Urban News

The Hindu 06.11.2009

Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore to get special focus in SSA budget

Shastry V. Mallady

MADURAI: A separate focus will be given to Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore cities in next year’s budget of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

The plan will give thrust to effective implementation of SSA (Education for All) initiatives in the three ‘Million Plus cities,’ R. Venkatesan, State Project Director, SSA, announced here on Thursday.

“This will be our commitment from next year. There will be separate allocation in the budget and a thorough planning for the Million Plus cities for 2010-11 has been initiated,” he said. The total allocation for SSA in the State for the current year is Rs.862 crore.

Mr. Venkatesan was making a presentation at the inaugural session of third national workshop-cum-review meeting of urban planning for the Million Plus cities in the country, organised by the Department of Elementary Education and Literacy, Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.

A major step taken recently by the SSA in Tamil Nadu was to set up ‘urban cells’ at State and district levels.

The State Project Director gave an overall view of the quality initiatives taken under ‘Tamil Nadu State Mission of Education for All,’ particularly in the context of school dropout rate, interventions for out-of-school children, urban deprived children, street children, migrant population, bridge courses and child-centred learning methodologies implemented in schools.

“Dropout rate at primary level is only 1.23 per cent and it was 1.9 per cent in upper primary level as per 2007-08 data. Children not attending school are being identified by the SSA staff to put them in schools. Education volunteers are posted for providing education to 314 children staying in juvenile homes in eight districts,” Mr. Venkatesan said.

According to SSA officials here, representatives from over 30 cities in the country are participating in the urban planning meet.

‘Million Plus’ cities

Some of the cities are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune, Bangalore, Lucknow, Jaipur, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Patna, Amritsar, Allahabad, Meerut, Kanpur, Surat, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Asansol, Surat, Coimbatore and Madurai.

The Hindu 06.11.2009

Corporation likely to get Rs. 100 crore

S. Ganesan

DEVELOPMENT PROJECT: Corporation Commissioner T.T. Balsamy chairing a meeting in Tiruchi.

TIRUCHI: The Tiruchi Corporation is likely to get an allocation of about Rs.100 crore under the Tamil Nadu Urban Road Infrastructure Project (TURIP) to improve its road and drainage networks.

A consultant, appointed by the government to implement the project, is all set to take up a Geographical Information System (GIS)-based survey to assess requirements. Corporation officials.

An expert team would visit the city next week to identify the works and finalise the designs, Corporation Commissioner T.T.Balsamy told The Hindu here on Thursday after chairing a preliminary meeting with representatives of DHV India Private Limited, the consultants. Tiruchi is one of the 12 cities identified for the implementation of the project in the State in the first phase.

The Corporation has prepared a list of works to be taken up under the project. However, the proposals would be assessed by the consultants based on spot visits and study.

According to R.Jaganathan, General Manager, DHV India, the first eight months would be devoted to carry out the survey and designing the works. The works would be executed in the following 12 months. The structures would be maintained by the agency for a period of five years before handing themover to the civic body.

Mr.Balsamy said that the roads would be developed to international standards with underground ducts for utility services and cables. Mr.Jaganathan indicated that apart from roads and drainages, works such as establishment of parking lots, junction improvements and even fly-overs could be taken up under the project depending on the need.