The Centre has asked the State Govern ments to create "land banks,' by acquisition of urbanisable land on the basis of wellformulated master plans for housing as well as other facilities.

Union Minister of State for Works and Housing I. K. Gujrat said in New Delhi on may 21 that the Centre was of the view that any large scale activity by housing authori ties in the States would not be possible unless large tracts of land based on the needs of urban areas and the requirements for housing the population living in substa ndard conditions were placed at their disposal.

Mr. Gujral said with the urbanisation process accelerated over the last decade, even small towns had begun to grow fast.

While provision of economic activities would enable employment opportunities to migrant population, provision of shelter also assumed great importance.

Hence the creation of land banks by acquisition of urbanisable land by public authorities and prescribing suitable land use on the basis of well-conceievd master plans were essential.

Mr. Gujral said the Centre had now adopted a multi-dimensional approach to tackle the growing housing shortage. The

(contiuned from page 32) popular because they consume less current and reduce the glare. "Meeting the growing demand poses a great challenge to the electric lamp industry," he added.

Sylvanta & Laxman has recently received permission from the Government of India to produce specialized lamps, glass shells, and oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen gases.

"The expansion will help Sylvania & Laxman meet the growing demand and challenge for more and better quality electric lamps", Mr. Agarwal said.

Central social housing scheme had taken a major stride in the rural sector.

The scheme for provision of house sites. to landless workers and villagers was announced by the Union Government in October last year. Under this, the Centre would give hundred per cent financial assistance to the States for acquiring and developing, plots to be given to rural landless.

Kerala hopes to provide house sites to about 96,000 families in the State at a cost of Rs. 6.67 crores by November this year. By this, it hopes to settle a third of the landless families in the State.

Tamilnadu Government's Rs. 75.51 lakh

scheme will provide house sites to nearly 33,700 families, while the U.P. Government's Rs. 25.41 lakhs project would settle about. 15,630 families. Mysore plans to provide 8,000 house sites at a cost of Rs. 14.36 lakhs.

These projects alone would have settled: 1,53,300 families in these four States. Proposals from three other States-Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa-were now being processed.

Mr. Gujral said it had been decided in principle that a gigantic effort should be made to complete the schemes of providing. home sites this year.

In the urban sector, it is proposed to provide about Rs. 20 crores to 11 cities having a population of over 800,000 under the new central scheme for environmental improvement of slum areas. The assistance would be utilised for supplying the slums drinking water, storm water drains, comm unity baths, waterborne latrines, widening: and paving of the existing lanes and pro viding street lights.

The 11 cities are Calcutta, Greater Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Hyderabad, Ahm edabad, Bangalore, Kanpur, Poona, Nagpur and Lucknow.

ANDHRA

Civic Poll Put Off

The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet on May 15 decided to postpone by three months the elections to 63 municipalities in the State scheduled to be held in June.

The elections would now be held in the last week of September and the new municipal bodies would start functioning from October 2, Gandhi Jayanti day, the Minis. ter for Municipal Administration, Mr. M. Manik Rao told pressmen in Hyderabad on May 16.

This was necessary he said, as the delimitation of wards, according to the 1971 census report, had not been completed

The Government had also received several representations urging postponement.

Elections for the remaining 19 municipalities in the State would be held as per schedule whenever they completed their terms.

ASSAM

New Capital City

The capital of Assam will be shifted from Shillong to the plains of Brahmaputra Valley by the end of next year, according to the Chief Minister. Mr. Sarat Chandra Sinha.

Mr. Sinha told newsmen in Shillong on May 2 that an announcement regarding the final selection of the site for the new capital will be made during the June session of the Assam Legislative Assembly.

Assam's new capital will either be located around Greater Gauhati or Silhet on the border of Now-gong and Sibsagar districts.

Meanwhile, the Assam Government has decided to set up an administrative cell under the charge of a full fledged Minister at Gauhati to maintain liaison with the plainsmen of Assam. The cell will start functioning shortly.

BIHAR

Ganga Bridge

According to the P. W. D. Minister Mr. Narasingh Baitha the Union Transport Ministry has agreed in principle to meet the entire cost of the Rs. 32 crore Ganga bridge at Patna.

On May 6 the Bihar Cabinet accepted the tender of the Gammons India Ltd, for construction of the Ganga Bridge. Its tender was for Rs. 24.52 crores. The other tenderers were Hindustan Construction Co. and Joshi & Co. The latter's tender was not considered as they had not deposited the requisite earnest money. Hindustan Const ruction Company's tender was Rs. 1 crore higher than that of Gammons.

The construction of bridge has to be completed within six years from the date of signing of the agreement. The foun dation of the bridge will be of four lanes but the super structure will be of two lanes.

Water Scarcity

Reports of water scarcity from different towns of Bibar were received throughout May. Patna, the State's Capital was the worst affected, and the water scarcity there was the most publicised.

The Indian Nation in its editorial on May 1 said: "A redeeming feature of the water scarcity problem in Bibar is that Ministers themselves are making interesting, if not shocking, revealtions about it. For instance the Minister of State for Local Self Govern ment, Mr. Hemant Kumar Jha has disclosed that a sum of Rs. 9 laks has been lying with the P. H. E. D. for six years, still the people of Bhagalpur town are facing acute scarcity. of drinking water. The Minister of State for P. H. E D., Dr. Ram Raj Singh, however, has a different tale to narrate. He says that drinking water supply system has collapsed throughout the State on account of power failure.... At Patna citizens have experien ced water scarcity even when power supply system was steady",

Addressing members of Biharsharif Municipal Committee on May 20, the P. H. E. D. Minister said the Municipal Committees were owing Rs. 45 crores to the Government for the past several years. They had not yet repaid the loans given them for improvement of water Supply. The P.H.E.D. had a budget of only Rs. 5.5 crores for 1972-73. Of this Rs. 4 crores was earmarked for Swarnrekha Water Supply Scheme for Ranchi town.

