(Pervez Bari) City development plan of each city of Madhya Pradesh is being prepared with a view of making basic amenities available to the citizens. Efforts are afoot to develop Bhopal as a model city. Other cities of the state will also be able to attain the status of model city by following the footsteps of Bhopal model city.
This was disclosed by Madhya Pradesh Urban Administration and Development Minister Mr. Babulal Gaur at a workshop held for preparing Citizen Report Card manual here on Thursday. The workshop was organised jointly by NCHSE and UN Habitat and was presided over by Mr. A.K. Pandya.
Mr. Gaur said that city service plans are also being prepared for making better services available to citizens. Urban bodies will have their own staff for making these services available to citizens. The efforts for making Bhopal more beautiful and comfortable are going on with the cooperation of people and various departments. Besides conservation and augmentation of water bodies in cities, they are also being developed as tourist spots. At a cost of Rs. 375 crore, water has been brought to Bhopal from Shahganj, which is 69 kilometers away from the city, for making adequate drinking water available to citizens. Waste is being collected door-to-door with a view to making some wards of the city dustbin-free. The State Government is also making efforts for making metro train service available to residents of Bhopal and Indore.
He said that efforts will be made to further improve public utility services by implementing useful suggestions to be put forth at the workshop.
At the outset, NSHSE Chairman Dr. M. N. Buch welcomed the guests and participants. He said that UN Habitat has prepared Citizen Report Cards of Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior cities through surveys and workshops. In the report, citizens have been informed of available supply of water, sanitation and solid waste disposal services. People of Bhopal have described the basic amenities provided in the city as better. He stressed the need for carrying Citizen Report Card manual to all the cities of Madhya Pradesh. This will help the concerning urban bodies to make available better services in the areas under their respective jurisdictions.
UN Habitat representative Dr. Pradeep Nandi, Mr. Tulsi of Environment Department, Dr. Ashok Gupta and a large number of distinguished persons were also present on the occasion. (pervezbari@eth.net)