Ranchi, Dec. 23: The state may lose most of the already reduced, but yet large, sum of Rs 1,160.13 crore promised to it by the Centre under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

The plan is to revamp three cities — Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad — but the state may lose the money if the authorities fail to bring about mandatory urban reforms within the stipulated deadline of 2010.

The delay in preparing the city development plan for all three places, roping in consultants for drafting the detailed project report (DPR) for every sector and legal tangles among other hitches have ensured that the Centre’s budget for the state goes down to Rs 1,160 crore. This is part of the Rs 50,000 crore JNNURM scheme conceptualised by the Union government and earmarked for 63 cities.

These things came to the fore during a one-day orientation workshop on reforms to be ensured by civic bodies to be eligible for the benefits under JNNURM.

State urban development secretary Shailesh Kumar Singh, Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) administrator Rahul Kumar Purwar, associate town planner Gajanand Ram and representatives of civic bodies were present at the meet.

Ravindra Prasad, from Hyderabad’s Administrative Staff College of India responsible for apprising urban body authorities of reforms, said all changes at the level of urban local bodies and state government were mandatory. But of the 23 reforms to be taken up, the state has been able to ensure only one — rationalisation of stamp duty to bring it down to a level of five per cent.

The state, through a cabinet resolution, had promised the Centre to bring in all the reforms by 2009 and 2010 — two years before the end of the JNNURM schemes.

But implementation of the schemes in the state is still far from satisfactory with almost three years lost after the inception of the central scheme in 2006.

The Centre had sanctioned funds for Ranchi and Dhanbad for implementation of integrated housing scheme for the urban poor and revamped water supply schemes, but things are yet to move apparently due to the lethargy of the bureaucracy and political instability.

All other schemes — including sewerage, solid waste management and integrated traffic management — are hanging in the balance because either the DPRs are yet to be sent to the Centre or have been rejected by the latter.

For Jamshedpur, no memorandum of agreement can be signed among local urban bodies, the state government and Centre because the formation of a municipal corporation or urban agglomeration is hanging in balance.

This is precisely because of a legal case filed in the Supreme Court by corporate giant Tata Steel, which wants an industrial township status for the city.

Associate town planner Gajanand Ram, who plays a major role in JNNURM schemes, said that the state was struggling hard to bring in all the reforms and ensure that funds that have been sanctioned already get utilised effectively.