CM asks officials to get maximum benefit from JNNURM

Hyderabad, Aug 24 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today asked the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department to include as many projects as possible under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme to get maximum assistance from the Centre for making the state ''slum-free''.

According to a press release, during a review meeting with the department officials here, Dr Reddy asked the officials to complete the pending projects so that the state could seek more grants under the scheme.

He said Rs 26,257 crore was being spent for the development of Hyderabad on par with other metros in the country. Of this, Rs 4,600 crore was spent on 161-km 8-lane Outer Ring Road (ORR), Rs 1,700 crore for Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Rs 8,482 crore for Metro Rail project and Rs 2,027 crore for developing 31 radial roads connecting ORR.

Under the second instalment for various projects under Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG), Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP), Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT), Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP), the total cost of projects was Rs 4258.16 crore.

Out of this, the Centre's share was Rs 2487.34 crore, the release here said.

The Centre had selected Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam as ''mission cities'' under the JNNURM in the state. These cities would be free of slums as affordable housing along with proper civic amenities would be provided to those without 'pucca' houses in slum settlements, it said.

UNI