COIMBATORE: The wait for the completion of Smart City project in Coimbatore will soon be over, as Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) has planned to complete the works ahead of the deadline, by January 31, 2023.
CCMC has been carrying out various developmental works under the Smart City project scheme since 2016, when the scheme was first announced. Coimbatore was among the first 20 cities which were shortlisted for the scheme.
The scheme was proposed at Rs 1,000 crore, with 50% funding each from the State and central governments. While the State government had contributed Rs 500 crore, the Centre had contributed Rs 490 crore. Of the 54 projects taken up under the scheme in the city, CCMC has already completed 35 projects, and works are ongoing for the remaining 19 projects in the city.
Official sources said that the works in Kumarasamy, Selvampathy and Krishnampathy lake will be fully completed in the next 45 days, while the pending works in the western bund of the Periyakulam tank and in the northern bund of the Valankulam lake in Ukkadam will be completed by this December.
"Only the works in Kurichi lake got delayed due to issues with the contractors, which has been sorted out now. About 50% of the works have been completed in Kurichi, and the remaining works are expected to be completed by March 2023. Apart from that, 60% of the works in the Race Course, including the model road and information tree have been completed so far," added the sources.
Bio-mining is the only project which is lagging in the scheme, as the officials are struggling to clear the legacy wastes dumped in Vellalore dump yard for several years. Officials have been sending non-biodegradable wastes to cement factories as RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) to dispose of the legacy wastes.
CCMC Commissioner M Prathap told TNIE that the civic body has been making consistent progress in the Smart City works, adding that they have completed around 65% of the total work.
"Although the deadline for the scheme is March 2023, barring a few projects, we have planned to finish all the project works by January 31, 2023. Race Course works will be completed by this August. And encroachments in the Kurichi tank have been removed now and the officials have been told to expedite the works," he added. He added that they have completed 40% of the bio-mining target in Vellalore and have not taken the project into consideration for the March 2023 deadline as the project was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues.