Agency to ascertain service quality
In yet another incident of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s dependence on private experts, the civic body has decided to appoint a consultant to monitor whether service level benchmarks set up by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to avail their fundings are being achieved or not. The civic body has named Crisil Risk and Infrastructure as a consultant for the task for an estimated cost of `2.75 crore.
The JNNURM is a massive city-development scheme launched by the Central government under the ministry of urban development. The civic body has undertaken several projects like the Middle Vaitarana dam, laying of underground water tunnels, development of dumping grounds, construction of sewerage treatment plants etc under this scheme.
“The JNNURM has set certain performance indicators, which are called service level benchmarks, for the evaluation and monitoring of services offered under this scheme. The civic body has to maintain the status of these services phase-wise, failing which the funds distribution will be affected,” said standing committee chairman Rahul Shewale.
According to the recommendations of 13th finance commission, the state government will receive funds of `1,100 crore under JNNURM. To acquire these funds, the services are needed to be provided as per the service level benchmarks. For this, all the information will have to be collected from various civic departments so that it can be submitted to the state government in a proper manner. Keeping this in mind, it has been decided to appoint M/s Crisil as a consultant. They will also guide the BMC on maintaining the status of these services, said a senior civic official.
Under the JNNURM project, the BMC has been also trying to get more funds from the Centre for various projects. The civic body has sent a proposal for funding the Bhandup sewage treatment plant and pumping station under the Municipal Sewage Disposal Project-II, for which the civic body has asked for `400 crore.
“We are also planning to demand funds of `300 crore and `400 crore for a sewage tunnel in Goregaon and for a sewage pumping station in Ghatkopar, respectively. Besides these projects, the BMC is hoping to get allocation for the Damanganga project and also its ambitious coastal road project,” said an official.
Under the JNNURM scheme, the civic body spends 50 per cent funds, while the 35 per cent and the 15 per cent amount of that project is funded by the Central and state governments, respectively.
With the substantial rise in funds, civic officials are hoping that funds pending for other projects may also be released this year. The BMC has been promised `1,200 crore for the Brimstowad projects, but so far has received only `1,000 crore. The civic body has been demanding more money for these projects, citing rise in
project cost. The Union government is also yet to release `22 crore that it had sanctioned for the development of the dumping grounds.
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