Sujeet Pant
A model city that carries a state-of-the-art secretariat,legislative Assembly,High Court,Governor’s house, residences of the functionaries of three wings of the state,schools,recreation centres and institutional area are being planned in Jharkhand where a mega project has been the subject of heated debate for long.
The town of Ranchi,the capital of Jharkhand,is to be declared as “old capital.”Deliberations on the project that were put on hold since 2002 have gathered steam and the chief minister Arjun Munda reviewed it inside his official residence on Saturday.
After evaluating the power point presentation given by officials on the new capital project,Munda asked the officals to prepare the plan keeping in view the needs and requirements of the people in future.”The population in urban area is growing at a fast pace.This makes it necessary to prepare the plan with a vision”,said Munda.
It is a historical undertaking and should the state government authorities approve and implement the plan of the Greater Ranchi Development Authority,Jharkhand will be building its first major city in the next five years.
Though the construction is to be undertaken on PPP model with the state government providing land and private party making investment on it,eye brows were being raised on the plan.The critics who had witnessed collapse of many roads and bridges soon after their construction were not sanguine about its fructification in near future.
Moreover there is no unanimity among the coalition partners over the project.In fact,JMM leader and Deputy CM Hemant Soren,who is incharge of urban development ministry,is not backing the project.And yet Munda,who wanted to kick start it before the third term of his chief ministership ends in 2014,looked determined to go ahead with it.
