Friday, September 19, 2008 / Labels: Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Games News
Commonwealth countdown: Delhi can learn from Beijing
The Great Wall of China was built in the 5th century BC. The Bird's Nest happened 700 years later. Between the two, the most identifiable symbol of China may have just been Tiananmen Square, the scene of pro-democracy protests. That sums up what the Beijing Olympics 2008 have achieved.
For China it was a PR exercise backed by planning to showcase their country. But they are not alone in following what in urban planning parlance has come to be called the mega event strategy — a city bidding to host a mega sports event to promote its economic and infrastructure growth. It worked wonders once before for Delhi. Old-timers recall Delhi's transformation from an urbanised and wooded village to a city of flyovers for 1982 Asian Games. As the city prepares to repeat that feat, Times City looks at how other countries have made the most of it by compiling a list of "best practices" that Delhi could emulate.
China, known the world over for its dictator regime and its sweatshops, was an unchartered territory for most westerners. For the country, therefore, it was reward enough when IOC president Jacques Rogge said during the closing ceremony that IOC had "absolutely no regrets" for choosing the country.
A whopping $40.9 billion was spent on the Beijing Games — the costliest ever. The municipal government of Beijing worked on a nine-pronged action plan comprising environmental protection, traffic, restructuring of energy, communications, the high-tech industry, construction of gymnasiums, the cultural sector, security and fund raising. The last for the construction work was mostly (85%) done through corporate bids and tenders.
VENUES: The design for the Beijing National Stadium, Bird's Nest, which went on to become the defining image of the Games besides Michael Phelps of course, was finalised after a worldwide competition of architects. It has a capacity of 90,000 people. Several other stadia were also developed in Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenyang and Tianjin.
TRANSPORT: The Beijing airport underwent major expansion with the addition of a third terminal — the largest in the world. In August, a new-look Beijing south railway station was opened. The Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Rail has a maximum speed of 350 Km per hour and covers the 113 Km distance between the two cities in 30 minutes flat. The underground railway was expanded from 4 lines and 64 stations to 7 lines and 80 stations. The bus-minibus fleet too was augmented hugely.
The city also introduced an innovative road rationing system to reduce pollution which would mean that those of its 33 lakh vehicles whose registration numbers end in odd digits would be out on pre-set days of the week and the ones with even digits on another set of days. Plus 3 lakh heavy polluting vehicles were asked to stay away from the capital.
When Indian athletes in the 2006 Commonwealth Games, which cost Australian dollar 1.22 billion, attended the closing ceremony carrying "See You In Delhi" placards, there may have been the rare Delhiite who did not get all sentimental about his city. A battery of bureaucrats and politicians from Delhi attended the Games to "learn". There are two more years before their lessons start bearing results but here's an innovative thing the Australian city did on its way to Commonwealth glory, worth all of 1 billion Australian dollars.
WATER MANAGEMENT: The Commonwealth Games Advisory Committee in its recommendations to the Victoria government had clearly asked for integrated water management at each venue and public domain. The Victoria government drew up a detailed water management plan that included solar hot water to all houses, roof water collection for flushing toilets, contribution of $ 5 million to the maintenance of the regional wetlands, storm water recycling, planting of flora and fitting water-efficient appliances in bathrooms kitchens.
London Olympics 2012 has all the promise of being as opulent and well-coordinated an affair as the 2008 version. The first meeting of the organising committee was held in October 2005. The Wembley Stadium that will be the venue for football is going to be the most expensive stadium ever built.
Sources from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Thursday, September 11, 2008 /
/ Labels: Delhi Transport, Delhi Travels
Transport for commonwealth games 2010
Public transport in Delhi is provided by buses, auto rickshaws, a rapid transit system, taxis and suburban railways.
Buses are the most popular means of transport catering to about 60% of the total demand.[44] The state-owned Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is a major bus service provider for the city. The DTC operates the world's largest fleet of environment-friendly CNG buses.[45] Though pollution from road transport has decreased in recent years, it is still at a high level.[46]. A busway network, at present consisting of a single line between Ambedkar Nagar and Delhi Gate, is also under construction.
