Program Organization

The Department of Housing and Urban Affairs (DoHUA) is the Executive Agency (EA) for the projects under AUIIP. An Empowered Committee has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary, Government of Assam. The Committee is the apex decision making body for the Program and this committee is consisting of the secretaries and heads of the departments concerned. The Principal Secretary/Commissioner & Secretary, Guwahati Development Department (presently renamed as Department of Housing and Urban Affairs) is functioning as the convener of the Committee and responsible for implementing the recommendations of the Committee. The Committee meets quarterly, review progress, provide policy guidance, resolve interdepartmental issues affecting Project progress and advice on necessary actions particularly as to the scope or cost and reform agenda of the Project, and facilitate inter-departmental coordination. The Committee would be responsible for (i) according all sanctions and approvals under the Project; (ii) all important decisions of Project implementation; and (iii) ensuring timely Project implementation.

In order to facilitate Project Management, Administration, Coordination, Implementation and Monitoring of AUIIP, a Project Management Unit (PMU) under the leadership of senior IAS officer was constituted. The PMU will also ensure compliance with the loan covenants of the Funding Agencies.

The major responsibilities of PMU are as follows:

(i) Providing assistance to Empowered Committee (EC); (ii) overall Project planning and progress in Project implementation and performance monitoring and progress reporting; (iii) overall strategic guidance and budgeting and ensuring compliance with the loan covenants; (iv) bidding, evaluation and award of contracts after obtaining necessary approvals from the Empowered Committee and Funding Agency; (v) release of funds; (vi) consolidating payment/reimbursement requests; (vii) submission of the periodic financing requests to the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA); (viii) reporting to Funding Agency on Project implementation progress and other matters; (ix) monitoring the overall reform Program and compliance with loan covenants; and (x) exercising supervision over the Project consultants and Project Implementation Unit (PIUs) and (xi) any other activity related to the Project.

The PMU will be the primary point of contact for Funding Agency. The PMU should have synergies and coordination mechanism with the PMUs for Projects under execution by JICA and JNNURM.

The PMU implements and manages the Program through two PIUs. Separate PIU, one each for Dibrugarh and Guwahati town were set up under the PMU for dministering the subprojects in the field. The major tasks of PIU includes (i) overall execution and technical supervision of the Project activities including day-to-day activities of works by contractors; (ii) approval of the detailed designs of the subprojects; (iii) monitoring works of Consultants and effective Project implementation; (iv) coordinate with the GMDA/Guwahati Jal Board and the Dibrugarh Municipal Board (DMB) who will provide oversight and guidance to the PIUs through their respective City Level Committees (CLC) in Guwahati and Dibrugarh.

The PIUs are headed by a senior technical officer and assisted by qualified and experienced officers seconded from ULBs, finance and other line epartments. The PIUs are under the direct administrative control of the PMU. These would be also responsible for implementation of awareness campaigns, consultations with affected persons, rehabilitation and resettlement, environmental management, and capacity building and training. The PIU in Guwahati should have synergies and a coordination mechanism with the PIUs for JNNURM and JICA Projects.

A team of Design, Management and Supervision Consultants (DMSC) was engaged to assist PMU in Project management and all technical issues. The primary objective of the DMSC is to define and prepare contracts; assist the PMU in update maps and plans, undertake survey and investigations, update or prepare detailed designs of the various Project components for the two cities, prepare technical specifications and contract documents, assist in construction supervision, quality control and measurement of works under the Project, designing, contracting, installing and operationalizing systems, and procedures as required for the implementation of the Project; and establish criteria for supervision, coordination, Project management and performance monitoring as well as to build up the PMU capacity on a sustained basis, delineate PMU’s method of working, procedures and reporting; assisting the PMU in the urban reforms; assisting PIUs on technical issues and all PMU and PIU related activities.