BENGALURU: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India report has found that in Karnataka, except Bengaluru, the utility ducts provided by the other cities in their smart road projects under the Smart Cities Mission did not provide for certain utility ducts like water supply, sewage network, stormwater drains, high and low tension lines, optical fibre cables and gas pipelines, resulting in frequent digging of the roads for laying and/or maintenance of utility lines.
The report highlighted that seven cities—Bengaluru, Belagavi, Davanagere, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru, Shivamogga, and Tumakuru—were identified in Karnataka for upgrade as Smart Cities. The projects were to be implemented under two components, including area-based development (ABD) and pan-city.
Each city was to prepare its Smart City Proposal (SCP), containing the vision, a plan for mobilising resources, and intended outcomes in terms of infrastructure upgrades and smart applications. As against 135 goals specified in SCPs, the cities achieved 68 goals, partially achieved 43 goals, and 24 goals were not achieved, the report noted. It also found that the cities dropped 160 (30%) of the 544 projects originally planned, which was against the instructions of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Projects such as a bus terminal with multi-utility facility, construction of a flyover, extension of smart class project for PU colleges, and construction of an underpass were dropped, citing reasons like high costs and non-availability of space.
It also noted that, as against Rs 817.42 crore allocation under the pan-city component, projects were taken up for Rs 1,462.67 crore, indicating diversion from ABD to pan-city interventions. The SCP aimed to develop a smart road (a road designed to include smooth vehicular flow, prioritise pedestrian movement, and integrate essential utilities) project as per the TenderSure norms.
other observations
The audit observed that none of the SPVs had appointed a third-party quality supervision consultant as per the guidelines. Special purpose vehicles were completely dependent on the quality test reports submitted by the contractors
Non-inclusion of accessible infrastructure for specially-abled persons on roads and footpaths
Smart cities failed to mobilise financial resources, were mainly dependent on the mission grants