KOCHI: The Corporation will spend Rs.10.47 crore for solid waste management in the first phase of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-aided projects in the city.

The proposals for first phase projects were presented before the Corporation at a special council meeting held here on Saturday. T.K. Jose, Secretary, Department of Local Self-Government, and Anand Singh, Director, Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP), were present at the meeting.

The meeting was the first by the local bodies, being held as follow-up of the recent high-level meeting presided by Paloli Mohammed Kutty, Minister for Local Self-Government. Corporations in Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Kollam and Thrissur will also hold meeting to finalise project implementation.

A total of Rs.185.01 crore will be spent in Kochi for projects coming under five major components. The five components are water supply (Rs.41.91 crore), sewage and sanitation (Rs.92.79 crore), drainage (Rs.13.76 crore), solid waste management (Rs.12.96 crore) and urban road development (Rs.23.56 crore).

A city-level steering committee will be formed for the implementation of the project. The Mayor will be the chairperson and Corporation Secretary will be the convener of the committee, which will have the District Collector, representatives of departments involved, chairpersons of standing committees and representatives of community-based organisations as members.

The role of the committee will be to monitor, supervise and control the implementation of the projects. It will have no administrative control over the projects. Project implementation units will be formed after the council approves the projects.

Participating in the discussion, Deputy Mayor C.K. Manisankar said the city needed new roads and not upgradation of existing ones. Detail Project Reports (DPRs) should be prepared for mass transport systems.

A section of the councillors alleged that the DPR for ADB-aided projects was prepared before discussing them at the council. There was a suggestion that a clearer picture was required regarding projects being implemented using ADB aid and those under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). An integrated approach for implementation of ADB and JNNURM projects was also sought.

In his address, Mr. Jose said the details of the projects being implemented would be printed in Malayalam and distributed among councillors.

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