MP sets up panel on infrastructure

With a view to creating a transparent system and ensuring infrastructure creation in cities the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has mooted an independent and separate body "Urban Infrastructure Development Fund Corporation." "This will be a separate agency to give technical and financial support to municipal corporation and municipals," said a BJP leader.

The wherewithal supply from the Urban Development Department will take a telegraphic transfer route to the exchequers of civic bodies, so that they could avoid harassment from governing bodies.

At present Municipal Corporations collect cheques from various government departments and agencies and sanctions for development fund takes months and sometimes years.

With a view to combat the encroachment problem, BJP has planned to launch a slum-free city drive in five metros of the state.

"Bhopal, Jabalpur, Indore, Ujjain and Gwalior will have 25 Ayodhya Bastis. At a later stage 357 bastis will be created in a similar fashion to make cities slum-free," Vikram Verma civic body manifesto committee chairman said.

BJP is also homing in on a Rs 350 crore 'Narmada Lao' project in the state capital. The project, which envisages to bring Narmada water to city of Bhopal, had been watered down on a number of occasions.

"The government had not submitted any concrete proposal to us," chief of the agency that is learnt to made report for the project told Business Standard. The party has also planned to do away with Octroi in the state and check illegal construction in the city.