the common man in the name of Affordable House.

Surprisingly, Affordable House means 2 BHK flat @ Rs. 20 Lakhs especially knowing the fact that the majority of Ahmedabad house seekers can not afford to have 2 BHK even at 5 Lakhs inspite of going to Banks/NBFCs for loan.

No genuine buyers are there and it is evident from the fact that large no of units are lying vacant as orphans.

Are we not sitting on another case of Dubai Debt.

Builders and Brokers keep looting people and make life miserable for Common Man. You have the support of Ministers as stakeholders in your company. To absolve from this sin, you can donate food packets for beggars at times or hold Religious function on the road side at S.G Highway.

Media can be spokesperson on behalf of Builders fraternity in befooling Common Man. TV correspondents keep attending mocktail/cocktail party of Celebs like Cricketers and Movie Stars.

IIM Grads' salary is not the base of common salary of people in India.
IIMs & IITians use your intellectual knowledge to take India from Darkness.
Sustainability can co-exist with Common Man's Affordability only.

What would happen to the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) of Urban Master Plan when its members are builders and ministers only ?
Why is our policy not all inclusive ?
Why the first page of Newspapers carries articles talking big about some ambitious project which has not taken any root at the behest of Builders?
Why the society is going to Dogs?
Why most of the commercial complex and residential units are lying vacant for last three years ? Why there is a large tract of open land in the midst and heart of Ahmedabad ?
Why there is no regulator to ensure fair and transparency in land dealings?
Why real estate brokers do not have to reveal their income ?
Why there is more ads about selling housing units on portals & newspaper rather than genuine buyers?
Why there is no Govt statistics that shows the real first time house buyers numbers every year against those who are multiplying units for the sake of fuelling and inflating real estate property prices ?
Why there are so many Ads & Hoardings from Builders when their units are sold like Hot Cakes. ( Go to any builders at the bhoomi pujan ceremony, he will say all units have been booked )
Why there is a pittance salary for the employees in private cos including Builders ? 4K to 5K per month.
Why there is no voice against the unjust rise in property prices and house rentals from Industries and Academic Institution who are making all drama about Energy Saving and Climate Change ?
Why there is no Common Man definition properly done?
What is the population in Ahmedabad that can afford to have 2 BHK flat @ Rs. 5 lakhs even ?
Why there is penalty against developers who complete project in many years ?
Why Govt is not doing any residential projects for Middle Class ie Common Man ?
Why building built for EWS goes into the hands of Brokers and then sold to high class people to make money by selling at an unaffordable price ?
Why there is delay in bringing more Cement cos when we know that there is a cartelisation among cement cos and there is huge deficit of cement supply as demand exceeds supply.
Why housing loan often the reason for rising succide case ?
Why IIMs and other B-Schools churn out mere Grads rather then Entrepreneurs ?

India has Democracy or Democrazy/Hypocracy ?
GOD Save us.
You may also join the debate

Surat Demolition: Housing Rights Violated

What you have provided to poor? We have allotted them house and they are not moving into it? Do what ever you want they have to be evicted from illegal occupation of land and river bed? We would grant them houses once they prove they are residents of this city? And thus the questions for those who turns head while answering questions of the rights violation of the poor slum dwellers in Surat. The municipal commissioner would be sole saviour of the lives of the people, they know the helpless people would not go to court, cannot ask for mercy and would be thrown and bulldozed. Hundreds of families and childrens are on streets again, this time its not communal riots or natural disasters like flood or earthquake. The Surat Municipal Corporation has struck them hard, they may find it incapable to escape from this onslaught. The rights have been thrownaway to ashes. The manderins of power and games they play has kept the poor slum dwellers of the Surat on tenterhooks since last few months and few days ago they were swept by the power of governence.
The appeal and protests of the people are responded not with mild response, but brute police force, hearding them outside the frames of demolition machines. Media through its irresponsible reporting is busy in making the slum dwellers, an eyesore, filth and dirt on the land of Surat. The city which these migrant traders, labourers, vendors, maid women, children had adopted is no more their own, they are at receiving end as fall out of new housing scheme and unacceptable flood protection disguise of displacement.

Where else Gujarat has found its human face of development? Its Surat, the human rights violation and fundamental regards for its own citizens the SMC has errored again. No matter the slum dwellers would be forgotten but these very children who lost shelter and right to make living would never forget the day and people who made this happen. We are ashamed for those professional who advised for such inhuman treatment to poor, without understanding their voices and concerns.

Few of us would crib but in the name of modernity and improvisation the renewal seems to have regained the violation and aggressive behaviour of babus in municipal administration supported by the state political lobbies at the very top. God save Gujarat!!

Demolition and Deprivation of Urban Dwellers

Demolition of slums and squatters are back in the action an aftermath of the urban renewal schemes. The schemes targeting the cities to be modernised and also ceased the opportunity to make the city slum free has attacked the poor housing in urgency. On the one hand they have been told to take whatever the city government is offering or else get away from the path of developmental works. Means to benefit the contractors, politicians and elites.

Whereever the programs has been active onslought on the poor households in eminent. Recent demolition of slums in Surat is one such example. The use of extreme force in the face of opposition from the resiedents are part of cleaning drive.

Inspite of the restrains and clear housing policy the local government is not ready to give the slum dwellers time to ask for more or choose their future. What to talk of public participation? Beggers cannt be choosers, people are bundled out of houses which they thought of being protected in city since last 40 years. The lives and well being of the poor is an astray, and legal sanction of the such demolition is extreme. The courts have no time to hear and the municipality is quick to react on the face of opposition.

The loss of property among the poor is immense and tenure security is no where to be seen. Urban planners are party to such efforts of the local governments. The humanist tradition of city planning is gone awary and result quick action. Just make city clean and slum free. The earlier efforts of regularization, slum upgradation, slum improvement and resettlement has no consequence on the present action in Surat. More so in other metropolitan cities of India. What next? People would be left to mend on their own, would be divided on the communal and caste lines. For those worthy of political and administrative fortune may get alternate housing. Gujarat boast of development leaders ship, but still urban bodies are harsh on the poor.

