NEW DELHI: Projects worth more than Rs 38,000 crores are under implementation under the Smart Cities Mission, with 97 special purpose vehicles being constituted to execute these projects, the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has revealed.
As many as 97 special purpose vehicles (SPVs) have so far been constituted, to execute projects in cities selected under the Smart Cities Mission, according to the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. Tenders have been issued for another 1,686 projects worth more than Rs 63,000 crores in various smart cities, while 1,200 projects worth more than Rs 38,000 crores are under implementation, it said.
The ministry has announced 100 cities for central assistance, under the BJP government’s flagship program. It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015.
“Smart Cities Mission is the largest mission with citizen consultation ever undertaken & has a long incubation period. Every city took about 12-15 months to establish SPVs & identify PMCs (Project management consultants). But now with 97 SPVs & 82 PMCs in place, the mission is well & truly on its way (sic),” the ministry tweeted. Each smart city will have an SPV, which will be headed by a full-time CEO and have nominees of central government, state government and urban local bodies on its board.
In another tweet, the ministry said, “In order to provide safety & better services to the citizens, 11 state-of-the-art Command & Control Centers have been operationalized & another 17 centers are on their way. Tenders have been called for an additional 31 centers across the country.” Under the mission, the cities propose to take up various projects, including ‘smart’ roads, rejuvenation of water bodies, cycle tracks, walking paths, smart classrooms, skill development centers, upgradation of health facilities and pan-city projects like integrated command and control centers. PTI
