The Hindu 11.11.2010
Water supply, road repair to get top priority in corporation
Staff Reporter
| Rs.3,700-crore master plan under JNNURM phase-II |
Land acquisition on cards for widening 13 roads
Decentralised waste disposal to be encouraged
Kozhikode: Taking up pending projects in a speedy manner, improving infrastructure in the erstwhile grama panchayats merged to the Corporation, securing funds from the Centre for development schemes and safe disposal of garbage will be on top of the agenda of the new city Corporation council.
New Mayor A.K. Premajam and Deputy Mayor P.T. Abdul Latheef, addressing a meet-the-press organised by Calicut Press Club here on Wednesday, said they would take measures on a war footing to solve the acute shortage of drinking water and repair un-motorable roads. The prolonged monsoon had delayed the filling of potholes and tarring of roads, they said.
Prof. Premajam said officials had prepared a Rs.3,700- crore master plan for availing funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme, phase-II. But now the Centre had modified the guidelines for obtaining funds under the scheme.
The council would speed up the Kozhikode beach beautification project and the second phase of the Sarovaram bio-park project with funds from the State government. Land would be acquired for widening 13 roads in the city. The functioning of Kudumbasree units would be strengthened, Prof. Premajam said.
Deputy Mayor P.T. Abdul Latheef said the civic body would improve the existing road network in the city. He said the Corporation would take steps to complete the schemes under the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) within the stipulated time-frame. Steps had already been mooted to improve the situation at the Njelianparamba dumping yard, which was earlier in the Cheruvannur-Nallalam gramapanchayat. Residents' associations, hospitals, hotels, auditoriums, slaughter houses and markets were being encouraged to set up waste treatment plants on their own premises, he said.
He said the next budget would give priority to building infrastructure in the three grama panchayats. Service delivery and e-governance programmes would be extended to these areas. The grama panchayat offices which had been converted to regional Corporation offices would be computerised.
Poverty alleviation in slums and setting up of public toilets were also on the cards.