The rich and elites are allowed to stay on the river banks and poor are taken away some 15 kms away to be dumped like a rag and waste to survive. It makes commen sense to be sensitive to human rights issue but how do we care to listen? The corporation have to service the contractors, builders and elite class.

This deprivation would in future can become costly in terms of increasing unrest and crime rates in city. The corporation dictact in such a case would be long drawn tactics to play in the hands of the few who claim to have acheive the success. Is there is way out of this mess?

Slamming Slums - its BUSP way in India

Somebody somewhere in Indian cities are coining the word again and again...and this time it has reached nearly at policy level. Thats calling "Slum Free India - 2050 AD" or 2020 AD. May be the groups supporting the agenda wants to say India would not have slums.. What a total disregard of the academic inputs for last three decades? Even the countries claiming to be developed could not eradicate it on the face of it, yet it has managed to throw interest on the so called quasi-subject experts citing visible changes at one locality or other. Whehter "Slums" are misunderstood..by professionals..yes to an extent they have claimed to remove slums by changing the physical apprearance ..no matter it reverts back to some other form or new clusters develops somewhere else.

National Slum policy...(For eradication of slums..) sic..throw them away from the city heart, costly lands, river banks, ponds, near posh (high value ) clusters. Just make them invisible from the urban morpohology. People supporting the BUSP projects are back in action, without adhering or listning to impact of major shift or change in location on the overall the social systems, character, spaces, family security or work-place relationships of the slum dwellers. The poor persons in urban India is back in limelight with all projects adhering to servicing the poor. Atleast on paper there are claims. ..What has happened in cities is worse. The fight for space between those who have and those who do'nt has increased. In our recent visit to field in Gujarat s commercial hub, we are aghast by manner in which people living in 400 slums are proposed to be packed up in far of places. People are lured to adhere to housing offer..at the cost of loosing the present house. Little consultation, understanding or study has been conducted with those people who would be forcibly removed. Keep the medium and small towns for the project where its vote bank politics or power struggle that throws the weight behind who's who of getting housing. In metropolitan cities, people are at the loosing end looking at local goons, leaders and officers to allot a peice of land, allow them to stay, finance the housing or at best let them live in peace.

We know we are minority voice in professional way of dealing with urban issues. Let hear from you..

Making water-excreta accounts

As per our observation earlier here is an article reproduced from the online journal.....(anticipated thanks to editor..)

Editorial by Sunita Narain,

(published in Down to Earth, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi)

How will India supply drinking water in cities? Many argue the problem is not inadequate water. The problem is the lack of investment in building infrastructure in cities and the lack of managerial capacities to operate the systems, once created. This line of thought then leads logically to policy reform, to invite private investment and hand over public water utilities to private parties to operate.As a result, private-public partnerships have become the buzzword in water management circles. The problem is that this strategy assumes too much, knows too little. It has no clue about the political economy of water or sewage in India (and other similar countries). It, therefore, makes a simple assumption that if water is ‘correctly’ priced - what is known as full cost pricing - it would facilitate investment from the private sector and provide a solution to the water crisis facing vast regions of the developing world.As a result, municipal water reforms have become synonymous with the World Bank promoted scheme of 24x7 - supply of constant water so that pressure in water pipes will reduce leakage from adjoining sewage pipes and reduce the enormous health burden caused by dirty and polluted water. In the 24x7 water distribution scheme, governments hive off parts of the city water distribution to private contractors. The key presumption is the contractor will reduce water distribution losses - currently estimated to be between 40-50 per cent of water supplied in our cities.The reasoning is impeccable, except that it forgets the cost of the system has to be affordable, so that it can be sustainable. In India, few municipalities rarely compile water and sewage accounts. But our recent research in compiling city-level data shows a pattern difficult to miss.Almost all cities - of the 72 we surveyed - are struggling to balance their accounts and failing. The one expense that is killing them is the cost of electricity - to pump water from long distances to the city and then to pump water to each house and to pump the waste from the house to the sewage treatment plant. Bhubaneswar, for instance, brings its water from the river Mahanadi, some 30 km from the city, and spends 56 per cent of costs on electricity. Pune, which has invested in creating a citywide water distribution network, spends roughly Rs 25 crore annually to pump roughly 800 million litres daily of water it supplies to its people.Thus, when cities search for new sources of water, they rarely consider what it will cost them to bring the water to the city. The plan is sold as an infrastructure project. The costs are paid for as capital expenditure. But what are not considered are how the project and the length of the pipeline - or canal - will impact the city’s finances, and indeed if the city can spend, month after month, on its electricity bill to pump the water. What is also not considered is how the city, which spends higher and higher costs of electricity, will spend on the repair and maintenance of the pipeline. And, if it cannot, will it be able to supply water to all. In other words, can it afford to subsidize all and not just the water-rich.But this is yet half of the sum. The other half involves not water, but the waste the water will create. The agency will have to price the cost of taking back the waste - the more the water supplied, the more the waste generated - conveying it and then treating. More costs.Even this is not the full story. If the agency cannot pay for the sewage disposal system, its waste will pollute more water - either the water of its downstream city or its own groundwater. Remember, also, we all live downstream. The cost of pollution makes water economics more difficult. For instance Agra, located downstream of Delhi and Mathura, spends huge amounts of its water budget on buying chlorine to clean water. Now it wants to get another source of water - how long will that stay ‘clean’ is another question.The fact is no municipality can do what economists preach - raise prices to reflect the full costs. Instead, they spend money on supply and as costs go up, they have to increase the subsidy to the users or supply less to most. On an average, Indian cities charge between Rs 2-3 per kilolitre (kl), when they should be charging Rs 8-10/kl. And if their distribution losses are taken into account, charge between Rs 10-14/kl. If we add sewage costs, then the bill increases by roughly 5 times the cost of water supply. In this case, the family, which pays Rs 2-3/kl will have to pay Rs 40-50/kl. How feasible is this?But such pricing of water and waste is incomplete without its political economy. For, who gets the water and how much? In answering that, you will learn the political economy of water and excreta where the rich, and not the poor, are subsidized in urban India.

