Centre tells J-K to resubmit smart city mission proposal

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 19

The Union Urban Development Ministry has asked the J&K Government to reconsider its proposal wherein it forwarded names of both Srinagar and Jammu for the “smart city mission”, a Central government project launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Under the smart city mission, J&K was entitled to nominate only one city, which would have competed with other cities of the country for inclusion in the 20 cities that Union Government plans to develop in the first phase this year.

“We have been told to take a call between the two cities and also to take a relook at our proposal that nominated two cities under the scheme,” said an official of the J&K Urban Development Ministry who did not want to be identified. “It is unlikely that J&K will take a call in nominating one city. The Union government understands it and we are still hopeful that our both cities will be included in the first phase for development under the smart city mission,” he added.

A state-level high-powered steering committee, headed by J&K Chief Secretary, had earlier this month shortlisted both capitals and forwarded their names to the Centre after there was a tie between Jammu and Srinagar as both scored 45 points each out of 100 on developmental front.

Sources in the department said a final decision on whether to include both cities in J&K or to divide the funds between the two cities would be taken by Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. The Central government plans to develop 100 cities across the country in the next five years under the project.

While the J&K Government maintains there was a tie between the two cities, the sources said the move was aimed to avoid any further drift between the two regions in the state.

Under the smart city mission, the Centre will extend Rs 100 crore to each selected city to improve the urban infrastructure.