State to Unveil Own 'Smart' Plan for Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Six cities from Karnataka—Mangaluru, Shivamogga, Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad, Tumakuru and Davanagere —have made the cut for the Centre’s Smart City project.

But Bengaluru, Mysuru and Kalaburagi have not made it to the list as they have not met the selection criteria. However, the state government will unveil its own Smart City plan for these three cities, Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake said here on Thursday.

The cities selected under the Centre’s  project will get a grant of  `1,000 crore over a period of five years(2015-19) for the overall development. In all, 100 Smart Cities will be developed, with the Centre providing 50 per cent of the funds and an equal share from the respective state governments. The Centre will also provide `2 crore each for a detailed project report on each Smart City.

Poor performance in generating internal resources, including collection of  property taxes, huge debt burden, water cess, delay in execution of the  JnNURM projects and failure to utilise JnNURM funds were major reasons for denial of Smart City project for Bengaluru and Mysuru city corporations, Sorake said.

However, Bengaluru, Mysuru and 25 other towns have been selected under the Centre’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Sorake said. All six cities recommended for the Smart City project have also been selected under the project.

Under the programme, the cities will set the process of urban transformation to enable better living and drive economic growth, he said.

Cities and towns having population of more than a lakh have been included in the AMRUT project, which would be implemented on the PPP model with equal sharing of grants by the Centre and the State.

Urban local bodies in these cities and towns will get `100cr in the next five years. They should ensure housing for all by 2022 and improve other civic amenities to ensure a decent quality of life.

Reddy blames State BJP: Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy, who is also the Bengaluru City in-charge minister, has blamed the previous BJP government and its leaders for Bengaluru missing out on the Smart City project.

The previous BJP and also the earlier BJP-JD(S) governments had failed to make full use of JnNURM funds for the city’s infrastructure development, he said. “BJP has Ananth Kumar and Sadananda Gowda from Bengaluru in the Union ministry. They have failed in convincing the Crentre to include Bengaluru in the project,” Reddy said.

WHAT IS A SMART CITY?

Under the Smart City project, cities will have a grid system, well-maintained roads, smart traffic lights, advanced CCTVs installed on traffic signals, good water and sewerage system, e-governance systems for all major public services.

AMRUT Cities

Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Dharwad, Mysuru, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Davangere, Shivamogga, Ballari, Tumakuru, Hosapete, Raichur, Gadag-Betageri, Bidar, Bhadravati, Robbertsonpet, Chitradurga, Kolar, Mandya, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Bagalkot, Udupi, Ranebennur, Gangavati, Badami.

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