MYSORE: Have the local authorities and elected representatives failed to grasp the importance of public participation in the implementation of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in Mysore?

The question has assumed significance following the Centre's directive to the local authorities to submit a Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) according to the stipulated guidelines.

The CDP for Mysore prepared by the local authorities drew flak for not taking the public into confidence. In fact, a public awareness meeting on the JNNURM held here was considered good enough and the CDP was submitted to the Centre which promptly returned it for revision.

But what has peeved non-governmental organisations here is that even the revised CDP has been submitted without holding any public meeting or calling for feedback which is mandatory according to the guidelines.

The Association of Concerned and Informed Citizens of Mysore (ACICM) has termed this act of the authorities neglect and apathy on the part of the local administration and expressed its concern that the city may lose a golden chance to beef up its infrastructure with funding under the JNNURM project. Mysore is among the 63 cities identified for the implementation of the project by the Ministry of Urban Development. It entails spending Rs. 60,000 crore in the next six years, but the funding is subject to formulation of a vision plan for each city.

The CDP is expected to offer a perspective and vision for the future development of a city and should present the current stage of its development. It should spell out the directions of change, including the thrust areas. Some of the key questions to be raised in the vision document or the CDP should pertain to addressing priority areas, suggesting alternative routes, strategies and interventions necessary to bring about the desired changes.

According to the guidelines issued by the JNNURM, the preparation of the CDP itself is a multi-stage exercise, involving in-depth analysis of the existing situation, covering the demographic, economic, financial, infrastructure, physical, environmental and institutional aspects: the purpose of this stage is to review and analyse the current status of the city with regard to the state of its development, systems and procedures, as equally its institutional and financial context.

But the ACICM is perturbed that the local authorities failed to take the public into confidence and has submitted a memorandum to Minister for Housing and Mysore district in-charge D.T. Jayakumar, drawing his attention to the lack of public participation.

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