December 20, 2010MCD's info kiosk project hits a roadblockMCD - Of 2000 information kiosks, which were to be operational by October 2010, only 100 have been installed in the city. Of these, none are functional MCD's info kiosk project hits a roadblock - The Times of India NEW DELHI: MCD's ambitious project — MCD Aapke Dwar — that aims to bring its services to the doorstep of residents has hit a roadblock. Of 2000 information kiosks, which were to be operational by October 2010, only 100 have been installed in the city. Of these, none are functional. Sources say the proposal was put on hold, as the company, which was given the contract, didn't make the payments to MCD in time. These kiosks were designed to provide information on railway timings and services provided by MCD and Delhi government. As per the initial proposal, these were also supposed to offer facilities for payment of utility bills and option to register public grievances. But in the kiosks that have been installed so far, the options are missing. The contract for the project was given to Hyderabad-based Bartronics. "This unique initiative would have helped MCD connect better with citizens. But the project got stuck in the implementation phase," said a senior MCD official. With this Rs 800-crore project, which was to function on Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis, the civic agency would have earned revenue worth Rs 101 crore every year. The project was stopped midway due to financial reasons. The kiosks were to be placed near residential colonies so that information and services are available to citizens near to their place of residence. "The company is yet to the make payment to MCD. But we are also told there were issues related to the site where kiosks were supposed to be put up," said an MCD official. "This is a citizen-friendly project. The project still stands, but there are some issues which need to be sorted out before we re-start the project. We are examining the matter and will soon restore it," said Deep Mathur, spokesperson, MCD. Officials said the main source of revenue for the company that has been implementing the project will be service charges collected from concerned government departments and advertisements. "In the second phase, these kiosk are meant to provide information on hotels, hospitals, nearby doctors, chemist shops, pet shops etc," said an MCD official. Read more: MCD's info kiosk project hits a roadblock - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/MCDs-info-kiosk-project-hits-a-roadblock/articleshow/7136503.cms#ixzz18hi9y7rB MCD's info kiosk project hits a roadblock - The Times of India |