CONCERN OVER the slow progress of urban development projects – mainly the MP Urban (ADB) Project – were raised at the first state-level review meeting for the MP Urban (ADB) and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) projects that began at hotel Lake View Ashoka on Friday.
The meeting was presided over by urban administration and development department secretary Sevaram. MP Urban (ADB) project director Hari Ranjan Rao expressed concern over the slow average progress of the projects in four cities – Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur.
Sevaram also said that if any arm of the entire project machinery goes slow on its work, the project would be badly impacted as it was being implemented at a high cost.
Hari Ranjan Rao said the ADB project was in a decisive phase and if its progress and lacunae were not properly analysed, the project might go haywire. He said only five per cent of project works had been awarded while design work of about one third of the projects were yet to be completed.
Giving details of the progress he said tenders of only four out of 26 works in Bhopal, three out of 21 in Gwalior, three out of 25 in Jabalpur and 10 out of 28 in Indore had been awarded as yet. A total 55 out of 68 projects have received approval of the technical committee and the rest await various clearances.
{{/usCountry}}Giving details of the progress he said tenders of only four out of 26 works in Bhopal, three out of 21 in Gwalior, three out of 25 in Jabalpur and 10 out of 28 in Indore had been awarded as yet. A total 55 out of 68 projects have received approval of the technical committee and the rest await various clearances.
{{/usCountry}}In Bhopal 17 packages on design, financial assessment, technical assessment and land filling are pending. Owing to the delays and lacunae costs of the projects are continuously rising.
He also mentioned that tendering process, fulfillment of ADB eligibility criteria, attitude of contractors, multi-level decision process, paucity of advisors on design and supervision are the lacunae that are causing major hindrances. Rao said more sincere work, against the time limit, has to be done to complete the projects successfully.
Jabalpur Mayor Sushila Singh and municipal commissioner O P Shrivastava, Bhopal municipal commissioner Manish Singh, Gwalior Mayor’s representative Ravindra Rajput and chief technical advisor of UN Habitat were prominently present along with other officials. PR advisor Dr Parshuram Sharma conducted the proceedings.