He told ULBs to submit priority projects with financial plans within 30 days

More than 200 officials from various departments attended the concluding session of a capacity building workshop for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) on ‘Urban Challenge Fund – Project Preparation and Municipal Finance Lab’ in Vijayawada on Wednesday.

Department of Urban Administration and Urban Development Principal Secretary S. Suresh Kumar told the meeting that urban infrastructure projects can no longer be prepared as mere cost estimates and must instead be prepared as structured proposals with clear aspects such as need assessment, land availability, DPR status, technical scope, project cost, revenue sources, financing options and implementation schedules.

He said the workshop should culminate in a 30-day action plan and directed all participating ULBs to identify one priority project, finalize the most appropriate funding route and submit project-specific action plans with clearly defined timelines.

Emphasizing the importance of digital monitoring, Mr. Suresh Kumar said that the Online Works Monitoring Module and other monitoring platforms should be effectively used to track approvals, physical and financial progress, bottlenecks and project outcomes.

Municipal Commissioners, Municipal Engineers, Finance Officers and other officials from urban local bodies along with representatives and mentors from Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO), Andhra Pradesh Urban Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation and other organizations participated in the workshop.

Published – 10 Jun 2026 21:37 IST