Newsletter (2022-OCT)
Warm greetings to all Greenagians. It is October and as we bring out the third and last newsletter of team GOA 21-22, we wish all residents a very Happy Festive season. This newsletter has some updates from the recent events in Greenage that residents have enthusiastically led and participated in, followed by infrastructure, finance, HK and Gardening updates.
Events and Celebrations
Greenage Walks - May 1st and 8th
The First Greenage walk took place on Sunday 1st May and the second walk on May 8th. The aim of this educational and fun walk was to help our children understand how our lives are made comfortable by so many people and machines working round the clock. 30 enthusiastic children attended the educational session. They learnt about a range of information from plants, sprinklers, grass and composters to Security functions, from water treatment plants to the fire hydrant system, from the filters of the pools to the CCTV.
Blood Donation Camp - 12th June
A Blood donation camp was sponsored and organized by Marwari Yuva Manch in association with GOA and Narayana Hrudalaya hospital. 91 units of blood were collected from the residents and staff of Greenage.
Vaccination Camp - 16th July
A vaccination camp was organized by GOA and Motherhood hospital. 175 adults and children availed booster doses.
Sawan Event - 30thJuly
A renewed spirit of celebration spread amidst the Ladies of Greenage at the Sawan Event. It was an afternoon filled with talent, dance games and music.
Independence Day 15th August
Greenage celebrated 75 glorious years of Independence. Flags fluttered on numerous balconies. A beautifully illuminated Greenage, a short stage show, breakfast by an NGO, lunch for all staff by Balaji Mandal and a plantation drive by seniors, were hallmarks of the celebration.
Ganapathi Puja : 31st August to 2nd Sept
Ganapati Bappa came to Greenage with music and drums to bless all with good health and cheer. Three days of bhajans, competitions for children, delicious prasad and prayers ended with a dance performance by old and young alike.
Block Get togethers - Ebony, Ginger and Fern
Ebony, Ginger and Fern blocks had their get togethers in the past few weeks. The events were attended by the residents of the respective blocks. There were special programs for people of all ages including intro sessions for families, dance and singing followed by a sumptuous dinner. A great initiative from the organizers to bring people together.
Onam : 17th to 18th September
Onam was celebrated with fun food, family and friends. The two day event had a flea market, stage show, huge poo kolam, with the finale being the grand Saadya.
Karwa Chauth - 11th to 13th October
The Juniper hall was abuzz with soft music and ladies celebrating, as 10 mehndi artists demonstrated their craft on more than 5 hundred hands! This was followed by a puja and some fun activities, before the moon decided to emerge!
Greenage Library
The library opened as planned on 3rd May, with one of our residents taking up the post of librarian. As of date we have approximately 100 members and the numbers are growing. The library now has a QR code for easy payment, renewal of membership etc. Used by young and old alike, it is heartening to see many residents and children visit and read the variety of books and magazines we are proud to possess.
Force 18 - New Security Agency
A new Security Agency, Force 18 took over in mid July. The aim of the change was to strengthen security and bring about more discipline. Bringing Security directly under the supervision of GOA , gave us better control, close monitoring and timely management. We now have 35 security staff in the day and 26 in the night shift. The change to Force 18 has resulted in an increase in expenditure 1.8 lakh per month.
Updates on Infrastructure and Maintenance
CCTV : A single centralised control room has now been reconfigured and created, with constant monitoring and security. A single control room helps in better monitoring compared to the 4 different CCTV control zones we had until now. After an extensive survey to identify the blind spots, 41 additional CCTV cameras were installed including upgradation of the DVR capacity with approx Rs 14 Lakhs of investment
Lifts : Painting of the 30 lifts in Phase-1 has been completed, with an expenditure of Rs 3 Lakhs. Also lift licenses for A and B blocks have been renewed by spending Rs. 1.8 Lakhs.
STP: To improve the performance of STP plant, diffusers have been replaced in two of the three aerators. Along with this upgrade, main tanks have been cleaned. Total expenditure is Rs 12 lakhs.
Water Distribution System : 9 of the 16 water pumps that pump the water from the sumps to the Overhead Tanks in the Phase I blocks have been replaced. These were 9 to 10 years old and prone to frequent breakdowns. Expenditure incurred Rs 3 lakhs.
Water Treatment Plans : Resin tanks and other major elements that are now 9 years old in some of the water treatment plants for phase 1 blocks have been replaced. This helps in better performance of the plant and quality of output. Expenditure incurred, Rs 13 Lakhs
Energy Savings: To partially offset the higher BESCOM tariffs, high energy light fittings have been replaced with LED. Expenditure incurred approximately Rs 4 Lakhs
Seepages in Parking Lots : All the blocks have been experiencing seepage in several places causing inconvenience to many. We have taken up the seepage arresting and water proofing work across the blocks. So far we have incurred a cost of around Rs 7 Lakhs. This is an ongoing work and needs to be continued going forward.
