Hubli-Dharwad, Bangalore in urban renewal plan

Hubli-Dharwad, Bangalore in urban renewal plan

Business Standard

Vidya Kulkarni / Dharwad December 06, 2005: The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday, will be a boon to Hubli-Dharwad. The twin cities have been included in the list of cities chosen for implementing the mission. Hubli-Dharwad, along with Bangalore city, will be covered by the mission.

The sub-mission launched by the Union ministry of urban employment and poverty alleviation aims at providing basic services to the urban poor in 63 select cities across the country.

In Karnataka, Bangalore has been selected under cities with a population of over four million and Hubli-Dharwad under the category of cities with population of over one million population. With the inclusion of the twin cities for implementing the mission, all projects for the creation and development of infrastructure could be taken up under the JNNURM.

The mission will be implemented in 2005-06 and all works taken up under the mission need to be completed within seven years. Minister for municipal administration S R Morey, who is also the minister in-charge of Dharwad district, told this correspondent that the mission will be a boon to the twin cities.

He said, Hubli-Dharwad could secure assistance to the tune of Rs 500 crore in course of seven years to develop the infrastructure. This will enable the twin cities to attract investments and generate employment.

The minister has instructed the Hubli-Dharwad Municipal commissioner Manivannan to prepare plans and proposals with the help of expert consultants and send them to the central sanctioning and monitoring committee in the ministry of urban employment and poverty alleviation for approval within a month.

As per the financing pattern of the mission, Hubli-Dharwad will get 80 per cent of the project cost from the Centre while Bangalore will get 50 per cent. The remaining has to be borne by the state urban local body (ULB) concerned.

The main thrust of the sub-mission on basic services to the urban poor will be an integrated development of slums through projects for providing shelter, basic services and other related civic amenities to provide utilities to the urban poor.

The admissible components of the mission include integrated development of slums, projects involving development and maintenance of basic services, projects of water supply, sewerage, drainage, community toilets, baths and other amenities, affordable houses, street lighting among others.

The state governments and the ULBs/parastatals will be required to execute a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Centre that include their commitment to implementing the identified reforms.

The MoA will also spell out specific milestones to be achieved for each item of reform. Signing of the tripartite MoA will be a necessary condition to access central assistance. The agenda of reforms include mandatory reforms and optional reforms.

The National Steering Committee has been constituted to steer the objectives of the mission. The Union minister for urban development is the chairman of the committee and minister for urban employment and poverty alleviation the co-chairperson.

The five members of the committee are secretary (UEPA), secretary, Planning Commission, secretary (expenditure), national technical advisor and secretary (urban development).

The state-level steering committee will decide on the projects and their priorities for inclusion in the NURM programme. It is headed by the chief minister as chairperson and includes minister for urban development as vice-chairman, mayor of ULB, MPs/MLAs concerned, secretary, finance, secretary public health engineering, secretary, municipal administration, secretary, housing and secretary and urban development as members.

The scheme will be implemented through a state-level nodal agency designated by the state government. The funds will be released in four instalments by the ministry of urban employment and poverty alleviation as additional central assistance. The first instalment will be released on signing the MoA.

The balance will be released after the receipt of the utility certificate.