Telangana has proposed to spend Rs 405.17 crore on enhancing water supply in 11 AMRUT cities in the state during the current fiscal year.
Telangana government has submitted its state annual action plan (SAAP) in this regard to the Urban Development Ministry for consideration and approval.
The total plan outlay proposed for this financial year under AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) is Rs 415.51 crore.
The AMRUT scheme envisages infrastructure development in 500 cities across the country.
According to UD Ministry, the Telangana government has proposed to enhance water supply in all the 11 mission cities in the state since water supply in all these cities at present is below the prescribed norm of 135 liters per capita per day (lpcd).
In its proposed action plan, the state government said that water supply at present in AMRUT cities in the state ranged from 65 lpcd in Ramagundam to 114 lpcd in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.
Among other mission cities, the water supply position is as follows: Mahaboobnagar-75 lpcd, Warangal-80 lpcd, Suryapet- 90 lpcd, Miryalaguda-90 lpcd, Khamman-100 lpcd, Adilabad-102 lpcd, Nalgonda-102 lpcd, Nizamabad-108 lpcd and Karimnagar-109 lpcd.
The state government has proposed to ensure water supply and sewerage connections to almost all households in these 11 mission cities by 2020 while also enhancing water supply to 135 lpcd.
As per AMRUT Guidelines, priority is to be given to cities where infrastructure gaps are wider and to urban local bodies with low financial capability.
Telangana’s SAAP for 2015-16 is an integration of city- level Service Level Improvement Plans (SLIP) of all 11 mission cities. SLIP for each city is prepared based on gaps in available infrastructure and measures to be taken for bridging those.
Telangana’s state level action plan for 2015-16 under AMRUT will be considered soon by an inter-ministerial Apex Committee chaired by UD Secretary. If the proposed SAAP for Rs 415.51 crore is approved, the share of central government would come to Rs 210.30 crore. The rest has to be contributed by the state government and the respective urban local bodies.
Under AMRUT, the Centre would bear one-third to half of the cost of a project based on the population of the particular city.
If the population if above 10 lakh, central assistance would be one-third of the project cost while, for others, it would be half of the project cost.
The Centre would bear the entire cost of capacity-building of urban local bodies and Telangana government has proposed to train 2,898 elected representatives and officials of urban local bodies of the 11 mission cities during 2015-16.
What central assistance is to be provided under AMRUT is decided on the basis of the total urban population and the number of statutory urban local bodies in each state.
The total urban population stands at 93 lakh in the 11 Telangana cities included in the Atal Mission.
During the five year mission period of AMRUT, Telangana government has proposed to invest Rs 5,413 crore on water supply and Rs 5,435 crore on providing sewerage connections to all households in the 11 mission cities.
Green spaces and parks are proposed to be developed at a cost of Rs 89 crore.
[PTI]