The Narendra Modi government’s idea of revolutionising the Indian urban space with smart solutions appears to be stuttering. Four years after the Smart Cities Mission was announced with much fanfare, the progress is, at best, sluggish. Now, fresh timelines are drawn as just about four to five per cent of the projects have made it to the completion mark with original deadlines approaching. Envisaged as part of the digital push by the NDA government, a majority of the projects are still caught in the web of consultants’ extrapolation of the urban amenities without much connect to the ground reality of demand and existing municipal governance reforms.
As many as 99 cities were selected under the Smart City Mission after four rounds between 2016 and 2018. Out of the 3,000-odd projects entailing an investment of Rs 1.45 lakh crore, only Rs 4,960 crore worth of work has been completed. Another Rs 23,200 crore-worth projects have begun while tenders have been invited for an additional Rs 17,213 crore-worth projects, according to a presentation made to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development.
With elections drawing close, both the state governments and Centre are trying to pick up the pace so as to be seen as delivering. For example, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made a ‘surprise visit’ to the Integrated City Operations Command Centre (ICOCM) at Bhubaneswar on May 31—the rollout date for the project. The next day, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs tweeted that the ICOCM is ready to go live soon, but the fact is the centre is only a temporary one.
Since at least 40 per cent of the total investment of Rs 2.04 lakh crore required for the projects has to come from either PPP mode or convergence, resources remain a major concern. This mission takes place at a time when the global economy is not in great shape. Though the progress rate showed improvement last year and the Centre is now keeping a close watch on implementation, much would depend on how it coordinates with individual states.