Flood control during heavy rains in Bangalore : During the unprecedented heavy rains in September which caused flooding in many parts of Bangalore, we proactively hired additional high capacity pumps to pump out the water from basements. .The Facility teams worked through the night identifying the rising levels of water and tried to prevent heavy flooding. Despite the best efforts, flooding could not be totally avoided this time though it was controlled to a large extent. .
Noise for upper floors from pumps and the piping: In a phased manner the primary water pumps in overhead tanks have been changed to better models. PO is being issued to convert GI piping to CPVC at a cost of Rs. 12 Lakhs. Also pressure refill in booster pumps is being done to reduce the humming noise. Alternatively some pumps will be changed to Grunteforce which will significantly reduce the noise.
Major infrastructure works required in the coming months
Our apartment is already many years old and will require extensive infrastructure works to ensure it is maintained well. Few important works to be taken up in future.
Storm water disposal during heavy rains: Several improvements have been taken up so far including modification of the water discharge pipelines and increased the pump capacity with an expenditure of Rs 5 lakhs. This only helped partially. Complete redesign of storm water handling is required for Greenage to redirect water from the roads/podium directly to the main storm water drain and to have additional rain water harvesting pits. Anticipated expenditure Rs 20 to 25 Lakhs
Fire alarm system in Greenage especially in the phase I blocks is 10 years old and the model originally installed had become obsolete. There are some constraints in obtaining original parts as the models are very old. We are exploring alternatives to restore the fire alarm system in working condition in all the blocks. Expenditure to be incurred: Under discussion.
Leakage from the building expansion joints: This is again a concern area and GOA is continuously coordinating with the builder to get the issue resolved at the earliest. U-channels have been provided below a few joints to redirect water in a few places.
Road behind Alpine and Birch block has worn out and developed cracks. We are getting expert guidance and will soon be taking up suitable treatment/ relaying of the cracked surface. Anticipated Expenditure: ₹10 lakh
Finance
In addition to initial corpus of 33.12 Cr deposited with the Bank during July 21, we have added Rs.4.06 Cr to the corpus by way of:
Corpus share of new owners on sale of flats in Fern/Ginger blocks deposit released by the builder on collections recovered from residents as old dues, between July 21-June 22.
There remains still an amount of 1.20 cr held by the builders due to non payment (non cooperation) by residents and those who have such dues, are requested to take it up with SS for clarification if any and clear the dues so that we can reclaim our full corpus amount.
Greenage had 30 chronic defaulters of maintenance ( mostly doors locked & owners away) amounting to Rs.45.34 lacs due as on Oct.21. With persistent followup and some punitive measures we have recovered Rs. 13.34 lacs from 11 resident owners upto Aug.22.
HK, Envirionment, Landscaping and Gardening
On 15th August, about 40 saplings of useful trees were planted by the Senior citizens of Greenage.
Fresh green carpeting of barren patches near the Gas bank behind Cedar-Deodar block has been completed using Mexican grass.
Using the In-house plant resources, fresh plantations were carried out using Vadelia creepers, Red & green Acalypha, Multi-coloured Coleus, Ixora, Ribbon grass etc in different hot-spots with an aim to enhance the aesthetics and beauty of Greenage garden
The future plans include -- i) Creation of a rosary , ii) Developing patches of useful medicinal plants, iii) Labeling of existing herbs, shrubs and trees in the campus.
Few initiatives are being taken up for improving convenience to residents that will be completed in the coming weeks.
- Stone benches with backrest and armrests in the garden areas
- New dustbins added in the garden area to reduce littering
- Sign boards to be added in UB/LB and also in the common areas at ground level
- Garden and Wet waste compost generated in Greenage is now being distributed to residents at no charge on a first come first served basis.
- Ramps have been built in all UB and LB of blocks and in the garden areas to provide better access to wheelchair and strollers.
- Cycles purchased for our technicians to reach the work sites promptly.
Updating owner records in Apnacomplex - Important
Updating resident information on Apna complex has been another onerous task we have undertaken. Information was collated for 1676 apartments and correction of differences in names on Sale deed and in Apnacomplex has been completed for over 1560 flats. We request the owners to support this endeavor by sharing your sale deed with the GOA office when requested. Accurate and up-to-date information is essential for many activities including to the election committee for the upcoming elections.
Few more points before we end
Through the Newsletter we appeal to all residents to :
- pay dues on time
- park at allocated spots,
- refrain from plucking flowers
- discard debris at the area set aside for it, segregate waste conscientiously.
- not throw garbage down on terrace owners
- avoid drilling/interior work in prohibited hours
Treat all the Greenage property as our own property.
We look forward to welcoming the new GOA team with new ideas and focus and one common goal. A Beautiful Safe Greenage!