Hans News Service Amaravati

Thestate government has sanctioned Rs 7,469.46 crore for a urban infrastructure programme covering roads, drainage, parks, street lighting and central medians across the state’s 123 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

The sanction includes Rs 5,500 crore for capital works and Rs 1,969.46 crore towards interest over 10 years under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM). The latest programme is aimed primarily at closing the state’s remaining 4,388-km urban road gap.

The road works will be taken up along with drainage and other civic infrastructure rather than as standalone projects.

The government said the wider urban infrastructure pipeline now stands at about Rs 40,743.67 crore across 123 ULBs. Of this, 514 projects worth Rs 15,274.21 crore are under implementation through AMRUT 2.0, AIIB and UIDF, while another Rs 25,469.46 crore is being taken up through UIDF, the Urban Challenge Fund and HAM.

The programme excludes nearly Rs 80,000 crore of infrastructure projects under implementation in the CRDA region, officials said.

Of the Rs 5,500 crore capital component, Rs 4,655.82 crore will go towards roads with drains, Rs 509.12 crore for parks, Rs 247.28 crore for street lighting and Rs 87.78 crore for central medians.

The state has assessed its urban road network at 25,626 km. Of this, 21,238 km, or 82.9 per cent, has already been improved, leaving 4,388 km for the latest intervention. Detailed project reports cover 4,388 km of roads, 541 parks, 20,340 street-lighting points and 1,186.56 km of central medians.

Under the financing model, Rs 2,200 crore will be provided upfront through LRS/BPS funds, while the concessionaire will finance Rs 3,300 crore. The latter will be repaid over 10 years in 40 quarterly instalments through an escrow mechanism linked to identified urban revenues. The concessionaire will also maintain the assets for 10 years.

The government has prepared Gap Assessment Reports and Infrastructure Investment Plans for all 123 ULBs, identifying requirements up to 2029. The assessment found gaps of 724 MLD in water-treatment capacity, 9,608 km in water-distribution networks, 1,443 MLD in sewage treatment, 19,081 km in underground drainage, 23,612 km in storm-water drainage and 4,388 km in roads.

Minister P Narayana said the government was moving away from piecemeal works towards integrated urban planning. “Roads cannot be planned separately from drainage, drinking water, sanitation, lighting and public spaces,” he said.

Principal secretary S Suresh Kumar said the urban programme also includes a major push on greenery and sanitation. Officials said 58 new parks have been developed and 110 existing parks refurbished, with another 45 under development. About 4.43 lakh saplings have been planted along 2,165 km of urban roads under the Harithandhra programme.

The government is also expanding scientific waste processing. Work orders have been issued for 108 integrated solid-waste facilities with a combined capacity of 5,385 tonnes a day.

Eight facilities were inaugurated in July, with 66 targeted to become operational by October. Four Waste-to-Energy projects are under implementation at Kakinada, Kadapa, Kurnool and Nellore. Six Compressed Bio-Gas plants are also being developed. Officials said 143 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste has been cleared against an estimated 157 lakh tonnes.