The Delhi Metro, a mass rapid transit system, serves many parts of Delhi. As of 2007, the metro operates three lines with a total length of 65 km (40 miles) and 59 stations while several other lines are under construction.[47] Line 1 runs between Rithala and Shahdara. Line 2 runs in an underground tunnel between Vishwa Vidyalaya and the Central Secretariat. Line 3 runs between Indraprastha, Barakhamba Road, and Dwarka. The network is being expanded at a rapid pace with Phase-II under construction (128 km), expected to be completed by 2010. Phase III and IV will be completed by 2015 and 2020 respectively, creating a network spanning 413.8 km, longer than London's Underground[48]
Railways served only 1% of the local traffic until 2003.[44] However Delhi is a major junction in the rail map of India and is the
headquarters of the Northern Railway. The four main railway stations are Old Delhi, Nizamuddin Railway Station, Sarai Rohilla and New Delhi Railway Station.[44]
Source from http://en.wikipedia.org
/ Labels: Delhi Guide
Delhi Economy
With an estimated net State Domestic Product (SDP) of INR 830.85 billion (19.55 billion USD) (FY 2005),[39] Delhi is the second largest commercial center in South Asia after Mumbai. Delhi has a per capita income of 53,976 INR (1,270 USD) which is around 2.5 times of the national average.[39] The tertiary sector contributes 70.95% of Delhi's gross SDP followed by secondary and primary sectors with 25.2% and 3.85% contribution respectively.[39] Delhi's workforce constitutes 32.82% of the population showing an increase of 52.52% between 1991 and 2001.[40] Delhi's unemployment rate decreased from 12.57% in 1999–2000 to 4.63% in 2003.[40] In December 2004, 636,000 people were registered with various employment exchange programmes in Delhi.[40]
In 2001, the total workforce in all government (union and state) and quasi government sector was 620,000. In comparison, organised private sector employed 219,000.[40] Delhi's service sector has expanded due in part to the large skilled English-speaking workforce that has attracted many multinational companies. Key service industries include information technology, telecommunications, hotels, banking, media and tourism. Delhi's manufacturing industry has also grown considerably as many consumer goods industries have established manufacturing units and headquarters in and around Delhi. Delhi's large consumer market, coupled with the easy availability of skilled labour, has attracted foreign investment in Delhi. In 2001, the
manufacturing sector employed 1,440,000 workers while the number of industrial units was 129,000.[41] Construction, power, telecommunications, health and community services, and real estate form integral parts of Delhi's economy. Delhi's retail industry is one of the fastest growing industries in India. As a result, land prices are booming and Delhi is currently ranked the 7th most expensive office hotspot in the world, with prices at $145.16 per square foot.[42] However, as in the rest of India, the fast growth of retail is expected to affect the traditional unorganized retail trading system.[43]
Source from http://en.wikipedia.org
/
Delhi Education
Schools and higher educational institutions in Delhi are administered either by the Directorate of Education, the NCT government, or private organizations. In 2004–05, there were 2,515 primary, 635 middle, 504 secondary and 1,208 senior secondary schools in Delhi. That year, the higher education institutions in the city included 165 colleges, among them five medical colleges and eight engineering colleges,[80] six universities—DU, JNU, JMI, GGSIPU, IGNOU and Jamia Hamdard—and nine deemed universities.[80] GGSIPU is the only state university; IGNOU is for open/distance learning; the rest are all central universities.
Private schools in Delhi—which employ either English or Hindi as the language of instruction—are affiliated to one of two administering bodies: the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE). In 2004–05, approximately 15.29 lakh (1.529 million) students were enrolled in primary schools, 8.22 lakh (0.822 million) in middle schools and 6.69 lakh (0.669 million) in secondary schools across Delhi.[80] Female students represented 49% of the total enrollment. The same year, the Delhi government spent between 1.58% and 1.95% of its gross state domestic product on education.[80]
After completing the ten-year secondary phase of their education under the 10+2+3 plan, students typically spend the next two years either in junior colleges or in schools with senior secondary facilities, during which their studies become more focused. They select a stream of study—liberal arts, commerce, science, or, less commonly, vocational. Upon completion, those who choose to continue, either study for a 3-year undergraduate degree at a college, or a professional degree in law, engineering, or medicine. Notable higher education or research institutes in Delhi include All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Delhi College of Engineering, Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi School of Economics, and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.
Source from http://en.wikipedia.org
/ Labels: Delhi Guide
Delhi Media
As the capital of India, New Delhi is the focus of political reportage, including regular television broadcasts of Indian parliament sessions. Many country-wide media agencies, among them the state-owned Press Trust of India and Doordarshan, are based in the city. Television programming in the city includes two free terrestrial television channels offered by Doordarshan, and several Hindi, English and regional-languages cable channels offered by Multi system operators. Satellite television, in contrast, is yet to gain large-scale subscribership in the city.[81]
Print journalism remains a popular news medium in Delhi. During the year 2004–05, 1029 newspapers—in thirteen languages—were published from the city. Of these, 492 were Hindi language newspapers, and included Navbharat Times, Dainik Hindustan, Punjab Kesri, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Dainik Desbandhu and fastest growing weekly The Stageman International.[82] Among the English language newspapers, The Hindustan Times, with over a million copies in circulation, was the single largest daily.[82] Other major English newspapers include Indian Express, Business Standard, Times of India, The Hindu, The Pioneer and Asian Age. Radio is a less popular mass medium in Delhi, although FM radio has been gaining ground[83] since the inauguration of several new FM channels in 2006.[84] A number of state-owned and private radio stations broadcast from Delhi, including All India Radio (AIR), one of the world's largest radio service providers, which offers six radio channels in ten languages. Other city-based radio stations include
Source from http://en.wikipedia.org
/ Labels: Delhi Guide
Government and politics of Delhi
As a special union territory, in the same manner as that of Pondicherry, the National Capital Territory of Delhi has its own Legislative Assembly, Lieutenant Governor, Council of Ministers and Chief Minister. The legislative assembly seats are filled by direct election from territorial constituencies in the NCT. However, the Union Government of India and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi jointly administer New Delhi. While services like transport and others are taken care of by the Delhi Govt., services such as the police are directly under the control of the Central Government. The legislative assembly was re-established in 1993 for the first time since 1956, with direct federal rule in the span. In addition, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) handles civic administration for the city as part of the Panchayati Raj act. New Delhi, an urban area in Delhi, is the seat of both the State Government of Delhi and the Government of India. The Parliament of India, the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace) and the Supreme Court of India are located in New Delhi. There are 70 assembly constituencies and seven Lok Sabha (Indian parliament's lower house) constituencies in Delhi.[31][32]
Delhi was a traditional stronghold of the Indian National Congress, also known as the Congress Party. In the 1990s the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the leadership of Madan Lal Khurana came into power. However in 1998, Congress regained power. Sheila Dixit of Congress is the incumbent Chief Minister. The Congress retained power in the Legislative Assembly in the 2003 election as well by a large margin. However, in 2007, the BJP scored a crushing victory over the ruling Congress in the MCD election. Both parties have advocated full-fledged statehood for Delhi, but the process to establish this has been slow. The next election are slated to take place soon and this has heated up the politics of the city.
Source from http://en.wikipedia.org