Virtual Collapse In Patna

The Indian Nation reported on May 20: Water supply in parts of the State Capital has virtually collapsed and if things are not improved immediately entire town might experience acute shortage of drinking water.

It went on to say that faulty water mains had not a little to do with the defective supply. Out of nearly 350 miles of water mains two thirds are worn out. Most of the areas have water mains of 2 to 4 inches diameter.

Mr. Hemant Kumar Jha, State Minister for L. S G. told the State Assembly on May 23 that Pataa had no planned water supply system.

The Minister informed the House on May 26 that the Government was considering a Rs. 1.80 crore long term scheme and a short term scheme of Rs. 80 laks for improvement in drinking water supply in Patna Municipal Corporation area. He admitted that there was acute scarcity of drinking water in the area and said it was mainly due to lack of a co-ordinated water supply plan This could not be done by Patna Municipal Corporation due to lack of funds.

Demand For Elections

The Patna District Congress Committee (Town) on May 5 adopted a resolution urging the State Government to hold elections to Patna Municipal Corporation without further delay.

CHANDIGARH

Country's Best Planned Cantonment

A big cantonment is fast coming up about 14 kilometres from Chandigarh in the picturesque hilly surroundings from where one can have a kaleidoscopic view of the city beautiful.

Situated at a height of about 1,300 feet above sea-level, on the Ambala-Kalka highway, the new cantonment is the nation's gift to the war-weary soldier who will come here for a well-deserved rest and a brief reunion with his family after years of backbreaking field duty.

Topmost priority has been accorded here to accommodation for married personnel. In a short span of about three years, 260 commodious double-storey officer's bungalows with an independent frontage and about 1,800 for the JCO's and "other ranks", have already been constructed. Half a dozen self-contained complexes for unmarried defence personnel incorporating the "unit under one roof, concept are under construction. About 60 percent of the houses have already been occupied and the remaining are expected to be occupied as more soldiers return from the front.

The tempo of construction work is expected to increase when the office of the Chief Engineer, Military Engineering Ser. vices, shifts to this place in May. A sevenstorey administrative building, costing Rs. 75 lakhs, is fast progressing-four storeys having already been completed. Provision has been made for a 600 bed hospital, stadium, swimming pool, cinema, shopping centre besides an inspection bungalow and a school, Unlike other cantonments, there are no civil pockets in the area and civilians are barred from acquiring property here. Even the shopping centre will be completely owned and let out by the Defence Department.

A sum of Rs. 11 crores has already been spent on the complex which is spread over an area of 3,000 acres. The Defence Ministry has been approached for a further sanction of Rs. 7 crores. Negotiations are

already under way with the Haryana Government for acquiring an additional area of about 4,000 acres to expand the cantonment and provide a sufficient training area for troops, The construction cost of offi. cers' flats works out at an amazingly low figure of Rs. 21 per square foot, including finish and fans, in refreshing contrast with Chandigarh's about Rs. 35,

are

This is claimed to be the best and most well-planned cantonment since Independence. It incorporates the latest in archite⚫ cture, town planning and landscaping. The arboriculture scheme has been designed and planned by Dr. M. S. Randhawa, former Chairman of the Chandigarh Landscaping Committee and now Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Ornamental flowering trees being planted on either side of the roads. Care has been taken to select such plants as are suitable for quiet growth in hardy sandy soil containing boulders and shingle. Flowering bushes are proposed to be planted on the slopes in huge numbers and in clusters of 500 to 1,000 bushes at each slope. Large open areas are being turfed for parks and children's playing grounds. DELHI

Councillors Want More

The Delhi Municipal Corporation will urge the Government to increase the daily allowance of Rs. 25 which a councillor received for attending the meetings of the civic body and its various committees.

The leader of the House, Mr. Balraj Khanna, made the suggestion about the increase in the allowance at the meeting of the civic body on May 2. He said the allowance had never been enhanced ever since it was fixed in 1958 when the civic body came into existence.

Mr. Khanna said that in the last 12 years the prices had gone up and travelling had become costly. Most of the councillors attended the civic body meeting from far-off places. The allowance given at present was too meagre for them to meet the travelling expenses.

Mr. Khanna said that he would meet the Opposition leader, Mr. Kishore Lal, and impress on him the need for asking the Government to increase the allowance. Mr. Khanna received spontaneous support from the entire House.

Civic Reception

The Sarvodaya leader, Mr. Jayaprakash Narayan, was given a civic reception by Delhi Municipal Corporation on May 2 in recognition of his service to the country by persuading hundreds of dacoits in the Chambal Valley to surrender.

The Mayor of Delhi, Mr. K. N. Sahni, presented to Mr. Narayan a model of an ivory chariot with idols of Lord Krishna and Arjuna.

Mr. Sahni said the surrender by dacoits the world. had enhanced the prestige of India all over

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Narayan hoped other dacoits would also surrender.

He said he could succeed in his mission due to the support he received from the Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

The peace mission of the Chambal Ghati, of which he has been elected Chairman, he said, would give legal aid to the surrendered dacoits. The dacoits would admit their guilt in the court. This would look after the families of dacoits numbering hasten their trial. The mission would also about 1000. It would require lakhs of rupees. The mission would also keep in contact in jails to "awaken their innerselves."

A Humiliating Practice

The Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, on May 12 called for a ban by August 15 on the humiliating practice of scavengers in the countryside carrying night soil on their heads.

Addressing the Congress working committee in New Delhi Mrs. Gandhi observed that the party and the government should not overlook such "small things".