COIMBATORE: In order to redress the problems related to civic infrastructure and services across the State, the Tamil Nadu government has sanctioned a six-month study that seeks to offer solutions to “bridge the gaps” that exist in delivering basic services to the public.
The study, which will be conducted by the Tamil Nadu Institute of Urban Studies (TNIUS), Coimbatore, will study basic sanitation, street lighting, urban planning and solid waste management in 124 municipalities, 12 corporations and 528 town panchayats across Tamil Nadu. The study will be headed by Rajendra Ratnoo, Director, TNIUS. “We hope to develop a policy note that finds gaps in civic services and infrastructure. We will then outline costs to redress these shortcomings,” said P Tamizhselvan, Associate Professor at the TNIUS.
The existing infrastructure will be compared to the benchmarks that have been set by the Ministry of Urban Development.
In each district, the officials from the Town and Country Planning, Public Works Department, Health, District Administration and Revenue Department will be roped in to help with the report, which will be tabled before the State government after its completion.
“The TNIUS will also offer smart solutions to address the issues plaguing each and every local body. An analysis of the potential costs to the government would also be drawn up,” said members of the research team. The researchers hope to draw up a list of ‘best practices’ followed by civic administrations, both outside Tamil Nadu and also across the world.
Collaborations are also planned with other universities in the State, and also with the Kanagawa Institute of Technology in Japan. Researchers hope that the study will help local body officials identify the key problems that exist in their own municipalities and corporations and outline a focus strategy that will prioritise the most important needs of the public.
“The biggest impediment to having the infrastructure in place and services delivered to the public is the lack of access to funding to most local bodies. The study will help officials focus on strategies and divert funds for the most important, be it healthcare or sanitation, within individual communities,” researchers said.