Special units to be set up to facilitate land acquisition for JNNURM projects

The central government has decided to set up a Project Management Unit of the State Level Nodal Agency (SLNA) and Project Implementing Unit at the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) level to facilitate the process of land acquisition. The move comes with ULBs running into problems over land acquisition intended to implement infrastructure projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). 

The JNNURM has provided project funding across 65 identified cities in the last seven years with the implementation of the projects being coordinated through implementing agencies of the state and ULBs.

"This is an effort by the government to augment the capacity of the state governments and ULBs in the implementation of large projects and handling issues related thereto," said a senior state government officer after attending the national conference on JNNURM in New Delhi yesterday.

Maharashtra has received Rs1,358.2 crore  of the total Rs6.974.64 crore outlay with a big chunk of the money going to Pune and Mumbai in the hope that the cities would emerge as the Singapore and Shanghai of India respectively.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has drawn up the City Development Plan (CDP) as part of the mission, with an outlay of Rs6,643 crore, with 70 per cent of the funds coming from central and state governments.

Around 15 projects are being covered under the mission including roads, storm water drains, Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), water supply, solid waste management, sewage treatment, river and lake improvement, slum improvement and rehabilitation.