Civil society activists at a meeting held on Saturday on ‘Challenges to urban poor in the context of rapid urbanisation' asked GVMC to finalise ward-level action plans.
Regretting the exclusion of improvement in basic amenities in the slums under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the participants felt that the urban city planners were spending funds mostly under the mission for augmenting urban infrastructure like flyovers.
Those who attended included Forum for Better Visakha convener E.A.S. Sarma, CPI floor leader in GVMC A.J. Stalin, APCLC activist Sriram Murthy, Association for Regional Tribal Development (urban wing) secretary P. Srinivasu, K. Padma of Mahila Chetana, Ravi of Murikivada Sangham and T. Shankar of AP Fishermen Youth Welfare Federation. Mr. Sarma, said ward-level action plans would help finalise genuine beneficiaries for Rajiv Awas Yojana and schemes undertaken under JNNURM. He said it was also the responsibility of the authorities to provide basic amenities in the slums and at least one night shelter for every one lakh population as per the Supreme Court order. The participants opined that over 60 per cent of funds released under JNNURM were being invested in urban infrastructure. Basic services should be extended to the slums under JNNURM, Mr. Srinivasu said, and pointed out how slums in Ambedkarnagar, Narasimhanagar and Suryatejanagar were being denied facilities for want of funds.
