Occupation certificate not must for individual houses to get water line

NAGPUR: The civic body has decided not to ask for occupancy certificates while giving water connections to individual houses and houses in NIT layouts. The decision was taken at the meeting of the water works committee of Nagpur Municipal Corporation on Thursday, chairman Sudhakar Kolhe said.

Recently, municipal commissioner Shyam Wardhane had come up with a policy to compel builders and individuals to get occupancy certificate to get water and sewage connections. The decision had been taken following expose of many commercial buildings violating sanctioned plans and easily getting water and sewage connections. In fact, over 90% buildings in the city do not have OC, though it is mandatory.

Kolhe, however, clarified that the rule will remain in force for commercial buildings, flat schemes and multi-storey buildings in corporation limits. The policy will not be applicable to buildings sanctioned by NIT in their layouts, he explained.

Meanwhile, the committee also approved the administration's proposal to regularize 28,730 house connections under JNNURM's 24X7 project. In a survey carried out by OCW, it was revealed that NMC had no records of these 28,730 connections.

Most of the connections were found in ESRs areas of Shanti Nagar, Sakkardara, Boriyapura, Bezonbagh and Binaki, Kolhe said.

During the meeting, the committee members unanimously decided to waive off the dues from these connection holders and forwarded the decision to the general body for house's nod to regularize them. Meters to these connections will also be provided free of cost under NMC's 24X7 project.

"Once GB gives its nod, bills to these connections will be generated from the next cycle," he said. The move will help the civic body increase revenue by generating bills.

Kolhe said that the committee has also decided to impose five times fine on OCW if the private firm fails to provide tankers in network areas.

Source - TOI - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Occupation-certificate-not-must-for-individual-houses-to-get-water-line/articleshow/30750041.cms

After five days, West Virginia water crisis nears end

CHARLESTON (West Virginia): Officials today partially lifted a ban on tap water that was tainted by a chemical spill, while some in West Virginia had to wash, cook and brush their teeth with bottled water for a fifth straight day.

Questions lingered about how and why the leak occurred and whether the company, Freedom Industries, took too long to let officials know about the problem that affected about 300,000 people and effectively shut down the state capital.

Tests over the weekend showed that levels of the chemical used in coal processing were consistently below a toxic threshold, but testing continued today.

"We see light at the end of the tunnel," Governor Earl Ray Tomblin told reporters. He announced today that the ban was lifted on parts of the region.

Residents had been urged not to use the water for anything but flushing toilets. Some people left town to take a shower and find an open restaurant. Water distribution centers have handed out bottled water.

So far, 10 people exposed to the contaminated water were admitted to the hospital, and none was in serious condition, health and human resources secretary Karen Bowling said.

About 28,400 liters of the chemical is believed to have leaked from a tank and containment area, and some of it got into the Elk River and the water treatment plant downstream.

The chemical quickly dissolves in water, so people have had to wait for it to pass through the water system or be diluted to the point where the water is again safe.

The chemical, even in its most concentrated form, isn't deadly. However, people were told they shouldn't even wash their clothes in affected water, as the compound can cause symptoms ranging from skin irritation and rashes to vomiting and diarrhea.

Freedom Industries' tanks don't fall under an inspection program, and the chemicals stored at the facility weren't considered hazardous enough to require environmental permitting.

Essentially, Freedom Industries wasn't under state oversight at all, said Michael Dorsey, chief of the state Department of Environmental Protection's Homeland Security and Emergency Response office.

"There's no question that they should have called earlier," department of environmental protection secretary Randy Huffman said.

Source TOI - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/After-five-days-West-Virginia-water-crisis-nears-end/articleshow/28760711.cms

10 Glasses of water a day to cut fat

We have all heard this advice innumerable times. Drink eight to 10 glass of water a day. Experts say that if you are overweight or tend to get most of your calories from processed and salty food, eight to 10 glass of water could actually help you reduce your weight. Water could lower your BMI. If you drink eight to 10 glass of water everyday you will end up eating less and also drink fewer calorie-laden beverages. Drinking about 500 ml of water before meal can cut the calories and help in losing weight and as a result lower body mass index (BMI). Water helps in burning fat. You can burn about 50 per cent more fat after drinking water compared with a higher calorie beverage. Water helps you play your sports better. Sweating away just two per cent of your body's water content affects the performance of a sportsperson to a great extent. Drinking enough water can improve your game and save you from the risk of dehydration. Water can fight hangovers. Being adequately hydrated is the best way not to feel lousy and grouchy after a late night party. Drink a couple of glasses of water hours before the event. Even when you are flying a long distance flight, staying hydrated helps you fight hangover. Source TOI - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/fitness/10-Glasses-of-water-a-day-to-cut-fat/articleshow/18288281.cms

Arvind Kejriwal: Will order 700 litres of free water within 24 hours oftaking oath

NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal will pass orders to fulfill his election promise of providing 700 liters of water every day to each household within 24 hours of taking oath as chief minister of Delhi on Saturday.

In an exclusive interview to TOI on the day President Pranab Mukherjee cleared the way for him to be the CM, Kejriwal also declared that he would order an audit of the accounts of power distribution companies in the city to check whether they have engaged in fudging their records.

"We are not claiming that we will make water available to everyone, at least at the present. But we are promising to make 700 liters of water free for each family for which only an executive order is needed," Kejriwal said. He said that distribution of water, and not availability, was the problem.

On the audit of the books of power companies, he asserted that such an audit was possible and comes within the ambit of the Comptroller and Audit General. All that was needed was political will, Kejriwal said.

The two announcements underscored his plan to hit the ground running and could assuage the doubts, at least about his willingness if not capability, to deliver on the promises that he has made.

In the wide-ranging conversation, Kejriwal also said that he wanted to divide the city into 2,720 mohalla sabhas to discharge local responsibilities: from the maintenance of schools, dispensaries parks to construction and repair of roads and provision of drinking water and electricity. Resources will be distributed among the mohalla sabhas to fund their requirements. To bring out what might deepen decentralization by taking it to an additional layer, former chief secretary Madhya Pradesh, S C Behar, has been asked to draw the roadmap.

Kejriwal acknowledged that one of the reasons he agreed to form the government despite being short of the majority mark was because he wanted to call Congress's bluff. He disclosed that he was set to decline the invitation because he was confident that AAP would sweep the re-election. The stand changed when Congress offered him outside support and, within no time, even started taunting for running away from taking responsibility. "This led us to conduct a referendum on whether we should accept Congress's help to form the government," said Kejriwal. He smiled when asked whether he felt that Congress has been trapped.

The CM-designate struck a realistic note when asked about AAP's plan for Lok Sabha elections, saying that AAP could contest any number of seats ranging from 20 to 400 depending on its assessment of its prospects in individual seats as well as its ability to find "suitable clean" candidates. Though this appeared modest in view of the assessment that the rookie party could run both Congress and BJP close at least in urban constituencies, Kejriwal was confident that its spectacular performance in Delhi will help AAP expand its footprint to other parts of the country. He said that government's performance in Delhi will the most effective campaign for the party.

He was not deterred by the fact that AAP might be squeezed out of the Lok Sabha arena because it will not be seen as a serious contender for power at Delhi in case it is unable to contest a majority of the seats. "Our polity is already fractured. Trinamool and SP win seats even though they restricted to their states", he pointed out.

Source - TOI - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Arvind-Kejriwal-Will-order-700-litres-of-free-water-within-24-hours-of-taking-oath/articleshow/27927843.cms