High-Level Probe Demanded After No Visible Development Under Smart City Project In Bhopal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Even after nine years, development under the Smart City project is almost invisible in Bhopal. Around 10,000 trees were cut in the name of development, but only two roads—Boulevard Street (Atal Path) and Smart City road (Gandhi Bhavan)—and a multi-storey building in front of Palash Hotel have been developed. Initially, hi-tech poles were installed all over the city, but they never became functional.

A demand for a high-level inquiry was made during a meeting with district-in-charge minister Chetanya Kasyap. The project was worth Rs 3,000 crore with initial funding of Rs 1,000 crore. The remaining funds were to be raised through land monetisation. Plots were to be sold to generate funds, according to a Bhopal Smart City Development Corporation Limited (BSCDCL) official.

The ‘100 Smart Cities Mission’ was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 25, 2015. Smart City Bhopal was an initiative to "transform Bhopal into a leading destination for smart, connected, and eco-friendly communities focused on education, research, entrepreneurship, and tourism." It is an area-based development at a 354-acre site in North TT Nagar. About 450 km of fibre-optic cable was to be laid under the intelligent street lighting system.

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‘Mindless investment’

City planner Kamal Rathi said, “Mindless investment was made in Arera Colony under political influence. The Smart City project was not for Arera Colony. Similarly, if any project like parking, which BMC did not manage, was handed over to the Smart City, there are many such cases where the Smart City made useless investments. The project was meant for area-specific development, which failed to take off in Bhopal.”

‘Project was not for the entire city’

SC Pandey, environmentalist, said, “The project was not for the entire Bhopal. High-tech poles were installed all over the city, which was a wrong investment. If a hospital and road have been developed outside TT Nagar, it is a wrong investment. Such investment does not serve the purpose of the Smart City project.”

‘Funds should be used properly’

BMC chairman Kishan Suryavanshi said, “The issue is of proper utilisation of the funds. Today, there is no visible development in Bhopal in the name of Smart City. Officials sold plots to generate funds, but they should be used properly.”

‘Funding stopped’

Smart City CEO KL Meena said, “As the Central government has stopped funding Bhopal, we now have to manage by monetising properties (plots) as the state government has also stopped funding. As far as the hi-tech poles are concerned, when they were installed, we had anticipated providing 4G-5G internet facilities to the public, but now it is available on mobile phones, so these poles are now useless. At present, we are completing pending works.”