AMRUT: Centre approves investment of Rs 1,350 crore to Andhra Pradesh

NEW DELHI: The Centre today approved an investment of Rs 1,350 crore to Andhra Pradesh for improvement of basic urban infrastructure under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) over the next three fiscals.

The Union Urban Development Ministry also approved Rs 405 crore in support of investments in projects for augmenting water supply, sewerage networks, drainage and provision of parks and open spaces in 32 Atal Mission cities in the southern state.

As against the earlier practice of approving annual action plans, the ministry has approved investments for the three financial years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, the ministry said in a statement.

This initiative has been taken to enable the states plan for early planning and execution of basic urban infrastructure projects so that they are completed during the mission period which ends in 2019-20, the statement reads.

The investment, approved today, includes Rs 863 crore on providing water taps to all urban households, besides increasing water supply to the norm of 135 litres per head per day, Rs 261 crore for sewerage projects, Rs 195 crore on drainage systems and Rs 32 crore for providing green parks and open spaces in all the 32 cities included in Atal Mission.

The ministry had earlier approved Rs 663 crore for 2015-16 and Rs 877 crore for 2016-17, taking the total investment under the mission to Rs 2,890 crore.

Of the investment of Rs 1,350 crore approved today, city-wise investments are: Chittore - Rs 122 crore, Nellore - Rs 117 crore, Nandyala - Rs 95 crore, Proddatur - Rs 91 crore, Hindupur - Rs 86 crore, Tadipatri Rs 81 crore, Kadapa - Rs 81 crore, Ongole - Rs 77 crore, Chilakaluripeta - 76 crore, Tirupati - Rs 66 crore, and Kakinada - Rs 66 crore.

Others include: Kurnool - Rs 51 crore, Visakapatnam - Rs 48 crore, Vizianagaram - Rs 43 crore, Rajahmundry - Rs 31 crore, Srikakulam - Rs 23 crore, Guntakal - Rs 20 crore, Tadepalligudem - Rs 20 crore, Adoni - Rs 19 crore, Srikalahasti - Rs 16 crore, Dharmavaram - Rs 16 crore, Eluru - Rs 14 crore and Madanapalle - Rs 11 crore.

The Atal Mission was launched in June, 2015 to ensure water supply connections to all urban households in 500 mission cities and improving sewerage and drainage networks, urban transport with focus on non-motorised transport like cycling and walking and development of parks and open spaces.

Central government has provisioned Rs 50,000 crore towards central assistance to AMRUT projects with state and city governments required to make matching contributions.

Central assistance is in the range of half of project cost for cities with population of below 10 lakhs each and one third of project cost if population is above 10 lakhs.