VIGILANCE AND MONITORING COMMITTEES
PROPOSED FOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES
Minister for Urban
Development & Poverty Alleviation Shri Ananth Kumar has proposed
setting up of vigilance and monitoring committees for all urban
development schemes. Addressing a meeting of the Consultative
Committee attached to his Ministry here today, Shri Ananth Kumar
said that such committees will be chaired by the Members of Parliament.
The subject of "Urban Development" was discussed in
the Meeting.
Earlier, outlining
the progress of various urban development schemes, Minister of
State for Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation Shri Pon.
Radhakrishnan stated that it is proposed to extend the scope of
centrally sponsored scheme of Integrated Development of Small
and Medium Towns (IDSMT) to cover towns having population up to
10 lakh. He informed that 446 projects costing Rs. 4907 crore
have been approved for infrastructure development in five mega
cities viz. Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
A proposal to extend the scope of this scheme to all cities with
a population of more than a million, except Delhi, has been sent
to the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance. Shri Radhakrishnan
informed the members that out of 883 schemes costing Rs. 1141
crore, approved so far under the Accelerated Urban Water Supply
Programme, 298 schemes have been completed. Under the low cost
sanitation scheme for liberation of scavengers 859 schemes costing
Rs. 1465 crore and covering 1495 towns have been sanctioned so
far. More than 37500 scavengers were liberated under the scheme
and 387 towns declared scavenger free.
Members suggested
that arrangement for alternate employment should be made for the
liberated scavengers and sanitation facilities developed for women
in rural areas. To check the shift of population from small to
big towns, smaller towns should be brought under the IDSMT. Members
also suggested that drinking water facilities should be created
in proportion to the population of a place and MPs may be kept
informed about the urban development schemes and funds allocated
for these in their States. A suggestion was also given to implement
the rain water harvesting scheme at larger scale.
Members of Parliament
who attended the meeting were Smt. Shyama Singh, Smt. Jaishree
Banerjee, Shri Laxman Singh, Shri T. Govindan and Shri Nepal Chandra
Das.
