Chennai, Nov 1 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order to implement a five-year urban development programme estimated at Rs 1.50 lakh crore, with roads, sewage systems and drinking water supply accounting for the bulk of the proposed investment.
Announced in the Budget as the “Prime Minister’s Integrated Urban Development Scheme”, the programme aims to create world-class infrastructure across all urban local bodies. It brings together improvements in basic services, environmental restoration, public health and urban surveillance under a common framework. Urban roads and transport will receive the largest allocation of Rs 60,000 crore, followed by Rs 50,000 crore for sewage infrastructure.
Drinking water projects have been earmarked Rs 30,350 crore, reflecting the programme’s emphasis on expanding access to essential civic services.
The government has also provided Rs 3,000 crore for solid waste management.
Waterbody restoration and social infrastructure will receive Rs 2,000 crore each, while green space development and public health initiatives have been allocated Rs 1,500 crore each.
A key objective is to ensure water supply connections to every household. The programme envisages round-the-clock supply in municipal corporation areas and three hours of supply in municipalities, alongside measures to strengthen the infrastructure required to deliver these services.
The scheme also targets complete coverage of underground sewerage networks.
Together, the water supply and sewage components represent a major part of the proposed expenditure, placing household service delivery at the centre of the urban infrastructure programme.
Environmental initiatives include planting five crore saplings and restoring waterbodies, including the Adyar and Cooum Rivers. These measures will form part of the wider effort to improve urban surroundings while expanding green spaces and addressing infrastructure needs across towns and cities.
Other proposed interventions include establishing animal sterilisation centres and installing artificial intelligence-enabled CCTV cameras.
The programme, therefore, extends beyond conventional roads and utility projects to cover additional civic management and public health requirements.
The Tamil Nadu Urban Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation, known as TUFIDCO, will serve as the programme’s implementation and financial management agency, according to the government order.
The order sets out the sector-wise spending framework and service targets for the five-year initiative. Its objectives span household connections, sewage coverage, mobility, waste management and ecological restoration, bringing a broad range of urban development activities within the proposed investment programme across the state’s urban local bodies.
–IANS
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