The Statesman 21.05.2013
KMC to begin work on LF-era housing project
The KMC will begin constructing the flats under the Basic Services for Urban Poor (BSUP) project at Canal South Road this month after an inordinate delay. In 2008 the project was initiated by the civic body and the cost has escalated by 60 per cent owing to delay.
In 2009, the civic body received more than two acres land from Kolkata Improvement Trust (KIT) where the flats will come up. The KMC failed to find a contractor to construct the flats even after floating several tender in the past four years.
The Rs 41-crore project to construct flats at Canal South Road was taken up under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) scheme. As per JnNURM norms, the Centre and the state government provided 70 per cent of Rs 41 crore, while the KMC would have to pitch in with the remaining 30 per cent of the total project cost. Beneficiaries will give Rs 1.5 crore before receiving the flats. Five five-storied buildings will come up on the plot. The construction of the flats will start next week and is likely to be completed within a year.
The civic body has taken four years to start construction of flats at Canal South Road due to its faulty planning, lack of foresight and lackadaisical attitude, a civic official said.
In the last financial year, the KMC failed to utilise Rs 31 crore under the JnNURM scheme and the money was returned to the ministry of Urban Development. The Centre had allocated Rs 498.48 crore during the 2011-12 financial year. The KMC could utilise only 14 per cent of the funds received for BSUP project under the JnNURM scheme. Flats were supposed to come up at Rajarghat, Kacharipara, Hatgachia, Anandanagar, Jalpara, Garden Reach, Pagladanga, Topsia and Banerjeepara under the scheme. None of the projects has started.
The JnNURM grants to the civic body were withdrawn a few weeks ago as the KMC failed to utilise the grants, and the KMC has been asked to return the grants, along with an interest of nine per cent. Last month senior officials of the ministry of Urban Development also expressed their dissatisfaction over the failure of the KMC to utilise the funds under the JnNURM scheme at a meeting in KMC headquarters.
