The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) can stake its claim to the central government’s funds to complete its water, sewage and waste management projects since the BJP government may launch a scheme for renewal of 500 urban habitations in the country. The union ministry for urban development had organised a two-day meeting of stakeholders and experts in New Delhi this week to discuss various aspects of urban development including the ‘smart cities’ initiative. Senior urban development officials and experts attended the meeting where UD minister Venkaiah Naidu suggested two different schemes – one for renewal of 500 urban habitations and the other for ‘smart cities’. The 500 habitations will be provided with safe drinking water, sewerage management and use of recycled water, solid waste management and digital connectivity as mentioned in the budget for 2014-15. The UD will study all incomplete projects under the UPA government’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), and find a `solution' to get the works done. The mission's deadline ended on March 31 and the new government has announced that would not carry on with this mission. The department may appoint a team to study the reports and check the possibility of further funding for their completion.UD secretary Shankar Aggarwal said to mobilize the resources, funding through Public-Private Partnership, multi-lateral agencies and viability gap funding by the central government can be explored. In Pune, at least 15 projects are under JNNURM including roads, stormwater drains, BRTS, water supply , solid waste management, sewage treatment, river and lake improvement, slum improvement and rehabilitation. A senior civic official said the civic bodies will have to shell out more money to complete the JNNURM projects if the government does not provide funds to match the gaps between the released funds and inflated rates of actual implementation. “All schemes taken up by the civic body will be completed. I am pursuing the case with the Centre that city projects should not suffer because JNNURM has concluded. We want Pune to be included in the list of smart cities, but even otherwise the city can get funds from a new scheme,” Pune’s MP Anil Shirole said.