Now, development plans must for ULBs

Govts guidelines to help them in proper utilisation of funds from State and Centre

 
The Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation has been appointed a nodal agency to prepare CDPs to ULBs. Not many ULBs in the State, excluding City corporations, have a proper CDP. There are 222 ULBs, including 20 CMCs, 143 TMCs and 48 TPs, in the State.

A CDP is a scientific plan chalked out using growth projections of a town. It carves out separate zones like residential, commercial, industrial and agriculture, identifies lacuna in infrastructure and suggests projects that need to be taken up for the organised development of a town.

“A CDP is very important for the development of any town. ULBs are receiving huge funds from both State and Union governments, of late, for development. So, the government has asked all ULBs to have their own CDPs. All action plans for development of a town in future will be prepared based on the CDP,” Secretary to the Urban Development Department Javed Akthar told reporters on Monday.

The State government has framed new guidelines for implementation of projects under various State and Central governments’ schemes to help ULBs to utilise all funds allocated to them, he added.

The total property tax arrears for the government from the ULBs, excluding city corporations, is Rs 175 crore --which is almost equal to one year revenue from the property tax source.

The department of Municipal Administration collected Rs 200.1 crore from property tax against the target of Rs 191 crore in 2008-09. For the current year, the department has fixed Rs 188 crore target. The current year’s target is slightly less due to some adjustments in accounts.

As far as drinking water supply charges are concerned, the department collected Rs 114 crore against Rs 101 crore target last year. This year, Rs 105 crore is the target, Minister for Municipal Administration Balachandra Jharkiholi said.

Survey

The minister said the department is taking up a survey of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in all 222 ULBs in the State. During the survey, profile of BPL families will be prepared. It will commence from September and will be completed in four months’ time.
It was in 1998 such a survey was done last.