Work apace on 42 projects worth Rs 642 cr
All out efforts being made to meet target of March 31, 2025
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 27: A total of 117 Smart City projects have been completed in Jammu and 132 in Srinagar and all out efforts are being made to complete remaining 42 projects worth Rs 642 crore by March 31, 2025, the deadline fixed by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under Smart Cities Mission.
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The Smart Cities Mission was launched by the Government of India on June 25, 2015 and 100 cities were selected across the country in the mission including Jammu and Srinagar through a two-stage challenge process.
The Jammu Smart City Limited and Srinagar Smart City Limited, the specially constituted Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), are implementing the diverse and complex projects in all the areas of urban governance such as mobility, environment, public safety, disaster resilience, health, education, housing, water, sanitation and waste management.
Giving details regarding implementation of Smart Cities Mission in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal informed the Lok Sabha that an amount of Rs 745.26 crore has been released for Jammu Smart City projects and Rs 646.90 crore for Srinagar Smart City projects. These funds include both Government of India and J&K UT share.
Against Rs 745 crore, an amount of Rs 708.49 crore has been utilized as on July 12, 2024 by Jammu Smart City Limited and Srinagar Smart City Limited has utilized Rs 609.90 crore against released amount of Rs 645.90 crore.
A total of 117 projects have been completed by Jammu Smart City Limited and 132 by Srinagar Smart City Limited and 10 projects worth Rs 195.76 crore are presently being executed in Jammu and work is apace on 32 projects worth Rs 446.85 crore in Srinagar city, the Minister informed the Lok Sabha, adding “all out efforts are being made to complete the projects by the end of current financial year as period of implementation of Smart Cities Mission has been extended for all Smart Cities up to March 31, 2025”.
It is pertinent to mention here that the objective of Smart Cities Mission is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure and decent quality of life to their citizens, clean and sustainable environment through application of smart solutions.
The Housing and Urban Development Department of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is constantly monitoring the progress on the projects under Smart Cities Mission and all the issues are being resolved at the highest level in the administration so as to meet the extended timeline. A Union Territory level High Powered Steering Committee headed by Chief Secretary is also monitoring the implementation of projects by the Special Purpose Vehicles. Even Lieutenant Governor convenes special meetings to assess the progress made by both the Special Purpose Vehicles.
At the national level, implementation of Smart Cities Mission is being regularly monitored by an Apex Committee headed by Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Nominee Directors of MoHUA on the Boards of Special Purpose Vehicles monitor progress in respective cities on a regular basis.
“The Ministry regularly monitors States/Smart Cities through video conferences, review meetings, field visits, regional workshops etc at various levels to assess the performance of cities and handhold them for improving the same”, the Union Minister said, adding “Smart Cities Mission guidelines stipulate the Special Purpose Vehicles to monitor and review quality control related matters and act upon issues arising thereof. Moreover, Special Purpose Vehicles appoint third party agencies/academic institutions to check quality of works as needed”.
The projects under Smart Cities Mission incorporate smart elements, appropriate design standards, standards for technology like communication infrastructure, data systems and Internet of Things (IoT) etc. In this regard, Model Request for Proposals (RFPs), model policies, Standard Operating Procedures, guidelines for project implementation are issued by the Mission from time to time.
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