The Central government's smart cities initiative hogged the limelight in 2018. Its fulsome result is expected to unfold in the coming year, as Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, which selected 100 smart cities in four rounds across the country, is making concerted efforts to take the ambitious initiative to its logical conclusion by the end of 2019.
"As many as 5,151 projects identified by the cities worth more than Rs 2 lakh crore are under implementation in 100 cities," the ministry said in an official statement, while 534 projects worth Rs 10,116 crore were completed. The implementation has commenced for 1,177 projects worth Rs 43,493 crore. According to the ministry, tendering has started for 677 projects worth Rs 38,207 crore.
"The year 2019 will see the consolidation of most of the projects under the Smart City scheme in which over Rs 6,85,758 crore has been infused for ensuring citizen friendly urban areas with an emphasis on urban rejuvenation, construction of public and household toilets and solid waste management under the Swachh Bharat Mission," added the ministry.
As part of the Smart City Mission (SCM), the Centre has sanctioned more than 65 lakh houses for construction under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in urban areas with the provision of water, sewerage, and sanitation projects worth Rs 77,640 crore under the Mission AMRUT.
For smart command and control centres, projects worth Rs 1,558 crore in 11 cities have been completed, while projects worth Rs 3,049 crore in 29 cities are under progress. Further tenders have been issued for the projects worth Rs 2,730 crore in 21 cities.
For smart roads projects worth Rs 228 crore in four cities have been completed, and projects worth Rs 3,819 crore in 34 cities are under progress. Tenders have been issued for projects worth Rs 2,069 crore in 10 cities. For smart water projects worth Rs 902 crore in 18 cities have been completed.
For solar projects worth Rs 58 crore in eight cities have been completed, while projects worth Rs 828 crore in 42 cities are under progress. Tenders have been issued for projects worth Rs 300 crore in nine cities.