Centre says smart city mission is on track, happening

The central government on Thursday said that as many as 2,734 smart city projects worth Rs 46,769 crore have been completed in India to date. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) which is implementing the smart city projects, has admitted that the Covid-19 pandemic related lockdowns had led to temporary interruptions in the execution of smart city works across the country.

New Delhi: The central government on Thursday said that as many as 2,734 smart city projects worth Rs 46,769 crore have been completed in India to date. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) which is implementing the smart city projects, has admitted that the Covid-19 pandemic related lockdowns had led to temporary interruptions in the execution of smart city works across the country.

"However, most of the smart cities have commenced works after lockdowns were lifted and are trying their best to make up for the time lost due to such unprecedented and unforeseen lockdown," Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore told in the Parliament on Thursday. The smart city mission in India is a pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that was launched in 2015 to make 100 cities smart cities.

"As of June 30, 2021, the 100 smart cities have tendered out 5,956 projects worth Rs 1,79,413 crore, out of which work orders for 5,314 projects worth Rs 1,48,029 crore have been issued," said Kishore. He said that the central government has released Rs 23,925 crore to States and UTs for its smart cities, out of which Rs 20,410.14 crore has been utilised by them.

Under the mega smart city mission, the focus is on sustainable and inclusive development. "The mission is implementing projects related to diverse areas such as mobility, environment, non-motorised and public transport, water and wastewater management, renewable energy, waste management, affordable housing, safety and security of citizens, health, and education," said Kishore.

Meanwhile, Kishore said that the ongoing works regarding the development and redevelopment of central vista avenue and construction of the new Parliament building are targeted to be completed by November 2021 and October next year. He reiterated that none of the heritage buildings like the National Archives of India, National Museum among others will not be demolished under the central vista development plan.