Rs 1,000-crore blueprint for slum-free cities in UP

The projects would be finalised and sent for central approval by month-end

The Uttar Pradesh government is preparing a blueprint for 'slum-free cities' in 21 urban centres under the centrally-sponsored Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY).

The projects estimated at Rs 1,000 crore would be finalised and sent for central approval by month-end.

RAY runs under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Rejuvenation Mission (JNNURM) aiming for 'slum free India' by encouraging states to tackle the problem of slums.

It lays down a multi-pronged approach, that is, bringing existing slums within the formal system and enabling them to avail of the same basic amenities as in a town. It redresses the failures of the formal system behind the creation of slums.

The 21 cities selected in UP include Agra, Meerut, Allahabad, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur City, Mathura, Aligarh, Bareilly, Moradabad, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Rampur, Shahjahanpur, Firozabad, Rae Bareli, Etawah and Kannauj.

RAY envisages that the state prepares a State Slum-free Plan of Action (POA). It entails a comprehensive survey to map all exiting slums in selected cities proposed by the state under the plan. The mapping is based on Geographical Information System (GIS).

UP chief secretary Jawed Usmani today reviewed the progress under RAY and directed officials to finalise the projects by month end for vetting by the Centre.

During 2012-13, the Centre had sanctioned about Rs 225 crore to UP under RAY pilot projects at Kanpur City, Agra, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Rampur and Kannauj. Almost 2,100 housing and infrastructure projects are to be developed with this fund.

Meanwhile, Usmani directed that GIS mapping under National Urban Information System (NUIS) be completed in three months.

Union urban development ministry had launched NUIS Scheme in March 2006 to develop GIS databases for select towns/cities in India. The Scheme has another component of National Urban Data Bank and Indicators (NUDBI). This data is used for the preparation of Master/Development plans, detailed town planning schemes and serves as decision support for e-governance.