Latest news with #VijayalakshmiBidari
Time of India
25-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Bidari tells officials to clear Ambazari dam area debris by June 5
1 2 3 Nagpur: Divisional commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari, chairperson of the high-level committee appointed for the Ambazari dam reinforcement project, conducted an on-site inspection on Saturday to review the progress of the ongoing safety and strengthening works. The inspection was part of the committee's efforts to implement the directives issued by Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court. Bidari emphasised that all construction debris near the site must be cleared and cleanliness work completed before the onset of the monsoon, setting a deadline of June 5. Accompanying Bidari were several senior officials, including municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari, MahaMetro director Rajeev Tyagi, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board's (MPCB) regional officer Hema Deshpande, water resources department's chief engineer R Parate, disaster management cell director Tushar Barahate and public works department superintending engineer JH Bhanuse. PWD EE Chandrashekhar Giri, NMC superintending engineer Dr Shweta Banerjee, deputy commissioner Rajesh Bhagat, chief sanitation officer Dr Gajendra Mahalle, Dharampeth zone assistant commissioner Snehalata Kumbhar, and executive engineer Vijay Gurubaxani were also in attendance. During the visit, Bidari gave specific instructions for the removal of debris near the bridge built to safely manage spillway discharge from the dam. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo She also reviewed the pipeline shifting project, noting that tenders were already finalised and urging that this work be completed as soon as possible. Committee members examined the preparations under way for the main gate that will control water flow from the dam, stressing that this construction work should commence without delay. Additionally, the team assessed the progress of water hyacinth removal and ongoing cleaning efforts along the Nag River. Municipal commissioner Chaudhari reiterated that all construction waste along the river must be cleared by the June 5 deadline to ensure smooth water flow and environmental safety. The high-level committee, under Bidari's leadership, will continue to oversee these critical projects to strengthen the dam's infrastructure and ensure public safety ahead of the rainy season.
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Scale up monsoon readiness: Bidari directs govt depts
Nagpur: With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting an early onset of monsoon in Vidarbha and possible heavy downpours in some regions, divisional commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari on Monday directed all administrative and disaster management agencies to adopt immediate and coordinated preparedness measures. In a high-level pre-monsoon review meeting, Bidari asked district officials to lower water levels in key dams — including Gosikhurd, Upper Wardha, Isapur, and inter-state reservoirs like Sanjay Sarovar and Medigatta — to pre-empt potential flood risks. "It's critical to monitor water levels closely and take timely discharge decisions to prevent human and livestock casualties," she said. The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), state and national disaster response forces, Water Resources Department (WRD), and police department. Collectors and SPs from six eastern Maharashtra districts joined the meeting via video conference. All urban bodies were told to immediately identify and remove structurally unsafe hoardings and banners. "These structures become hazards during storms. They must be dismantled before the rains intensify," Bidari instructed. She also urged districts to replicate Bhandara's Dima (Disaster Information and Management Assistant) chatbot model to keep citizens informed about extreme weather events and emergencies. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ative o software antivírus do seu computador Clique aqui Undo "Make sure official platforms like the FloodWatch app from the Central Water Commission are promoted and used effectively," she directed officials. With parts of Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, and Gondia falling in remote tribal zones, Bidari directed officials to relocate pregnant women from vulnerable areas ahead of the monsoon. Citing past incidents, she asked local authorities to secure dam and reservoir areas that attract tourists. Additional guidance was issued for ashram schools and hostels, with the commissioner emphasizing the need to ensure access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation to prevent disease outbreaks among students. "The health department must remain vigilant and act proactively to contain monsoon-related diseases," she said. During the review, departments including health, irrigation, civic bodies, and the armed forces presented detailed monsoon contingency plans. Bidari emphasized that the unified approach must be proactive rather than reactive. "Early planning and inter-departmental coordination will be the difference between disaster management and disaster prevention," she concluded.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Digital ‘panchanama' to accelerate disaster compensation
Nagpur: After a successful two-year pilot in Nagpur division, e-Panchanama project is ready for a full-scale roll out across the state. The digital platform has been developed to streamline and expedite disaster damage assessment and compensation. Training for its implementation has been done in four divisions including Nagpur, Amravati, Nashik, and in the remaining two divisions, Pune and Chatrapati Sambhajinagar, is under way, with statewide implementation expected by the end of under the initiative of Nagpur divisional commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari, in collaboration with the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC) and the Relief & Rehabilitation Department, the e-Panchanama system replaces traditional manual processes with a GPS-enabled mobile and web-based platform. This allows for real-time, location-specific documentation of damage, enabling swift and accurate Maharashtra govt approved an administrative expenditure of Rs 4.95 crore for the project on March 14, 2023. Subsequently, on January 25, 2024, an additional Rs 20.65 crore was sanctioned for MRSAC to develop the necessary server infrastructure to support the recently presented the e-Panchanama project at the Tech-Wari conference in Mumbai, where she was invited as one of the key speakers. Reflecting on the development process, she shared how on-ground feedback played a crucial role during the pilot in Nagpur. "We're also exploring similar modules to assess human and animal losses due to floods and other natural calamities, although those are still in the early brainstorming stage. However, this system became much more efficient thanks to suggestions from village-level officers," Bidari told TOI."For instance, we introduced the land masking feature based on their input, which automatically excludes forest land and Gaothan areas — zones typically not eligible for compensation when farms are damaged by unseasonal rains. Initially, the system allowed uploading only one photo per assessment. But field officers pointed out that damages are often more evident from different angles, so we