MP NEWS : Urban Development and Housing Minister Shri Kailash Vijayvargiya said that the state government will extend all possible assistance to make the 16 municipal corporations of Madhya Pradesh economically self-reliant and strong. He emphasized that the municipal bodies will be empowered by granting them more administrative powers. To enhance security, the Minister announced that a letter would be sent to the Home Department requesting the provision of gunmen for Municipal Corporation Mayors. He also instructed the Commissioners to ensure better coordination with Mayors to accelerate development works across urban areas. Minister Shri Vijayvargiya made these remarks while addressing a meeting of Municipal Corporation Mayors and Commissioners at Mantralaya on Monday. Indore Mayor Shri Pushyamitra Bhargava, Bhopal Mayor Smt. Malti Rai, and Urban Administration Development Commissioner Shri Sibi Chakraborty were also present at the meeting.
During a meeting, the Urban Development and Housing Minister reviewed the compliance of directives issued during the previous meeting held on July 19, 2024. The Minister stressed that while legalizing unauthorized colonies, care must be taken to ensure such actions do not hinder the overall development of the city. A key point of discussion was the reduction of electricity bills for urban bodies through the use of solar energy. Minister Shri Vijayvargiya directed all Municipal Corporations to prepare concrete action plans. Expressing concern over the declining quality of construction works, the Minister highlighted the issue of contractors who win tenders at low rates but compromise on quality. He called for strict action against such contractors. The meeting also included a review of works sanctioned under the Kayakalp Scheme. It was informed that MLAs have given approvals for various proposed works within urban bodies under the scheme.
Key points of the meeting
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It was decided in the meeting that the urban bodies should professionally run the transport companies. In this, special attention should be paid to the convenience of the citizens.
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There was a discussion on installing timers in street lighting.
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A proposal has been sent to the state government to extend the current provision of compounding until June 30, 2025. Additionally, the Minister emphasized that Mayor Councils should be empowered with the authority to grant land rights for leases issued by urban bodies, and a one-month special campaign should be launched to facilitate this process. A suggestion was made to decentralize recruitment rights for sanctioned posts—based on population—to the respective urban bodies. The Minister also directed officials to prepare a program for regularly sending public representatives to study best practices and successful urban models in other cities across the country. The issue of octroi compensation grants was also discussed. To bring uniformity in charges, it was decided to prepare a slab system at the directorate level to fix the rate of service charges levied by municipal corporations. Lastly, clear instructions were issued to ensure that information regarding construction works undertaken by the Madhya Pradesh Urban Development Company is promptly shared with the respective mayors.