From oxygen to disinfectants: 14 cities carried out 30 projects costing Rs. 116 cr to tackle Covid using Smart City funds in 2020-’21

As on May 15, the 100 cities selected under the Mission completed a total of 4,382 projects costing Rs 46,374.24 crore, the RTI reply from the ministry said.

In 2020 and 2021, as many as 14 cities carried out 30 projects costing Rs.116 crore that were either directly to address the pandemic or to improve healthcare facilities in general. (Representational image)

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, a dozen Smart Cities out of the 100 in the Smart Cities Mission undertook projects worth Rs 70.40 crore to address the emergency situation, from procuring drones for spraying disinfectant at public areas to oxygen concentrators for hospitals, according to Right to Information reply to The Indian Express.

The mission, which was launched in 2015, was expected to conclude in June this year. However, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs decided in May to extend the deadline by another year. As on May 15, the 100 cities selected under the Mission completed a total of 4,382 projects costing Rs 46,374.24 crore, the RTI reply from the ministry said.

In 2020 and 2021, as many as 14 cities carried out 30 projects costing Rs.116 crore that were either directly to address the pandemic or to improve healthcare facilities in general.

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Out of the completed projects, 24 were described as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic or procurement of equipment for hospitals or hygiene facilities. All but three of them were completed in 2020 and 2021, when the pandemic was at its peak. For instance, Ajmer bought oxygen concentrators for two hospitals for Rs.84 lakh and Rs.93 lakh, respectively and set up an oxygen generation plant for Rs.3.65 crore in 2021. Bengaluru Smart City spent Rs.15.9 crore on medical equipment and infrastructure works related to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021. Chennai spent Rs.3.58 crore on tele-counselling for COVID-19 in 2020.

New Town Kolkata smart city completed two projects in 2023 related to COVID-19 – “drone technology for managing COVID-19” and “construction of Covid memorial” for Rs.3.88 crore and Rs.2.16 crore, respectively. The smart city also had implemented a Rs.5 lakh project for “CCTV-based mask detecting system” in a market in 2021.

Raipur was the other city to have completed a pandemic-project in 2023, with Rs.2.50 crore for “COVID-19 measures” mentioned in the list.

Rourkela and Tirupati procured drones and a spraying vehicle called “BHELMISTER” for spraying disinfectant in 2020. Silvasa spent Rs.4.31 crore in May 2021 on “supply of medical equipment for COVID patients”. In 2020, Tumakaru and Udaipur procured medical equipment for an RT-PCR lab and COVID ward, respectively.

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The cities, which were selected over four rounds of competitions from 2016 to 2018, had proposed a total of 5,151 projects worth Rs.2.05 lakh crore, the RTI reply said.

The Centre’s share of funding for the 100 cities was Rs.48,000 crore, an average of Rs.500 crore per city, while a matching amount was to be given by the states and urban local bodies. Convergence with other government missions is supposed to contribute Rs.42,028 crore. The cities were to get Rs.41,022 crore from public-private partnerships and Rs.9,843 crore from loans.

Damini Nath

Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. ... Read More

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