Housing schemes for urban poor in Northern states reviewed

Chandigarh, June 26 (UNI) Housing Units for urban poor in all states should be completed in all respects, which includes providing all basic facilities like water supply, sanitation, drainage, roads, street lighting and solid waste management.

These views were expressed in a high level meeting called to review the progress of implementation of Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) and Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for the states of Punjab, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and J&K.

Dr H S Anand, Secretary, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation to the central government who presided over the meeting asked the officers to bring any project with realistic cost and fulfilling required conditions and these would be cleared without any delay.

Issuing guidelines to concerned Secretaries of all the states, dr Anand stressed upon quality control. He said that until the third party clears the quality of the constructed building, only then the next pay installment would be cleared.

He said that the states have to provide services in a transparent manner as these schemes were on no profit no loss basis. He also reviewed the progress of on going works of all the states.

Mr D S Bains, Principal Secretary, Local Government in Punjab while giving presentation said that the Punjab had made tremendous achievements under the BSUP and IHSDP scheme. The Detailed Project Report amounting to Rs 114.83 crore of construction of flats for slum dwellers in Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana had already been approved and the first installment of Rs 22.00 crore had been released by the central Government these schemes.

Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Mr Samir Kumar, Director Local Government, Punjab, Ms Naseema Lankar, Secretary, J&K, Housing and Urban Development; Dr Manjit Singh, Secretary, Government of Rajasthan, Local Self Government, Mr S K Sharma, Secretary Government of Himachal Pradesh and Mr Mohanjit Singh, Chairman, Chandigarh Housing Board alongwith Commissioners and other officers from the concerened states.

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