GUNTUR: Under the guidance of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the State government is taking necessary steps to provide essential amenities in urban areas across the State within the next three years, Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) P Narayana announced on Monday.
He was speaking at a workshop organised by the municipal department at Acharya Nagarjuna University.
The minister revealed that the government has set a target to provide 135 litres of water per person per day in all 123 municipalities and 16 municipal corporations. The workshop focused on the action plan to enhance various urban amenities, including drinking water supply, drainage systems, solid waste management, and street lighting.
Narayana emphasised that detailed project reports would be prepared in the next 20 days, with the goal of completing the projects within the next three years, once funds from the central government are secured.
Reflecting on past performance, Narayana noted that the municipal department had achieved significant progress between 2014 and 2019, but several plans were derailed during the previous government’s tenure, leaving many projects incomplete. He also highlighted that over Rs 3,200 crore of funds had been diverted to the Centralized Financial Management System (CFMS) over the past five years. To accelerate development, the government will empower civic bodies to manage funds directly for urban development.
Narayana further outlined proposals for the construction of the Amaravati capital with an estimated cost of Rs 62,000 crore. The first phase, involving works worth Rs 47,000 crore, is set to begin in January. He also announced that from next month, building construction permits will be processed through a single-window system, ensuring approvals within 15 days of application.
The Minister urged municipal commissioners to focus on collecting tax dues and utilising the funds for development activities. The workshop was attended by Municipal Department Secretary Kannababu, MEPMA Managing Director Tej Bharat, GVMC Commissioner Sampath Kumar, GMC Commissioner P Srinivasulu, Kakinada Commissioner Bhavana, and other engineering department officials.