The United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government’s major achievement in its
second year of ruling at the Centre was the launch of the Jawahar
Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) by the Prime Minister,
Dr. Manmohan Singh, on the December 3, 2005.
This Mission is the single largest initiative by the Centre
for the planned developmental cities, aiming at investing in infrastructure
and improving the quality of urban life. With this, the Government has fulfilled a major
commitment in its National Common Minimum Programme.
Infrastructure and Governance
Under the JNNURM Submission,
“Infrastructure and Governance”, the Government approved
projects worth Rs.86,482.95 lakh, of which the total Central assistance
admissible was Rs.36,731.335 lakh. The Central share approved for release was
Rs.9,010.584 lakh during the last financial year.
Basic
Services to Urban Poor
Under the JNNURM Submission, “Basic Services to Urban Poor”, the Centre
cleared projects worth Rs.1,99,386.48 lakh.
The approved Central share was Rs.34,933.326 lakh. The Central share released was Rs.8,733.3315
lakh during the last financial year.
Urban Renewal Mission
The seven-year
long Urban Renewal Mission is to develop infrastructure and alleviate
poverty in urban areas. It
aims at creating economically productive, efficient, equitable and
responsive cities. The Mission
supports water supply, sewerage and sanitation, solid waste management,
road network, transport, construction of bus and truck terminals,
re-development of inner city areas, development of heritage areas,
preservation of water bodies, slum development, basic services to
urban poor and street lighting.
In the first
phase, the Mission is being executed in 63 cities with a population
of 10 lakh, State capitals and 23 other cities of religious and
tourist importance. With
an estimated provision of 50,000 crore for 7 years, the Mission
is the single largest Central Government initiative in the urban
sector.
Urban
Infrastructure Development Scheme
The Government
has released over 87 crore to 26 small and medium towns across 3
cities to take up various schemes under the Urban Infrastructure
Development Scheme for small and medium towns under the JNNURM.
The amount is used for laying of distribution water pipelines,
water supply schemes, reserving water bodies, upgrading roads, improving
drainage system, channeling water resources and carrying waste water
in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
National
Urban Transport Policy
The Government
has brought out the National Urban Transport Policy. The object of the Policy is to ensure safe, affordable, quick, comfortable,
reliable and sustainable access for the growing number of city residents
for jobs, education, recreation etc.
The Policy incorporates urban transportation as an important
parameter at the urban planning stage itself.
It also encourages integrated land use and transport planning
in all cities to minimise travel distances.
It encourages greater use of public transport and non-motorised
modes of travel.
Conversion
of leasehold system of land into freehold
The Union
Government has approved modifications in the existing scheme of
conversion of leasehold system of land into freehold in Delhi. This decision of the Government will avoid huge financial loss to
the public exchequer and also avoid giving undue financial benefits
to private persons.
Bangalore
Metro Rail Project
The Government
has also cleared implementation of Bangalore Metro Rail Project by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation
Ltd. The project covers
a length of 33 kms, costing Rs.5,453 crore.
The project will be implemented by the year 2011 and it provides
much needed transport infrastructure to the city of Bangalore.
The Government
have accepted the recommendations of the Group of Ministers on the
operation and maintenance of Metro Rail systems. According to the recommendation, the choice of gauge is to be left
to the concerned State governments to decide.
Lutyens
Bungalow Zone
The Government
has fixed norms for Type VII and VIII categories of bungalows in
the Lutyens Bungalow Zone. The
norms fixed the area permitted, per main bungalow, office space,
and staff quarter, garage and security requirements.
The norms shall be taken as the yardstick for the purpose
of reconstruction/new construction of bungalows in the Lutyens Bungalow
Zone in future.
Master Plan for Delhi
The Government has issued a notification to make modifications
on the mixed land use regulations of the Master Plan for Delhi 2001.
One lakh Dwelling Units
The Government
has decided to construct 1 lakh dwelling units in the next two years
to the slum dwellers of Delhi.
The multi storey housing units would be built through public-private
partnership on the land occupied by these poor people.
It also accorded in principle approval to the DDA to take
up a pilot project for construction of multi-storey tenements for
reallocation of slum dwellers at Tekhand using land as resource.
