SHIMLA: The Urban Development Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Kaul Singh Thakur, said on Wednesday that Shimla is one of 63 cities in India that have been included in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission project for developing the basic infrastructure. He said an amount of Rs. 50,000 crores had been earmarked for the mission by the Union Government to be spent during the next seven years.

Speaking at a Stakeholders' Consultation Workshop on city development plans here, he said the Shimla Municipal Corporation had already submitted a vision document to the Central Government. In this reform-driven mission the municipalities and the State Governments would have to go for a complete reformation process, he added. "The eligible cities under the project will have to formulate a medium term City Development Plan."

Mr. Thakur said the Himachal Government was committed to making Shimla a beautiful modern town and at the same time retaining its old heritage under this mission. He said it was a matter of great satisfaction that the State Government and the Municipal Corporation of Shimla had already initiated many mandatory reforms that were the basic requirements of this mission.

The significant reforms that the Shimla Municipal Corporation has already initiated are e-governance and switching over to Accrual Based Double Entry System of accounting.

Mr. Thakur said that bringing about a permanent solution to the drinking water shortage in the hill station and solving the problem of traffic congestion are the top priorities. In addition, shifting the solid waste management plant and making the arrangements of houses for poor people of the town were also on the priority list of the Government and the Shimla Municipal Corporation, he added.

Mr. Thakur said that for implementation of the schemes under the project, the Municipal Corporation of Shimla had made a provision of Rs.2.5 crore in its budget for the year 2006-07 and it was expected that by December this year the first instalment of funds under the mission would be received from the Central Government.

The Minister asked for constructive suggestions for a sustainable infrastructure development and for formulation of city development plans from the stakeholders, Government organisations, NGOs, elected representatives of the citizens, town planners and prominent citizens of the town.

Speaking on the occasion, Harbhajan Singh Bhajji, the local MLA, observed that it was a progressive scheme under which the Union Government had decided to give financial assistance to urban local bodies for strengthening the urban services by improving the existing infrastructure and urban poverty alleviation including housing for the poor sections of society.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail