AP govt ready to release funds for better basic amenities

Machilipatnam, Aug 15 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration Minister Koneru Rangarao today said the state government was ready to release funds to the cities for development of basic amenities in the state under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Development Renewal Commission (JNNUDRC).

According to him, under this scheme Hyderabad would get Rs 1,000 crore while the coastal city Vijayawada would get Rs 200 crore for development of drinking water facility, roads, drains, sanitation.

He said about 24 small municipalities were not financially viable and were unable to pay the staff salaries. The state government had decided to release Rs 80 crore to those municipalities next month, to meet their immediate needs.

The Minister said the state government decided to fix water metres for every house connections in the cities, with a view to control usage of water and preserve ground water level.

The urban development authorities should allot certain percentage of their profits to the concerned municipalities, he added.

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