08 | HINDUSTAN TIMES, NEW DELHITUESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2014

WE HAVE FINALISED THE FOBs SUCH THAT THEY ARE USED BY PEDESTRIANS, CYCLISTSAND TWO-WHEELER RIDERS TO CROSS ROADS. Praveen Kumar, MCG commissioner

Gurgaon likely to get ‘heliport hub’ for disaster managementPROPOSAL Admin asks Huda and MCG officials to identify a site; chopper servicesto be used for medical assistance and rescue operation in case of an emergencyHT Correspondent■ letters@hindustantimes.com

GURGAON: The district adminis-tration has mooted a proposalfor setting up a ‘heliport hub’in Gurgaon for disaster man-agement and air ambulanceservices.

The proposal came fromaviation company KP AviationPrivate Limited.

According to the plan, theheliport hub will consist of apermanent helipad and an opera-tion control room. At least onehelicopter will always be sta-tioned at the facility, which canbe used for evacuation or send-ing relief to disaster-hit sites. The chopper can also be used asan air ambulance for providingmedical assistance to the victimsand transporting them to nearesthospitals.

Besides, the helicopter canalso be used for police patrol-ling in case of an emergency and ferrying media persons toensure that people get real-timeinformation about a tragedy.

Gurgaon deputy commission-er Shekhar Vidyarthi on Monday held a meeting to discuss the pro-posal. He also asked the Hudaand MCG officials to identify a suitable place for setting up a heliport hub in Gurgaon.

Vidyarthi said that the proposalseems useful for Gurgaon, keep-ing in view the geographical loca-tion and the number of high-rises.

He said that a helicopter willbe more useful in evacuatingpeople in case of any disasterlike earthquake or fire in high-rises. Gurgaon lies in the high seismic zone and it has hundredsof skyscrapers.

Sanjay Singh, chief operat-ing officer of KP Aviation, saidthat the helipad hub can beset up along the NH-8 and theKMP Expressway. He said that the facility will be the first-of-its-kind in the country. It willbe developed as a model so that other states can also take up theproject later.

“For disaster management,air ambulance, police patrollingand media coverage of a disaster,

the services of helicopter willbe provided free-of-cost,” saidSingh, a retired army officerwho was awarded VishishthSewa medal for evacuatingpeople during floods in Biharin 2008.

Singh said that helicopter wasused in evacuating victims andproviding them medical assist-ance during Uttarakhand floodslast year. Only a 30X30-metre space for the helipad and two rooms of 20X20 sqft each for operation control room wererequired for this hub at that time.

Hero’s Gurgaon plant workers go on strike against ‘sacking’ of staffSiddhartha Rai and Manoj Kumar■ htreporters@hindustantimes.com

GURGAON: Hundreds of workersof the spare parts packaging unitof the Hero Motocorp’s Gurgaonplant went on strike on Monday.

The strike was triggered bythe alleged sacking of 500-oddworkers of the unit, which has been shifted to Neemrana, Rajasthan. One of the agita-tors said that the company hadsacked these workers after giv-ing them just three to six monthssalary as compensation.

Senior HR official of Hero Motocorp Vijay Sharma saidthat he did not know about any strike and that he was home andcould not comment on the matter.

The workers have been sittinginside the factory since 2.30 amon Monday. “There is no provi-sion for water or food as the com-pany has shut the unit. The A and B shift workers are sitting on strike. I am young but whatabout those who have been here for 15 years. Where will they get a job?” said a worker of the C shift, who was denied entry.

According to workers, of the500 sacked, 365 had been work-ing with the company for more than five years while the rest hadjoined in or after 2010.

A number of police personnelhave been deployed at the site totackle any untoward incident.

The same group of workershad struck work a week ago when they said they were giventime till August 11 to reach a settlement.

■ The proposed pedestrian bridges will come up on the build-operate-transfer mode. Each facility isestimated to cost `2 crore to `3 crore. PARVEEN KUMAR / HT PHOTO

Civic body begins work on 13 pedestrian bridges in GgnHT Correspondent■ htreporters@hindustantimes.com

GURGAON: T he MunicipalCorporation of Gurgaon (MCG)on Monday allotted tenders for 13 foot over-bridges (FOB) acrossthe city.

