The Hindu 09.04.2010
JNNURM Plus on the cards
VISAKHAPATNAM: Jawaharlal National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the Central Government-sponsored programme for civic amenities, will soon be followed up with JNNURM Plus. It will give top priority to urban transportation and Andhra Pradesh is among the six States selected for it, according to Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, T.S. Appa Rao.
Speaking at a meeting with officials of GVMC and the Mayor here on Thursday, he said Phase Two of the mission would begin in 2014. Projects (proposed under it) should be innovative so as to attract tourism and investments. The projects should pave way to the city becoming slum-free and green. Under the mission, works worth Rs.12,000 crores are going on of which Hyderabad accounted for Rs.5,000 crores and Visakhapatnam for Rs. 2,000 crores.
Mr. Appa Rao wanted officials to focus on improving revenue from the water supply and also tone up the feeder roads. Mayor Pulusu Janardhana Rao and Commissioner V.N.Vishnu detailed the development and welfare programmes going on in the corporation.
The Mayor urged him to sanction staff to overcome paucity, release pending funds from the State Government, sanction drinking water projects for Gajuwaka and the 32 villages merged in the corporation, merge schools in the villages in the GVMC, among other things.
Additional Commissioners S. Krishna Murthy, P. Purnachandra Rao, Chief Engineer B.Jayarami Reddy, Chief City Planner B. Venkataratnam and Financial Advisor Y.Mangapathi Rao participated.
