SNDT university road gives brief relief as stretch shuts at 7pm

MUMBAI: Respite for motorists in the western suburbs was brief on Monday as the internal road of SNDT University, thrown open to decongest Juhu traffic, was shut at 7pm. Snarl-ups developed in the evening, choking SV Road, Vaikunthlal Mehta Road, and Linking Road, causing delays of over an hour.

The BMC shut the bridge over SNDT nullah on Juhu Tara Road on June 3 after it was declared dangerous. Signboards and barricades were placed, directing motorists to take a diversion via SV Road. This route was a key connector among Vile Parle, Santacruz and Bandra. The congestion grew worse as the days passed, prompting the authorities to approach SNDT University with a request to open an internal road. The internal road of SNDT University has an exit on Relief Road and was thrown open to the public on Monday morning.

“The joy was short-lived. The road is only open till 7pm, which means it does not cater to evening peak traffic,” said Bhavna Jain, a resident of Juhu Tara Road. “My children were driving home from Bandra on Monday evening and were taken aback to find that the university road was shut. They had to take SV Road, then Vaikunthlal Mehta Road and then Juhu Road to reach the stretch near the university where we live. It was a nightmare as they were stuck for an hour and a half,” said Jain.

“The idea of opening the SNDT road was proposed by locals. We have put up a police beat chowki on the campus and are installing CCTV cameras,” said MLA Ameet Satam. “I’ve written to university authorities to keep the internal road open till 10pm.”

Meanwhile, the BMC said the bridge on Oshiwara nullah, SV Road, was shut for vehicles from late on Monday onwards. This structure too has been declared dangerous. Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit said that with a portion of SV Road shut at Oshiwara, motorists would have to take long detours. “The area already witnesses massive congestion and yet another bridge closure will only add to the chaos,” Pandit said.

Credit- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/sndt-university-road-gives-brief-relief-as-stretch-shuts-at-7pm/articleshow/69734733.cms

Yoga corner inaugurated in Mumbai’s Juhu garden

MUMBAI: On the occasion of International Yoga Day which was observed on Friday, the residents of Juhu decided to dedicate a corner of one of their neighborhood parks-the Kaifi Azmi Udyan in Juhu specifically for Yoga. Space which was inaugurated by local residents and actor Anupam Kher is spread across an area of approximately 2,000 sq feet.

Locals said that earlier people would perform yoga in a scattered manner at different corners of the park and therefore a dedicated space as such was needed. Besides they also said that with many people becoming health conscious in today’s time it was ideal to start a corner as such as they felt that it would give a boost to community living.

Activist and chairman of the Gulmohar area societies welfare group Ashoke Pandit said, “We had this idea in our mind for a while. We thought what better day than June 21 which is observed as International Yoga Day to inaugurate this corner. It took us about a fortnight to get the space ready with the required tiling works and designing which did by architect PK Das. We have kept the space very simple with just a shed and some very simple stones.”

Pandit added that as a citizen group they never let their energy levels dip and ensure that there are some new activities that they take up within the park. “Ever since the inception of the park over a decade ago they have always tried to give the park a different look either by placing new plantations or lighting after every few months,” he said.

On Friday apart from locals, there were several students as well who attended the inauguration and also performed yoga within the corner. The local MLA from the area Ameet Satam said that there was a demand from locals for such a corner. “With the increasing awareness on Yoga people had been requesting a corner as such. The credit for this goes to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Besides I had also noticed that previously people visiting the park would perform yoga in a scattered manner within the garden. Keeping this in mind we decided to dedicate one available corner for Yoga only,” said Ameet Satam.

Credit- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/yoga-corner-inaugurated-in-mumbais-juhu-garden/articleshow/69894884.cms

Ameet Satam welcomes the decision of Property Tax Rebates in Green Buildings

Homebuyers and developers can soon get a waiver of development charges and property tax rebates if they buy a home or build green buildings. The state urban development department last week issued the state’s new green building policy under which, builders and housing societies obtaining the green building certificate can seek rebates on taxes and development charges.

According to the policy, builders can avail rebate of up to 10 percent on development charges and societies or homebuyers can get a rebate on property tax up to 10 percent. A senior state government official said that the department has invited public suggestions and objections on the policy and will soon conduct hearings.

