From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, Aug 1: Meghalaya has cut a sorry figure yet again.
Days after the NITI Aayog adjudged the state as India’s second-poorest, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) placed its capital Shillong among the 10 worst performers in terms of implementing smart city projects.
The nine other worst performers are Aizawl, Amaravati, Diu, Greater Warangal, Guwahati, Imphal, Kavaratti, Port Blair, and Puducherry.
According to a MoHUA report, only one out of 96 Shillong Smart City projects has been completed. The projects are worth Rs 1,039 crore.
A total of Rs 349 crore was sanctioned in February for implementing the smart city project in Shillong. The fund consisted of a central grant of Rs 294 crore and a state share of Rs 55 crore, Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Urban Affairs Sniawbhalang Dhar had told the state Assembly on March 28.
He also said 18 projects were being undertaken under the Shillong Smart City project and Rs 280.98 crore was spent on them.
Shillong was one of 100 cities identified by the Centre to be developed as a smart city.
The Shillong Smart City Limited (SSCL), registered as a Special Purpose Vehicle, was incorporated in 2019 under the Companies Act, 2013.
The objective was to transform Shillong into a cultural and economic hub in Meghalaya with a focus on tourism and culture and to make it a liveable, clean, green, inclusive, modern, safe, citizen-friendly, and well-governed city.
Among the other worst-performing cities in the Northeast, Guwahati saw nine out of 185 projects worth a total of Rs 2,256 crore completed. Aizawl completed seven out of 105 planned projects worth Rs. 2,053.01 crore.
There are also 32 smart cities that have completed more projects than planned, in some cases four times more than the actual target, the ministry report said.
The report further stated that projects worth Rs 39,085 crore have been completed in the last 12 months despite challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, political and regional considerations, and local issues related to land and labour.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the commencement of the Smart City Delhi Mission in 2015 to be completed in five years, which was later extended to June 23. The project intended to boost economic growth and the quality of living for Indian citizens.
According to the last official data, 35.3% of India’s population resides in cities and about 40% of Indians are projected to live in cities, contributing 75% of the country’s GDP.
The Smart City initiative aims to raise living standards in 100 cities and towns.
Currently, 5,005 projects worth Rs 92,766 crore have been completed until December 12, 2022, with 2,737 projects worth Rs 88,796 crore in an advanced stage of implementation.
Official records showed 1,707 projects worth Rs 36,754 crore were completed during the current year.
The financial progress of the Smart Cities Mission has accelerated too. The funds released by the Centre increased from Rs 28,315 crore to Rs 34,887 crore towards the end of 2022.
This progress has been reflected in the 89% utilization of funds released from the Centre and state, but the slow progress of Shillong Smart City and nine others has put a dampener on the ministry’s high target.