At least seven bridges willcome up in newly developedlocalities, while the rests are pro-posed in the old Gurgaon areas.

The FOBs will come up on thebuild-operate-transfer (BOT)mode. Each facility is estimatedto cost `2 crore to `3 crore andthey will be constructed in two phases.

In the first phase, FOBs will come up at Sikanderpur bypass, Gallleria market, Faridabad roadnear DLF-1 market, Huda City

Centre, Huda gymkhana clubnear Appu Ghar, Atul KatariaChowk, Sector-17 and old DelhiRoad near Maruti’s office.

In the second phase, pedestri-an facilities will be constructedat Subhash Chowk, Badshahpur, Spaze IT park, Mahavir Chowk,Civil Hospital and old Delhiroad near Judicial complex.According to officials, Gawat has been allotted tenders to con-struct FOBs in the first phase, while the second phase of theproject will be carried out by RV Aakashganga Infrastructures.

“The companies will also betasked with the maintenanceof the facilities for the next 10years. However, they will begiven the rights of advertise-ment for the same period to

earn revenue,” said PraveenKumar, MCG commissioner.For advertising rights, the firminvolved in the first phase of con-struction will have to pay thecivic body ̀ 2.16 crore every year.

The annual fee for the com-pany assigned to carry out theproject in the second phase hasbeen fixed at `1.03 crore with aprovision of 10% hike annually.The civic body has also askedthe construction firms to installelevators, ramps escalators andstairs to ensure pedestrians’safety.

“We have finalised the FOBsin such a manner that they areused not just by pedestrians, butalso by cyclists and two-wheelerriders to cross roads,” Kumaradded.

Builder sends notices to residents ofsectors 22A, 22B over use of park

Dhananjay Jha■ dhananjay.jha@hindustantimes.com

GURGAON: Anticipating opposi-tion from residents, a private builder, who is using a park inSector 22 for storing construc-tion material, has sent legal notices to the sectors 22A and22B RWAs.

Haryana Urban DevelopmentAuthority (Huda) has leased outthe two-acre park, part of thearea’s greenbelt, to AmbienceProjects and Infrastructure Private Limited for two years. The builder has constructedhigh boundary walls for storing the constr uctionmaterial.

Early this month, the resi-dents had threatened to movea local court against the mis-use of the park, located off Old Delhi Road.

In its three-page legal notice, the builder mentions that theresidents have been trying tomove the court to seek stay despite the park being allot-ted according to governmentprocedure.

“We have apprehensionsthat the residents will attemptto obtain an exparte against myclient (Ambience Projects and

Infrastructure Private Limited)by presenting incorrect andmutilated facts in the court.We have taken safety step inadvance so that my client getsa chance to present his point ofview in case such a situationarises,” said Pankaj Bhatnagar,senior advocate on behalf of Ambience.

“We will send a counternotice to the builder. We willconsult our lawyer in thisregard and file our reply in a day or two,” said Bhim Singh

Yadav, president of the Sector22-B residents’ welfare associa-tion.

“We decided to buy plots here from Huda for its greenery, beauty, peace and tranquillity. But the park has been ruinedand given to the builder for per-sonal use. Tomorrow, the gov-ernment can also allot Devi LalPark, Children’s Park and otherspaces meant for public use. We have every right to opposethe move,” said Sushila Yadav,president of Sector 22-A RWA.

■ Residents of Sector 22 are opposing the use of a park (above),located off Old Delhi Road, by a private builder. MANOJ KUMAR/HT

HTFOLLOWUP

HT Correspondent■ letters@hindustantimes.com

GURGAON: Showcasingremarkable strides in educa-tion, the Heritage School inGurgaon is the only schoolfrom NCR that featuresamong the top 10 schools inIndia based on their averageaggregate.

Situated in Sector 62, theschool’s aim is on inclusiveeducation and holistic devel-opment of students. In orderto make the learning processmore appealing, the schoolhas incorporated visual aids, dramatisation of events, debates, experiments but thecore syllabus is in sync withCBSE guidelines.