Comment < cse@equitywatch.org >

Urban Planning : Mismanagement in Indian Cities

Once we leave our metropolitan cities which has seen huge investments in infrastructure, we may concentrate on the metros and medium towns of India. Its poor hygenic conditions including the water logging, ever increasing solid waste, disposal of caracasses, poor drainage infrastructure and poor housing condition makes us stand apart in achieving the MDG goals set for 2020. We are far behind in planning for the suitable infrastructure, our cities are at best could manage to supply some water to citizens, but would be lacking in suitable planning and management skills. We lack sense of urgency, may be we have left the cities to mend for themselves, the peoples representatives (political persons), administratiion and civic machinery has made mess of city systems.

Somehow urban planners takes pat on their back on seeing mamonth growth of large metropolitans but no body takes responsibilities of the smallers cities. We do not know when and how this would happen. Either the cities themselves lacks the will or the professionals are not inclined to listen to the warnings. We may look outwards on the issues, like climate change, sustainability, gender etc., as beating points of our workshops and agendas but who would dare to correct the basics. Even the amount of expenditure done at these 'other' cities are huge but not enough to call it suitable for the 21st century. Growth of cities has been huge, cities expanded at the cost of sourroundings agricultural fields, bunglows, villas, tenaments, and apartments are being constructed no matter whether the civic authorities have capacity and willingness to provide the services. Quality of urban life in the metros or medium cities in India is steadfastly declined, owning largely to inefficiency and colousness attitude of those who are incharge of managing.

whether these are eyeopener to urban planners and infrastructure developers, can'nt say unless we have totally thinking of new towns (as this has been happening in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Haryana). Forget these old and stinking towns the new urban dwellers are invited to newers settlements closer to airports and green field projects (SEZ, SIA, DMIC etc). When the systems would adhere to needs of people? We do not have answers at Green Eminent, we may look for some...

Regional Planning : Misunderstood??

We are in the era of regional dissatisfaction throwing numerous issues to our planners developing nations. Regional systems are less understood in context of planning. Rather its administrative systems that has taken care of planning in India and developing nations. We are made to believe that administrative boundries are apt for the planning, so is district planning has been evolved and practiced in India. Now, with limited natural resources and quality of human being, inter-exchange between the regions have become important, thus resulting in migration of human beings and transfer of goods inbetween regions. You may call it districts attracting or repelling its resources and manpower to the neighbouring regions pulling the resources.

Urban centres have been major source of regional development resulting in its growth or decline. These centres whether small, medium or big cities or metro have affected the aggregated regional characterstics, this may trans district or block or taluka. In this context we are yet to undertake a serious excercise in assessment of situation. Regional plans are limited in scope in urban areas more so not instrumental in targetting the region, as a whole these are more of servicing the city or urban centres. Villages or Panchayat have limited role in making such plans. Whether we have cared for such regions which during our various plan periods we might have identified? Can'nt say for sure, we are not servicing the region or thinking about resource balancing or assessment. Then how and when we should talk about climate change, sustainable development and socio-economic development. Rather thought are limited to few academicians, and decision makers, we need to be seriously thinking about it. What do you say?

Public-Private-Public: City Dwellers

The world is going ga ga over the virtues of public-private partnerships in urban projects. But we have kept thinking about the public (aam aadmi) or Private (Big Industry) or Public (government) or private (who?). The notion seems to be clear after seeing the kind of partnerships that has come about in our urban affairs. Some of the examples can be

(a) Road Management - Give to business guys, who can maintain the dividers and junctions. (Oh! he get stake in claiming the circle/Junctions). But why not we go ahead and name the roads by name of industrial houses. Unofficially most of the roads at least in Gujarat is known to public by these names (Reliance, L&T, Ambani, GAIL etc).

Do not talk of Toll roads (on NH/SH) , these are easy venue for the taxing the commuters ever after in the name of development, What not the ideals of PP would have been?

(b) Garden and Public Parks: Yet again a good start for the some cities, but these privates have made party plots, golf courses and corporate maidan in name of servicing the public spaces. (What can we do our corporations did not have money to maitain?).

(c) Solid Waste: Public-Private ; an easy way to get away with regular workers. Pay them and forget that they exist in the city. Urban areas have been mess these days...an overloaded concept of SWM. Guys you would not find nothing apt to see it as rat race in urban India. May be this is the case in developing countries.

(d) Water Bodies Management: Alas! the most attractive PP for the realestate guys has been to take care for the development of water bodies, instead it pays heavily to invest in beautification of these forgotton waterscapes in urban areas. We are not backin up while covering the rivers like Yamuna, Sabarmati, Gomti etc and now even Ganga with Urban structures..damaging and creating rut in the system. What would CPCB and State pollution control people would do?

Sit idle guys the 'public' , i.e. the government and people both are being nearly robbed of quasi-legal private system, endangering cities in the hands of industries who are prone to see profits. Say. Whats harm? We must pay for the inefficiency of public systems and our city governance.

For Urban Citizens

Its hard to find event, dealing with too much pampering of urban regimes within the our current social setup. We the citizens of the cities are bound to act only when pushed to corner in the event of disaster (natural or man mase) for the benefit of larger masses. Otherwise its always 'We' and 'They' while defining the relationship between citizens and administration. We are not in talking terms with citizens neither citizens like to interact with us in saying what they desire. On the event of public private programmes it becomes difficult to manage and take clue from the people on the streets. Moreover the governence has never been closer to citizens in the present context. Its upto the citizens to write their greviences in a peice of paper the post or mail to nearest office to get it resolved. How we are going to improve further the level of interaction in order to assure to improved quality of services from city administration?

