Carving a City’s destiny-JNNURM way

Carving a City’s destiny-JNNURM way
Deccan Herald

Providing the goodies, yet wielding the stick - that about explains the mode that the Centre will adopt in ensuring the urban renewal of all the State capitals and a few other select cities in the country under its ambitious Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JN-NURM).

Providing the goodies, yet wielding the stick - that about explains the mode that the Centre will adopt in ensuring the urban renewal of all the State capitals and a few other select cities in the country under its ambitious Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JN-NURM).

JN-NURM, which was launched in December 2005 with a seven year timeframe, is generally understood to be a programme under which Rs 50,000 crore of central assistance will flow in for the infrastructure upgradation of the chosen cities. The point that JN-NURM is a reform-driven programme and that there are as many as 12 mandatory reforms expected from between each of the State government and its respective city/ cities is seen to glossed over. In Bangalore’s case, it is over a month since the Karnataka government and Bangalore Mahanagara Palike inked the tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Centre, formalising Bangalore’s eligibility as a JN-NURM city. But the government and the BMP which are quick to quote the projects sanctioned and the crores of rupees that will flow as assistance, have said little on the MoA and what it entails.

The MoA signed on December 8 did not find a passing mention even in the daily press bulletins the BMP has been issuing since the Administrator rule took effect in November.

What is MoA?

The section on MoA in JN-Nurm’s guidelines reads thus: The State Governments and the Urban Local Bodies including para-statal agencies where necessary would execute MoA with Government of India indicating their commitment to implement identified reforms. MoA would spell out specific milestones to be achieved for each item of reform. Signing of MoA will be a necessary condition to access Central assistance. This tripartite MoA would be submitted along with Detailed Project Reports (DPRs).

The central assistance will be predicated upon the State Governments and the ULBs/Parastatals agreeing to the reforms platform.

The Repeal of Urban Land Ceiling and Regulation Act and Reform of Rent Control Laws (balancing the interests of landlords and tenants) are among the mandatory reforms.

Officials have noted that since Karnataka has already dealt with these issues, it can relax on reforms at least for the first two years of JN-NURM reform period. Hence, Karnataka has sought a four year time-frame (up to 2009) for much of the reforms that it has to work on. The State government has to send to the Centre a cabinet note or resolution on its commitment to each of these reforms.

Deccan Herald has obtained a copy of the MoA, with some notable mandatory reforms and what the government and the BMP have said. (Ref TABLE/ BOX )

Meanwhile Rs 686.56 crore worth infrastructure projects of BMP have been approved as eligible for assistance by Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee of JN-NURM. BMP is in the process of submitting projects worth Rs 795 crore more. (see list)

It is to be noted that these projects are apart from those being planned for JN-NURM assistance by agencies like BMTC and BWSSB.