How about Dewa in Lucknow?

LUCKNOW IS perhaps, one of the fastest growing cities in the world. And, nothing illustrates this better than the latest report  by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) on the metropolitan city limits!

Expansion of Lucknow’s metropolitan limits has become essential because of the periphery blocks, tehsils and panchayats, which are now directly affected by the economic and social conditions in the State capital.

The city has expanded towards Barabanki to such an extent that the LMC has included certain areas of Barabanki within the Lucknow metropolitan limits. After the acceptance of the report by the government, Lucknow can even boast of including historical places like Dewa within its metropolitan limits!

The report states that areas of Barabanki like Nidura Block, Dewa Road, Banki Block, Banki Nagar Panchayat, Nagar Plaika Parishad Barabanki, Deva Nagar Panchayat, Dewa Block are part of the Lucknow metropolitan limits.

To take advantage of Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM), the LMC has forwarded its  long-pending proposal, for extension of its metropolitan limits, to the government.

Acting Municipal Commissioner Santosh Kumar told HT Lucknow Live, “If our cities are not renewed, they will die. The National Urban Renewal Mission is designed to meet this challenge. The demarcation of metropolitan limits became essential after JNURM included Lucknow in the category of Metropolitan Cities. It has also demanded complete details of our latest limits. We will be able to take advantage of the JNURM project only when we submit our report on the latest limits of the city. Now, we will prepare a detailed project report according to our new metropolitan limits.”

He added, “We have included Lucknow Cantonment, Sarojini Nagar Block, Kakori block, Nidura Block, Dewa Road, Banki Block, Banki Nagar Panchayat, Nagar Plaika Parishad Barabanki, Dewa Nagar Panchayat, Gosianganj Block, Mohanlalganj Tehsil, Chinhat block, Malihabad Town Area, Kakori Nagar Panchayat, Gosainganj Nagar Panchayat, Itaunja Nagar Panchayat, within our metropolitan limits.  At the time of the 2001 census, our metropolitan population stood at 21, 85,927. With the induction of new areas it would become 43,60,426!”

The LMC has submitted its proposal to the government on Wednesday. The LMC officials don’t want to miss out on the JNURM aid. They are also working on certain commitments required by JNURM on issues like regulatory framework for civic amenities, accountability standards and e-governance projects for land records, property tax and issue of automobile licences. After the acceptance of metropolitan city limits-expansion proposal, Lucknow will gain not just area but population as well.

The city will require a mega plan in the civic areas to fulfill the demands of roads, power, water, education, health, sanitation, law and order for its population of 43 lakh, which could only be fulfilled by aid from JNURM, said an LMC official.

According to a senior LMC official, Lucknow may prove to be a major beneficiary of the JNURM projects if the municipal report is accepted in time by the government. The JNURM is part of a $30-billion mega-blueprint coordinated by the Planning Commission, under a mandate from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and covers some 60 cities over the next five years.

In addition to covering physical infrastructure in cities like water, lighting, sanitation, energy and housing, the mission will also require reforms by states in areas like stamp duty, rent control and repeal of urban land ceiling.