Vijayawada: Urban Local Bodies must move beyond preparing routine project estimates and focus on developing structured, finance-ready infrastructure proposals capable of attracting investment, principal secretary to municipal administration, Suresh Kumar, said on Wednesday.
Addressing the valedictory session of the two-day HUDCO–APUFIDC/UiWIN capacity-building workshop on urban challenge fund – project preparation and municipal finance lab here, he said the success of the programme would be measured by the number of projects that progress after the workshop.
The workshop, held on June 9 and 10 at Fortune Murali Park Hotel, brought together more than 200 participants, including municipal commissioners, engineers, finance officers and officials from ULBs, along with experts from HUDCO, APUFIDC, CDMA, PH & MED, APUIAML and the finance department’s PPP cell.
Unlike conventional training programmes, the workshop functioned as a project preparation and municipal finance laboratory, helping civic bodies convert priority urban infrastructure proposals into bankable projects with defined technical scope, DPR requirements, financing plans, revenue models, risk structures and implementation roadmaps.
Suresh Kumar said the programme covered the entire project cycle, including the urban challenge fund, UiWIN, PPP guidelines, DPR preparation, municipal finance, financial structuring, municipal bonds, pooled finance and HUDCO loan modalities.
Describing the project mentorship sessions as the core component of the workshop, he advised every ULB to constitute an internal project team comprising the commissioner, engineer, finance officer and town planning officer.
“One project, one team, one financing plan should become the working principle for every ULB,” he said.
The principal secretary directed all participating ULBs to finalise one priority project within 30 days, revise project concept notes and identify suitable financing options. He clarified that public-private partnerships should not be viewed as the sale of municipal assets but as mechanisms for sustainable revenue generation through land value capture and asset monetisation.
Calling the workshop a significant step for the MA&UD department, Suresh Kumar said it would help build a strong pipeline of bankable urban infrastructure projects aligned with the vision of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and urban development minister Ponguru Narayana.
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