An encounter with Idea of Naxalism in Gujarat state...

We have been now fed with the news that Gujarat state in India, is likely to be developing as new naxal hot bed in country. On the one hand there is speculation that assertation of basic right to living, for land and choosen occupation by the tribals is way forward to naxals. Though there has been discontent with the state and central governments towards not stopping the violence by state in the name of 'development'. The state has repeatdly sidelined the tribals and other backward communities in the state for the want of industrial space. The common property resources have now turned open for the state to invite the industry, say targetting nearly 30 to 40 thousand hectares of land in last two years. The promised land were supposed to be governments owned...so on what pretext government kept it open during last 60 years of its existence. Its apathy of state to target the voiceless in the name of development. The landless and poor do not have space to generate the livelihood and the state is extravagent on giving so called surplus land to industrial sector. Thus, not only creating poverty for masses but also showing its inability to tackle food insecurity.

People in Gujarat may not take arms as it had happned in state of AP, Jhakhand, MP and Chattisgarh, but this discontent would prove costlier for the state in terms of political instability, increase in crime and social unrest. The idea of 'India' to become super power cannot be done by running over the poor peasents. This would call for Gujarat opening its ground for naxal ideologies to be accepted in eastern belt, as popularised by mass media. Land acquisition and massive displacement has sown the seeds of dissatisfaction from the state functionaries and would call for near change in the system of governence to give majority the power to decide (if this does not come with current format of democracy). Would it not be right to call it our encounter with Idea of Naxalism in Gujarat?

Contribution invited from Social Scientists

Green Eminent - Research Centre, invites contributions in form of project briefs, papers and data for its upcoming publications on the Public Social Development Reports of states of India (2010 AD). Likely to be published in March 2010. Authors are request to submit the papers and reports concerning their areas of study in typed format with resumes. Selected contributors for the reports would be paid a token remuneration for their contribution. Please note the following dates
25th Novembers 2009- Abstracts (200 words)
10th December 2009 - Intimation to Authors
15th February 2010- Full Paper
30th February-2010-Peer Review (Register your self as reviewers by sending resume)
15th March 2010-Draft Publication (online)
31st March 2010 - Final Publication (Free Public Access)
Note: All Papers and communication can be done through this blog or mail to gercbrd@gmail.com
Area of Interest: Rural Development, Regional Development, Urban Planning, Geoinformatics, Industrial Growth, Decentralised Planning, Sustainable development, Climate Change, Environmental Status, Peoples Participation etc.

ASSIGNMENTS FOR GIS/RS Semister I

Problem Statement:
Prepare a System Design Document for a department - the system design should be part of the Geographical Information System, inclusive of System Input (Data and Information required), System Process (Analytical) and System Output (Maps, Charts, Reports etc.).

For the system design you must start with decision to be taken for the departments. Example for the system design departments can be - Urban Planning, Water Supply, Property Tax, Forest, Transport, Fire Brigade/Disaster Management, Housing /Estate, Environment Management, Public Health etc.

Submission Format:
Use sheet of paper for representing system design in Flow diagram, indicating the various items or functions, relationship between the items. You may submitt the diagram in A3 or A4 sheets.

Submission Deadline : 29th October 2009, mail me at; gercbrd@gmail.com

Shashikant Kumar

Urban Planning - Research Journals

Some of the important research publications are done by Routledge, United Kingdom, You may visit following links

Urban Policy and Research - www.tandf.co.uk/journals/cupr

Journal of Urbanism - www.tandf.co.uk/journals/rjou

Cities: Analysis of urban Trends, Culture, Thoery, Policy, action - www.tandef.co.uk/journals/ccit

I had ordered some sample copies. It would be our liberary from December onwards. You may also visit the site for sample copies.

IUSSP Conference on Population concludes in Marrakech (Morocco)

Merrakech (3rd October), The XXVU IUSSP international conference on population concludes with concerns expressed on the plenary held on the population and environment, specifically targetting the general views expressing the inability of world to address the issues concerning the environments, had called demographers to participate in the climate change studies in the world. The conference has more than 2400 participants, dicussing various research themes in more than 220 regular paper discussion sessions and poster presentations. To learn more about the conference please visit: http://www.iussp.org/

Mr. Shashikant Kumar, Director, Green Eminent - Research Centre, attended the conference.

Pvt sector role needed to make India slum-free: Govt

The private sector may have to chip to ensure the success of the government's ambitious flagship programme Rajiv Awas Yojna to make the country slum-free.

"There would be a requirement of about Rs 4 lakh crore to implement Rajiv Awas Yojna and the money cannot be sourced from the government alone," said Union Minister of State for Urban Development Saugata Ray while addressing an Assocham seminar on 'private equity in infrastructure'.

Private players will have a big role to play in the project and the modalities are being worked out by the Planning Commission, Ray said.

The scheme, which aims to make the country slum free in five years, got a special mention in the Presidential address as a flagship programme of the Centre.

Referring to another flagship programme of the government, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), he said "we are seeking a loan of USD 5 billion from the World Bank and negotiations are on".

Source: www.indianexpress.com

urban planning research » Blog Archive » Ferguson on Quantitative Research Methods in Planning: A Comparative Assessment of ‘Teaching’ versus ‘Practic

urban planning research » Blog Archive » Ferguson on Quantitative Research Methods in Planning: A Comparative Assessment of ‘Teaching’ versus ‘Practice’

urban planning research

A nice outlook on the quantitative research methodology...

urban planning research » Blog Archive » Ferguson on Quantitative Research Methods in Planning: A Comparative Assessment of ‘Teaching’ versus ‘Practice’

Mumbai: BMC's Call for Proposal: Planners Nighmare??

