Panihati Municipality e-Newsletter October 2015, VOLUME-5 Our City Our Vision Panihati Municipality, the Southern part of erstwhile South Barrackpur Union (a local Self Government in1969) came into being on 1st April in the year 1900. Today it is one of the A category municipalities in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area on the East Bank of the river Ganga. Situated on the industrial belt of Kolkata, to its west lies the Ganga, to north and south Khardaha canal and Khardaha municipality, to east North Dum Dum municipality and Bilkanda gram- panchayat. It is served by southeastern railway at Sodepur & Agarpara stations, by Barrackpore Trunk Road, Nilganj Road (Old Calcutta road), Barasat Road (Raja Chandraketu road), Chittaranjan road, East & South Station road among many. Soon it will be served by North-South Metro Rail. Municipal Vision: “Panihati Municipality will work for the improvement of physical and social infrastructure with due consideration for pro-poor, participatory and inclusive development based with equity and equality. It includes concern for environmental factors (in widest sense of the term covering pollution-free environment, development of greenery and enhancement of overall beautification of the city etc.), introducing gender and child sensitive policies, provision for ‘shelter for shelter less’, primary and mass education facility especially for the children of economically weak and linguistic minority sections. This will enable the citizens across the sectors of the society to be healthy, knowledgeable and economically self-sufficient. The municipality aims to achieve its goals through mobilization of local and other resources, efficiency, better citizen interface and organizational development.” From The Desk of Chairman: Friends, Festive seasons are all around. I wish all my fellow citizens all the very best and also pray for your wellness of body and mind. Hope, every one of you has been enjoying the Sharodiya Durgotsob 2015 which has just been over. I convey my greetings for Subho Bijoya to you all and wish for Subho Dipaboli Utsob in advance. I would request you all to enjoy the festivals but also remain alert of the dangers of fireworks especially for the children and young adults. Keep watchful on your surroundings and neighborhoods for prevention of any untoward incidents and always try to extend your help to the needy and people undergoing any crisis or emergency situation. Panihati Municipality will always be on your side to extend its service and fullest cooperation for the right cause. Festivals are the source of sustenance of our community living. We wish that one day all of us would be capable of enjoying these occasions on equal footing or mindset. Reality cautions us that we have to traverse a long way to mitigate the intensity of poverty, hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy that binds us all the time and to feel awe-stricken at times before these ever growing challenges. Rapidness of urbanization and crowding of the cities with migrant populations have increased these challenges of the metro cities like Kolkata and its surroundings. Providing habitable conditions of shelter, food, livelihood, proper education for all necessitates a lot of change in the new-age urban centres which are continuously facing the challenges of shrinking of space and adequate resources for providing the basic services of civic lives. As you all know, the activities of the ongoing projects like NULM, NUHM, AMRUT, Housing For All by 2022, Sawcch Bharat Mission etc. are progressing. Side by side, works for Mid-Term Census and Beneficiary listing of NFSA/RKSY is also going in its full swing. Swapan Ghosh Chiarman, Panihati Municipality Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT): The Scheme Thrust areas The Mission will focus on the following Thrust Areas: i. water supply, ii. sewerage facilities and septage management, iii. storm water drains to reduce flooding, iv. pedestrian, non-motorized and public transport facilities, parking spaces, and v. Enhancing amenity value of cities by creating and upgrading green spaces, parks and recreation centers, especially for children. Fund Allocation The total outlay for AMRUT is Rs. 50,000 crore for five years from FY 2015-16 to FY 2019-20 and the Mission will be operated as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. The AMRUT may be continued thereafter in the light of an evaluation done by the MoUD and incorporating learnings in the Mission. The Mission funds will consist of the following four parts: i. Project fund - 80% of the annual budgetary allocation. ii. Incentive for Reforms - 10% of the annual budgetary allocation. iii. State funds for Administrative & Office Expenses (A&OE) - 8% of the annual budgetary allocation iv. MoUD funds for