AP set to become ''dustbin-free'': CM

Hyderabad, Jan 31 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh will achieve the distinction of having ''dustbin-free'' cities and towns by April one, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekara Reddy said today.

As many as 63 per cent of the 140 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) had started collecting garbage directly from households and others would follow suit before the deadline, he said after launching the Peer Experience and Reflective Learning (PEARL) Programme being taken up jointly by the Union Urban Development Ministry, the state government and the ULBs.

The state government was committed to provide round-the-clock water supply to cities to prevent water contamination, he asserted while urging the Centre to provide financial support for the ambitious project as many of the ULBs were not in a position to take it up with its own resources.

Presently, about 5,000 houses in the state capital were being provided round-the-clock drinking water supply.

Despite opposition from some parties in Vijayawada, the government would go ahead with metering drinking water to promote judicious use of water.

However, he made it clear that poor people would be provided drinking water free of cost.

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) would go a long way in improving infrastructure in the ULBs and make cities more livable, economically vibrant and environmentally sustainable.

The Administrative Staff College of India, in partnership with the Union Urban Development Ministry and the World Bank Institute, launched the Urban' Resource Link to accelerate urban reforms with information support to urban managers and associated sector professionals of JNNURM cities.

UNI