Kozhikode is keeping its fingers crossed as the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is set to add 10 more cities to the final list of the Smart Cities Mission next month.
The city has tried hard to find a place in the 10 slots. However, the chances appear slim in spite of efforts by the Chief Minister’s Office. The Kozhikode Corporation had tasked its secretary to push the issue with the Smart Cities Mission in New Delhi.
The Ministry has included Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram in the 90 cities already selected to be developed as smart cities.
Previously, the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) had received a reference letter from the Ministry to go ahead with the preparation of the vision document to be submitted in the Smart City Challenge. But the State government did not allocate any funds, at least ₹25-₹30 lakh, in the budget, for the purpose.
Incidentally, Kozhikode does not figure among the winning cities in round four published by the Ministry last month. But it has published only nine cities —Kavaratti (Lakshadweep), Silvassa (Dadra and Nagar Haveli), Erode (Tamil Nadu), Diu (Daman and Diu), Bihar Sharif (Bihar), Bareilly, Moradabad and Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh).
Sources said Kozhikode’s prospects were not bright since smart cities have been distributed among the States and Union Territories on the basis of an equitable criteria. The formula gives equal weightage to urban population and number of statutory towns of the State and Union Territory.
Kochi made it to the list with meticulous planning by its civic body while Thiruvananthapuram got selected being the capital city. However, there was a glimmer of hope that one more city would be selected when the final list was announced, the sources said.
Kozhikode had failed to make it to the initial list at the time of the Smart City Challenge in 2015 for several reasons including the laxity of officials in submitting the proforma documents. Surprisingly, Thrissur had made it to the initial list after scoring a high percentage based on the given parameters for selection.
‘Uncertain’
However, Corporation Secretary Mrunmai Joshi said the civic body had been receiving contrasting reports from the Ministry and the LSGD on the smart city project. “So far the situation is uncertain and it is difficult to predict that Kozhikode could get the Smart City project. Then we may have to be content with the Centre’s other project — Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation — for which the projects have been progressing,” she said.
