A.P. CM tells officials to mobilise maximum Central funds for MA&UD Department-OxBig News Network

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has instructed the officials of the Municipal Administration & Urban Development (MA&UD) Department to mobilise as much funding as possible from the Centre while duly sorting out issues related to utilisation certificates and clearing of pending bills.

He ordered that works taken up under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation (AMRUT), AMRUT-2 and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Urban Infrastructure Development Fund (UIDF) schemes should be expedited. 

Chairing a review meeting on MA&UD Department on Saturday, Mr. Naidu said works for which the AIIB and the Central government sanctioned funds of ₹8,800 crore (₹5,800 crore and ₹3,000 crore respectively) between 2014 and 2019 should also be focused upon.

Priority should be given to cleanliness in Municipal Corporations and Municipalities and measures should be taken to check the spread of infectious diseases during the monsoon season, he said.  

Mr. Naidu asked the officials to initiate measures to curb mosquito breeding and to ensure that the drainage systems function properly, and prevent the contamination of drinking water.

Pointing out that poultry waste was posing a health hazard, he wanted a dedicated poultry waste management policy to be formulated soon.

The Chief Minister wanted steps to be taken to increase the demand for products made by the DWCRA groups to increase their incomes. The due focus should be laid on improving their skills, and making the most of e-commerce platforms and other online channels that would open up new markets for their products, he said.  

Further, Mr. Naidu exhorted the Urban Local Bodies to generate the electricity required for streetlighting. The government would soon have detailed discussions on the urban housing and take necessary steps to improve the situation, he said. He asked the officials to speed up the setting up sewage treatment plants in municipalities.

Addressing the media later, MA&UD Minister P. Narayana said the government was giving a top priority to creation of social infrastructure such as clean drinking water, streetlighting in municipalities, roads, parks and sanitation facilities. Steps were being taken to provide 100% protected drinking water to all municipal corporations and municipalities and green signal has been obtained for commencing works under AMRUT scheme. 

Waste-to-energy plants

The Minister said 8,000 tonnes of solid waste was being generated daily and efforts were underway to generate electricity from it. A decision was taken between 2014 and 2019 to set up 10 waste-to-energy plants. At present, only two such plants are in operation in Guntur and Visakhapatnam. 

Six more such plants would be set up in Rajahmundry, Nellore, Kadapa, Kurnool, Vijayawada and Tirupati soon. These plants would convert 7,500 tonnes of waste into electricity daily and the rest 500 tonnes would be safely disposed of. The clearing of legacy waste of 85 lakh tonnes would be completed by October 2, he said.  

TIDCO Houses

Mr. Narayana said the construction of five lakh TIDCO houses began between 2014 and 2019, but the previous YSRCP government had reduced the number to 2.60 lakh.

Since loans were raised before the allocation of houses was done to the beneficiaries, they fell into the non-payment category, which forced the current government to shell out ₹140 crore to revive them, he added.