Bengaluru lags in implementation of smart city projects
After “demanding” a spot on the Union government’s Smart City list, Bengaluru continues to languish in implementing the seven projects under the scheme, even while the other six cities in Karnataka chosen for the project appear to have made considerable progress. Karnataka has repeatedly been pulled up since 2014 for its failure to get projects off the ground and the repercussions were felt as recently as in December last year when the urban development ministry began withholding funds for development. It said it had not received utilisation certificates for money allocated to each of the seven cities. Senior officials blamed delays on “lack of coordination” between government departments. “While we admit there was a delay in launching the projects, over the last six or seven months, considerable progress has been made across the seven cities selected under the scheme,” said UDD principal secretary Anjum Parvez.
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