With majority of municipal corporations across the country facing revenue crunch, the Centre has asked the States to set up regulatory bodies for deciding on the prices of urban utilities such as water and power being supplied with the help of private sector.
Stating that there was a need for massive investments to convert the rapid urbanisation into an opportunity, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu stressed on the need for effective recovery of costs of utilities like water and power in urban areas.
He was speaking at a consultative workshop of municipal commissioners from five southern States—Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and Union Territory Puducherry — in Hyderabad on Monday.
Outlining the urban challenges, Naidu said there was a need for ensuring 100 per cent household water supply connections as against the present 50 per cent, ensuring normative water supply of 135 litres per capita per day as against the present 73 litres, 100 per cent sewerage treatment as against current 16 per cent and enhancing efficiency of solid waste collection from 23 per cent to 100 per cent.
Achieving 80 per cent segregation of waste at source as against the present 18 per cent, recycling of 80 per cent of waste as against the current 10 per cent, reliable power supply, improving physical and social infrastructure and urban governance and meeting the urban housing shortage etc were the other areas which need to be worked on, said the Minister.
Naidu also stressed on the need for modification of building bye-laws at the level of urban local bodies to meet the growing aspirations of urban population.
He laid special emphasis on ensuring accountability and transparency by improving urban governance through adoption of appropriate technologies. “Smart leadership capable of taking right decisions at the level of urban local bodies is the need of the hour,” he added.