National Mission Mode Project on
e-governance
The Government
is formulating a National Mission Mode Project on e-governance in
municipalities. The project
covers 423 cities/towns having a population of one lakh and above. This will be completed by 2009-10.
International
Conference on Alternative Technologies for Public Transport
The Government
organised an International Conference on Alternative Technologies for Public Transport in
March. This Conference was
to create awareness amongst the key decision-makers of the country
about the different kinds of transport system that are working around
the world. The meet was aimed at enabling these decision-makers
to make informal choices with regard to public transport systems
for their cities. About
500-60 delegates from India and abroad participated in this global
meet.
Infrastructure
Development in Mega Cities
During 2004-05
under the centrally sponsored scheme for Infrastructure Development
in Mega Cities, a sum of Rs. 303.12 crore was released to five mega
cities viz. Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai, for
undertaking infrastructure development projects.
Some of the major projects approved during 2004-05 are:
Ø
Construction of check dams in Adayar, Coovam and Palar rivers
in Chennai to recharge the aquifers;
Ø
Rehabilitation of existing sewerage system in Bangalore city;
Ø
Water supply distribution system Phase-2 of Mumbai; and,
Ø
Surface water supply in Bhatpara, Pujali and Baruipur Municipalities
in Kolkata.
AUWSP
Out of the total allocation
of Rs. 150 crore for Accelerated Urban Water Supply Programme (AUWSP),
funds to the extent of Rs. 146 crore were released to the State
governments during 2004-05. New
water supply projects numbering 206, for towns having population
less than 20,000, were sanctioned under AUWSP.
An amount of Rs. 4 crore was released under AUWSP for reconstruction
and repairs of water supply system in the Tsunami affected Port
Blair (Andaman & Nicobar Islands).
Setting up
desalination plants in the towns along Coromandal coast is one of
the thrust areas under NCMP to tide over the problem of shortage
of drinking water in the coastal towns.
The Ministry has cleared four proposals for Ramanathapuram
and Keelakarai in Tamil Nadu, and Bheemunipatnam in Andhra Pradesh,
Gopalpur in Orissa, and Muthialpet in Pondicherry.
In order
to provide proper sanitation facilities, including solid waste management
and drainage to overcome the bid menace, the Central sector scheme
of Solid Waste Management and Drainage in 10 selected Airfield Towns, has been started. The towns covered are Gwalior
(MP), Ambala (Haryana), Hindon (UP), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Tezpur
(Assam), Dundigal (AP), Sirsa (Haryana), Adampur (Punjab), Pune
(Maharashtra) and Bareilly (UP).
To augment
the infrastructure facilities in the National Capital Region, 19
new infrastructure projects at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,272 crore,
with loan component of Rs. 824 crore, were sanctioned by the National
Capital Region Planning Board during the year 2004-05.
These include eight rural water supply projects at a cost
of Rs. 386 crore to meet the requirement of drinking water in the
backward and water scarce rural areas of the Mewat Region of Haryana.
Shelter for people
Delhi Development Authority allotted 12,659 houses during
2004-05 under the new housing schemes, namely, two Bed Room Housing
Scheme offering 2,356 flats and Festival Housing Scheme offering
2,506 flats in different localities.
Under the Rohini Residential Scheme, 1,788 MIG plots and
2,505 LIG plots were allotted by DDA during 2004-05.
Similarly,
CPWD completed 860 units of various types of General Pool Residential
Accommodation and 35,250 sq.m of General Pool Office Accommodation.
In addition 4,517 residential units for other Ministries and Police
organisations were also completed.
Also construction of residential accommodation for the Ministry
of Defence at 12 locations in Rajasthan, Punjab and J&K,
has been taken up by CPWD.
Detailed Project Reports (DPR) for 12 stations amounting
to Rs. 1,138 crore have been submitted.
Rehabilitation of Tsunami Affected
A project for taking up permanent resettlement of Tsunami
affected people in Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been taken up
by the Ministry. The Ministry
has started the construction work.
About 9,714 houses, which includes 2,397 by NGOs, are being
constructed.
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