The Times of India 02.09.2010
JNNURM cities not shiningPUNE: The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM) has spent thousands of crores to spruce up the infrastructure in 65 identified cities over the last four years, but it appears that the development works have not equalled urbanisation.
Of the total outlay of Rs 6,974.64 crore, Maharashtra got Rs 1,358.2 crore. A slice of this huge money has found its way to Pune and Mumbai in the hope that they will turn out to be Singapore and Shanghai, respectively.
However, the central government's programme to improve infrastructure in cities to match their rapid urbanisation has not cut much ice with urban planners who say that the mission's aim to encourage reforms and fast-track planned development with a focus on efficiency in urban infrastructure has gone for a toss. The sustainability and appropriateness of JNNURM projects in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Nanded are now being questioned.
"The mission has deviated from its aim to renew cities. Thousands of crores of rupees are being spent for renewal. A majority of the projects are against urban development principles. The mission's aim is right, but the execution has missed the mark completely," said urban planner Anita Gokhale-Benninger. She pointed out that the money provided for the development of public transport is being utilised for extending road network and new flyovers are coming up in cities.
" Instead of revaming the existing dilpidated infrastructure like water supply pipeline network and distribution systems, money is being spend to create new water sources. The spending is certainly not in the interest of common people and cities," she added.
"All the selected cities have sought money for various works under the mission. Assets have been created, but civic bodies have no plan to maintain them. They have no budget to maintain the infrastructure. Elected representatives are not allowing the administration to hike taxes so that the maintenance costs could be recovered from the users," said Right to Information (RTI) activist Vijay Kumbhar.
The central government has released Rs 6,974.64 crore for 763 projects in 640 towns/cities under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme (UIDSSMT) and Rs 3,545.31 crore has been released for 946 projects for 806 towns/cities under Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) of JNNURM.
Former assistant director of the state town planning department Ramchandra Gohad said cities were in a hurry to bag their share of funds.
"The objective of the mission is missing. Four years after it was launched in December 2005, we realise that the local bodies are completely unprepared for the mission and its objectives. Pune and other cities launched projects without any background preparation or study. The comprehensive development plan (CDP) for Pune was submitted to the centre in a hurry to claim funds,"
Gokhale-Benninger agrred with Gohad. "No public consultation was held in Pune and the CDP was submitted without taking into consideration the needs of the people," she added.
However, the state government and local civic authorities defend the mission. Municipal commissioner Mahesh Zagade said that growing cities like Pune need central assistance to enhance infrastructure and cater to the basic needs of citizens.
The Planning Commission's mid-term appraisal on the JNNURM has said that there is need for better and consistent implementation of reforms, more emphasis on holistic urban renewal, and need for capacity at the centre, state and urban local bodies to ensure effective implementation on the ground. State governments and urban local bodies need more support and better guidance to build the financial, social and governance capacity to sustain the momentum on creating inclusive and liveable cities.
"Nearly 80 per cent of the funds under Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG) and more than 90 per cent of funds under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) have been committed to water supply, sewerage, drainage and solid waste management projects. It reflects the reality that most cities still have a significant backlog in the provision of basic urban services to their residents," the report said.
Box 1
Funds allocation
A sum of Rs 31,500 crore has been allocated as additional central assistance for UIG projects for seven years, beginning from 2005-06. Another chunk of Rs 11,400 crore for projects under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Town (UIDSSMT) has been earmarked. The committed ACA against the above mentioned provision is Rs 27,852.07 crore for 528 projects approved under UIG and Rs 10,428.85 crore for 763 projects approved under UIDSSMT. So far, 78 projects have been completed under UIG and 114 projects under UIDSSMT.
BOX- 2
Far from expectation
The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, the single largest initiative of the Centre for planned development of cities and towns, was launched on December 3, 2005 with an investment of Rs 1,00,000 crore for the mission period of seven years beginning 2005-06.
At the end of seven years, cities and towns under the plan are expected to achieve this much
Target: Modern and transparent budgeting, accounting, financial management systems, designed and adopted for all urban service and governance functions.
Reality: Local urban bodies in Maharashtra are slow on this.
Target: City-wide framework for planning and governance will be established and become operational
Reality: It still remains on paper.
