*Date:12/07/2006* *URL:
http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/12/stories/2006071204070500.htm*
------------------------------
Kerala <http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/12/25hdline.htm> -
Thiruvananthapuram
*Corporation sets City Development Plan in motion *
T. Nandakumar
*Core committee to identify priority sectors in urban infrastructure and
basic services *
------------------------------
*
The consultation exercise is a radical departure from the Corporation's
earlier proposal
Broadbased, democratic exercise planned
Sectoral committees to identify priority projects *
------------------------------
Thiruvananthapuram: The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has begun the
consultation process for the formulation of a City Development Plan (CDP)
that would make it eligible for Central Government assistance under the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
At its first meeting last week, the core committee for the project, headed
by Mayor C. Jayan Babu, decided to identify the priority sectors in urban
infrastructure and basic services.
The CDP, with a perspective for 20 years, is one of the eligibility criteria
for the release of JNNURM funds. The consultation exercise now underway, is
a radical departure from the Corporation's earlier proposal to modify the
vision document for the city that is under preparation for the Capital
Region Development Programme.
Civic functionaries said the Government had preferred a more broad-based,
democratic approach to the project.
"Fine-tuning the vision document may have served the purpose, but it would
have been a bureaucratic exercise. Besides, a development plan prepared by
officials would not reflect the aspirations of the people," a senior
councillor said.
The first meeting of the core committee was attended by representatives from
the Public Works, Town Planning, Irrigation, Local Self-Government and
Tourism Departments, and agencies such as the Kerala Water Authority, Kerala
Road Fund Board, Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority, National
Transportation Planning and Research Centre and the City Corporation.
S.M. Vijayanand, Principal Secretary, Local Self-Government, briefed the
participants about the objectives of the JNNURM and the preparatory
exercises to be taken up.
Sectoral teams
The meeting constituted sectoral teams to identify the development needs and
prepare the draft details for the CDP. Each team comprises officials drawn
from the department and agency concerned. Senior Town Planner T.M. Sudha was
appointed coordinator for the exercise.
The core committee also decided to set up an office in the Corporation
headquarters building at Palayam.
Corporation sources said a large number of retired officials from various
departments had been drafted into the consultative exercise. "We decided to
utilise the services of retired hands because they have good experience in
handling development issues," says a civic official.
The second phase of the consultative exercise involves several rounds of
discussions with a cross section of society, including residents
associations, traders, NGOs and social workers.
Some of the proposals that have come up before the Corporation for the
JNNURM include preservation and protection of water bodies including rivers,
canals and ponds and the Vellayani Lake, protection of heritage buildings
and sites, development of satellite townships, a mass rapid transport system
and link roads to ease traffic congestion.
The City Corporation's annual budget for the year 2006-07 has earmarked a
token amount of Rs.100 crores for JNNURM projects.
The budget has identified 13 major projects to be taken up with JNNURM
funds. These include eight urban infrastructure projects and five schemes to
improve basic services for the poor.
Budget allocation
The highest outlay of Rs.44 crores is for sewerage, while Rs.10 crores has
been allocated for widening and reconstruction of roads. An amount of
Rs.6crores has been earmarked for health, education and social
security schemes
for the poor.
The other projects include solid waste management and sanitary landfill (
Rs.4 crores), flood control (Rs.4 crores), heritage conservation
(Rs.4crores), watershed management (
Rs.6 crores), streetlights (Rs.3 crores) and development of parking areas (
Rs.5 crores).
The Corporation is expecting a total assistance of Rs.1,000 crores under the
JNNURM. The funds will be distributed over a period of seven years, with the
Centre footing 80 per cent of the cost and the State Government and the
Corporation providing 10 per cent each.
Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi are among the 63 cities that have been selected
for the JNNURM to fast track the development of infrastructure and basic
services. The State Government has fixed July 31 as the deadline for
formulation of City Development Plans for the two Corporations.