Fashion studies, legal studies, home science andjournalism are among the23 subjects which are taughtfrom Class 11 onwards.

The students have doneremarkably well in the board with around 99% of the class12 students having securedmore than an 80% aggre-gate this year. “Half of thestudents in class 12 securedabove 92%,” said Vishnu Kartik, associate director and

senior programme leader atHeritage School.

Heritage has nearly 300teachers for 2700 studentsmaking it a ratio of oneteacher for nine students.

“Last year we spent about`1.3 crore on teacher empow-erment which also includestheir training and retreat.Once the educators start teaching here, they undergo a re-orientation to understandthe purpose of what theyare teaching. We take ourteachers and students every

year for an expedition,” saidManit Jain, director, The Heritage Schools.

Students feel the personalattention and theme basedlearning has helped themunderstand life skills.

“I am studying economicsat the graduation level andmy fundamental conceptsare already clear. The new approach to the curriculumhelped us explore ourselves,”said Ashira Bhatia, a formerclass 12 student of theschool.

PROUD MOMENT

Gurgaon school features amongcountry’s top 10 institutions

■ Students of Heritage School,Gurgaon are taught the basic lifeskills and recieve personal attention. PARVEEN KUMAR/ / HT PHOTO

JAM-PACKED IN THE CITY

■ Commuters were stranded in atraffic jam on theDelhi-GurgaonExpressway duringpeak hours onMonday morning

MANOJ KUMAR / HTPHOTO

Mohit Sharma■ mohit.sharma2@hindustantimes.com

GURGAON: In a bid to promotethe use of solar energy, theMunicipal Corporation ofGurgaon (MCG) has decided toimplement and promote solarprojects.

As per an internal circularof the civic body, the corpora-tion has hired a private consult-ant for carrying out the auditfor the current energy scenarioand for research on the latest

technology for energy savingschemes.

The project will be imple-mented in two phases fromAugust to December 2014 andfrom December to June 2015next year.

“The first phase involvesextensive research on the lat-est technology, liaisons withthe ministry of energy, solarexperts and NGOs; as well asformulating the solar policy,” said an official.

At the initial level, the MCG

will incorporate streetlightsinto the solar energy project.“The aim behind the firstphase is to provide assistancein identifying energy cost opti-

mization, pollution control andimprovements in health andsafety aspects and improve-ments in operations main-tenance systems,” PraveenKumar, MCG commissionersaid.

The Haryana ElectricityRegulatory Commission hadalso drafted a notificationfor the ‘Net metering regula-tion for rooftop solar panels’as per which the state power department had proposed tobuy excessive solar-generated-

power left from the residents atthe same price the departmentsells to its consumers. However,the power department will notpay or subsidise the cost of set-ting up the solar power system.

The second phase will focuson implementation of key solarprojects and installation ofrooftop solar plants.

“The MCG will conductfeasibility studies on the pilotproject and if found fit, it willbe drafted for mass usage,” saidKumar.

Green step: Civic body to focus on use of solar energyTHE FIRST PHASE INVOLVES RESEARCH ON LATEST TECHNOLOGY,LIAISONS WITH THE MINISTRY OF ENERGY, SOLAR EXPERTS, NGOS

LAYING OUT THE PLAN

■ A private aviation firm may set up the helipad hub along the NH-8highway and the KMP expressway (above). PARVEEN KUMAR /HT

■ The heliport hub will consist of a helipad and an operationand control room

■ Gurgaon deputy commissionerhas asked the officials of theHaryana Urban DevelopmentAuthority and MCG to identifya site

■ Chopper services will be usedfor evacuation, medicalassistance and police patrol-ling in case of an emergency

■ Helicopter can also be used to ferry disaster victims to near-est hospitals

■ A 30X30-metre space for thehelipad and two rooms of20X20 sqft each for operationcontrol room were required

›FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND

MEDIA COVERAGE OF A DISASTER, THE SERVICES OF HELICOPTER WILL BE PROVIDED FREE-OF-COST.SANJAY SINGH, chief operating offi cer, KP aviation