Target: All urban residents will be able to obtain access to a basic level of urban services.
Reality: Such a scene is far from reality.
Target: Financially self-sustaining agencies for urban governance and service delivery will be established through reforms on major revenue instruments.
Reality: No urban local body has been able to do so till date.
Target: Local services and governance will be conducted in a manner that is transparent and accountable to citizens
Reality: Half-hearted efforts like putting some reports on website are being done by the local bodies, but the overall situation has not changed
Target: E-governance applications will be introduced in core functions of urban local bodies resulting in reduced cost and time of service delivery processes.
Reality: Paper work continues to dominate daily functioning.
BOX -3
A Checklist
Objective: Focused attention on integrated development of infrastructure services in the cities covered under the mission.
Reality: No integrated blueprint for the infrastructure development in consonance with the development plans is ready with urban bodies in Maharashtra.
Objective: Establishment of links between asset-creation and asset management through a slew of reforms for long-term project sustainability
Reality: The civic bodies have no long-term plan for sustainability of any project implemented under JNNURM.
Objective: Ensuring adequate funds to meet the deficiencies in urban infrastructure services.
Reality: Local bodies have struggled to get funds from the state and central government. In many cases, they had to put their own funds in advance anticipating the release of government funds.
Objective: Planned development of the city including peri-urban areas, outgrowths and urban corridors leading to dispersed urbanisation.
Reality : Funds and projects have hardly benefited the periphery of urban local bodies.
Objective: Scaled-up delivery of civic amenities and provision of utilities with emphasis on universal access to the urban poor
Reality: Basic amenities like drinking water, toilets, amenity space, playgrounds are lacking not only in slums but also in other parts of the cities
Objective: Special focus on urban renewal programme for the old city areas to reduce congestion
Reality: All plans to develop old parts remain on paper and instead funds are being used for new infrastructure like roads and flyovers
Objective: Provision of basic services to the urban poor
Reality: The state and civic administrations have no plan to stop slum proliferation. The fact remains that even if all slum dwellers are rehabilitated, new slums will continue to crop up.
BOX - 4
The Pune story
As part of the mission, the PMC drew up the City Development Plan (CDP) with an outlay of Rs 6,643 crore with 70% of the funds coming from central and state governments. As many as 15 projects are being covered by the mission including roads, storm water drains, Bus Rapid Transit System, water supply, solid waste management, sewage treatment, river and lake improvement, slum improvement and rehabilitation.
Officer on special duty (JNNURM) Vinay Deshpande said that civic body has received funds of Rs 735.01 crore from the central and state government so far and after adding its share, has utilised Rs 1,074.28 crore.
Deshpande said the civic body had taken the steps to boost public transport, roads and slum rehabilitation. "All this would have not been possible without the mission," he added.
story -2
Worry lines over quality of work
Radheshyam Jadhav
Pune: The quality of the project works under JNNURM in many cities has be criticised. The ministry of urban development has decided to appoint independent quality monitors to check JNNURM projects.
They will be professional engineers of the rank of retired superintendent engineers and above. These monitors will carry random inspection of infrastructure development projects being implemented in cities to check the quality. They will provide feedback directly to the mission directorate in the ministry of urban development. Their comments and inputs will be taken into consideration while processing the cases for the release of subsequent instalments of central support.
Monitors will not carry out inspections in the state where they have served. The reports will be filed online with the details of their visit on JNNURM website. The system is expected to help maintain the quality and timely completion of projects.
"Such a mechanism is necessary. But it is too late now as many urban local bodies have nearly completed their projects," said RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar.
Story 3
Experts moot new cities
Radheshyam Jadhav
There is a growing idea among urban planners and other experts that instead of funding the renewal of cities, the JNNURM should build new cities. It would be less expensive, faster and quite do-able, they said.
These satellite towns, the experts said, should be planned in a 50-100 km radius of big cities like Mumbai and Pune and connect them well.
The state government has taken steps to develop satellite nodes and townships and provide good connectivity to reduce the population burden on Pune.
A proposal to lay suburban rail lines to Daund, Mulshi and Lonavla has been submitted to the central government. Efforts are on to get more concessions to townships along the proposed ring road.
