By IANS
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday asked state governments to pay much greater attention to urban infrastructure so that Indian cities are freed of slums and the poor also get access to basic amenities.
Reviewing the progress of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, the prime minister said his government would ensure adequate finances under the mission if states met their commitments made under various programmes.
Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy told the meeting that some states had taken the initiative to implement various programmes in areas such as mass rapid transport system, water supply, sewage treatment and waste disposal.
The mission, covering 63 cities, was launched three years ago to ensure that necessary amenities are made available to the country's urban population, which is estimated to grow from 28 percent as per the 2001 Census to 40 percent by 2021.
The mission was proposed a month after Manmohan Singh became prime minister in 2004 where he outlined a $30-billion blueprint under the Planning Commission to lift India's long-neglected cities to match global benchmarks.
"It will be our effort to give special attention to policies that can encourage urban development and renewal. We will actively seek public-private partnership in building urban infrastructure in a planned manner," he had said.
The mission aims at providing seven basic amenities to the urban poor by 2012, covering affordable shelter, land tenure, water, sanitation, education, health and social security.
Reddy told Saturday's meeting that 63 cities had prepared development plans. He also said Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Vijayawada and Vishakapatnam will now have 100 percent water supply.
Other highlights of the progress are:
– Modern sewerage systems in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat and Vijayawada.
– Upgraded waste collection, transportation, treatment and disposal in Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow and Rajkot.
– Improved bus rapid transit systems in Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Indore, Pune, Thane and Vijayawada.
– Municipal bodies in Aizwal, Gangtok, Itanagar and Shillong.
– E-governance implementation in 33 cities.
– 11 cities achieve 85 percent efficiency in property tax collection.
– 40 cities earmark funds for services to urban poor and shantytown dwellers.