“Property buyers in green buildings will be entitled to a property tax rebate for a period of five years from securing the Occupancy Certificate (OC) based on the green building rating of the property. Depending on the rating of the property, the rebate amount will be fixed. Buyers of homes in a five-star or platinum rating would get a rebate of 10 percent in property tax while those with four-star or gold and three-star or silver ratings would get a rebate of 7.5 percent and 5 percent, respectively in the property tax,” the official said.

BJP legislator, Ameet Satam, who has first pitched for a green policy welcomed the move. “This was the need of the hour. The green policy will promote eco-friendly buildings and it will give an incentive for people and developers to buy and build green buildings. The state government must promote this policy, especially in urban areas where there is severe stress on the environment. This is a step towards sustainable development and has many aspects like solar panels, sewerage treatment plants, organic waste converts, and green facades to reduce electricity consumption,” Ameet Satam said. Satam had demanded a green building policy in July this year.

Officials said that despite the state government’s push for the green buildings policy, the local municipal corporations will have to offer additional incentives at its level over and above the incentives mentioned by the state government. “Only then can the policy be more effective. Big municipal corporations like the BMC must give additional benefits given the scale and cost of the development in the city,” the official explained.

Officials said the policy would also provide a rebate on development charges to developers securing a green building certification from empowered agencies in accordance with the rating secured by them. Those with the platinum rating would get a rebate of 7.5 percent in the development charges while those with gold and silver ratings would get a rebate of 5 and 2.5 percent, respectively in development charges.

“Green buildings lead to a marginal increase in the construction cost and the government, taking cognizance of it, has offered incentives to developers to ensure that the extra cost is not passed down to the consumer. The consumers are also given incentives to nudge them towards green developments through regular buildings,” officials said.

Officials said that municipal corporations must modify its standard operating procedure for building permissions to reflect the changes mentioned in the policy. The developer may apply for a refund of the development charges after submission of the final certificate. The corporation will have to maintain the list of green buildings to ensure that the property tax rebate is reflected directly into the tax invoice.

The state government would soon be signing an MoU with TERI-GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) and GBCI-LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) to certify the buildings as green buildings, officials said.

“The policy would be applicable to all upcoming commercial as well as residential buildings. Commercial buildings include offices, IT parks, banks, shopping malls, hotels, hospitals, airports, stadiums, convention centers, education institutes, libraries, and museums,” another official said.

Green activists said the building industry accounts for 40 percent of global energy and water consumption and almost 48 percent of solid waste generated. The green buildings have benefits of reduction in water and energy consumption. Energy-saving ranges from 20 to 30 percent while water savings from 30 to 50 percent.

Citizens having any suggestions or objections on the draft policy should submit it within a period of one month from now.

BJP MLA Ameet Satam demands East India Bhavan

BJP MLA Ameet Satam from Andheri West has now demanded that the state government construct an East Indian Bhavan for the community — a long-pending demand — and name it after Joseph ‘Kaka’ Baptista, a freedom fighter closely associated with Bal Gangadhar Tilak and the Home Rule movement who was elected the first Indian-origin mayor of Bombay in 1925.

Ameet Satam made this demand in the assembly on July 20, the last day of the monsoon session. “Joseph ‘Kaka’ Baptista was Tilak’s close associate and played a big role in the freedom movement. His contribution must be recognized and the East Indian community must also be given credit. So, I demanded that an East Indian Bhavan be constructed and named after Joseph Kaka Baptista,” he said.

Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP), which was one of the first organizations that demanded a community centre for East Indians, welcomed the move. “The Kaka Baptista Bhavan project was aimed at providing a center for the East Indian community, one of the oldest communities of the city. It has got a shot in the arm with legislator Ameet Satam making a strong demand for it in the assembly,” said Gleason Barretto, founder-trustee, MGP.

Gordon D’Souza of Bombay Catholic Sabha said the East Indian Bhavan has been a long-pending demand.

“If any elected representative is pushing for it in the assembly, it’s a welcome move and the community should be happy. Even if the BJP is taking it up, it’s a good thing. We will support the demand.”

ABJP functionary said the Catholic community is crucial to the party’s political equations. “This is especially true in Mumbai, where the community is influential in many constituencies. It plays a decisive role and had backed the BJP in 2014. So, we are reaching out to the community. Many meetings with community leaders are already underway and we are getting a good response from them.”

A series of meetings with Catholic community leaders have also been lined up for upcoming weeks, said the functionary.

Ameet Satam Promises Khataara Free Andheri

Ameet Satam Promises Khataara Free Andheri

The Andheri MLA promises he will rid the area of khataaras in a couple of months as BMC and traffic police remove 10 autorickshaws from 90 ft road in a week. Abandoned vehicles cluttering roads of Andheri West will be rid for good over the “next couple of months”, MLA Ameet Satam has assured residents.

