Command, control centres of 100 smart cities to be functional by Aug

Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced on Thursday that all 100 smart cities' command and control centres will be operational by August 15. He said that command and control centres in 75 smart cities are already operational. Meanwhile, several members complained that they were not invited to meetings of the Smart City Director Board, which is chaired by the respective state's chief secretaries. Members' concerns about the lack of invitations to parliamentarians for meetings related to the development of smart cities were shared by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Hibi Eden, a member of Congress, said he had received invitations and had also attended meetings of the city-level advisory committee where smart city proposals were discussed. He also demanded that members of the Smart City Director Board be invited. On June 25, 2015, the Honorable Prime Minister launched the Smart Cities Mission.The Mission's main goal is to promote cities that use smart solutions to provide core infrastructure, a clean and sustainable environment, and a decent quality of life for their citizens. Through comprehensive work on the city's social, economic, physical, and institutional pillars, the Mission aims to drive economic growth and improve quality of life.The emphasis is on long-term, inclusive development through the creation of replicable models that serve as beacons for other aspiring cities.Through a two-stage competition, 100 cities were chosen to be developed as Smart Cities. Image Source Also read: Smart Cities tenders 6,721 projects worth Rs 1,88,507 crore