Entire City To Be Covered in Later Phases

Lucknow:UP Jal Nigam is planning to take steps to regularise water consumption and prevent its wastage by people. The corporation would soon be setting up water meters in all private houses across the city which get water supply from Jal Sansthan. In the first phase, the corporation plans to cover Indiranagar and Gomtinagar by September 2013.

Till March 2012, UPPCL Had More Than 30,000 Crore Debt

Lucknow: The state government is all set to introduce privatisation of power distribution system as part of the Centre’s ambitious power sector restructuring plan. The plan was approved by the state cabinet on Wednesday. Well placed sources in the energy department told TOI that the state government is working on a couple of models for the same. One of the models, which is being worked upon involves privatisation of loss-making local distribution feeders, where in lossmaking areas within a city would be identified and handed over to a private franchisee. Interestingly, the UP Power Corporation Limited is finding it challenging to recover the pending dues from some of these localities citing law and order problem.

Registration To Start On Feb 4

Lucknow: The UP Housing Development Board has come out with a new housing project in the city after a gap of three years. The proposed ‘Avadh Vihar Yojana’ will come out on either side of the Shaheed Path near Sultanpur Road and spread over an area of 1,524 acre of land between Ansal API’s hi-tech township and Utratia station. It will have 1,400 flats under self-financing scheme and other 1,500 flats for under-privileged -- 750 each for economically weaker section (EWS) and lower income group.

Downstream Portion Of River Highly Polluted

Lucknow: Hinting at the dangerous level of pollutants dissolved in the Gomti riverbed, UP Jal Nigam on Tuesday informed the Parliamentary Committee that around 37 million litres per day of untreated sewage is flowing into the river. Even though the official figures don’t ring an alarming bell at the moment, few LMC officials said the extent of untreated sewage flowing into the river is much more than what is being quoted by the Jal Nigam.

Lucknow: The illegal felling of trees is fast depriving Uttar Pradesh of its precious forest wealth. In 2012-13, trees worth Rs 1.4 crore have been illegally chopped off on the forest land. This is only the "reported" loss of timber and does not include unaccounted cases. On January 18, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav suspended 13 employees of forest department, including officers, for illegal felling of trees in Bahraich division.

Between March and December 2012, at least 40 forest employees were suspended for failing to check illegal cutting of trees. The government has been on a suspension overdrive against forest employees and the recent suspensions have added to the figures. The officers admit that it's for the first time that the lower-rung staff has faced the heat for timber theft in the state.

Kanpur: On the instructions of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, a second autopsy of the 31 blackbuck that were killed by stray dogs inside their enclosure in Kanpur zoo on the intervening night of Sa

LUCKNOW: Urban development minister Azam Khan on Friday announced construction of 4,000 houses for urban poor under the 'Aasra' scheme at the cost of Rs 100 crore in the current budget session. Surprisingly, the announced scheme closely resembles an ambitious scheme in the name of former chief minister Mayawati's mentor, Kanshiram. The scheme has recently been infused with a fresh dose of funds of over Rs 100 crore to get it completed by the end of present financial year.

LUCKNOW: The coveted Gomti riverfront project, which entails utilisation of the unused lands and beautification of the riverbank, finally got a consultant on Thursday. The German firm, Urban Aqua, which has formed a consortium with ANB Consultant of Lucknow, has won the bid for the riverfront project. There were 12 bidders in the fray including five from abroad.

ANB Consultant is headed by Ashish Srivastava who has done the makeover of the shopping hub of the city- Hazratganj. Lucknow Development Authority officials confirmed that out of 12 bidders, three did not qualify for the financial bidding. The financial bids were opened on Thursday.

Sangam (Allahabad): Sometimes a walk can change your life -- as well as the lives of millions of others.

Arail (Allahabad): There is a Brazillian who is part of the Save Ganga campaign. Meet Swami Premji from Sau Paulo, disciple of a swami in Rishikesh, in Kumbh City to set an example and inspire Indians to save the holy river. He has come prepared along with 200 disciples. “We will start work on the project in a couple of days,” he told TOI.

His concern for the Ganga is 14 years old. “I came to India in 1999 and have seen Ganga deteriorating,” he said, recalling that last year when he was walking on the Lakshman Jhoola, the state of Ganga reminded him of Tiete the river that passes through Sau Paulo. “Tiete has turned into a dead river and authorities are struggling to give it a new leash of life. Fearing a similar fate for Ganga, I thought the time to act is now,” said swami Premji.