Decks cleared for creation of SCR in UP

Lucknow, Dec 14 (IANS) The housing department is likely to introduce an ordinance to constitute and empower the authority for creation of Uttar Pradesh State Capital Region (SCR) and development authorities in other regions.

With formalities related to objections and suggestions almost complete, the ordinance is going to be notified through the approval of the governor in the weeks to come.

A total of 12 objections were submitted by various stakeholders by November 30 to the housing department for perusal which have been disposed of after the public hearing.

Reacting to the document that was put up for deliberations, the department has accepted the suggestion to include independent individuals other than government officials as members of the executive committee.

A resident of Bahraich asked the department the rationale behind selecting only Lucknow and the neighbouring districts as part of the SCR.

“We told the individual that as per requirement other regions would be added to SCR or new authority would be created for regional development across the state by clubbing a group of districts. That is why we are going to create an authority that would have power over the entire state (UP SCR and other regional authorities),” said a senior official.

Once the authority is notified by the governor with the chief minister as its chairman and chief secretary as vice chairman, an office, staff members, budget and other resources would be provided by the state government for administrative functioning of the authority.

As the next step, the authority would prepare an outline of the UP SCR (which would initially include Lucknow, Hardoi, Sitapur, Unnao, Rae Bareli and Barabanki) and rope in an agency to prepare the detailed project report after surveying the six districts.

Officials said that backing of a statutory body is needed in order to give shape to UP SCR.

Additional chief secretary of the housing and urban planning department, Nitin Ramesh Gokarn said: “A team of senior officials is working overtime to ensure that the authority gets constituted at the earliest.”