After being reprimanded by the state government for not utilising funds worth more than Rs 1,100 crore, Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (Auda) has chalked out a plan to spend Rs 1,431 crore to construct new housing schemes, bridges and roads along with laying new drainage lines.
In addition, the urban development body has also sought a soft loan of Rs 2,800 crore from Asian Development Bank (ADB) to fund its future projects.
Over the next couple of years, Auda will spend Rs 531 crore on constructing eight new bridges, Rs 289 crore on laying new roads in developing areas, Rs 204 crore on providing affordable housing and Rs 2,015 crore on laying new drainage lines, officials said on Thursday. In addition, Rs 202 crore will be spent on a number of other smaller projects.
Auda CEO A B Gor said that the development authority has a corpus fund of around Rs 1,100 crore and development works worth Rs 1,431 crore have already been initiated.
“This fund will mainly be used for constructing new bridges, laying new roads, providing new drainage infrastructure and other amenities like new auditorium, library, civic centres, garden and development of lakes.”
The official stated that affordable housing under the PMAY and Mukhyamantri Awas Yojna is also one of the top priorities of Auda.
“The housing projects will be financed from Auda’s own resources generated from various activities. We are likely to get more funds for projects under the government’s housing schemes as well,” he added.
Commenting on the projects that Auda aims to commission with the ABD loan, Gor said that 19 new flyovers will be constructed over S P Ring Road in addition to the eight bridges where work is underway.
“Auda will focus on development of public amenities in newly added growth centres like Sanand, Kalol etc., where there is a significant gap in public infrastructure,” he said.
