Four key Karnal Smart City projects likely to begin in April

Tribune News Service

Parveen Arora

Karnal, March 4

Four key projects of the Karnal Smart City programme are likely to begin in April as the tenders for these projects worth around Rs 215 crores have been floated by the Karnal Smart City Ltd. (KSCL), a company looking after the project.

Major projects

• The Construction of elevated corridors at a cost of Rs157.39 crore on single pillar technology (one on railway road and the second from Committee Chowk to Karan Park)
• A hockey stadium in Kailash Colony at a cost of Rs15 crore
• Development of Gappuwala park phase-II at a cost of Rs3.5 crore
• Construction of commercial space in the old grain market at a cost of Rs40 crore have been floated and work orders will be allotted by the end of March or in the beginning of April.

“We have floated tenders of four projects including — construction of elevated corridors at a cost of Rs 157.39 crore on single pillar technology (one on railway road and the second from Committee Chowk to Karan Park), hockey stadium in Kailash Colony at a cost of Rs 15 crore, development of Gappuwala park phase-II at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore, and construction of commercial space in the old grain market at a cost of Rs 40 crore have been floated and work orders will be allotted by the end of March or in the beginning of April,” said Anish Yadav, Deputy Commissioner-cum-CEO, KSCL.

To speed up work

I have reviewed all projects and asked all agencies to speed up the work, so that we can achieve the target in the stipulated time. More projects will be taken up in the Smart City project. —Anish Yadav, Deputy Commissioner-cum-ceo, LSCL

“I have reviewed all projects and pushed all agencies to speed up the work, so that we can achieve the target in the stipulated time. In coming days, more projects will also be taken up in the Smart City project,” said DC Yadav.

Karnal was included in the list of Smart Cities on June 23, 2017, which gave high hopes of development to residents. A sum of Rs 1,121 crores was to be incurred on various IT and civil infrastructural projects. The starting years of this programme were full of hurdles and projects could not be started at full pace, which led to resentment among the residents. As per sources, the development projects under this programme were also hit due to Covid-19-induced lockdown during the first wave. However, the second and third wave did not have adverse effect on the progress.

The sources said some of the projects took some shape in the one year. Out of total 57 approved projects, 25 projects have been completed, including smart education in eight schools, open air gyms in 74 parks, cultural corridor, rainwater harvesting in 30 sites, integrated command and control centre (ICCC) and others, while the work on projects including Canal Front on Western Yamuna Canal, redevelopment of Sector 6 and 14 markets, redevelopment of Karna Lake, beautification of parks and green belt, digital library in Budha Khera and Ram Nagar, open air theatre in Atal Park and others are underway. The work on these ongoing projects is also likely to complete soon, which will also boost the motive of the programme, said an official.

The tendering process has kindled hopes of speedy implementation of projects in the CM’s City. “The starting of this programme was slow, but in the past one year, this programme got shape as some projects were completed. We are hopeful the tendering process of new projects will boost the infrastructural growth of the city,” said Rajiv Arora, a social activist.

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