Bihar is dragging its feet on the implementation of schemes under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

The state has completed only two schemes of the total 63 sanctioned by the ministry of urban development under JNNURM till March 31, 2012 — the deadline for the completion of the first phase of the mission (2005-2012). The two fully completed projects are development of 496 dwelling units in Phulwarisharif and 96 dwelling units in Khagaul in Patna. Both the schemes, however, have been implemented by a government of India undertaking — Housing and Urban Development Corporation limited (Hudco).

JNNURM includes four sub-missions — Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG), Basic Services for Urban Poor (BSUP), Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Town (UIDSSMT) and Integrated Housing for Slum Development Programme (IHSDP). Bihar has already missed the deadline for the completion of schemes under BSUP and (IHSDP). The cabinet committee on infrastructure has allowed a two-year extension to projects under UIG and UIDSSMT but the state seems to be struggling to achieve the target even by 2014.

Majority of the 61 incomplete schemes in the state are either in the initial stages of implementation or are yet to take off. The JNNURM and its sub-mission schemes in Bihar come under the domain of the state urban development department.

Patna and Bodhgaya have been identified as mission cities under the programme. They attract majority of urban infrastructure development projects envisaged under UIG and BSUP sub-missions. However, the progress in most of these projects in the two cities has been very poor.

Under the UIG sub-mission, aimed at providing basic amenities to urban population such as water supply, solid and water waste management among others, funds to the tune of Rs 214.93 crore have been released to the state-level nodal agencies (SLNA) for undertaking schemes in the two mission cities. Of the total funds, only Rs 23.73 crore has been utilised till date.

The status of implementation of the BSUP sub-mission, aimed at integrated development of slums, in the two cities is also dismal. Of Rs 149 crore sanctioned for developing 22,372 dwelling units for urban poor at 60 sites in Patna and seven sites in Bodhgaya, the urban development department is sitting on funds to the tune of Rs 131.66 crore because it has not been able to get undisputed land for the execution of projects. Rs 3.13 crore released under the scheme has been utilised to complete the Phulwarisharif and Khagaul projects while some work is under progress at two other places in Patna.

Apart from the mission cities, road and drainage projects in 11 towns — Fatuha, Murliganj, Narkatiaganj, Rosera, Barbigha, Bhabua, Bakhtiyarpur Lalganj, Chakia, Muzaffarpur and Ara — have been undertaken under the UIDSSMT sub-mission.

Fatuha, 41 roads and two drains have been completed out of 84 projects. In Murliganj, only five out of 66 roads and two out of 24 drains have been completed while no work has been initiated on seven culverts. Similarly, in Barbigha, of the total 192 roads approved under this sub-mission, work on 62 roads has been completed. Sixteen out of 78 roads have been completed in Bakhtiyarpur. The progress of UIDSSMT is still better in Bhabua which has completed 109 of 111 schemes. The state-level nodal agencies have been allotted Rs 134.64 crore under this sub-mission, of which only Rs 36.47 crore have been utilised so far.

The progress in the projects under the IHSDP sub-mission in 24 towns is also far from satisfactory. Work is still to begin in 10 towns. Funds to the tune of Rs 153.58 crore have been sanctioned to SLNA, of which Rs 79.04 crore have been utilised.

The officials, entrusted with the implementation of JNNURM schemes, heaved a sigh of relief when the cabinet committee on infrastructure on March 23 approved the proposal of the ministry of urban development to extend the implementation period of UIG and UIDSSMT sub-missions up to 2013-14.

Shashi Shekhar Sharma, the principal secretary of UDD, who is also a member of the National Steering Group (NSG) for JNNURM 2, told The Telegraph: “It is true that we have not been able to utilise the funds under first phase of JNNURM to the extent we would have liked. This is also because we had very less number of schemes. There were various other institutional reasons, including poor financial condition of urban local bodies and lack of strong institutional and legal framework to strengthen them. However, majority of these impediments have been addressed and we are looking forward to the second phase of JNNURM with high hopes and utmost preparedness.”

Sharma said the objectives of JNNURM-2 would more or less be the same as JNNURM-1 with the only difference that the mission would have far wider coverage. “We have prepared development plans for 28 cities of the state. We would pursue schemes, including transportation, parks and other civic services, for the districts headquarters as well. Besides, we have detailed project reports prepared for around 30 projects, which would be pursued in the second phase. We are strengthening our urban local bodies and agencies like Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation,” said Sharma.