RRDA aims to fill resource gap in 1st meeting

Cash starved Ranchi Regional Development Authority (RRDA) couldn’t have anything better than resource generation and mobilisation to discuss in its first meeting on Friday after appointment of its new Chairman Parma Singh. Singh remained focused on cash generation throughout the meeting, while putting a number of issues at the table to discuss with RRDA Member Manoj Kumar Pandey and Urban Development Department senior official Rajiv Ranjan Kumar who also happens to be nominated member of Housing Department in the Authority, among others.

Singh didn’t hesitate to say in the meeting that the Authority had proved failed to dispense its responsibility in the absence of a permanent Chairman for many years. “As there had been no chairperson since the year 2009 in RRDA, it has completely become dead. It has failed miserably to deliver whatever it was expected to at the time it was formed. The organisation needs to be revived as soon as possible and all associated with it need to go some extra mile in terms of effort to get organisation back on the track,” said Singh.

“RRDA didn’t have a source of income of its own and all the resources have dried up. It has also dented the reputation and meaning of existence of the organisation. We need to get ideas to have some resource generated, so that we start at least moving,” said Singh. Vice-Chairman of RRDA, Chairman of Jharkhand Housing Board, Chief Engineer of Drinking Water and Sanitation Department and Chief Engineer of Housing Department were also present among others in the meeting.

On cash generation methods, Singh said on Friday, “We are starting with registration of all the builders/developers operating in Ranchi. The registration fees will be Rs. 75,000, which will be used in development works.” The members discussed on an 18-point agenda to make RRDA a familiar and helping name in the city.

Pandey has suggested beautification of Sadabahar Chowk, Namkum Bank More, Tatisilway, BIT More and Kathitand Chowk in Ratu in the first phase to face-lift the organisation among citizen. He also suggested installation of high mast lights at a number of locations. Singh said that the organisation was seriously working on developing 2BHK affordable houses for those families falling between Rs. 5-7 lakh of yearly income.

Parma Singh has been posted as a member around a month and half ago which was vacant since 2009, reasons best known to respective governments during last seven years only. This was the financial crunch of the organisation that made Singh to announce soon after his appointment that he would hold the post with just a token money of Rs 1 per month. At the same time, he also nodded for salary increment proposal of long serving daily wage workers in RRDA very soon.