If the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has its way, Mumbai's next 20-year development plan will entail higher floor space index (FSI), an opening up of salt pans and no development zones to set up buildings, and skygardens on top of buildings to compensate for lack of open spaces. India's largest civic administration has chalked out this radical vision for Mumbai as it sets out to revise the city's development plan for the period 2014-2034.

Despite the city already bursting at its seams, with infrastructure that is way behind its growing population, the BMC has proposed highrise construction and using salt pan lands for residential, commercial or residential zones with "adequate infrastructural augmentation" among other drastic proposals like reclamation from the sea.

The civic body's 'vision' is spelled out in a global expression of interest (EoI) document that invites private consultants to help carry out existing land use survey, preparing population and employment projections, and compiling data pertaining to civic and transport infrastructure. However, activists aver that ordinary citizens should be consulted on any development plan.

At a seminar on Tuesday, industrialist and civic activist Cyrus Guzder told a gathering, which included civic chief Jairaj Phatak, that the development plan ought to be the plan of the people and not of those having a vested interest. "Such an important plan, which will be locked for the next 20 years, should be discussed and deliberated with citizens at the polling booth level," he added.

Besides opening up the salt pans, the BMC also wants to explore alternative means of augmenting land through conversion of no-development zones (NDZs) to commercial zones or residential zones with "adequate infrastructural augmentation". The civic administration also does not mind looking at the option of reclamation of land to "promote sustainable development within the framework of prevailing environmental regulations".

Another radical idea suggested by the BMC is the creation of "community skygardens" to compensate for the lack of open spaces in the city. Community skygardens are gardens set up on the terraces and podiums of residential buildings. BMC planners feel that this could be an answer to the open space shortage in Mumbai which is currently less than 0.03 acres per 1,000 people—the lowest in the world.

The BMC envisages a higher FSI for the city. "To study the concept of promoting highrise construction by evolving suitable urban design models, facilitating enhanced incentive FSI to accommodate the projected residential and commercial demand and at the same time favour development that reduces ground coverage in exchange for greater height, with a view to augment open space requirement," said the document which goes on to repeat the cliche of transforming Mumbai into a "world-class city with a vibrant economy and globally comparable quality of life for its citizens".

The BMC's vision is in line with the thinking of Mumbai's builder lobby, which has been persuading the powers that be to increase FSI and open up the last remaining open areas in the city like the salt pans for development purposes. The salt pans, spread over 5,000 acres in the suburbs, are eco-sensitive and act like natural sponges which absorb the water during heavy rains. In fact, only last month Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh, replying to a query by TOI on the salt pan lands, had said there was a view among the top political and government leadership in Delhi that salt pans should not be opened up for development.

Civic sources pointed out that the salt pan lands are protected areas, and inviting expressions of interest seeking conversion of this land into residential and commercial zones was violating protected area norms. "It is like asking for converting the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, a protected forest area, into a residential and commercial zone. If that is unacceptable then why should the destruction of salt pan lands be acceptable?" said sources.

Activist and architect P K Das pointed out that the Development Plan is not about skills of drawing and imaging but an assessment of the needs and demands of the city. "Can outsiders without active engagement of local agencies and communities decide for us how we should use our land and what should be the nature of our development?" he asked.

The Expression of Interest (EoI) is silent on the issue of local area participation. Industrialist Cyrus Guzder said the plan should be prepared at two levels. "At the official level, you have the strategists who set the vision for the city and at the polling booth level local residents, who plan and inform how their area should be developed. The two should then be integrated," he said. Inviting objections and suggestions from the public at the fag end does not serve any purpose, he added.

Das pointed out that every area was different and is historically an independent identity. "Bandra is as different from Juhu as is Chembur from Dharavi. Each area with local participation should be envisioned such that it fits in with the larger vision," he said.

According to Das, reclamation of land from the sea was a complete no-no. "At present, reconstruction is happening all over the city under various policies. This clearly shows that there is capacity for expansion on the existing land. What is required is an optimum use of land assessment," he said. "The city's main demand is for housing but the expansion is happening only in the upper segment and not in the lower segment. Even if more land is added, it may be diverted for other purposes and not the real demands of the city," he said.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

Welcome to AMUL - The Taste of India

Welcome to AMUL - The Taste of India

Amul story never leaves us alone it continues to evolve in new avtar, with the strength of the cooperatives in Gujarat, the Anand, Vadodara, Mehsana, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha district is reaping largest benefits. Even the districts like Banaskantha, has created record in collecting 25 Lacs liters of milk a day from its members. The products on display is simply world class.

Only the commercialisation of the dairy products needs to match with equitable distribution of the profits to the members rather than limited to dairy industry. This time the Green Eminent have thought to think about the regional planning framework for the dairy producing regions of the state. Hope we go ahead!!

Indian slums are incredibly productive: Stanford study

Slums : A outlook of Researchers

There is need to study slum from the perspective, when cities are not capable for supplying enough housing for the masses. We are the stage of development when we cannot just ignore the 40-60 percent of the city population, while planning for the city development. There has been war cry by the NGOs to restrain the city administrators in creating havoc in the lives of the people. The traditional approach has to be revisited to cater to larger population..with security of tenure and means of livelihood.

Indian slums are incredibly productive: Stanford study

Flipkart.com: Land Acquisition, Displacement And Resettlement In Gujarat: Lancy Lobo, Shashikant Kumar: Books Buy Land Acquisition in India

Flipkart.com: Land Acquisition, Displacement And Resettlement In Gujarat: Lancy Lobo, Shashikant Kumar: Books Buy Land Acquisition in India

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ISRO has launched BHUVAN for its quest for providing easy access of imageries and vector data to citizens. User need to download the web interface from www.bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in (you also need to download DirectX and .Net Framework from the site to view the interface. Please register to download from site.

Green Eminent would be happy to take feedback from the Bhuvan users and launch citizens Bhuvan User Group shortly. Your participation in the utilization of the interface is required.

