Pune, July 16 Even as the civic body has been struggling to keep infrastructure work going and has been demanding more funds for Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) projects, it now transpires that PMC is sitting on a nest egg of Rs 765.5 crore that it has salted away in the form of fixed deposits in various banks.

By Basavaraj Itnaal, DH News Service, Bangalore: If you thought the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is all prepared to prevent damage from the impending monsoons, heres reason to doubt it: The Palike will instead be busy with curative jobs since its work on remodelling of storm water drains (SWD) is only 30 per cent complete! The Remodelling was scheduled to be completed latest by November 4, 2007. The Palike's contingency plan for this monsoon includes clearing the roadside drains and keeping sandbags and dewatering pumps ready for flood mitigation.

Pune July 07 Congress legislator questions civic body's wisdom in use of EWS space Pointing out that affordable housing for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) of society is as badly needed as slum rehabilitation, Congress MLA Balasaheb Shivarkar has taken on the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). He has charged the civic administration with using land reserved for EWS housing towards slum rehabilitation projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

IMPHAL, July 6: Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh has said that Imphal city would be developed as a green city under a project to be taken up under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewable Mission, JNRUM. The Chief Minister said this while inaugurating three bridges situated across the Nambul river in the heart of Imphal city recently. With another bridge across the Imphal river at Lamlong bazar being inaugurated by the state works minister, the State capital witnessed the inauguration of four bridges in a single day.

Mumbai, July 04 Making a pitch for Central funding of its ambitious Mumbai makeover projects, the state government has demanded that the Rs 2,356-crore first arm of the Mumbai Metro project be granted viability gap funding (VGF) by the Centre. According to senior government officials, in a recent meeting at the cabinet secretariat in New Delhi they had also demanded that the Union Ministry of Urban Development fund 35 per cent of the Rs 1,300-crore Mithi river clean-up project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Visakhapatnam July 3: The human resources minister of Singapore, Mr Gan Kim Yang, and a team of officials visited city on Thursday. The city mayor, Mr Pulusu Janardhana Rao, called on the minister at a local hotel here and held talks on various schemes and projects taken up by either governments. Mr Janardhana Rao enquired on various civic schemes being implemented in Singapore and also explained to him on the implementation of various welfare schemes, particularly, the reconstruction programme being taken up under Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission funds.

The Asansol Durgapur industrial hub is reeling under a severe crisis of disposal of solid waste these days. Though a solid waste management project has been planned under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, that still remains incomplete. The civic bodies having no other alternative are dumping garbage everywhere indiscriminately.

Hyderabad July 3: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board does not have the money to execute the Rs 3,300 crore project to bring Godavari water to the city. Despite not having a single penny in its coffers, the Water Board has invited tenders for the project under pressure from the State government which wants to launch it in the election year. All the Water Board has is to rely on is the promise made by the State government that it would provide funds of its own, apart from getting Central grants under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has underlined the need for effective implementation of projects launched by the urban local bodies and their completion strictly on schedule. She has also asked the urban bodies to submit detailed reports on the projects under operation. Addressing a high-level meeting of the Local Self Department here, Ms. Raje asked the officials concerned to speed up conversion of dry toilets into water-operated toilets and undertake a survey of urban houses lacking the toilet facility.

Smita Aggarwal For UPA government's ambitious project to provide urban infrastructure under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme, there is an estimated investment shortfall of Rs 48,715 crore annually. Under the scheme, central government together with state government and Urban Local Bodies (ULB) has envisaged an investment of Rs 14,285 crore per annum for this mission, with central government allocating Rs 50,000 crore over the seven-year period, and an equal contribution being sought from state government and ULBs.