We aim to make Agra a solar city soon

Indra Vikram Singh, Municipal Commissioner, Agra Nagar Nigam Tourists around the world visit the city of Agra for the iconic Taj Mahal - a fact that puts even more responsibility on the Agra Nagar Nigam (ANN), the Municipal Corporation of Agra, to benchmark the city's cleanliness and infrastructure to high standards. With a mandate to provide basic infrastructure to the rapidly growing population, ANN deals with day-to-day activities such as water supply; elimination of water logging; construction, maintenance and repair of lanes and roads; street lighting; and garbage disposal. It also looks after facilities such as the construction of sewer lines, undertakes cleanliness projects and carries out upgrades of the venues around historical monuments. Indra Vikram Singh, Municipal Commissioner, ANN, took some time off from his busy schedule to speak to AHLAM RAIS on some key projects and his future plans for the city. How has your experience been of taking over as Municipal Commissioner of Agra? The Municipal Commissioner post was vacant for three months before I took over in October 2013. This was challenging as during this process, the work of the corporation had stopped and the city localities faced many problems. Hence, when I joined the corporation, I ensured that all the processes were started and speeded up for the benefit of the people. Elaborate upon the solar city project that the corporation is planning to undertake. What is the current status? We have developed a master plan that has been approved by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to make Agra a solar city. Now, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) is in progress. Through this project, various initiatives will be taken up, such as installation of solar panels and energy-efficient lights and instrument across Agra, which is about 140 sq km. With MNRE's, we aim to make Agra a solar city soon. Which projects have helped change the face of the city? The roads in the entire city were in a bad condition. Under my leadership, the corporation has restored the roads. ANN has also been assigned Rs 128 crore to develop the areas near the Taj Mahal. We have also taken up a new nalah project at Gwalior Road for the benefit of the local population. Apart from this, we have also carried out cleanliness projects, including restoration of the 400-year-old lake with clean water at Taal Firoz Khan tomb in the city. Another major cleanliness project we have carried out is Nalah Mantola. Are there any JNNURM projects in Agra? Agra has JNNURM projects in the form of sewer line projects that spread across the city. Phase-I of this project has been completed and Phase-II is in progress. Can we expect tenders to be floated in the near future? We float tenders only for the construction, repair and maintenance of roads and this is an ongoing process. For the same, we make use of e-tendering system. What is the budget of the corporation? What are your future plans for the city of Agra? The annual budget of the corporation is about Rs 100 crore and our funding is supported by the Uttar Pradesh Government. Our future plan is to cater to the basic necessities of the people in the city such as providing water supply and carrying out cleanliness projects. For us, developmental projects are of utmost importance. Agra Nagar Nigam Year of establishment: 1959 Total city area: 140 sq km Current city population: Rs 32 lakh Municipal counselors: 100 Annual budget: Rs 100 crore JNNURM projects: Municipal solid waste management Yamuna action plan Phase II for branch and lateral sewer lines in northern and western zones Agra water supply Agra sewerage scheme Phase I (Part I)To share your views on this city, write in at feedback@ASAPPmedia.com