JNNURM: Poor show in big cities

But,while only five months are left for the scheme to wind up,statistics obtained from the urban development department reveal that barely 39 out of the 84 such projects taken up in major cities in the state have been completed. This does not include the six projects recently sanctioned.

Even in the case of smaller towns,the scenario is no different,with only 27 of the 95 sanctioned projects completed. The statistics,however,indicate that emerging agglomerates like Nanded and Thane are outclassing metros like Mumbai and Pune in the implementation of JNNURM projects.

While only one out of seven projects has been completed so far in Mumbai,Nanded has seen completion of nine of the 11 sanctioned projects. In Thane,five out of the eight projects have been completed.

A senior official said the pace of implementation had been the slowest in Mumbai,which ironically bagged the highest funding support. The seven projects in question are collectively worth Rs 2,751 crore. A senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official,however,argued that the projects taken up in Mumbai were bigger in scale and size.

About 45 per cent and 30 per cent projects in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad,respectively,are complete so far.

While work on most projects is still in progress,the statistics revealed that the expenditure on them had already crossed over 100 per cent of the amounts sanctioned.

A Rs 94-crore water supply project involving construction of an underground tunnel connecting Malabar Hill Reservoir to Cross Maidan to improve water distribution in South Mumbai is the only one to see completion in Mumbai.

Senior civic officials,however,said they were hoping for completion of three other projects — Middle Vaitarna Dam to supply additional water to Mumbai,Mumbai Sewerage Disposal Project-II for a better sewage disposal system and another underground water tunnel projects connecting Maroshi to Ruparel College in the suburbs — by March 2014.

Two other road projects taken up by the MMRDA

in Mumbai are also reportedly on the verge of completion.

Doubts are however being cast on the completion of the Rs 179-crore project to set up an Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan. Only 60 per cent of the work has been completed so far.

Besides,the remaining work has been stuck for

various reasons,including protests from locals against setting up of new dumping sites at Kanjurmarg and

Mulund in the eastern suburb,according to a civic official.

A drinking water supply scheme meant for Pimpri-Chinchwad too was stalled last year following the death of a protesting farmer in police firing.