Varanasi, Jun 9 (IANS): The Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) will now conduct a pre-feasibility study before approving any development project in the future.

The decision is similar to the procedure being followed in Ayodhya for developmental projects.

In this regard, the VDA is going to float a tender process in the next 10 days for selecting a company, which will assess 20 new development projects in 10 sectors and prepare their pre-feasibility report.

After the company's proposals are found feasible, further process for their launch and execution will be initiated.

According to divisional commissioner and chairman of VDA board, Deepak Agrawal, "In Ayodhya, getting pre-feasibility report of any proposal for development project has been made mandatory. We have decided to adopt the same Ayodhya model for approving any new development project in Varanasi."

The VDA has failed in actualizing projects of Transport Nagar, comprehensive mobility plan, which included proposals of Metro rail and ropeways, in the past two decades, despite spending crores of rupees on land acquisition and preparation of detailed project reports.

VDA vice-chairperson Isha Duhan said, "The basic objective behind this decision is to ensure that only those plans are finalised in future which are feasible and could be executed practically."

The company will be engaged through a tender process for preparing a pre-feasibility report in the next 10 days and will identify 20 new projects for 10 sectors, including civil infrastructure, transport infrastructure, tourism, disaster management, security, greenfield township, sewage, solid waste management, water supply and groundwater harvesting.

While selecting new projects, the company will choose only those projects which have neither been proposed nor executed in the city in the past.