In a disappointing revelation, it has been found that the ambitious project to build 100 smart cities in India, initiated by the government’s Smart City Mission, has miserably fallen short of its goals even after seven years. Recent events have exposed inadequacies of these supposed smart cities, with Bhopal, ranked first among the designated smart cities, being heavily affected by rainwater entering Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s bungalow. The impact was not limited to the minister’s residence, as several other areas, particularly slums where the poorest reside experienced significant devastation.
One of the major causes behind this failure, according to environmentalist Subhash Pandey, has been the reckless felling of trees. In an attempt to make Bhopal ‘smart’, countless trees, some over a century old, were lost, compromising the city’s renowned green cover. Another dire consequence has been the emergence of air pollution, which was previously unheard of in Bhopal.
Last winter, Bhopal experienced an alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) of 429, a figure that rivals various parts of Delhi. Unfortunately, even the implementation of smart underground dustbins has been insufficient, as they are not regularly cleared, leading to accumulation of garbage around them. Mechanized vacuum sweeping of roads has also been sporadic, with VIP areas receiving preferential treatment, leaving dust as a persistent problem.
Furthermore, promises of uninterrupted water and electricity supply have bypassed significant sections of the population. This summer, residents of some areas endured 100-hour waits for water supply in a city renowned for its lakes. Additionally, frequent power outages plunge several streets into darkness. The Integrated Traffic Management System, which was expected to revolutionise traffic flow, experiences frequent malfunctions, resulting in chaotic situations whenever traffic signals cease to function.
While some cities, including Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar, have made progress in specific areas such as water management, slum housing, and green spaces, there is no cohesive vision for overall development. Consequently, cities continue to grapple with pollution, water scarcity, waste management crises, and inadequate public transportation. The allocated budget for each city over five years amounts to approximately INR 1,000 crore, but utilisation certificates submitted by the cities reveal that transportation projects primarily focus on roads and parking lots, with only a meagre 2 percent allocated to buses.
In the last seven years, close to INR 1 lakh crore has been allocated for smart cities. However, it remains uncertain how this public money has been utilised, and it is imperative that a performance audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) be conducted to shed light on the matter.