Mercury on the rise despite gusty winds
THE MATTER WAS DISCUSSED IN A MEETING BETWEEN URBAN AFFAIRS MINISTER HARDEEP SINGH PURI AND DELHI L-G ANIL BAIJAL ON MONDAY
NOIDA: The minimum temperature rose by over two degrees Celsius in Noida in the past 24 hours even as the gusty northwesterly winds swept the city and neighbouring areas, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday.
According to IMD, the mercury may further soar by two degrees Celsius over the next few days despite higher wind speeds.
“The mercury will rise by two degrees over the next few days in the region. The wind speed on Tuesday was high and gusty, varying between 12 to 22 knots which is around 24 to 40km per hour,” said an official at IMD.
On Tuesday, the minimum and maximum temperatures
for Noida were recorded at 17.1°C and 27.6°C, respectively, while the same a day earlier was 15.6°C and 27.6°C.
“The winds in the region are north-westerly, but they are
comparatively warmer. There is a feeble western disturbance arriving from Jammu and Kashmir, that prior to causing rains, is responsible for causing an increase in temperature.
The mercury may rise further, but due to constant and gusty wind in the region, the heat would be bearable,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (meteorology and climate change) at Skymet, a private weather forecaster.
Meanwhile, air quality of Noida on Tuesday further improved due to better ventilation. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality index (AQI) of Noida on Tuesday improved to 153 against 169 a day earlier.
However, AQI of Greater Noida on Tuesday deteriorated slightly to 218 against 215 a day earlier. Ghaziabad’s AQI was 218 against 208 on Monday.
An AQI level up to 100 is considered ‘good’, between 101 and 200 is ‘moderate’, between 201 and 300 is ‘poor’, between 301 and 400 is ‘very poor’ and above 400 is considered ‘severe’.
According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the air quality is likely to oscillate between ‘satisfactory’ and lower end of ‘poor’.
“Surface winds are high and forecasted to stay high for the next 24 hours; the improved ventilation is influencing AQI positively. The winter fury appears to be over but now Delhi air will start getting influenced by mineral dust. AQI is forecasted to marginally improve and stay within the high end of the satisfactory to moderate category for tomorrow. A marginal deterioration and moderate AQI is forecasted on March 4 and 5,” read a statement released by SAFAR on Tuesday.
NEW DELHI: The ₹5,000 crore cost of the transit plan proposed to handle excess traffic around eight central government residential colonies in south Delhi will be included in the total cost of the ambitious redevelopment project, HT has learnt.
The matter was discussed in a meeting between Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday.
A senior ministry official said the matter is under discussion for some time now and an in-principle decision has been taken in this regard. “The central government is addressing all the issues concerning the 7 GPRA colonies project, including the traffic issue. The cost of the transit corridor will be included in the cost of redevelopment of the government colonies. It is a selffinancing project, the cost will be recovered from the sale of the commercial space that was proposed as part of the project,” said a senior urban ministry official.
In a meeting held in December last year, the Delhi L-G asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to discuss the funding for the project with the urban affairs ministry before it is cleared by UTTIPEC. The transit plan includes the construction of a nearly 14-km-long elevated corridor connecting INA to IGI airport and connecting all the flyovers between Moolchand and Moti Bagh.
The matter will now be tabled in the next meeting of the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC), the apex body for traffic and transportation projects in Delhi. “After today’s meeting, there is further clarity about the funding of the project. It will now be tabled in the next UTTIPEC meeting.”
The transit plan is needed as there is an increase in traffic volume expected after the redevelopment of seven government colonies. The Centre is constructing over 25,000 dwelling units and a commercial complex by redeveloping government colonies such as Sarojini Nagar, Nauroji Nagar, Srinivaspuri, Kasturba Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Mohammadpur and Thyagraj Nagar.
While the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) is redeveloping three colonies (Netaji Nagar, Sarojini Nagar and Nauroji Nagar), the CPWD is working on four residential complexes. The cost of redevelopment is around Rs 33,000 crore that is now going to increase by Rs 4,000-Rs 5,000 crore. According to a ministry official, the transit corridor will be constructed by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and a revised estimate is under preparation.
An NBCC official said that the project cost of the redevelopment of the seven government colonies will be recovered from the sale of the commercial complex proposed at Nauroji Nagar. “The total cost of the project will now increase,” said the NBCC official.
A senior official aware of the developments said it was also discussed in the meeting that the proposed transit corridor may be extended up to Noida.