Administrative & Office Expenses (A&OE) - 2% of the annual budgetary allocation However, for FY 2015-16 the project fund would be 90% of the annual budgetary allocation as incentive for Reforms will be given only from FY 2016-17 onwards. Incentive for Reform One purpose of the Mission is to improve governance through a set of Reforms. During the Mission period, 11 Reforms will be implemented. The list includes: 1. E-Governance, 2.Constitution and professionalization of Municipal Cadre, 3.Augmenting Double Entry accounting, 4.Urban Planning and City Level Plans, 5.Devolution of funds and functions, 6.Review of Building By-laws, 7.Set Up Financial Intermediary at State Level, 8.Municipal Tax and Fees Improvement, 9.Improvement of levy and collection of user charges, 10.Credit rating, Energy and Water Audit, 11.Swachh Bharat Mission ‘Past experience shows that projects get delayed if release of project funds is linked to non- completion of Reforms. Therefore, the AMRUT shifts from penalization to incentivization. Ten percent of the annual budget allocation shall be kept apart and given to the States/UTs every year as incentive for achievement of Reforms.’ [Ref.: AMRUT-Mission Statement & Guidelines, June 2015 MOUD Govt. of India] Project Updates: AMRUT in Panihati: Being one of the AMRUT cities in West Bengal, Panihati Municipality has also heading towards to fulfill its infrastructure deficiency in the categories mention and admissible under AMRUT (mentioned above) through preparation and submission of proposals as per AMRUT guideline and following the directions and assistance from State Mission Directorate, West Bengal. Schemes and proposals, as per AMRUT, needs to be given in the prescribed formats and templates for this has also been circulated to the ULBs, During October 2015; Panihati has uploaded its schemes and proposals on water supply on the National Portal of AMRUT through its specific online ID created for this programme. Schemes for development of park though have been finalized, faced some difficulties for online submission. The problem has been communicated to State Mission directorate Office, West Bengal and sorted out later. Proposals for other sectors have been submitted to the State Mission Directorate and in the process of finalization with the support from Municipal Engineering Directorate, West Bengal. We have been informed that, at the state level, Service Level Improvement Plan (SLIP) under AMRUT is at its final stage and State Annul Action Plan i.e. SAAP would also be formulated accordingly. A separate email account for AMRUT has been created for Panihati Municipality i.e [email protected]. Panihati has already created its own website www.panihatimunicipality.in. Preparation of Five year City Development Plan (2014-15 to 2018-19) with GIS map is in the state of finalization. Panihati Municipality has started publishing e-Newsletter since June 2015 with the participation in Smart City Competition and the process has been continued. Housing For All Plan of Action (HFAPoA) report: The Honourable BOC, Panihati Municipality in its meeting on 30th October, 2015 considered and approved the Housing for All by 2022 Plan of Action (Draft) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojona(PMRY-Urban) [2015-16 to 2021-22] prepared by Panihati Municipality (October-2015) [as per guideline] for submission and necessary action to State Urban Development Agency[SUDA] & State Mission Director, HFA Office, the Authority concerned. The National Urban Health Mission started functioning in the West Bengal in the Financial Year 2013-14 as a subset of National Health Mission. This comprehensive programme aims at addressing the health concerns of urban population through facilitating equitable access to available health facilities. It also thinks of rationalizing and strengthening of the existing capacity of health delivery for improving the health status of the urban poor. Panihati, being one of the mission cities is also working for fulfilling the mission objectives. During October 2015, Dengue Awareness programme, pulse polio programme, activities under NUHM, Urban Health and Nutrition Days (UHND) were held as per schedule. Events: Primary Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) 2015: Panihati Municipality volunteered the examination process for selection of school teachers in West Bengal at all the examination centres within Panihati Municipality Area. The Examination was held on 11th October 2015. It was a Sunday. The examinees coming from various corners of the state have got assistance from the volunteers in the community to reach their examination centres, drinking water, arrangement for vehicles etc. Sri Nirmal Ghosh- Honrable MLA, Sri Swapan Ghosh-Honorable Chairman, Panihati Municipality along with other Councillors of Panihati Municipality