Urban Development, Housing and Planning Minister CP Singh during a national seminar on standard protocol for integrated urban infrastructure development organized by Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Company limited (JUIDCO) on Friday asked the stakeholders to ensure completion of all urban projects in a stimulated tenure fixing the accountability of each resource personassociated with the project. “Until accountability of each person is fixed urban projects can never get accomplished on time, irrespective of spending lump sum amount,” the Minister stated.
During the national seminar organised to discuss the integrated approach towards aligning various networks like sewage drainage, water supply pipelines, water drainage, roads, street electrifications, gas pipelines, utility ducts among a few major urban ventures in urban pockets for better sustainability and improving the standard of living, the Minister further stated, “Before implementing any scheme on a broader scale, it must be taken as a pilot project to know about it consequences. Analysis of all facets of civic issues is mandatory for which constitution of a dedicated wing of experts under the supervision of senior administrative officials for better planning, management and implementation can be adopted. Even today, despite of making several attempts, sewerage drainage work is yet to get complete”
Further, admitting the complexities involved in managing the civic affairs and expansion of projects of urban development department at par with the developed cities, Secretary, Department of Urban Development, Housing and Planning, Ajoy Kumar Singh said that lack of trained human resource personnel in different cadres including implementation of quite a number projects of diverse type creates trouble.
The Secretary advised the consultancies to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DRR) keeping area based approach while considering the long term objective. In addition, Singh said that the project of water pipeline supply must be taken up with priority. “Beside this, the agencies handling the mega urban projects must brainstorm on ways as how to bring all integrated schemes alongside the roads for providing better services and connectivity to the urban populace including setting up short terms goals for ensuring all major and minor projects on time. The focus must be on development of comprehensive schemes,” Singh further added.
Experts during the daylong workshop focussed on integrated urban development planning and management – strategies and instruments for sustainable urban development, liveable cities – sustainable urban development: integrating across sectors, problem, challenges and solution for integrated urban infrastructure, integration of various urban infrastructure services taking up a few case studies describing the best practices.
After a daylong brainstorming under experts’ supervision considering the geographical locations and other basic amenities available, the standard protocol for integrated urban infrastructure development included creation of utility ducts along the roads for electricity, pipeline and water connection, construction of pedestrians’ pathways alongwith cycling tracks, sewerage drainage etc , hiring one single consultancy for accomplishing all civic works keeping long term prospective approximately for 30 years.