The one-man committee, led by retired IAS officer P.W.C. Davidar, has submitted a report about the implementation of the Smart Cities Mission projects in Tamil Nadu.
According to a press release, Mr. Davidar submitted the report to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in the presence of Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu on Saturday. Last year, Mr. Stalin had announced that a probe would be conducted into the Smart Cities Mission projects.
The committee looked into whether the selection of works under the Smart Cities Mission was in accordance with the guidelines. It also checked whether the Smart Cities Special Purpose Vehicles in each city had functioned in accordance with the guidelines.
During the past five months, Mr. Davidar had inspected the works being executed under the project in 11 cities – Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchi, Tirunelveli, Erode, Thanjavur, Tiruppur, Vellore, Salem, Madurai and Thoothukudi – and compiled and submitted the report.
Following the report that details whether due procedure was followed in the award of contracts for the works and whether adequate measures were taken to ensure their quality, the government is expected to make a decision shortly.
Each of the 11 major cities in the State, including Chennai, had taken up around ₹1,000 crore worth of Smart City projects. The committee screened projects worth a total of ₹10,651 crore before submitting the report. The deadline for the completion of the projects has been extended to June 2023 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.
In the city, projects at an estimated cost of ₹960 crore have been taken up under the Smart Cities Mission. More than ₹700 crore of funds have already been utilised in the city.
Projects such as the command and control centre, T. Nagar pedestrian plaza, restoration of waterbodies, Villivakkam lake restoration, smart classrooms, smart metering by Metrowater and Tangedco have been taken up.
