The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has set up the Urban Road Infrastructure Development Agency (URIDA) in a big push to infra development in the state.
The Yogi government recently approved the Chief Minister Green Road Infrastructure Development Scheme (Urban) worth Rs 500 crore, known as the ‘CM Grids Scheme.’
This is in regard to the increasing urbanization in the state and the need to reduce the burden of additional vehicles on the roads and facilitate traffic flow, according to an official statement from the UP government.
This scheme was established by the Urban Development Department as per the directions of Chief Minister Yogi to give cities’ roads an international look and oversee the development, financial support, and supervision of roads in municipalities, added the statement.
On the instructions of CM Yogi, the Urban Development Department established the Urban Road Infrastructure Development Agency (URIDA) and decided its responsibilities to implement the scheme on the ground.
Apart from developing and maintaining roads in cities, URIDA will also develop an Urban Road Management System. It will also focus on creating resources, in addition to improving the financial condition of urban local bodies and adopting new technologies in road infrastructure.
The office of URIDA will be established in the building of the Directorate of Local Bodies, Lucknow. A General Body and an Executive Committee under it have also been constituted to monitor the activities of CM Grids (Urban).
Conducting an audit of CM-Grids (Urban) bank accounts through a chartered accountant within six months of the end of each financial year.
The accuracy certificate of the reconciliation statement of urban local bodies and CM-Grids (Urban) bank accounts will be presented to the agency by the chartered accountants, read the statement further.
A General Body has been formed for the effective monitoring, assessment, and review of the CM Grids (Urban) scheme, along with the operational plans related to road development conducted by the Urban Development Department.
The general body will be chaired by the Chief Secretary, with the Additional Chief Secretary or Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department serving as the vice-chairman.
Members of the assembly will include the Principal Secretary or Secretary of Housing and Urban Planning, Principal Secretary or Secretary of Public Works Department, Secretary of Urban Development Department, Director of Local Body Directorate, and the Special Secretary of Urban Development/CEO URIDA as the member-secretary.
The member secretary of the general body will keep the agency informed about the progress and implementation of plans related to urban road development and other relevant matters. Meetings of the assembly will be held every six months, said the statement.
The Executive Committee has been established to oversee planning, design, tendering, monitoring, and conservation, among other activities of the CM Grids (Urban) scheme.
The Executive Committee will consist of the Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary, Chairman of the Urban Development Department, and the Director of the Local Body Directorate.
Notably, this committee will manage all the activities of CM Grids (Urban). Additionally, the committee will evaluate and supervise all road construction plans conducted by the Urban Development Department.
It will also conduct online webinars and programs to build capacity and release standards and guidelines for road construction, added the UP-government statement.
Moreover, it will make these resources available on an online portal and develop a system for managing and maintaining created assets. Building the Road Directory and the Road Data Bank are key responsibilities of this committee.
