Kochi: The
State-level steering committee, chaired by Chief Minister Oomen Chandy,
on Wednesday, approved major urban infrastructure projects worth Rs
1,100 crore, submitted by the City Corporation for inclusion in the
transition phase of the JNNURM.

The civic body submitted
seven major projects, such as a pedestrian-friendly urban transport
system (Rs 55.10 crore), a surface water drainage project for east Kochi
(Rs 40 crore), upgrading surface water drainage in west Kochi (Rs 50
crore), improving the inland water transport system, development of
public markets (Rs 32.68 crore), revamping the Broadway heritage area
(Rs 25 crore) and renovating the Ernakulam market (Rs 15 crore).

The
steering committee meeting, held in Thiruvananthapuram, also approved
three other project proposals submitted by Mayor Tony Chammany.

The
projects are, a drinking water scheme which aims at supplying an
additional 190 MLD of water to the city and outskirts at a cost of Rs
750 crore, introducing an energy-efficient lighting system for the city
at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore and a conservation programme for
water bodies in the city worth Rs 20 crore.

As the projects got
the State government’s approval, the detailed project reports of all the
schemes will be submitted to the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring
Committee (CSMC), chaired by the Union Urban Development Secretary by
the end of this month or early January.

Chammany hoped that all the projects would get the approval of the CSMC.

“Since
much land acquisition is not needed, except for the drinking water
scheme, project implementation can be carried out without any delay. The
infrastructure sector in the city will get a boost with the
commissioning of these projects,” said the Mayor.

The meeting has
decided to also include some of the ongoing and non-starter projects
like Pachalam, Atlantis and Ponnurunni railway over-bridges and other
road development projects in the transition phase of JNNURM.

This will give the City Corporation an additional three-year period to complete the projects.