Smart city dream ends over funding pattern

SHILLONG: The State government has decided to walk out of the Smart City project bid following differences with the Centre over funding pattern.
Sources said Meghalaya will not participate in the bidding since the Central Government is harping on 50:50 funding pattern whereas the State has already expressed its inability to go ahead with the funding pattern.
Shillong so far has not figured on the smart city list. Last year too, the city failed to make it to the third list announced by the Centre.
The Department of Urban Affairs was preparing for Smart City Proposal for Stage 2 of the challenge after Shillong was selected as one of the 100 cities in Stage 1.
Sources also said the Urban Development Ministry will announce the next set of 40 cities for central funding under the project by June-end. So far, 60 cities have been selected for the scheme.
The project, which was launched on June 25, 2015, aims to develop 100 smart cities across the country in a five-year period. The government has earmarked Rs 48,000 crore for the mission.
Under the programme, the Centre gave each selected city Rs 500 crore over a period of five years with the respective states expected to match the contribution.