Patna is all set to get Rs 100 crore over a period of five years under the Centre's Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut).

Funding would commence from the financial year in which the Centre approves the city's project.

Amrut, launched on June 25, aims at making available basic civic infrastructure such as drinking water and sewerage, increasing green cover in cities by developing parks and augmenting public transport among others.

Names of cities selected under Amrut were declared earlier this month. A total of 500 towns across India have been selected under the scheme of which 26, including Patna, are in Bihar. "Bihar would get Rs 300 crore under Amrut, of which Rs 100 crore is meant for Patna. At present, detailed project reports for execution of the schemes are being prepared in consultation with the respective urban local bodies and it would soon be sent to urban development ministry to seek funds release. The projects are to be executed over a period of five years," said a senior urban development and housing department official.

Amrut guidelines say 11 reform-oriented measures need to be carried out in four years. These include promoting e-governance, improving collection of various taxes, augmenting double-entry accounting, preparing GIS-based master plans, reviewing building bylaws, energy and water audit, achieving the goals of Swachh Bharat Mission and setting up financial intermediaries for pooling and disbursement of resources. To ensure speed, the Union urban development ministry has set a criterion that states need to transfer funds to urban local bodies within seven working days of transfer by the Centre.

Sources said that most projects under Amrut would replace Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) projects. The state apparently fared quite badly in execution of most schemes sanctioned under JNNURM over the past eight years.

For instance, Patna solid waste management project has not been executed though the Union urban development ministry sanctioned funds (Rs 36.95 crore) in May 2007.

Similarly, physical progress in the ambitious Patna water supply project, envisaging round-the-clock supply of potable water, is less than even 40 per cent. In case of urban transport schemes as well, of the proposed 260 buses, only 40 have been delivered in the past five years. State urban development and housing department minister Awadhesh Prasad Kushwaha gave a political turn to the issue of poor execution of JNNURM schemes.

"Former ministers of this department, like Prem Kumar (BJP) and Samrat Choudhary (HAMS), have over the past eight years not taken much interest in the working of this department. However, we are now streamlining things and we will ensure that the state gets maximum benefit out of Amrut," he told The Telegraph on Thursday.

Residents, however, seemed sceptical about the new scheme. "I don't think anything substantial can be done till elections are over. Besides, the state government would not be keen on executing schemes floated by the central government, owing to political rivalry. We would have to wait till formation of the next government," said Amit Kumar, employee of a city-based private firm.

Elected representatives at Patna Municipal Corporation, however, blamed officials for non-execution of centrally sponsored schemes. "The schemes are never stuck at the level of empowered standing committee or the municipal board. The delay is mostly seen at the end of final execution, where the officials play their role. Officials are required to take such projects with utmost sincerity for the benefit of citizens," former Patna mayor Afzal Imam said.

Standing out

Patna is one among 26 cities from Bihar, and 500 in the country, selected for the Centre’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut). 
The other cities selected in Bihar include Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Biharsharif, Darbhanga, Purnea, Ara, Begusarai, Katihar, Munger, Chhapra, Danapur, Saharsa, Hajipur, Sasaram, Dehri, Siwan, Bettiah, Motihari, Bagaha, Kishanganj, Jamalpur, Jehanabad, Buxar and Aurangabad  

Swachh ranking 

Patna ranks 429 under Swachh Bharat Mission, even though cities like Muzaffarpur and even Danapur, along the western fringes of the city, have fared better

Backward area

Patna and 20 other districts in the state have been declared backward areas,offering investors a 35 per cent additional depreciation on investments they make in plants and machinery over the next five years. TheIncome Tax department has also notified that a manufacturing company will beeligible for a 30 per centinvestment allowance —
instead of 15 per cent in other parts of the country — for investments above Rs 25 crore