Expansion of the Smart Cities Mission is an “open question,” the Ministry informs a House subcommittee.

As some of the 100 cities participating in the Smart Cities Mission have requested more time to complete their projects, the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has informed a Parliamentary Standing Committee that extending the mission beyond its current deadline of 30 June is an “open question,” according to a report from the panel.

In its report on the Ministry’s demand for funds (2023-2024), which was given to the Lok Sabha on Monday, the Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs stated that on February 21, it questioned Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Manoj Joshi about the “poor pace of the mission.” The secretary stated that progress was slower in 25 cities. He stated that these cities had increased the demand for a deadline extension beyond June 30. He noted that the Department of Expenditures was in discussion over a possible extension. The secretary stated that if the deadline was not extended, work would progress slowly and projects would not be completed.

“Yeh ek open issue hai jo hamare saamne hai [this is an open issue before us],” he said, as per the report.

The panel noticed the “contrasting disparity” in city performance. “On the one hand, 32 smart cities have completed more projects than were anticipated for implementation under the SCM, in some cases nearly four times the actual target. On the other hand, the remaining 68 smart cities have not yet met the project completion goals, and the performance of some of these towns is rather dismal. Hence, the overall number of finished projects is deceiving since it includes the extra projects completed by 32 performing smart cities, as stated in the study.

As of February 15, according to the report, 5,343 projects costing Rs. 1 lakh crore had been completed out of 7,821 projects worth Rs. 181 lakh crore. The 100 cities selected between 2016 and 2018 were expected to finish their respective projects within five years of their selection. In 2021, the deadline for all 100 cities was extended to June 2023. Rs 36,561 crore out of the total Rs 48,000 crore allocated for the mission has been disbursed. According to the ministry, the cities have utilised 90% of those monies.

In its recommendations, the panel, which is chaired by JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh, stated that the government should not extend the deadline without evaluating the true causes of the delay in some cities. “No additional extensions of time should be allowed without a thorough analysis and resolution of the factors causing such excessive delays in the execution of these projects,” the panel advised.

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