The promise came on the heels of 10 abandoned autorickshaws being towed away from 90 ft road just off Juhu Lane in Andheri since last week, bringing some relief to harried locals. The autorickshaws had particularly become a concern after one of them caught fire in December last year. Although there was no casualty or major damage, the incident fired up locals to pursue the matter with all authorities concerned and MLA Ameet Satam is all set to take required actions now.

Resident Jagruti Mody said their efforts finally began to bear fruit last week, when the BMC stuck warning notices, addressed to owners, on the vehicles that they would be towed away if not removed in 48 hours. “While that finally prompted some owners to remove their autorickshaws, the vehicles left unattended by taken away by the traffic police.”

An official from the traffic department confirmed the towing away of the khataaras. “Earlier, we did not have a place to take them but now, the BMC has allocated us a space at Juhu Vile Parle Development scheme. “We have taken around 100 khataaras from all over Andheri to this land in the past month.”

Ameet Satam said he will keep the momentum going. “I plan to keep in touch with the local ward office to ensure that all of Andheri West is rid of khataaras in the next couple of months.” Ameet Satam said these abandoned autorickshaws are not only encroachers of public spaces but also offer peddlers and consumers of drugs safe hideouts.

Keeping this concern in mind, the DN Nagar police have increased patrolling in the area. Senior Police Inspector Parmeshwar Gamane said his officers go around the area after dark to check on miscreants.

Credit- https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/civic/operation-khataara-andheri-mla-ameet-satam-promises-he-will-rid-area-of-khataaras-in-two-months/articleshow/67987419.cms

Airport slum dwellers to be rehabilitated in situ: CM

In a big relief to lakhs of slum dwellers living on the land near the Chhatrapati Shivaji International (CSI) airport in Andheri and the Juhu airport, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced that they would be rehabilitated in situ (in the same place). Fadnavis made the announcement in the state Assembly.

Fadnavis’s announcement has put an end to fears that owing to objections from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), slum dwellers housed on the land near the airport would have to be moved out. Opposing any move to evict them, the slum dwellers were demanding in situ rehabilitation.

Last month, the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) began carrying out a biometric survey of the residents of a slum on Juhu airport. A section of slum dwellers had believed that the survey was for ex-situ (off-site). The CM clarified on Wednesday that all rehabilitations will be in-situ.

The SRA had sought permission to carry out the survey in May 2016. In two letters to the SRA’s chief executive officer, the AAI consented to “a feasibility study on ex-situ rehab”.

“The decision for in-situ rehabilitation of slum dwellers on airport land has already been taken.

Earlier, there were some issues related to rehabilitation since many slum dwellers were ineligible. Only a third of the people were eligible. But due to our new dispensation of covering them under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana with a recent amendment, that issue is resolved. Once the amendment receives assent from the President, we will begin the process for in-situ rehabilitation,” Fadnavis told the Assembly.

Last month, the supervisor of a slum survey team was arrested for extorting money from residents of Nehru Nagar slum settlement on Juhu airport, which is spread over 30 acres of the airport’s 385-acre sprawl. The slum survey team was part of MahaOnline, a private agency appointed by the SRA to carry out a biometric survey.

Ameet Satam, BJP legislator from Andheri (West), who had raised the issue in the Assembly last week said that this was a big victory. “With the CM declaring that there will be in-situ rehabilitation, the SRA scheme can now be fast-tracked; it is a big relief to lakhs of slum dwellers and will pave the way for slum-free airport land. This will be a landmark in affordable housing initiatives. The SRA must fast track the survey and begin the redevelopment. It’s a welcome move that all slum dwellers will get homes on the same land,” Satam said.

According to officials, there are more than one lakh slum dwellers in slum pockets of Nehru Nagar, Indira Nagar and Shivaji Nagar near the Juhu airport while there are large slum pockets in Andheri (East), Chandivali and Vile Parle, around the CSI airport.

“This is a big victory for our 15-year fight. The previous government wanted to parcel all the land in favor of private developers. Due to CM Fadnavis, a big scam has been averted. Now, the slum dwellers will get their rightful homes,” said Parag Alvani, BJP legislator from Vile Parle.

Credit- https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/airport-slum-dwellers-to-be-rehabilitated-in-situ-cm/articleshow/63308089.cms