incorporated the option to upload multiple photos. These changes made the platform more practical and accurate," she its pilot inception, the project demonstrated significant results. In the 2023–24 fiscal year, 46,884 e-Panchanamas were conducted, benefiting 43,844 farmers. In 2024–25, 40,982 assessments have already been carried out, impacting 39,866 farmers during which parallelly manual punchanamas were filed. A total of 2,932 govt personnel, including Talathis, Tahsildars, BDOs, Agriculture Assistants, and Gram Sevaks, have been trained across the four completed features of the system include integration with land record systems (7/12, e-Peek Pahani), Sevarth ID for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), and auto-calculation of compensation based on crop-wise and farmer-specific damage. Each e-Panchanama is geotagged, assigned a unique ID, and stored in a centralised database that supports damage pattern analysis, decision-making, and ahead, plans are also there to integrate the system with the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite network and streamline DBT delivery. A Government Resolution detailing the new e-Panchanama process is under development. Support structures are also being established, including a dedicated support cell at Mantralaya and designated officers at each divisional and collector office.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
E-panchnama trial success in Nagpur division paves way for statewide roll-out
Nagpur: Success of E-panchnama system — a digital tool designed to streamline crop damage reporting for farmers, in Nagpur division has opened the way for a statewide roll-out within the year. Speaking at Tech-Wari, a technology learning week held in Mumbai from May 5 to 8, divisional commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari presented the success of the the brain behind the initiative, highlighted how traditional panchnama process for assessing crop damage, done manually and passed through multiple administrative levels, often took up to a year. "By the time relief reached farmers, many were already burdened by debt," she new digital system allows talathis (village-level officers) to report crop losses directly through a mobile app. The app includes drop-down menus, GPS tagging, and photo upload features, making the process faster and transparent. "In 2023–24, over 46,000 e-panchnamas were successfully completed, and more than 40,000 were filed in 2024–25," she said while training sessions for Konkan, Nashik, and Amravati divisions have already been completed, once the remaining two divisions are trained, the system can be rolled out across Maharashtra within the in collaboration with agencies like Maharashtra Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MRSAC), the app integrates existing govt datasets such as Mahavedh (for rainfall alerts), IRS (for unique identification), land records, and e-peek pahani (crop data). Officials say the e-panchnama system will not only speed up compensation process but also increase accuracy, transparency, and accountability — offering much-needed relief to farmers affected by natural Success of E-panchnama system — a digital tool designed to streamline crop damage reporting for farmers, in Nagpur division has opened the way for a statewide roll-out within the year. Speaking at Tech-Wari, a technology learning week held in Mumbai from May 5 to 8, divisional commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari presented the success of the the brain behind the initiative, highlighted how traditional panchnama process for assessing crop damage, done manually and passed through multiple administrative levels, often took up to a year. "By the time relief reached farmers, many were already burdened by debt," she new digital system allows talathis (village-level officers) to report crop losses directly through a mobile app. The app includes drop-down menus, GPS tagging, and photo upload features, making the process faster and transparent. "In 2023–24, over 46,000 e-panchnamas were successfully completed, and more than 40,000 were filed in 2024–25," she said while training sessions for Konkan, Nashik, and Amravati divisions have already been completed, once the remaining two divisions are trained, the system can be rolled out across Maharashtra within the in collaboration with agencies like Maharashtra Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MRSAC), the app integrates existing govt datasets such as Mahavedh (for rainfall alerts), IRS (for unique identification), land records, and e-peek pahani (crop data). Officials say the e-panchnama system will not only speed up compensation process but also increase accuracy, transparency, and accountability — offering much-needed relief to farmers affected by natural disasters. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Mother's Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Metro's mobility plan for city in final stages
Nagpur: In a crucial step towards addressing Nagpur's growing traffic and transport challenges, the high-level committee chaired by divisional commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari convened its second meeting on Friday to review the draft of the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP). The plan, prepared by MahaMetro in collaboration with Rail India Technical and Economic Service (Rites), aims to create a long-term strategy for efficient, integrated, and sustainable mobility solutions for the city. "This was our second high-level review meeting. A comprehensive presentation was made to all stakeholders, and we have now asked for further final suggestions within the next week," said Bidari. She said a final meeting will be held before the plan is submitted to the chief minister and other senior ministers director of strategic planning Anilkumar Kokate elaborated on the technical aspects of the CMP. "The presentation incorporates traffic survey data, road analysis, and previous feedback from departments. This plan includes important elements like bus terminus locations, traffic flow patterns, and infrastructure gaps," he also highlighted one of the major proposed changes — redirecting intercity buses to terminate at the outskirts of the city, instead of entering the congested urban zones. This move is expected to ease central traffic pressure and streamline public transport are also being proposed in the coordination between different public transport systems, including city buses, metro lines, and shared mobility services. The CMP will serve as a roadmap not only for infrastructure development but also for policy and regulatory adjustments to support future mobility needs. Kokate said that another final meeting will be held within a month after which the proposal will be presented to the CM and other concerned meeting brought together key stakeholders including representatives from Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), MahaMetro, Public Works Department (PWD), DCP Traffic, Regional Transport Office (RTO), and others. The CMP presentation included consolidated feedback from all participating departments, reflecting a collaborative approach to designing the city's future mobility one more stakeholder meeting scheduled in the coming days, the plan is expected to be finalised and presented to the Chief Minister and relevant ministers next month. The city administration is positioning this plan as a foundational step in transforming Nagpur's urban transport landscape.
