10 TN cities qualify to be smart cities, says CM

He said Salem, Tiruchi, Tuticorin, Cuddalore and Erode had the right credentials to be considered smart cities, apart from Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai.

December 27, 2014 02:18 am | Updated 04:29 pm IST - CHENNAI:

The water desalination plant at Nemmeli, East Coast Road. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

The water desalination plant at Nemmeli, East Coast Road. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Highlighting the development plank, Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on Friday told the Centre that 10 cities in Tamil Nadu were fully eligible to be declared as smart cities.

Addressing a meeting of State Finance Ministers in New Delhi as part of the preparation of the Union budget, he said growing cities such as Salem, Tiruchi, Tuticorin, Cuddalore and Erode had the right credentials to be considered smart cities, apart from Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai.

Referring to the BJP-led Centre’s flagship urban development scheme of 100 smart cities, he contended that at least 10 cities in Tamil Nadu were fully eligible to be declared as smart cities. The State is the most urbanised in the country.

He used the opportunity to push the case for a third desalination plant for Chennai and the extension of corridor I of the Chennai Metro Rail Project, besides offering suggestions to get public-private partnership (PPP) projects going in infrastructure.

The Centre had already promised to provide adequate financial support for a 150-MLD desalination plant in Chennai proposed at a cost of Rs.1,371 crore that could be sanctioned under the new Urban Renewal Mission or any other scheme in the forthcoming budget, he demanded.

Pointing out that the implementation of infrastructure projects was a “major concern” and the much-talked Public-Private Partnership (PPP) approach had not yet provided the much-needed impetus for investment, the Chief Minister wanted the Union government to set up an infrastructure fund as a line of credit to provide long-term finance of over 12 years.

The Centre’s Viability Gap Fund Scheme should be made easily accessible for projects of States without “tedious” administrative processes. State-level panels, consisting of the Central representatives, could be formed to clear such projects. Besides, the list of infrastructure sub-sectors could be enlarged to include development of fisheries, slum development, satellite towns, land reclamation, sports and recreation infrastructure.

Complaining that the “meagre funding” for the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) had also been stopped with the promise of ‘Housing for All’, he told Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to announce a new comprehensive urban housing programme in the coming budget with adequate funding so that the States would not lose further time in addressing this priority area.

Mr. Panneerselvam urged the Centre to earmark sufficient funds for schemes like post-matric scholarship for Dalit students and linking of intra-State rivers.

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