**
(c) Copyright 2000 - 2006 The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/12/stories/2006071204070500.htm*
------------------------------
Kerala <http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/12/25hdline.htm> -
Thiruvananthapuram
*Corporation sets City Development Plan in motion *
T. Nandakumar
*Core committee to identify priority sectors in urban infrastructure and
basic services *
------------------------------
*
The consultation exercise is a radical departure from the Corporation's
earlier proposal
Broadbased, democratic exercise planned
Sectoral committees to identify priority projects *
------------------------------
Thiruvananthapuram: The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has begun the
consultation process for the formulation of a City Development Plan (CDP)
that would make it eligible for Central Government assistance under the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
At its first meeting last week, the core committee for the project, headed
by Mayor C. Jayan Babu, decided to identify the priority sectors in urban
infrastructure and basic services.
The CDP, with a perspective for 20 years, is one of the eligibility criteria
for the release of JNNURM funds. The consultation exercise now underway, is
a radical departure from the Corporation's earlier proposal to modify the
vision document for the city that is under preparation for the Capital
Region Development Programme.
Civic functionaries said the Government had preferred a more broad-based,
democratic approach to the project.
"Fine-tuning the vision document may have served the purpose, but it would
have been a bureaucratic exercise. Besides, a development plan prepared by
officials would not reflect the aspirations of the people," a senior
councillor said.
The first meeting of the core committee was attended by representatives from
the Public Works, Town Planning, Irrigation, Local Self-Government and
Tourism Departments, and agencies such as the Kerala Water Authority, Kerala
Road Fund Board, Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority, National
Transportation Planning and Research Centre and the City Corporation.
S.M. Vijayanand, Principal Secretary, Local Self-Government, briefed the
participants about the objectives of the JNNURM and the preparatory
exercises to be taken up.
Sectoral teams
The meeting constituted sectoral teams to identify the development needs and
prepare the draft details for the CDP. Each team comprises officials drawn
from the department and agency concerned. Senior Town Planner T.M. Sudha was
appointed coordinator for the exercise.
The core committee also decided to set up an office in the Corporation
headquarters building at Palayam.
Corporation sources said a large number of retired officials from various
departments had been drafted into the consultative exercise. "We decided to
utilise the services of retired hands because they have good experience in
handling development issues," says a civic official.
The second phase of the consultative exercise involves several rounds of
discussions with a cross section of society, including residents
associations, traders, NGOs and social workers.
Some of the proposals that have come up before the Corporation for the
JNNURM include preservation and protection of water bodies including rivers,
canals and ponds and the Vellayani Lake, protection of heritage buildings
and sites, development of satellite townships, a mass rapid transport system
and link roads to ease traffic congestion.
The City Corporation's annual budget for the year 2006-07 has earmarked a
token amount of Rs.100 crores for JNNURM projects.
The budget has identified 13 major projects to be taken up with JNNURM
funds. These include eight urban infrastructure projects and five schemes to
improve basic services for the poor.
Budget allocation
The highest outlay of Rs.44 crores is for sewerage, while Rs.10 crores has
been allocated for widening and reconstruction of roads. An amount of
Rs.6crores has been earmarked for health, education and social
security schemes
for the poor.
The other projects include solid waste management and sanitary landfill (
Rs.4 crores), flood control (Rs.4 crores), heritage conservation
(Rs.4crores), watershed management (
Rs.6 crores), streetlights (Rs.3 crores) and development of parking areas (
Rs.5 crores).
The Corporation is expecting a total assistance of Rs.1,000 crores under the
JNNURM. The funds will be distributed over a period of seven years, with the
Centre footing 80 per cent of the cost and the State Government and the
Corporation providing 10 per cent each.
Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi are among the 63 cities that have been selected
for the JNNURM to fast track the development of infrastructure and basic
services. The State Government has fixed July 31 as the deadline for
formulation of City Development Plans for the two Corporations.
**
(c) Copyright 2000 - 2006 The Hindu