TRACK SWINE FLUE

We request interesting in getting mapping done for Swine Flue for Indian cities and district can contact us for mapping the disease related data and supply to them on daily basis. We also request to take necessary precaution in releasing the data to the public. Together we would be able to tackle the issue.

Find Swine Flue Updates from Following Links
HealthMap | Global disease alert map

Workshops for August - GIS/RS Stands Cancelled

We have decided to cancel the workshop scheduled from 16thAugust to be canceled till further notice. We appreciate the responses we had received, we were not able to fill the required candidates for the workshop. Given the structure we would come back with new dates soon.

Launch of IGIS - GIS/IP Software by ISRO in Bangalore 29th July

We are glad to announce the launch of IGIS, first GIS/IP package developed by the our associates and colleagues in geoinformatics development in Gujarat [ScanPoint Geomatics Ltd.]

IGIS is an enterprise wide solution for anything Geomatics. It is a seamless Geomatics system with both single user/multiuser platform capabilities and includes Geographical Information System, Image Processing and its integration with the real time information using GPS.

Green Eminent has been associated with the product development during the conceptual and proposal stages. Now we are working towards making the country's own developed GIS and IP Software accessible to all. Those who want to have purchase, training and knowhow of the IGIS can also contact us for details. We would be happy to help.

Lets congratulate the Mr. Ramesh Sojitra (MD) , Mr. Chirag Soni (Director IT) for this long due achievement.

Conference Alert - GIS and RS Worskhop 16th-22nd August 2009

Green Eminent is pleased to announce GIS/RS workshop for professionals

Date: 16th - 22nd August 2009
Venue: Green Eminent, Vadodara
Fees: Rs.8000/- (Eight Thousand Only) or Rs. 1800/day (for selected days only)

Students: More than 5 would be accomodated in workshop provided their application should reach us through the institution. Students fees (Rs. 800/- per day for three days only)

The applicants are requested to send following information with application

Name, Occupation, Professional Address, Qualification, Email, Tel.No.

Send in Word Document to: gercbrd@gmail.com

Please Note: We may arrange for accommodation only on payment basis. Those who have applied earlier need not apply.

THE URBAN DIMENSION - SEZ in INDIA

Special Economic Zones (SEZ) is thoughtful impetus for the respectable economic growth aimed by the planning commission and Government of India. What baffles the urban planners the gross neglect of urban or regional planning while thinking about SEZ empire for INDIA.

From their location it is evident that SEZs are very much an urban phenomenon, with the formation of new cities that will be clustered around existing cities. Worse, a number of the SEZs, especially in the IT/ITES sector, 59 are too small to be planned in an integrated manner. For example, of the 27 SEZs in Ranga Reddy district around Hyderabad, 19, all in the IT/ITES sector, are less than 50 hectares. A higher rate of urbanisation is an inevitable consequence and a necessary facilitator of rapid growth but are we prepared for this? What are the arrangements to run the SEZ cities that will emerge if the policy succeeds?

The existing SEZ Act - mentions the word ‘urban’ in two places, once to note that the Ministry of Urban Development may form part of the Board of Approvals, and the other to provide fiscal relief in case a unit moves from an urban area to an SEZ. The word ‘plan’ or ‘planning’ occurs once in the SEZ Act, in the fiscal context mentioned above, but it does occur twice in the rules, to state that the building approval plan will have to be submitted to the Development Commissioner who shall place it before the Approval Committee for consideration and to state that the developer and codeveloper should ‘abide by the local laws, rules, regulations or bye-laws in regard to area planning, sewerage disposal, pollution control,’ etc.

It is apparent that the urban aspects of the SEZs have received little thought and consideration. This is true even in the deliberations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce, which did receive some submissions on the urban planning issue from the Ministry of Urban Development. However, the Committee’s recommendation to reduce the overall size of SEZs and increase the processing area indicates an inappropriate comparison between SEZs and industrial estates, rather than industrial townships.

It appears that the physical planning of the SEZ is at the mercy of the Approval Committee, composed of the Development Commissioner, five Central government officers, two State government officers and the developer as a special invitee. The admonition to abide by local laws
potentially involves the local panchayats that exercises jurisdiction over the SEZ area but it is unfortunately unlikely that they will get a role.

Moreover, the capacity of the panchayat to engage in discussions with the SEZ developer on issues of area planning is questionable and significant capacity building would be needed in this area. Situations where multiple panchayats exercise jurisdiction over one SEZ can occur, land what will happen in this case is unclear.

Indeed, the National Capital Region Planning Board has thus far been ignored in decisions regarding SEZs in the NCR. The rules mention it only once, in the context of the Board of Approvals. So, if the SEZs were to succeed, they could well degenerate into the same kind of urban mess that we see in our cities today, for the same reason – lack of governance. There is almost criminal neglect of urban planning issues in the legislative and administrative framework for SEZs. Indeed, given the kind of location that we have indicated, the urban outgrowth from the existing cities and that from the SEZs can merge to form a large chaotic unplanned morass that will enclose the SEZ.

Location Based Services - Gain the Edge

Location Based Service or LBS, is the ability to find the geographical location of the mobile device and provide services based on this location information. For an example a person at shopping mall calls for the nearest restaurant with economy budget, he needs only names and addresses of those restaurants which are within his reach, say within one sq.km., out of the database of say 2000 restaurants in the city spread over 1600 sq.km.

The foundation stone of Location Based Services was laid by the Federal Communications Commission of US (www.fcc.gov) ruling which required the network operators to provide emergency services by locating the user of the mobile device within 125 metres. It required wireless network operators to supply public emergency services with the caller’s location and callback phone number. This lastened the emergence of new and dynamic field called LBS, where the service was based on the geographical location of the calling device. Further, the developments in the field of Positioning Systems, Communications and GIS, fueled the imagination of the industry people with regards to the LBS. This ability to provide the user a customised service depending upon his geographical location could be used by telecommunication companies to restaurant owners.

