The Centrally sponsored Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) is one of the important subjects at the election meetings in the run-up to the BBMP polls. Karnataka is one of the important beneficiaries of JNNURM.
The Congress has sought to take the credit for granting the projects and has also sought to highlight the charge that the BJP Government had failed to capitalise on the Central scheme.
Three Union Ministers —M. Veerappa Moily, M. Mallikarjun Kharge and Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad — have stated that Karnataka has been given Rs. 22,000 crore worth of projects and most of them have been languishing reflecting on the poor performance of the State Government.
Buses
The JNNURM has drawn attention after the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) put on roads a large number of buses (a total of 1,000 buses are covered under the scheme) funded under it. Construction of 10 major bus stations of the BMTC (Travel and Transit Management Centres which have an inbuilt motor vehicle parking facility) are also in progress under the scheme, and the first such station at Jayanagar has been inaugurated. It should be noted that the seven-year JNNURM scheme (2005-06 to 2012-13) has been approved for only two cities — Bangalore and Mysore — in Karnataka of a total of 65 cities for which the Union Government has approved the scheme.
It was the H.D. Kumaraswamy Government which submitted a detailed comprehensive plan for various projects in Bangalore involving an investment of Rs. 22,536 crore (Rs. 1,969 crore for Mysore).
Minister for Law and Urban Development S. Suresh Kumar contested the allegations.
He told The Hindu that the BBMP had submitted plans for projects estimated to cost Rs. 22,536 crore. However, for the period between 2005 and 2012, the Centre approved JNNURM projects worth only about a tenth of the State's proposal. Until February 28, the Centre released Rs. 818 crore for JNNURM projects, and of this nearly Rs. 500 crore were for the projects in Bangalore and nearly Rs. 300 crore for projects in Mysore.
Mr. Suresh Kumar clarified that the State Government was monitoring the execution of the JNNURM works and that there was no lapse or delay. All the projects in Bangalore and Mysore were scheduled to be completed by 2010 and the deadline would be met.