This would enable people to live on the fringes and travel to the city to work. It would also take the slums out of the city. According to the Pune Municipal Corporation's estimated statistics, the city's urban population is about 42 lakh.
According to a survey conducted by Shelter Associates, a Pune based group working for the urban poor, about 25-30 per cent population in the slums is floating population. Their survey also revealed that many low-income groups want their own accommodation but cannot afford it. "It is possible to accommodate low-income population in nodes and satellite townships," said Pratima Joshi of Shelter Associates.
The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM) has spent thousands of crores to spice up the infrastructure in 63 chosen cities over the last four years.
Of the total outlay of Rs 6,974.64 crore, Maharashtra got Rs 1,358.2 crore. A slice of this huge money has found its way to Pune and Mumbai in the hope that they will turn out to be Singapore and Shanghai, respectively.
However, the central government's programme to improve infrastructure in cities to match their rapid urbanisation has not cut much ice with urban planners.
They said that they mission's aim to encourage reforms and fast-track planned development with focus on efficiency in urban infrastructure has gone for a toss. The sustainability and appropriateness of JNNURM projects in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Nanded are being questioned.
Original
"The mission has deviated from its aim to renew the cities. Crores of rupees are spend in the name of renewal. Majority of the projects under JNNURM on which tax payers money is spend are against urban development principles. The aim of mission was correct but the actual execution has missed the target completely" says senior urban planner Anita Gokhale-Benninger.
" I cant say in whose interest it is to spend crores of rupees, but I can definitely say that it is certainly not in the interest of common people and cities" added Gokhale-Benninger.
Four years after the central government launched the ambitious Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to improve infrastructure cities to match rapid urbanisation, questions are being raised about the sustainability and appropriateness of the development projects in Maharashtra. Mumbai, Pune , Nagpur, Nashik and Nanded were selected by the central government under the scheme.
" Situation is same in all cities selected for the mission. Cities have sought money for various works under the renewal mission. No dought the mission has initiated asset creation but there is no plan with the civic bodies to maintain these assets. In fact municipal corporations dont even have budget to maintain the infrastructure and politicians are not allowing administration to hike any taxes so that maintenance cost could be recovered by users" says Right of Information (RTI) activist Vijay Kumbhar.
The central government so far has released Rs. 6974.64 for 763 projects sanctioned for 640 towns/cities under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme (UIDSSMT) and Rs. 3545.31 crores has been released for 946 projects for 806 towns/cities under Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) of JNNURM.
Says former assistant director of the state town planning department Ramchandra Gohad , " The basic objective of the mission is missing. Today four years after the mission was launched in December 2005 we realise that the local bodies were completely unprepared for the mission and its objectives. Cities like Pune launched projects without any background preparation or study. The comprehensive development plan (CDP) was submitted to the centre in a hurry to claim funds" Gohads views are echoed by Gokhale-Benninger. " While submitting the city development plan no public consultation was held in Pune and without taking into consideration the needs of people plans were submitted to the centre" she added.
However the state government and local civic authorities defend the mission. Pune Municipal commissioner Mahesh Zagade said that growing cities like Pune need central assistance to enhance infrastructure and cater the basic needs of citizens.
The Planning Commission's mid-term appraisal on the JNNURM stated that as the programme pushes forward, there is need for better and consistent implementation of reforms, more emphasis on holistic urban renewal, and need for capacity at Centre, state and urban local bodies to ensure effective implementation on the ground. On these fronts, State governments and urban local bodies need more support and better guidance to build the financial, social and governance capacity needed to sustain the new momentum on creating inclusive and liveable cities.
" Nearly 80 per cent of the funds under Urban Infrastructure and Governance(UIG) and more than 90 per cent of funds under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) have been committed to projects in water supply, sewerage, drainage and solid waste management, reflecting the reality that most cities still have significant back log in the provision of basic urban services to their residents" states the commissions report.
BOX -1
A sum of Rs.31,500 crore has been allocated as Additional Central Assistance (ACA) for sanctioning of projects under Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG) of JNNURM for the Mission period of seven years, beginning from 2005-06 and Rs.11,400 crore for sanction of project under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Town (UIDSSMT). The committed ACA against the above mentioned provision is Rs. 27852.07 crore for 528 projects approved under UIG and Rs.10428.85 crore for 763 projects approved under UIDSSMT. So far 78 projects have been reported physically complete under UIG and 114 projects under UIDSSMT.
