Union Urban Development Housing and Urban poverty alleviation M Venkaiah Naidu said here on Tuesday that the Centre had so far approved a total investment of Rs67,523 crore for improving urban infrastructure in Maharashtra under the new missions and for metro projects — a highest investment approved for any State in the country.
Addressing a news conference along Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after reviewing the implementation and progress of various new urban development and affordable housing projects launched in the state during the last three years, Naidu said: “In addition to approved a total investment of Rs67,523 cr for improving urban infrastructure and metro projects in the state, the Centre plans to invest more under Housing for All Mission for affordable housing in urban areas of the State”.
Alluding to the progress made on the Swachcha Bharat Mission front, Naidu said that of the 384 cities and towns with statutory local bodies in Maharashtra, 263 had so far been declared Open Defecation Free. “In fact, Maharashtra was the first to shift focus from building toilets to outcomes in the form of cities seeking Open Defecation Free (ODF) status and this approach has been subsequently extended to other States by the Union Government,” the minister said.
According to Naidu, Maharashtra –under the Smart City Mission — has the credit of having the highest number of seven cities among the 60 cities selected so far. The cities are; Pune, Sholapur, Kalyan Dombivili, Nagpur, Nashik, Thane and Aurnagabad. “These seven smart mission cities have identified 218 projects which are under implementation and tendering. The review has revealed that this mission is on course,” the Minister said.
Referring to the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Naidu stated that under this mission, about 16 lakh households in 44 mission cities would be provided with water taps by 2019 besides enabling water supply at the normative level of 135 litres per head per day.
“The significance of implementation of this mission is that out of the total urban population in Maharashtra, 76% live in 44 cities included under Atal Mission. As a result basic urban infrastructure relating to universal coverage of water supply, substantial expansion of sewerage and drainage networks, non-motorised transport and open and green spaces is being provided under five year action plans, for the first time in the country,” he said.
Earlier during the review, it was noted that Maharashtra during the next five to six years would have operational metro projects with a total length of 360 kms on the completion of nine more metro and mono rail projects being taken up by MMRDA.
“A total investment of about Rs.1,40,000 lakh cr would flow into these metro projects. This would increase daily metro users to about one crore per day,” he said.
Naidu pointed out during the review that the State Government had agreed to focus on solid waste management since only about 25 per cent of solid waste being generated in the cities and towns of the State was now being processed.