Tamil Nadu tops in smart city fund use

19 Feb 2021 CW Team

Though smart cities in Tamil Nadu may not be topping the charts, the State is the best performer among bigger States as far as utilization of Union government funds is concerned. Data tabled in Parliament show that Tamil Nadu had utilised 97% of the Rs 3,189 crore allotted to it by the Centre.

According to a senior bureaucrat, fund utilization is a reasonable metric to indicate the pace of progress and implementation of projects. “The state government pitches in with an equal amount of funds as per the agreement,” the official added.

In comparison, Gujarat has used 95% of allotted funds, while Rajasthan has utilised 94%, Karnataka 91%, Uttar Pradesh 87%, and Maharashtra 87%. Jharkhand is the only state which scores higher in terms of this metric, but it has only one smart city project, compared to Tamil Nadu’s eleven projects.

Smart city projects are underway in Chennai, Coimbatore, Erode, Madurai, Salem, Thanjavur, Tuticorin, Trichy, Tirunelveli, Tiruppur, and Vellore.

As per official data, Tamil Nadu has completed 167 projects totaling Rs 2,873crore, while work orders for 310 projects worth Rs 12,986 crore have been issued. Tenders have been floated for 20 schemes worth Rs 488.3 crore.

According to officials, some smart cities have got stuck at project approval or detailed project report stages and are unable to tender out projects and show utilization. In Chennai, the smart city projects nearing completion include the multi-level car park in T Nagar. The next major project is the intelligent traffic management system, which will cost around Rs 900 crore.

Technology

29 Jul 2026

AI-Enabled Workflows Lift Profitability and Productivity

Organisations modernising frontline workflows with artificial intelligence, automation and real-time data are reporting stronger financial performance, higher productivity and improved employee engagement, according to a global study by Zebra Technologies and Oxford Economics.The research covered 1,000 senior leaders across retail, manufacturing, transportation and logistics in the US, Mexico, the UK, Germany, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.In transportation and logistics, 54 per cent of companies that improved picking and packing operations reported faster operational performance, wh..

India Leads Global AI Readiness but Implementation Lags

Indian companies lead global averages across all eight artificial intelligence readiness indicators tracked by JLL, but only 19 per cent have started making changes to their workplaces, according to the JLL 2026 Future of Work Survey.The study found that 77 per cent of Indian business leaders expect AI to change their office requirements, creating a 58-percentage-point gap between awareness and implementation. The survey covered more than 2,200 CEOs, CFOs and real estate leaders across 21 countries during the first quarter of 2026.Despite concerns over automation, 58 per cent of Indian leaders..

Three WOLFF Cranes Build Riyadh Cable-Stayed Bridges

Three WOLFF 180 B luffing jib cranes are supporting the construction of two cable-stayed bridges alongside the existing Wadi Laban Bridge in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The project is being developed for the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and executed by the ICRC joint venture comprising IC Ictas and Al Rashid Trading & Contracting Company.The cranes are handling lifting operations including formwork, reinforcement, concrete placement, work platforms, surveying equipment and other construction materials. Each crane is fitted with a 40 m jib, reaches a hook height of 157 m and offers a maximum ..