Day Two of the Marathon Review of Urban Local Bodies’ Operations: Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao Reviews the Work of Nagar Panchayats

In Short

Strictly Curb Unregulated Construction, Illegal Plotting, and Encroachments in Cities; Deputy Chief Minister Issues Directives to All CMOs

Calls for Working Towards the Welfare of Cities and Citizens Through a Fresh Mindset and New Methodologies

Deputy CM Sao Directs Tightening of Operations and Systems within Nagar Panchayats; Warns That Negligence and Laxity in Work Will Not Be Tolerated, and Strict Action Will Follow After Establishing Accountability

Directs Efforts to Make Cities Clean and Beautiful, and to Develop Adequate Public Amenities for Citizens

Directs Completion of Property Taxation Assessment for New Properties by May 31

Raipur: The review cycle for urban local bodies across the state continued for a second consecutive day today. Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Urban Administration and Development, Arun Sao, reviewed the operations of all Nagar Panchayats during a day-long meeting held on Tuesday April 21, 2026 at the Circuit House in Civil Lines, Raipur. During the meeting, he issued directives to the Chief Municipal Officers (CMOs) of the Nagar Panchayats to strictly curb unregulated construction, illegal plotting, and encroachments.

He called for bringing greater rigor and efficiency to the operations and administrative systems of the Nagar Panchayats. Sao emphasised that negligence and laxity in work would not be tolerated; accountability would be established, and strict action would be taken against those found responsible.

Deputy Chief Minister Sao urged all CMOs to work towards the welfare of their respective cities and citizens by adopting a fresh mindset and new operational methodologies.

He issued directives to ensure that the state’s emerging cities are developed in a systematic, well-planned, clean, and aesthetically pleasing manner, while simultaneously developing adequate public amenities for the citizens.

Furthermore, he instructed the Departmental Regional Joint Directors across all five administrative divisions to conduct personal inspections of every Municipality and Nagar Panchayat on a quarterly basis and to submit a comprehensive report to the Director. Dr. Basavaraju S., Secretary of the Department of Urban Administration and Development; R. Ekka, Director; and Shashank Pandey, CEO of the State Urban Development Agency (SUDA), were also present at the review meeting.

Deputy Chief Minister Sao instructed all Chief Municipal Officers (CMOs) to complete the task of levying taxes on new properties within Nagar Panchayats by the upcoming May 31st. He directed that, in order to boost revenue collection, taxes such as property tax, water tax, and user charges be collected with seriousness and strictness.

He further instructed that unnecessary electricity connections be identified through energy audits and that appropriate action be taken to disconnect them. He also directed all municipal staff to ensure the timely payment of their monthly salaries and electricity bills.

Directing that special efforts be made toward water conservation, Sao called for the construction of rainwater harvesting structures in 100% of all buildings. He instructed that the cleaning of major drains, channels, and drainage systems be completed by May 31st, and that necessary measures be taken to prevent waterlogging during the rainy season.

Deputy Chief Minister Sao directed all CMOs to reside at the headquarters and to conduct daily morning inspections to monitor the city’s cleanliness and ongoing development works. He also asked them to include local public representatives during these inspections. Expressing strong displeasure over the laxity shown by CMOs regarding these morning inspections, he issued strict orders making the daily inspection of works mandatory.

Emphasising the provision of better amenities to citizens in urban areas, Mr. Saw directed that sites be identified for the development of playgrounds and parks for children. He instructed that the construction of the ‘Nalanda Complexes’ currently underway in Kunkuri and Ambagarh-Chowki be completed by December of this year.

Deputy CM Sao also directed that a forward-looking approach be adopted regarding drinking water supply arrangements to ensure adequate provisions for the next ten years. Prioritizing drinking water supply, he instructed that robust arrangements for this purpose be established utilising funds allocated under the 15th Finance Commission.

Deputy Chief Minister Sao directed that all major drains, channels, drainage systems, and ponds be cleaned before the onset of the monsoon season. He further instructed that pipeline leaks be repaired to ensure the supply of clean and safe drinking water to every household.

Sao directed that the construction of houses sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) 2.0 be completed within one year. He stated that it is the responsibility of the Chief Municipal Officer (CMO) to sanction and oversee the construction of PM Awas houses for the needy residents of the city.

Emphasising the need for proactive and serious engagement in this regard, he directed that building construction permits be issued within one week of the housing sanction being granted. Furthermore, he instructed officials to summon beneficiaries after the housing sanction is approved, in order to apprise them of all rules and procedures related to the scheme—including details regarding the ‘Chief Minister’s Grih Pravesh Samman’ (Home Entry Honor).

During the meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Sao also issued directives to ensure that preparations are in place to extend benefits to city residents—in strict accordance with government guidelines—under the ‘Sushasan Tihar’ (Good Governance Festival), which is set to commence across the state on May 1st. Pulak Bhattacharya (Additional Director, Department of Urban Administration and Development), Rajesh Sharma (Chief Engineer), and engineers from various Nagar Panchayats were also present at the review meeting.

Review of These Works and Schemes Conducted

During a day-long marathon meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao reviewed various initiatives, including revenue collection in Nagar Panchayats, payment of electricity bills and salaries, infrastructure development, works under the 15th Finance Commission, Nalanda Complexes, the Nagarotthan Scheme, water supply schemes, disaster management, the Godhan Scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the AMRUT Mission, the Swachh Bharat Mission, the PM SVANidhi Scheme, the Atal Monitoring Portal, iGOT-Karmayogi, and rainwater harvesting works.