NURM: Skepticism refuses to go away

NURM: Skepticism refuses to go away
Deccan Herald

The response from our readers to the NURM issue has been overwhelming. People have expressed dissatisfaction on several issues and at the same time mooted various suggestions to improve the condition.


The response from our readers to the NURM issue has been overwhelming. People have expressed dissatisfaction on several issues and at the same time mooted various suggestions to improve the condition. Today, we bring a few more of the responses before concluding the series.

What is all the noise about NURM? The Centre is ready to disburse a huge package for ‘needy’ cities! But where is the money coming from?

Obviously, from the World Bank or other international funding agencies. Can India afford to borrow such huge amounts?

Even if we agree that infrastructure development is necessary, what is the price we pay for it? We are compromising on public health, education and basic rights like clean air, water and housing.

Will the infrastructure development plan under NURM eliminate the socio-economic divide and create common facilities and services for all sections of the society?

The government is still talking about community water supply - public taps, borewells and tankers.

How about individual water lines, better healthcare, housing and schooling to all? Will NURM earmark funds to prevent privatisation of water or revive our lakes and greenery?

Sanjana, member, Pedestrian Pictures

The Centre should have chosen any city in North Karnataka instead of Bangalore and Mysore for its Rs 1,20,000 crore worth JN-NURM.

The mission has several riders - the chosen city has to go in for Comprehnsive Development Plan, a detailed project report (DPR), a set of mandatoy and optional reforms, projects to cover water supply, sewerage, solid waste management, rain water disposal, roads and transport, environment, tourism and heritage and facilities to urban poor. A total of Rs 14,000 crore is planned for Bangalore alone.

However, as citizens, we are apprehensive of the planning, methodology and corrupt practices. We hope the project does not end up as another programme of the BMP,BWSSB or BMRTC.

The JNNURM should commence only after 100 per cent of the finance is in place to avoid cost and time overruns. The officials implmenting the project should take an oath of being honest, while road projects worth Rs 6,000 crore should have a vision, based on understanding of traffic engineering.

We are also afraid the Metro will end up as a tourist attraction rather than meet the transport needs of the city.

A suggestion is to introduce electric suburban trains up to Bangarpet, Tumkur, Mysore, Attibele and Doddaballapur to reduce road congestion.

The excess buses could then be diverted to rural areas. Surveying the BMP sites to earmark them for developing transport complexes or vacating the slaughter house in Fraser Town for similar purpose can be considered. The question however is - do people in power have the political will to execute the projects that are already sanctioned and are awaiting completion, before we commence the NURM projects?

J Vasudevan,

President, Jayamahal Citizens’ Forum

It is sad that Bangalore is still caught in the process of citizen consultations even as many cities have already availed of the preliminary funding for NURM.

Bangalore has been struggling to devise a plan after taking into account the many prioritites spelt out by the various stakeholders.

Instead, the city has to let go of any of its mega plans and quickly zero in on a specific project to set the ball rolling. It is time to push the application to the Centre to express our interest in the NURM. And this is possible only when we put forward a specific project that caters to the need of all sections of the society. For instance, the stormwater drain, which already has many studies, reports and estimates in place and is definitely one of the important priority areas.

A specific project enables you to comply with NURM conditions, bring in reforms and also explore the actual process of NURM before heading towards mega plans. Simultaneously, we can focus on getting the people to understand the vision of NURM and to allow the city to find its own destiny. We need to communicate very clearly to all stakeholders to arrive at a foolproof development plan.

V Ravichandar, CEO, Feedback Consulting

JN-NURM has been necessiated because cities in India have been allowed to sprawl erratically, without planning. NURM can do justice only when it is publicised and involves community participation. NURM must appoint a forum to develop an ‘idea bank’ and perhaps award incentives to citizens with better ideas. However, some vested interests seem to have gagged people’s participation and dampened the spirit of organisations like Janaagraha and the BATF.

BMP should make people aware of the purpose and priorities of NURM. Decongest traffic by alloting adequate parking and no-traffic zones, reorganise slums, commission satellite towns, create safe lanes for schoolchildren on our busy streets, ban private vehicles for office-goers whereever possible, allot empty plots for community use. And, stop digging and re-aligning!

J Nambiar, Chairman, Edifice Educational and Charitable Trust