No easy release of funds if JNNURM work unsatisfactory: Centre

The Centre today warned that the states that have not implemented projects under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) satisfactorily will find it difficult to get financial aid from it in future.

Addressing the annual meeting of urban development secretaries and principal secretaries of states, Union Minister Jaipal Reddy said that the Centre's focus is more on ensuring quality of work being done by urban civic bodies in various cities of the country under JNNURM.  

"Since December 2005 when JNNURM started, we have been giving funds to states for implementing projects under the mission. The difficult part of ensuring quality of projects and their effective implementation has now begun.

 

For states that have not done enough, there will be no easy releasing of funds," the Minister for Urban Development said.   

He said the mission, which has reached midway in its tenure of seven years, had a fund worth Rs one lakh crore. "Most of this amount has been spent, but the implementation has to be effective. We review the performances of states. Since most of the fund has been utilised, we will try to get an additional amount of Rs 5,000 crore from World Bank for JNNURM next year," Reddy said.

Calling for better cohesion among officials of urban civic bodies, the minister said it will go a long way in ensuring quality of projects under the mission. "For this purpose, we conduct a review of JNNURM projects on a periodic basis," he added. 

Reddy said that with private vehicular traffic especially cars having increased manifold in metro cities, mainly Delhi, there is a need to think about pedestrians and cyclists.        

"When Delhi government had implemented the BRT project, there was a lot of pressure from car owners as the corridors cramped their driving space. We need to withstand their pressure as in urban cities, there is hardly any scope for pedestrians and cyclists. Therefore, we are giving more buses in metro cities," the minister said.  

Under JNNURM, almost 50 per cent of funds have been allotted for drainage, sewerage and solid waste management projects. "These may look unglamourous things, but these services are class neutral, as they are used by both poor and rich," Reddy said.  He added that 20 per cent of the cost of JNNURM projects is being generated through public private partnership (PPP), especially in setting up of metro rail services in various cities. "But metro projects are costly and we would also focus on releasing buses for pedestrians, as these projects are cheaper," the minister said.  

Reddy said that in many cities, the British era sewerage and drainage systems are still functioning effectively. "Under JNNURM project, our endeavour is that through effective monitoring, drainage and sewerage systems of our cities should be built in such a way, that they remain in use even 50 years down the line."  

Earlier, Centre gave piecemeal assistance to states for urban development, "however with the launch of JNNURM, Centre is now playing a proactive role in development of cities," Reddy said.