THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nearly eight years after its inception, the Smart City project in the capital has hit a roadblock. Though most works have been completed, the corporation has refused to take over custody of the assets, citing their poor upkeep.
Launched in 2016 with a project outlay of Rs 1,538 crore, the venture aimed to improve basic infrastructure in the city and explore IT-based solutions to make the city ‘smart’.
As many as 43 projects were undertaken by the Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (SCTL), the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) set up to implement them. After multiple extensions since 2021, the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs, which is funding the project, set the final deadline as March 2025.
Now, even as several works have been completed, the corporation has refused to take over their custody, flagging maintenance issues. The civic body has also directed the SCTL to provide all relevant documents such as completion certificates, annual maintenance contracts, and defect liability terms.
A corporation official said the SCTL initiated efforts to transfer the project assets in June. Following this, the civic body formed a committee comprising officials from the revenue, health, and engineering departments to oversee the takeover process.
However, after conducting site inspections, the committee highlighted several maintenance and operational issues. “Many of the completed projects are in a neglected state, and some defunct due to a lack of proper upkeep,” a corporation official noted.
The smart EV charging stations at Gandhi Park in East Fort, for instance, are defunct. Various parks developed under the Smart City initiative – such as Sree Chithira Thirunal Park, Captain Lakshmi Park, Puthenchantha Park, and Putharikandam Maidan — were also found to be poorly maintained, with equipment such as exercise machines, electrical lights, and toilet facilities in a shoddy state, according to the team tasked by the civic body.
The civic authorities have written to the SCTL that the project assets will be taken over only if they are fully functional. “We have directed the SCTL authorities to rectify and fix all the issues immediately,” said an official at the mayor’s office.
The corporation committee has highlighted that several of these assets have been poorly maintained since their inauguration. “For instance, toilets at Manaveeyam Veedhi, one of the key projects under Smart City, were not functional,” a corporation official pointed out. “Inadequate upkeep is a major issue we noticed in every project during site inspection.”
It was found that the children’s play equipment at the Anganwadi in Rajaji Nagar were corroded. The committee found structural defects in the building as well.
MLA V K Prasanth, who was a former mayor, said that a lack of coordination between SPVs and local bodies was a major issue. “Since it was launched, the SPV has been working as a separate entity without any coordination with the corporation,” he said.
“The Kochi corporation also faced a similar issue. But regular meetings were held to ensure better coordination. I strongly feel that many of the projects are dragging on because the SCTL doesn’t want to complete them so that they get extensions and the operations of the SPV can continue. This should be investigated, whether SCTL has deliberately caused delay.”
The opposition parties in the corporation council blamed the inefficiency of the ruling LDF for the flawed smart city projects. BJP councillor M R Gopan said that the ruling front lacked “futuristic vision” and were least bothered about infrastructure development.
“The corporation failed to form a monitoring system to track Smart City projects. They failed in ensuring coordination between various departments, and that has led to the messing up of the entire city,” he said.
“The ‘smart’ road works are the classic example. Residents are struggling without drinking water because of this unending road works.”
Gopan added that the corporation was yet to chalk out a plan regarding the upkeep of the project assets. UDF councillor P Padmakumar echoed similar ire. “We don’t think the SCTL will be able to complete the project before the new deadline by March either. It will keep dragging on,” he said.
Meanwhile, the corporation is planning a designated unit to ensure the long-term sustainability and usability of the assets. “Our resources are inadequate. We have written to the state government seeking permission to set up the new wing to manage the assets,” an official said.