Guwahati: An important meeting was held at minister Ashok Singhal's office at Janata Bhawan to outline the implementation of the ‘Ten Cities Development Concept’ (Doh Shaher, Ek Rupayan) undertaken by the Housing and Urban Affairs Department as a special step towards well-planned and rapid development of urban areas.
The cities earmarked for development under the initiative include Silchar, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Bangaigaon, Biswanath Chariali, Karimganj, Tinsukia, Golaghat, Jorhat, Tezpur, Sibsagar, and North Lakhimpur. “The cities are selected according to their population”, Singhal informed Business North East, adding that 13 cities have been selected so far for this purpose.
The meeting was attended by finance minister Ajanta Neog, labour and employment minister Sanjay Kishan, and eight MLAs representing various constituencies.
Participants expressed their views on proper urban planning, solid waste management, clean and regular water supply, public infrastructure, traffic management, street lights, and the implementation of elements such as open spaces, parks, and water bodies in these cities.
Kavitha Padmanabhan, commissioner and secretary, housing and urban affairs department, explained the concept of the initiative in detail during a presentation.
“Emphasis is placed on manpower rationalization and capacity building, delivering municipal services online or digitally, and strengthening financial infrastructure in specific cities”, the official said.
The proposed towns are slated for comprehensive improvements across various domains. Under the City Infrastructure Development Fund (CIDF), initiatives include the establishment of a conference hall, city beautification, open-air theatre, pavilions, traffic control system, convention centre, chowkh bazar, sports complex, and the enhancement of water bodies.
The urban infrastructure development fund (UIDF) from the state government focuses on the convention centre, town hall, park cum open space, inter-state bus terminus (ISBT), and the beautification of public areas.
The directorate of municipal administration will oversee the installation of street lights, it has been learnt. Under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and SoPD, the emphasis is on water supply, the rejuvenation of water bodies, and the development of parks. Similarly, the Swachh Bharat Mission encompasses initiatives like door-to-door collection of solid waste, water processing, and waste disposal at dumping grounds.
The meeting was attended by top officials of the Housing and Urban Affairs Department, Directorate of Municipal Administration, AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), Directorate of Town and Country Planning, etc. At present, Assam is not endorsing a public-private partnership for this initiative.
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