Sanitation project: Govt. to repay HUDCO loan

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, MARCH 7. The Rs. 180-crore loan to be obtained from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) for the implementation of the Swachchagrama programme will be borne by the Government and not passed on to gram panchayats.

This assurance was given in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister, Mr. M.Y. Ghorpade. He informed the House that it was planned to ensure ``total sanitation'' in 1,000 villages under the programme at a cost of Rs. 200 crores. The State had set apart Rs. 20 crores for the programme, he added.

Mr. Ghorpade, who was replying to supplementaries on a question from Mr. B.H. Bannikhod, said 687 applications had been received from villages for selection under the project along with a deposit of Rs. 1 lakh from each village. It was proposed to spend Rs. 20 lakhs under the project in each village, the minister added.

Apart from the deposit, the villages will have to provide an additional Rs. 1 lakh each. The agency for the execution of the programme will be selected by the villages, and the cost of maintenance will have to be borne by the local people.

Mr. Ghorpade said the scheme was flexible, and allocations could be modified depending upon the conditions in an area, as in the case of Malnad regions where there were fewer dwellings. Work on the programme had begun, he added.

In view of the large number of supplementaries raised, the Speaker, Mr. M.V. Venkatappa, promised to allow a half-an-hour later, for discussion on the matter.

Gram Sadak Yojana: In reply to a question from Mr. Jagadish Shettar, Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Ghorpade said the Government proposed to approach the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for a loan of Rs. 100 crores to Rs. 130 crores, to supplement Rs. 95 crores the Union Government was sanctioning under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (to improve village roads).

The Government had sent a Rs. 195-crore proposal to the Centre which had released Rs. 20.19 crores to take up 70 projects in Bangalore Urban, Belgaum, Bellary, Gulbarga and Mandya districts. The amount sanctioned at present was not adequate, Mr. Ghorpade said.

He said that last year, Rs. 138 crores had been spent to asphalt about 3,500 km. of roads. About Rs. 230 crores was required at present, and it was proposed to borrow the amount from NABARD. On whether an equal amount would be spent in all villages, Mr. Ghorpade said a rural road plan would be prepared in consultation with zilla panchayats.

Water supply: In reply to a question from Mr. Basavantareddy Motakpalli, the minister said that out of Rs. 60 lakhs sanctioned for drinking water schemes in Sedam taluk, Rs. 30 lakhs had been released for five projects, work on which was progressing. Nine other schemes would be completed by June next year, Mr. Ghorpade added.

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