Nearly 97 per cent of funds allocated by the Centre for 11 cities in Tamil Nadu under the Smart Cities Mission have been utilised. The cities are Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Thanjavur, Vellore, Thoothukudi, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Tiruppur and Erode.
The cities have undertaken a total of 733 projects amounting to ₹17,984 crore. Of these, 706 projects have been completed, totalling ₹17,390 crore.
The mission period for completing the implementation of ongoing SCM projects has been extended until March 31, 2025, said Tokhan Sahu, Minister of State, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in Lok Sabha in response to a question raised by several MPs from Tamil Nadu.
Under the mission, each city can get a maximum of ₹500 crore from the Central Government. All the cities have received the full allocation from the Central Government under the mission.
The Smart Cities Mission (SCM) launched on June 25, 2015, selected 100 cities through four rounds of competition held from January 2016 to June 2018. The mission emphasises an Area-based smart city development approach, concentrating efforts in a selected part (ABD area) of the city.
In the Smart City proposal, every city has encapsulated its projects in the ABD area and some projects in the Pan-city feature with Smart Solution(s).
The focus of the mission has been on sustainable and inclusive development and creating replicable models. This area-based development strategy has helped in the completion of projects in a shorter time frame, leading to its replication in other parts of the city.
As per the data provided by 100 Cities, as of July 12, 2024, a total of 7,218 projects amounting to ₹1,45,083 crore (90 per cent of total projects) have been completed.
The Ministry has a multi-level review structure to expedite the progress of projects under the Mission. At the State level, Mission implementation is monitored by the State Level High Powered Steering Committee. At the National level, implementation is monitored by an Apex Committee headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Nominee Directors of MoHUA on the Boards of SPVs monitor progress in respective cities on a regular basis, the minister said.