NEW DELHI: Patna was selected in the list of smart cities during June 2017 with various projects worth nearly Rs 2,500 crore.
Sewerage development, smart lighting, transports, decongestion, seamless mobility and other projects come under Smart city mission.
However, less than 5% of the nearly Rs 200 crore allocated to Patna in the first instalment under the Smart City Mission has been utilized, possibly contributing to the worst deluge in recent memory.
The Bihar capital received over 210 mm of rainfall in the last few days resulting in massive flooding of city areas.
Officials said that this is mostly due to clogged drains and lack of waste management. Development of adequate sewerage network also comes under Smart City projects in Patna.
So far, Centre has released first installment of Rs 194 crore for various projects under the Smart City Mission out of which only Rs 9.22 crore has been spent.
An official of the ministry of urban affairs said that the second installment has not been issued because of non-utilisation of the released fund. More money for projects under the mission will be released only after getting the utilisation certificate of at least 75 % of the first installment.
Apart from this, pace of projects under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), another centrally sponsored scheme, is also slow.
The thrust areas of AMRUT are water supply, sewerage management, stormwater drainage, green spaces and park and non-motorised urban transport.
While projects worth Rs 2,400 crore were approved for the entire AMRUT Mission period (2015-2020), utilisation certificate for only Rs 230 crore has been received.