In the days to come, the LBS will be benefiting both the consumers and network operators. While the consumers will have greater personal safety, more personalised features and increased communication convenience, the network operators will address discrete market segments based on the different service portfolios.

The Prospects of LBS
According to a poll by Integrated Data Communications, Inc. (IDC), two-thirds of Americans want wireless location-based services, with safety and security issues (emergency call, roadside assistance, and driving directions) as the primary reasons for wanting location-based services. Respondents to the survey on LBS are said to be even willing to pay a premium to have location capabilities in their handsets or receive advertising on their handsets to reduce or eliminate telematics service charges.

The size of LBS was $3.9 billion by 2004 in the United States now in 2009 its grown upto $15.0 billion in US and 150 billion through out world including the fast growing economies of India and China.

Allied Business Intelligence Inc (ABI) report, “Location Based Services: A Strategic Analysis of Wireless Technologies, Markets and Trends” report indicates that world LBS revenues will grow from approximately $1 billion in 2000 to over $40 billion in 2006. This growth will represent a compound annual average growth rate of 81%.

For the Asia-Pacific market, Strategis Groups says the wireless Internet users will reach 216.3 million by 2007, representing a ten-fold increase from the 20 million users in year 2000.

LBS Technology

With standing the growing market requirements, the LBS technology has moved from the specific systems to portal based services to clients,- specifically in the logistics managements. The companies like google, microsoft and GPS equipments manufacturers across the globe has caught the scope of industry making the LBS accessible to all through innovative mobile technologies and services available with nominal fees.

Dates Changed GIS/RS Workshops - 16th-22 August 2009. Apply Now!!

We are going to discuss following topics in the workshops starting from 16th August - 22 August 2009. We have received request for extending the time limit for application from the candidates since most of the them would be available on these days. For those who have not applied should apply before 5th August 2009 for the workshop.

Module 1 : Introduction to GIS

Module 2: Data Model

Module 3: Geographical Analysis

Module 4: Spatial Analysis

Module 5: Introduction to Remote sensing

Module 6: Sensors and Data Products

Module 7: Introduction to Image Processing

Module 8: Image Enhancement Techniques and Spatial Filtering

Module 9: Digital Image Classification

Module 10: GIS Application and Project Management

We would confirm the dates only when we receive confirmed applications from candidates. So be there..

CDPs of Mission Cities

CDPs of Mission Cities

GIS Career Resources : GIS Lounge - Geographic Information Systems

GIS Career Resources : GIS Lounge - Geographic Information Systems

Looking for Voulenteers - Infrastructure Services Assessment

Green Eminent Research Centre, a private research centre in vadodara is looking for the professionals and citizens who can provide their opinion on the infrastructure services available, deficiency and demand in their respective cities or regions. We welcome participants to provide your assessment of the quantity, quality and nature of services issues in your areas. Please register your name and contact details by writing to us on gercbrd@gmail.com or write in comment box. You can also upload your comments please write in to us we would place on our blog..

Future Cities - Planning for More

As the economic growth of our cities has gained momentum the investments would have started coming into the infrastructure sector. When we call the public or private bodies to invest in the city infrastructure the vision of cities needs to be grand and inclusive to all the components of the growth requirements. Its not just growth matters to only large cities but even the medium and smaller cities needs efficient systems of infrastructure. Even though technologies has become attractive prepositions for the development its the nature of available infrastructure and manpower managing it has become important in giving right outlook to the cities.

Cities needs to think beyond the political lineages for the benefits of the masses, either today or tomorrow the growth pranks of the cities would catch up. Whether we live in metro or not does not matter, we require quality infrastructure support. This would not be without its citizens agreeing to part with the revenues required for such development. Its pity that our Indian planners think that the citizens are not ready to pay for quality infrastructure. Rather the administrators does not want to be responsible enough to provide quality services to citizens.

Socio-Economic nature and characterstics of cities should be taken care by not only the planning agencies but also by its political masters while approving the plans (so called CDPs) for the cities. The vision if lack inclusiveness will harm the socio-cultural and socio-phsycological needs of people. Its enforced character of the planning process which is driving the people nuts on the questions of "who benefits?". They often quip to rejoin its not us. These are for investors, who would be welcomed in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta and Chennai to showcase the fabric, else the truth in under the carpet. Promises of the housing to those who cannot afford are not met. This may be true for all citizens falls below purchasing capacity of housing above Rs. 6-10 Lacs. Where are the houses gone for the masses? Who knows in the vision of the cities they stand nowwhere..at least the BUSP/IHSDP provides housing to poor..may be proxy for the middle income households.

A promise of keep future intact in cities...we leave the majority on its edges.

Urban Development: Growth Prospects and Gainers

We are living in the age wherein the development of cities are being taken at the reckless speed no matter what comes we are bound to grow at least to show that our infrastructure in up to the mark. Who benefits? rather we need to take care how to make maximum out of present development policy of the state and central governments. The urban development bodies of state are in hurry to complete the detailed design without waiting for the citizens to have a look that what is being done for the city. The city leaders are made to sign on the dotted line since the states do not have times to look at what they concerned about. The constitution of India however may have empowered the local bodies to take developmental decisions but its central and state governments calling the shots!! This allows only the local body implement the schemes as per the wishes of the state. The local bodies are not been made capable to decide what is right for them inspite of lots of dissatisfactions from the citizens the state is hell bent on projecting cities as their own political mask for development.

The local businesses or the developers or contractors are seldom benefited from this kind of the activities. Since the grand scale of the project does not allow them to goahead in their economic plans. The multi nationals or the large corporate bodies are running the show whether its development of mumbai, delhi or kanpur. Not only that they have guts to now bid for the minscule projects on the medium and smallers cities for the projects scaled upto crores of rupees.

