8 cities for urban reforms

Union Minister for Urban Development Jaipal Reddy today said eight cities in four states had submitted development plans and indicated commitment to urban reforms to secure funds under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

These cities are Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Indore, Nagpur, Rajkot, Surat and Vijaywada.

Reddy was addressing a meeting to review progress on the mission. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who said all cities must care for the poor.

Singh said urban renewal efforts should focus on the poor and the dispossessed. "The Mission should improve basic services in urban areas and make our cities more livable for all," he said.

"The urban mission is not an elitist project to beautify cities, but an important social and economic intervention aimed at improving quality of life of the slum-dwellers and the poor," he said.

Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani, a member of the advisory group said, "The Mission does not view the poor and the migrants as a burden but a resource."

The Mission covers 63 cities. Among the reforms the cities have to undertake are slum improvement programmes and mobilisation of resources. State governments will also be asked to rationalise and reduce stamp duty and enact public disclosure and community participation laws.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr Montek Ahluwalia asked the states to "use funds to improve urban services like drinking water and sanitation rather than to just build flyovers."

Participants at the meeting, including urban planner OP Mathur and urban activist Sheela Patel, emphasised the need for creating more "caring cities."

Union Minister of State for Poverty Alleviation and Urban Employment Shelja said public participation in drawing up city development plans was vital to the success of this reform and development effort.