Separate wing to implement infrastructure schemes
The new section in the Corporation will have 45 members.Even as it struggles to fill a large number of vacancies, the Corporation has succeeded in obtaining the State Government’s sanction to create an exclusive wing to implement more than 10 major infrastructure schemes under the Union Government’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).For the first time, the Corporation will have such a wing and that too headed by a superintending engineer.
At present, the engineering wing is headed by a city engineer. The Corporation appealed to the Government a few months ago for a separate wing to implement the mission schemes as the existing supervisory staff have to carry out routine core municipal services such as water supply and drainage maintenance.The schemes under the mission include those for underground sewers for 80 per cent of the 105 sq km city, an additional drinking water scheme, a bus rapid transit system, flyovers, subways, multi-storeyed tenements for slum dwellers and multi-tier parking lots.
Mayor R. Venkatachalam said in the Corporation Council on Monday that a 45-member new wing would take shape when the Government gave the signal for appointment.The sanctioned posts are (with numbers in brackets): superintending engineer (1), executive engineer (2), assistant executive engineer (4), assistant engineer/junior engineer (8), draughtsman (4), technical assistant (14), office superintendent (1), accountant (2), assistant (4), junior assistant-cum-typist (2), computer operator (2) and assistant to computer operator (1).The Corporation is also the nodal agency for an urban agglomeration component of the mission that seeks to provide quality infrastructure to the suburbs also.
In such a situation, the Corporation will need to provide special focus on the mission schemes and also the tasks for a nodal agency for the municipalities and town panchayats surrounding the city. The civic body is already saddled with the task of providing roads, drainage, streetlight and drinking water supply lines to more than 500 layouts that have been regularised now.Corporation officials say this will take a huge share of its time and resources.Only three schemes have been cleared so far though the mission period ends in 2012. Officials say that interaction with consultants, State Government officials and the mission directorate in New Delhi is so exacting a process that it proves to be too much of a load on the existing staff.The Corporation expects the proposed wing to ease the burden.
