Smart City Mission extends till June 2024

09 May 2023 CW Team

The mission was extended in 2021 to June 30, 2023, due to a delay in project completion caused by the Covid-19 epidemic. “The cities were selected in two stages and the development work or project implementation started at least 18 months after the selection process as cities had to first form Special Purpose Vehicles and meet other requirements,” said a second official.

According to the ministry's February report to Parliament, 7,804 projects totaling 1,81,322 crore have been sanctioned under the mission in 100 cities. According to the ministry, 72% of the projects totaling 1,07,000 crore are expected to be completed by April 30, 2023.

All 100 cities now have Integrated Command and Control Centers for data-centric solutions and improving municipal services as part of the objective. In 53 smart cities, 232 infrastructure development projects costing 15,006 crore have been undertaken, including multi-modal transport hubs, multi-level auto parking, bike sharing, and so on.

The mission has been granted 8000 crore for the years 2023-24. According to officials, the budgetary allotment is sufficient to complete the projects that have been sanctioned.

So far, 1104 smart transportation projects worth 22,785 crore have been completed as part of the goal, with 526 more in advanced stages of development. Similarly, 984 public places in cities have been built at a cost of 5861 crore. Work is now underway to create 343 additional similar places.

Cities were chosen in two stages, and the process was finished in June 2018. It took time for cities to establish Special Purpose Vehicles and plan projects. Most cities are in advanced phases of development.