Raipur
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Administration Minister Arun Sao continued the review of urban bodies for the second consecutive day. During a marathon meeting held at the Circuit House, Civil Lines Raipur, he directed Chief Municipal Officers (CMOs) to strictly stop illegal construction, illegal plotting, and encroachments.
He said that laxity in duty will not be tolerated and warned that accountability will be fixed, with strict action against those responsible. He stressed the need for a new working approach to make cities clean, well-planned, and better managed.
He instructed regional joint directors of all five divisions to personally inspect every municipal corporation and council every quarter and submit reports to the director. The meeting was attended by department secretary Dr Basavaraju S, director R Ekka, and SUDA CEO Shashank Pandey.
Tax collection and revenue reforms
Sao set a deadline of May 31 to complete assessment of all new properties. He directed strict collection of property tax, water tax, and user charges. He also ordered energy audits to identify and disconnect unnecessary electricity connections. Officials were asked to ensure timely payment of salaries and electricity bills every month.
Water conservation and sanitation
He mandated 100% rainwater harvesting systems in all buildings. He instructed officials to complete cleaning of major drains and nullahs before the monsoon to prevent waterlogging.
Urban development priorities
- CMOs must stay at headquarters and conduct daily morning inspections
- Focus on identifying land for parks and playgrounds
- Completion of Nalanda campuses in Kunkuri and Ambagarh-Chowki by December
- Long-term planning for drinking water supply (next 10 years) using 15th Finance Commission funds
- Repair leaking pipelines and ensure safe drinking water supply
Housing and governance reforms
For Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) 2.0, he directed completion of all sanctioned houses within one year. Building permissions must be issued within one week of approval. Beneficiaries should be informed about scheme rules and formally welcomed upon approval.
Other key directions
Officials also reviewed preparations for ‘Sushasan Tihar’ starting May 1, along with discussions on: revenue collection, power bill payments, infrastructure development, Amrut Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission, PM SVANidhi, Atal Monitoring Portal, iGOT Karmayogi, disaster management, and urban development schemes.
