MP government proposes Rs 1656 crore plan to improve urban infrastructure

NEW DELHI: Madhya Pradesh government plans to spend Rs 1,656 crore to improve basic infrastructure including water supply, sewage network, urban transport in 32 cities and towns under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation ( AMRUT) during the current financial year.

The state government has submitted state annual action plan (SAAP) in this regard to the Urban Development Ministry, a ministry official said, adding that SAAP has been formulated based on service level improvement plans for each of the 32 mission cities.

AMRUT accords priority for ensuring universal coverage of all urban households with basic infrastructure relating to water supply, sewerage and sewage management, storm water drains, urban transport and open spaces in that order.

City level service improvement plans are prepared for identification of gaps between available and required infrastructure, the official said.

In the SAAP furnished to the UD Ministry, Madhya Pradesh government has informed that 51 per cent of all urban households in the state were having water supply connections and at present water supply is 88 litre per capita per day (LPCD) as against the norm of 135 LPCD.

Only 11 per cent of urban households were connected to sewerage network services.

Coverage of households with water supply connections in 32 mission cities ranged from 21 per cent in Pithampur to 74 per cent in Gwalior and Dewas. It was below 50 per cent in Bhopal, Satna, Morena, Singrauli, Burhanpur, Shivpuri, Vidisha, Damoh, Chattarpur, Hoshangabad, Sehore, Datia and Nagda.

Water connections were available to 50 per cent to 73 per cent household in Jabalpur, Ujjain, Sagar, Ratlam, Rewa, Katni, Chindwara, Khandwa, Bhind, Guna, Mandsaur, Khargone, Neemuch, Betual and Seoni. No sewerage network were available in 11 of the 27 mission cities and towns in which sewerage projects were proposed to be undertaken. Only Indore and Gwalior have coverage of sewage networks to the extent of 62 pc and 60 pc respectively.

In other cities and towns, the coverage ranged from 3 pc to 25 per cent, the SAAP said.

Under the Action Plan for 2015-16, the state government has proposed investment of Rs 1,656 crore of which central assistance would be Rs 672 crore while the state government's contribution would be Rs 756 crore and the rest Rs 228 crore will be met from the resources of respective urban local bodies.

Of this, cost of water supply projects was Rs 582 crore, sewerage projects- Rs 926 crore, storm water drains- Rs 36 crore, urban transport- Rs 70 crore and provision of parks and green spaces- Rs 41 crore.

During the five year mission period of AMRUT, the state government has proposed to take up a total of 101 project with a total investment of Rs 8,279 crore including Rs 2,912 crore on water supply projects, Rs 4,628 crore on sewerage projects, storm water drains Rs 180 crore, urban transport Rs 351 crore and Rs 207 crore on provision of parks and green spaces.

Under the Mission, central government will bear 50 per cent of project costs in cities with a population of upto ten lakh each and one third of project costs in mission cities with population of above ten lakh each.

The state government has informed the Ministry that urban local bodies with a population of over ten lakh will bear 16.67 per cent of project costs and those with a population of less than ten lakh will bear 10 per cent of project cost. The rest will be borne by the state government.