Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P Narayana has directed municipal commissioners to prioritise and expedite essential urban infrastructure projects, ensuring their timely completion across towns and cities in the state.

Speaking at a three-day workshop held at the Directorate of Municipal Administration, attended by commissioners and engineers from 77 municipalities, the minister emphasised that works related to solid and liquid waste management, drainage, roads, and streetlighting must be executed in a planned and systematic manner.

On the opening day, officials from 29 municipalities participated in discussions focused on completing key infrastructure projects by 2029.

Narayana urged officials to accelerate progress and maintain strict adherence to timelines. He informed that 8.5 million metric tonnes of legacy waste had already been cleared, while the remaining 2 million tonnes would be removed by December-end. From January onwards, all solid waste will be fully processed, he said.

To achieve zero dumping yards, the government is setting up six new waste-to-energy plants, in addition to the two existing facilities. The minister also stressed the development of comprehensive drainage networks capable of managing both domestic wastewater and rainwater.

Under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme, plans have been finalised to provide drinking water to 90 per cent of households in municipalities within two years. Narayana instructed officials to utilise funds from AMRUT, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Urban Infrastructure Development Fund (UIDF), and municipal budgets to prioritise drainage, road, and streetlight works.

On the housing front, Narayana directed that completed TIDCO houses should be allocated to beneficiaries every Saturday without delay. He set a target to complete 100 per cent of TIDCO housing construction by June next year.

The minister will continue to attend the workshop sessions over the next two days, engaging with officials from the remaining municipalities to review progress and address implementation challenges.

Also present at the event were Sampath Kumar, Director of Municipal Administration; Sunil Kumar Reddy, Managing Director of TIDCO; and Prabhakara Rao, Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Health Department.

Narayana reaffirmed that urban development remains a top government priority, aiming to build cleaner, well-planned, and sustainable cities that enhance the quality of life for residents.