Under the Smart City Mission, a total estimated cost of Rs 5,856.75 crore has been allocated both for ABD and Pan City proposal. (Express)The proposed sub city centre at Sector 43, which is part of the Chandigarh Smart City project has been scrapped after the Forest department has expressed their reservations in handing over the land for the project.
The sub city centre was supposed to take 87 per cent of the total the fund for Chandigarh Smart City project, which amounts to Rs 5,654.89 crore.
Last year, Chandigarh Smart City Limited had written to the Forest department for transferring 71 acres of land to develop Sector 43. Convention centre, residential affordable housing and several other projects were to come up and the project was to be executed on Public-private partnership model.
However, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chandigarh Smart City Limited, K K Yadav told Chandigarh Newsline, “Infact that land where the project was to come up belongs to Forest department. We have got to know that we won’t be getting the land. So it is almost scrapped.”
Chief Conservator of Forest Debender Dalai told Chandigarh Newsline, “ In the last meeting, the feasibility of the project was discussed. The area being a forest land, we expressed our issues and the non-feasibility. So the Chandigarh Smart City Limited has decided to shift the project to another site.”
Yadav said that now they will putting this agenda in the next board of directors meeting to look for an alternative place.
“Now, we will be looking forward to another site and that would be decided in the next board of directors meeting of the company,” the CEO added. Alternative sites have still not been zeroed in on by the company.
The CEO stated that they were also thinking about developing the villages on the periphery under the smart city.
An amount of Rs 4,932.5 crore of the proposed total investment of Rs 5,654.89 crore under the Area Based Development (ABD) of Smart City Mission was be spent on Sector 43, a 1 sq km of city’s total area of 114 sq km. Sector 43 has a population of about 12,000 people, but 87.2 per cent of the total funds were to be spent on this sector, under the ABD.
Under the Smart City Mission, a total estimated cost of Rs 5,856.75 crore has been allocated both for ABD and Pan City proposal.
Under ABD, four adjoining sectors, 17, 22, 35 and 43 were to be made smart on pilot basis with a combination of IT and infrastructure projects. Investment of Rs 722 crore was for 24×7 water supply, power, transportation in all these four sectors, but urban development at Sector 43 was to take the lion’s share of Rs 4,932 crore.
At Sector 43, an amount of Rs 1,255.88 crore was allocated for office space (Grade A) while Rs 1,312.45 crore was to be invested for hotels. An amount of Rs 120.02 crore was allocated for an exhibition centre whereas Rs 326.92 crore was kept for a convention centre. For retail area, Rs 779.71 crore had been allocated, while Rs 320.83 crore had to be spent on residential affordable housing and Rs 293.9 crore for iconic area. For hostel facility, an investment of Rs 121.39 crore was to be made while for integrated broadway and entertainment, Rs 285.74 crore had to be there. Basic infrastructure formed Rs 40.61 crore while Rs 75.05 crore was to be invested in an art gallery.
Baljinder Bittu, chairman, Federation of Sectors Welfare Association of Chandigarh, said that the initial idea of spending majority of funds only in one sector was not feasible.
“It is good if the project has been scrapped. If they spend the entire amount equally on all the sectors and villages of Chandigarh, that would be called a real smart city and not just one smart sector,” he said.
