Amrut: Cabinet clears Rs 9,230 crore for 287 towns

The Cabinet also decided to repeal Section 387 of Town Planning Act, after several complaints of problems faced in rural areas

The Cabinet on Thursday cleared Rs 9,230 crore for the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) project to develop 287 towns in Karnataka.

Of the amount, the state’s share will be Rs 3,692 crore, while the Centre will contribute Rs 4,615 crore. The reminder of the funds - Rs 923 crore - will be pooled in by the local bodies.

The Cabinet also decided to repeal Section 387 of the Town Planning Act, which had mandated clearance from town planning authorities even for minor works.

The AMRUT project will be completed in five years, Law Minister J C Madhuswamy said. The funds will be used to improve drinking water, underground drainage and other infrastructure facilities. The scheme will be applicable to all towns having a population of one lakh or more, except town municipal councils (TMC), the minister said.

Works of Swachh Bharat mission were also cleared by the Cabinet, which will be carried out in small TMCs and town panchayats (TP). The total outlay for the project is Rs 3,962 crore of which Rs 1,292 crore is the state’s share.

Sec 387 repealed

The Cabinet also decided to repeal Section 387 of the Town Planning Act, after several complaints of problems faced in rural areas.

After it was made mandatory for everyone in town panchayat limits to seek clearance from the Town Planning Authority (TPA) to take up any works, many people faced problems in getting khatas, selling properties, and preparing 11E sketches and licenses.

Repealing the provisions will make it easy for standalone properties to take up works without clearance from TPA. However, they will have to seek the required clearance from local authorities or the panchayats, the minister said.

Moreover, under the new rules being introduced by the government, those properties listed by a town panchayat also need not take clearance from TPA for works undertaken by them. The provisions will also apply to village panchayats that were recently made part of a TMC or TP, he said.

Atrocity victims

The Cabinet also decided to relax norms of compassionate appointment for SC/ST candidates, selected if the working member of the family dies due to atrocities committed against them.

While previous rules mandated the victims to apply for government jobs within a year of death, new norms provide them with a two year-period to apply. Moreover, daughters of the victims can now apply for compassionate appointments as it was ensured only for male children in the family in the past.