By S.T. Ravikumar

• Rs. 50.76 crore taken away to adjust funds for pending NURM drinking water project
• One-time grant to fund comprehensive development of basic facilities

Mysuru: In a move that will significantly boost the development of Mysuru City, the State Government has sanctioned grants for various development initiatives under Mahatma Gandhi Nagar Vikas Yojana (MGNVY). Mysuru is one among the 10 City Corporations in Karnataka to get the funds to carry out developmental works. 

In all, Rs. 1,325 crore has been sanctioned to 10 City Corporations in the State including Mysuru. Interestingly, of the Rs. 150 crore sanctioned to Mysuru, only Rs. 99.24 crore will be available for Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) as Rs. 50.76 crore has already been taken off and adjusted to the drinking water project taken up under JnNURM scheme that has been reconstituted with a revised project estimate of  Rs. 229.93 crore. 

Of the Rs. 99.24 crore available funds, again Rs. 9.92 crore has been reserved in case the project overshoots its estimate and one percent of the funds is reserved for administrative expenses. So the actual amount the MCC can spend under MGNVY is just Rs. 83.36 crore.

While other nine cities have lost 10 percent of the funds (due to overshoot and administrative costs), Mysuru is a major loser as Rs. 50.76 crore has been taken away. 

Other nine Corporations:  The other nine Corporations are Kalaburagi, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru, Belagavi, Davanagere, Ballari, Vijayapura, Tumakuru and Shivamogga. Of these, only Kalaburagi and Hubballi-Dharwad will get Rs. 150 crore each while the others will get Rs. 125 crore. 

The sanctioned amount will help in the creation of infrastructure and ensuring cleanliness in Mysuru, helping it climb up the Swachh Bharat rankings. Incidentally, the amount had been announced by the then Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy when he presented his Budget for 2019-2020 that was accepted by the BJP Government headed by B.S. Yediyurappa with some alterations. 

One-time grant: It is a one-time grant and will provide funds for comprehensive development of basic facilities. The funds will be allocated for a period of four years from 2019-2020 to 2023-2024. Corporations have been empowered to prepare an action plan to implement the project and call for tenders as development packages. 

Corporations have been directed to reserve 24.10 percent of the MGNVY funds for the development of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe welfare and also allocate money for pending projects taken up under JnNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission), AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and Swachh Bharat schemes. 

Other works that can be taken up with MGNVY funds are drinking water projects, disposal of solid waste, rain water drain works, footpath development, grade-separator and road development works, development of circles and carryout works to ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorists. 

MCC is the implementing authority

The Mysuru City Corporation will be the implementing authority for the project and the action plan must be prepared along with project reports on how the funds have been implemented. Enough care must be taken to ensure that there is no repeat of works and change of development works midway. 

After the action plan is prepared, the same must be sent for approval to a committee headed by the respective District Minister and comprising members including Deputy Commissioner, Mayor, Deputy Mayor, MLAs, MP, Executive Engineer, Project Director of District Urban Development Cell (DUDC). The Corporation Commissioner will be the Member Secretary. 

Checks and balances

Once the action plan is examined in detail by the committee, it will have to be sent to the Directorate of Municipal Administration that will vet the plan and ensure that the plan is in accordance with the project aim. 

The action plan will then be approved by a Government committee headed by Urban Development Minister and comprising Urban Development Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Director of Directorate of Municipal Administration, Chief Engineer of the Directorate, Superintending Engineer or Executive Engineer (technical treasury) of Urban Development Department. Joint Director (projects) of Urban Development Department will be the  Member Secretary.

Transparent tenders, quality work

The MCC must ensure that the tenders are called in a transparent manner and the works must have the prescribed quality. Day-to-day monitoring must be done and targets must be set for speedy completion of quality works and accordingly, works must be completed. The Directorate of Municipal Administration too will set up a Monitoring Information System where all the projects will be supervised. 

Reacting on the MGNVY funds, MCC Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde told Star of Mysore that the action plan will be prepared to cover developmental aspects of the city. “There is a scope for certain permanent projects. We will discuss in the MCC and consult elected representatives to prepare an action plan and place it before the Committee headed by the District Minister. It will later be sent to the Government forapproval,” he said.