Kochi corporation slips on Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission
KOCHI: When the UDF-led council came to power in Kochi corporation in 2010 November, the civic administration and the public were hopeful that many of the long-drawn development projects will become a reality.
A major reason for this was the availability of funds under Union government’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). If one third of the projects conceived under JNNURM could have materialised, the city’s infrastructure sector would have been changed dynamically. Sadly, it’s not the case.
As per a status report released by the Union Urban Development Ministry in 2013 July, the city utilised only 35 per cent of the amount approved for projects.
While Kochi spent Rs.17, 850 crore under the scheme, Thiruvananthapuram has spent 32 per cent of the amount. A status report released by the Kochi corporation in 2012 said it spent Rs 230.18 crore of the Rs 684.9 crore allocated in Phase I.
The sectors included under JNNURM are solid waste management, water supply, surface water drainage, basic services to the urban poor (BSUP) scheme, urban transport, city bus service, e-governance and heritage and tourism.
The only projects which were completed are the Piravom drinking water scheme, Ponnurunni rail over bridge, development of a couple of roads and construction and upgradation of a few drains in the city.
The AC and non-AC low floor buses are one of the major achievements of the city from JNNURM.
Some of the much-awaited projects that were failed to materialise are RoBs at Atlantis and Pachalam, Thammanam–Pullepady road development, Goshree – Mamangalam Road, e-governance programme, sewage treatment plant at Mundamveli and market heritage development at Broadway.
Though civic experts blame the uniform guidelines set for all cities without considering each city’s specific features for the dismal performance of the city corporation, the fact remains the corporation officials failed to make use of the opportunity. “There were lapses in submitting feasible project proposals,” said a top civic official.
According to Mission guidelines, the Centre would meet 50 per cent of the project cost. The State government should raise 30 per cent of the funds and the share of the urban local body is 20 per cent.
Later, the civic body submitted fresh proposals for the transition phase of JNNURM in 2013. But the seven proposals like pedestrian friendly urban transport system (Rs 55. 10 crore), surface water drainage project for east Kochi (Rs 40 crore), upgradation of surface water drainage in west Kochi (Rs 50 crore), improving inland water transport system, development of public markets (Rs 32.68 crore), revamping Broadway heritage area (Rs 25 crore) and renewing Ernakulam market (Rs 15 crore) failed to get sanction of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee.
