Govt extends Smart Cities Mission deadline by 1 year

Now, with two months to go, 50 out of the 100 cities have completed 75% of the projects and would be able to complete the remaining works by June. However, an official said, they would need more time to carry out the documentation, dissemination and institutionalisation of the best practices and innovations created under the mission so they can be replicated in other cities across the country. The official said the ministry had received many requests from cities as well as Chief Ministers and MPs asking for more time to complete the projects.

As on April 30, the cities had completed 5,700 projects or 72% of the total number of projects and 60% of the total value of the projects. Under the mission, 66 of the cities are small, with less than 1 million population and are implementing two-thirds of the projects, as per a ministry source. Over 80% of the projects in the big cities have been completed, while the completion rate for smaller cities stands at 66%, said the source. The average pace of completion amounts to 100 projects worth Rs 1,850 crore being done every month, and in most cities, the amount of spending under the mission is higher than their routine budget spending, the source said.

Under the mission, all 100 cities had set up integrated command and control centres at a total cost of Rs 11,775 crore. A total of 526 projects of smart mobility, 116 of smart energy, 411 of water, sanitation and hygiene, 343 each of creating vibrant public spaces and economic infrastructure, 203 of social infrastructure and 145 of smart governance are still under progress, as per the ministry source.

In total, Rs 71,000 crore has been released to the cities, of which Rs 38,000 crore is from the Centre and the remaining from states and urban local bodies. Around 90% of the released funds have been utilised and the Rs 8,000 crore that has been budgeted for 2023-2024 would be enough to complete the projects, the source said. In addition, 232 projects under the public-private partnership worth Rs 15,006 crore have been taken up in 53 cities. These projects include infrastructure like multi-modal transport hubs, common mobility cards and public bike sharing.