BOX- 2
Expected Outcomes
On completion of the mission period it is expected that urban local bodies and parastatal agencies will have achieved the following -
Target - Modern and transparent budgeting, accounting, financial management systems, designed and adopted for all urban service and governance functions.
Reality - The local urban bodies in Maharashtra are slow on the track and are dragging their feet.
Target- City-wide framework for planning and governance will be established and become operational
Reality- It still remains on paper.
Target- All urban residents will be able to obtain access to a basic level of urban services.
Reality- Far from reality.
Target- Financially self-sustaining agencies for urban governance and service delivery will be established, through reforms to major revenue instruments.
Reality- No urban local body has been able to do so till date.
Target - Local services and governance will be conducted in a manner that is transparent and accountable to citizens
Reality - Half hearted efforts like putting some reports on website are being done by the local bodies, but overall situation has not changed much.
E-governance applications will be introduced in core functions of urban local bodies /parastatal resulting reduced cost and time of service delivery processes.
Reality - The paper work continues to dominates the daily functioning.
BOX -3
CHECKLIST
Objective- Focused attention to integrated development of infrastructure services in cities covered under the mission.
Reality- No integrated blue print for the infrastructure development in consonance with the development plans is ready with urban bodies in Maharashtra.
Objective - Establishment of links between asset-creation and asset management through a slew of reforms for long-term project sustainability.
Reality- The civic bodies have no long-term plan for sustainability of any of its projects implemented under JNNURM.
Objective - Ensuring adequate funds to meet the deficiencies in urban infrastructure services.
Reality- The local bodies have struggled to get funds from the state and central government and instead had to put their own funds in advance anticipating the release of government funds.
Objective- Planned development of the city including peri-urban areas, outgrowths and urban corridors leading to dispersed urbanisation.
Reality - The funds and projects have hardly benefited the periphery of urban local bodies.
Objective - Scale-up delivery of civic amenities and provision of utilities with emphasis on universal access to the urban poor.
Reality- Basic amenities like drinking water, toilets, amenity space, playgrounds are lacking not only in slums but in other parts of the cities.
Objective - Special focus on urban renewal programme for the old city areas to reduce congestion.
Reality- All the plans to develop old parts remain on papers and instead funds are being used for new infrastructure like roads and flyovers.
Objective - Provision of basic services to the urban poor.
Reality- The state and civic administrations have no plan to stop slum proliferation. The fact remains that even if all slum dwellers are rehabilitated, new slums will continue to crop up.
BOX - 4
The Pune story -
As part of the mission, the PMC drew up the City Development Plan (CDP) with an outlay of Rs 6,643 crore with 70% of the funds coming from central and state governments. As many as 15 projects are being covered by the mission including roads, storm water drains, Bus Rapid Transit System, water supply, solid waste management, sewage treatment, river and lake improvement, slum improvement and rehabilitation.Officer on special duty (JNNURM) with the PMC Vinay Deshpande said that civic body has received funds of Rs 735.01 crore from the central and state government so far and after adding its own share, has utilised Rs 1074.28 crore. Deshpande said the civic body had taken the right steps to boost public transport, roads and slum rehabilitation. "All this would have not been possible without the mission," he added.
story -2
Quality of JNNURM works is cause for concern
Radheshyam Jadhav
Pune:
The quality of the project works under JNNURM has come under heavy criticism across the cities. Taking cognisance of the same the ministry of Urban Development has decided to appoint independent quality monitors for JNNURM projects.
The proposed quality monitors will be professional engineers of the rank of retired superintendent engineers and above. These monitors will carry random inspection of infrastructure development projects being implemented in selected cities to check the quality. They will provide their feedback directly to the Mission Directorate in the Ministry of Urban Development. Their comments and inputs will be taken into consideration while processing the cases for the release of subsequent instalments of central support.
Monitors will not carry out inspections in the state where they have served. The reports of quality monitors would be filed online with the details of their visit on website of JNNRUM. The system is expected to help to maintain the quality and timely completion of projects.
" There was need for such mechanism. But it is too late now as already many urban local bodies have nearly completed their projects" said RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar.
