HUA ministry focussed on metro expansion, affordable housing in 2024

The expansion of the metro rail network, installation of 84,000 CCTV cameras, development of over 700 km of cycle tracks, and construction of 88 lakh houses in cities were key focus areas for the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry in 2024.

Besides, the ministry launched several initiatives under the Smart Cities Mission (SCS), Swachh Bharat Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) -- flagship programs of the Narendra Modi government.

As of November 15, 13 out of 100 smart cities have successfully completed all their projects, while 48 cities have achieved over 90 per cent completion.

 

Over 84,000 CCTV surveillance cameras have been installed, and 713 km of cycle tracks have been developed across the 100 smart cities so far.

According to the ministry, 23 smart cities have completed more than 75 per cent of their projects, and 714 ongoing projects, totalling Rs 17,303 crore, are currently in the implementation phase.

Recently, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu said that till November 15, work orders have been issued for 8,066 projects worth Rs 1,64,669 crore. Of these, 7,352 projects, totalling Rs 1,47,366 crore (91 per cent of the total projects), have been completed.

The ministry also said that 17,026 km of the water supply systems are being monitored through the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. Additionally, over 66 cities are utilising technology to enhance their solid waste management operations.

Furthermore, more than 9,433 smart classrooms and 41 digital libraries have been established. The ministry also developed 172 e-health centres and clinics, and installed 152 health ATMs, an official in the ministry said.

He said that SCM has created replicable models in the 100 smart cities which can act as "lighthouses" for other aspiring cities of the country including "area- based development" smart cities solution (pan city features) projects.

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, another flagship program of the government, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) has remediated two major dumpsites in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, addressing approximately 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste since June 9, 2024.

Additionally, a waste-to-energy plant with a capacity of 1,000 metric tonnes per day and 15 megawatts, valued at Rs 375 crore, was inaugurated in Gujarat's Piplaj on November 1.

The government has allocated over Rs 1,123 crore for projects in nine states - Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal - focused on solid waste and used water management, as well as capacity-building initiatives.

The ministry also launched the Swabhav Swachhata Sanskaar Swachhata (4S) 2024 campaign, which aims to bring about time-bound and targeted transformation of difficult and polluted areas.

The campaign is built around three core pillars: Swachhata Ki Bhaagidari (public participation, awareness, and advocacy for Swachh Bharat), Sampoorna Swachhata (mega cleanliness drives targeting difficult and polluted areas), and Safai Mitra Suraksha Shivir (single-window services, safety, and recognition camps for the welfare and health of sanitation workers).

Another official said that as of May 2014, approximately 248 km of metro rail lines were operational in the country. This has since increased by 745 km, and currently, around 993 km of metro rail lines are operational.

Earlier this month, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said India will soon have the second largest metro network in the world, underlining that 997 km of metro rail is currently under construction in the country.

"About 993 km of metro rail is operational in 23 cities across the country and about 997 km is under construction in 28 cities in the country...India is well on its way to have the 2nd largest metro network of the world," he said.

The 42-km stretch of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor is currently operational, the official said, adding that the remaining portion is expected to be operational by June this year.

The government has also launched PM-e-Bus Sewa, which aims to enhance urban bus operations in cities. The initiative includes central assistance of Rs 20,000 crore for the deployment of 10,000 fully air-conditioned electric buses.

Apart from this, over 88 lakh houses have been delivered to the beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).

Over 1.18 crore houses were sanctioned by the ministry till November 18.

Minister Sahu recently said the government has been supplementing the efforts of states and Union territories by providing central assistance under PMAY-U since June 25, 2015 to provide pucca houses in urban areas across the country.

He said learning from the experiences of PMAY-U, the government launched PMAY-U 2.0 'Housing for All' Mission with effect from September 1, 2024 for implementation in urban areas across the country to construct, purchase and rent 10 million houses by eligible beneficiaries at affordable cost through four verticals of the scheme.

These four verticals are Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC), Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), Affordable Rental Housing (ARH) and Interest Subsidy Scheme (ISS). As on date, 29 states and Union territories have signed Memorandum of Agreement to implement PMAY-U 2.0.

According to the ministry, a revamped National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) will soon be launched. The mission aims to cover nearly 2.5 crore urban poor households for socio-economic uplift.

Under the mission, over 1 crore urban poor women have been mobilized into more than 9.96 lakh Self-Help Groups (SHGs) as of September 30, 2024.