“The central government will release the allocated funds only after the state government completes the requisite procedures,” he said.The Jammu and Kashmir government has spent not a penny of the Rs 52 crore the central government has allocated to Srinagar under the Union housing and urban development ministry’s ‘Smart Cities’ project.
In contrast, a total of Rs 215 crore has been spent in Jammu on grounded/completed projects.
“The project was announced a year ago but the government has not yet engaged any consultants, nor hired any manpower, even failed to prepare requisite reports on time which are mandatory for giving life to the project,” said a senior urban and housing department official.
“The central government will release the allocated funds only after the state government completes the requisite procedures,” he said.
The multi-crore Smart City projects were touted to change the face of Srinagar and Jammu. Plans included restoration of heritage buildings, beautification of the Jhelum waterfront, dredging of Jhelum for removing silt, improvement of Jhelum ghats, embankments and area illumination along riverbanks, creation of pathways and cycle tracks along the Bund, a water transport terminal for boats and shikaras, and installation of biodigestors/ interceptors for managing waste water, together with an eco-sewage treatment plant.
Both cities made it to the list of 30 smart cities announced by the Union ministry of housing and urban Development on June 23, 2017. The state government had in August last year ordered creation of special purpose vehicles (SPVs)—Jammu Smart City Limited and Srinagar Smart City Limited, which were subsequently registered as Limited Companies under Companies Act.
Thereafter, the charge of chief executive officers (CEOs) for the companies was assigned to the chief executive officer the J&K Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) and commissioner Jammu Municipal Corporation respectively.
