#WeeklyNewsRoundUp: Rs 39 Lakh Crore Investment Required To Build Urban Infra In India In 20 Yrs

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has received 5,661 requests for surrender or cancellation of the flats allotted under the housing scheme for 2017. "Most of the applicants have not provided any specific reason for surrender but some of the applicants have stated that the built-up area of the allotted flats was not up to their requirement," Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. For the housing scheme for 2017, the DDA had received more than 46,000 applications of which 12,000 were allotted flats.

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For those constructing a house in Haryana could now file for an occupation certificate by a self-declaration. The government has amended the Haryana Building Code, 2017, which will now allow a person building a home to give a self-certification through a recognised architect to the department of town and country planning. With this, the government expects to issue an occupation certificate in eight working days, in case their papers are approved and the design follows the rules of construction.

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Investments required in urban areas for a 20-year period between 2012-13 and 2031-32 was estimated to be Rs 39 lakh crore, the government said on January 2. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has constituted a high-powered expert committee to provide an estimate of investments required for urban infrastructure services, including the maintenance and replacement, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said in the Lok Sabha. The minister said nearly Rs 20 lakh crore had been estimated for operation and maintenance of all cities and towns. He said 90 smart cities selected so far had indicated a total investment of Rs 1.9 lakh crore in their proposals.

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According to a data released by the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, out of Rs 9,860 crore released to 60 cities under the Smart City Mission only seven per cent, or about Rs 645 crore, has been utilised so far. Of the Rs 196 crore released to each of around 40 cities, Ahmedabad has spent the maximum amount of Rs 80.15 crore, followed by Indore (Rs 70.69 crore), Surat (Rs 43.41 crore) and Bhopal (Rs 42.86 crore). On the other hand, the cities that have not utilised the sanctioned funds well include Andaman and Nicobar (Rs 54 lakh), Ranchi (Rs 35 lakh), and Aurangabad (Rs 85 lakh).

Source: Media reports