Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the priority of the works in Smart City Mission will be decided in consultation with the public representatives and residents of the city and construction works will be carried out accordingly as per the need of the public and the priority of the city.
Utility and public convenience in smart city construction will be made a priority in place of beautification. There will be no fresh tenders and the works have not been started yet will be reviewed. Frugal and proper utilization of funds will be ensured. Chief Minister Chouhan said that he himself would interact with the public representatives of the seven smart cities namely Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar and Satna.
Chouhan said that in the year 2019, the works done in Smart City Mission, their justification, tender process, expenditure amount and irregularities will be investigated. It was informed in the meeting that 587 schemes are operating in the state with an amount of Rs.6 thousand 600 crore. Chief Minister Chouhan said that he himself would review the schemes being run in all the seven cities point-wise. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan was addressing the review meeting of Smart City Mission at Mantralaya. Urban Development and Housing Minister Bhupendra Singh, Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains and other officers were present.
The Chief Minister said that the aim of the state government is to give a new vision to urban development. Along with big cities, the planning of medium and small towns should also be done according to the practical needs of the future. Chouhan said that the use of financial resources of Smart City Mission should not be limited to smart cities only. Its financial resources should be ensured for the development of the entire city. There should be no problem in transferring funds from Smart City to Municipal Corporation or other agencies for basic works. The Smart Cities Mission is to be made the engine of growth of cities. The resources available in the mission should be used for the infrastructure development of the entire city, it should not be limited to beautification only.
Chouhan expressed displeasure over the cameras lying dysfunctional in Bhopal and the slow progress of under construction Lakha Banjara Talab of Sagar. Chouhan said that better coordination should be ensured with various agencies related to urban management including Smart City Mission, Municipal Corporation and Police.
Chouhan said that effective operation of startup incubation centers should be ensured. Necessary cooperation should be taken from industrial and technical institutions to develop the concept of startups to develop entrepreneurship among the youth.