How does this help the local industries to revive or survive in the present economic slowdown? When we have last heard of environmental ministry hearing for these large scale projects. Rather it was never felt that these require any clearances. Like land acquisition policy we have now development policy which have been enforced to the local bodies no matter what concerns they have its state or central bodies who decides what can roll on these urban lands. Its matter of grave concern that urban planners being party to the development efforts which is reckless and devastating for the cities where in the concerns of the citizens are not taken care by the urban development policies.

What you can do with GIS and Remote Sensing

I am here to share my knowledge about the GIS/RS field in general though there are plenty of information on net I think professionals are required as under

(a) Data Creators-Digitizers – level of diploma/degree holders who can operate software and create digital information.

(b) Supervisor-Digitization- who can organise, georeference and meet the data standards

(c) QC- Spatial Data- required to check the data accuracy, standards and clients requirements.

(d) GIS Analyst- Required to assess, evaluate, propose, program, manage and implements the GIS project.

(e) RS Analyst- Require to procure, interpretate, analyse imageries for the vector data creation, map generation

(f) Subject-Domain Expert- who understands the basics of sector like water resources, forestry, urban planning, infrastructure, disaster, health management, logestics etc has training in GIS or RS in some cases if helpful in project implementation.

(f) Programmers- industry requires programmers with C/C++, Java, C#, .NET or Linux platforms to implements various customized or complex GIS projects. There can be different levels of programmers depending on the tasks and team size required.

(g) Managers- Both at the technical or business development level is required to interface with the clients and service providers – persons with technical as well as managerial skills can come to this field.

(h) Sr. Management -COO, CTO, GMs with technical background, project management skills, implementation and execution experience can handle the tasks at any level.

However these are the placements in the fields whereas there are some companies who have made the recruitments strictly for the ME, Mtech, or other MCA or BCA have not fully understood the technology. The segments requires multi disciplinary team. Any one with proper training can be placed in mentioned positions with appropriate project planning and execution.

I hope students have understood what I mean to say. Guys there are opportunities we need to seek it. Pray you remain in India. we need solutions too !!

Urban Infrastructure: A quick Look

With almost 300 million Indians living in urban areas, the country has the second largest urban population in the world. It comprises about 30 per cent of the total population and contributes to over 60 per cent of the country’s GDP. Essential infrastructure facilities need to be provided to this growing urban population.

• The country has over 3,700 towns and cities. The urban population of the country has been growing at a rapid pace of over 31 per cent over the last decade. This is significantly higher than the growth of the rural population (approximately 18 per cent).

• Employment in urban areas registered a growth of around 38 per cent (over the last decade), substantially exceeding the rural employment growth rate of around 16 per cent.

• A large number of Indian cities and towns need adequate infrastructure facilities, specifically in the areas of water management, roads, transportation, housing, sanitation, sewage etc.

• The government has initiated a number of steps to improve the physical and economic infrastructure and improve facilities in urban areas. In addition to the basic infrastructure projects, a number of urban transportation projects have also been taken forward, e.g. metro rails.

Policy Initiatives

• In India, urban infrastructure facilities are typically provided by urban local bodies that depend significantly on central and state government grants and loans for funds. However, now the urban local bodies have also been allowed to borrow and raise funds from the market for urban infrastructure projects. Most of the state governments have set up facilitating agencies to channel funds into urban infrastructure projects.

• The central government and most state governments have begun looking at different models (BOT/ Concessions/Management Contracts) for private participation in developing, operating and maintaining urban infrastructure facilities.

• The government allows 100 per cent FDI in urban infrastructure projects.

• Non Resident Indians, persons of Indian origin and overseas corporate bodies (OCBs) are allowed to invest up to 100 per cent on a repatriable basis in many housing and real estate projects.

• 100 per cent FDI is permitted for the development of integrated townships, including housing, commercial buildings, hotels, resorts, etc. Prior government approval is required for investment in such projects.

• A 10-year tax holiday is available to investors investing in urban infrastructure projects. This is available to developers, and those carrying out operations and maintenance of water supply, sewerage, sanitation, etc.

Opportunities

The India Infrastructure Report in 1996 estimated that an annual investment of US$ 5.71 billion is required for providing water supply and sanitation facilities for the urban population. However, over the last five years, the government has been able to allocate only about US$ 3.6 billion for such projects. This gives an idea about the quantum of investment requirements and hence the opportunities in this sector alone.

• The government has planned major schemes like:

• Integrated development of small and medium towns

• Mega city schemes

• Special development plan for the National Capital Region

• Accelerated urban water supply programme

• Low cost sanitation

• Urban transport

• Investment opportunities exist in water supply, sewerage and waste management systems in many towns and cities.

• Construction opportunities exist in roads, bridges, flyovers etc in cities, both in Government sponsored projects as well as Build Own Operate (BOO) and Build Own Operate Transfer (BOOT) basis projects.

• A number of cities are planning mass rapid transportation systems and light rail systems. These projects are mostly through private participation.

• Housing is another major investment area with significant potential.

http://urbanindia.nic.in

Workshop Sponsors

The workshop on the Urban Infrastructure Assessment Management has been organised on the
24-30th July 2009 and Second workshop on Fundamental Techniques of GIS and Remote Sensing on 7th-13th August 2009. We invite the sponsors to send their participants application in advance for pre-registration. We would have special rates for the sponsors willing to send more than two participants.

For the students who have been requesting to participate. please forward a letter from your institutions so get upto 50% discount on single day attendence. The students would be allowed only for 3 day sessions of their choice on per day basis.

So then hurry up guys...

Workshop on Urban Infrastructure Assessment and Management

Green Eminent is delighted to announce its interactive workshop on the urban infrastructure assessment and management for the practicing urban managers, engineers, planners and researchers interested in Urban Infrastructure to join in Workshop. We would be delighted to hear and talk to you with subject experts on the mentioned topics. We are limiting the participants to 15 per workshop, so don't be disheartened we would be organizing similar workshop. See the images or download for some more details.

GIS and Remote Sensing Workshop at Vadodara

You are requested contact us for more details. contact now at gercbrd@gmail.com