In a letter sent recently by Union Urban Development Ministry secretary M Ramchandran to Subramaniyam, the ministry also emphasised the need to accelerate the work on those projects, which have already completed two years since their inception.

The letter is learnt to have said that the authorities must try to finish those works related to urban poor in initial three years. It hailed the agreement by 27 states and 58 cities to bring 23 changes in urban development under JNURM two years ago as a big achievement. It added that with many projects completed by two years on December 3, 2007, it has led to a uniform approach among the cities involved in it.

Till November 30, 2007, 44 urban infrastructure and governance projects worth Rs 2,49,768 lakh, 12 projects for basic services for urban poor worth Rs 1,20,421 lakh, 48 urban infrastructure development scheme for small and medium town projects worth Rs 40,000 lakh and 17 integrated housing and slum development programmes worth Rs 17,500 lakh, were approved by the Centre in Gujarat. Some of them got approved later and are expected to take some time for implementation.