Varanasi is a top performer under Smart Cities Mission, but only 50% funds utilised

Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, is among the well-performing cities under the Centre’s Smart Cities Mission. The city was ranked 13 in the internal rankings list in January this year and has improved its position to 7th last month. The projects in Varanasi are slotted under pre-defined categories: Suramya (Picturesque), Nirmal (Clean), Surakshit (Safe), Samunnat (Improved), Ekikrit (Integrated) and Sanyojit (Planned).

While many of the projects have been completed, more than half the funds sanctioned for the projects were yet to be utilised.

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Currently, as many as 25 projects are underway in Varanasi under the Mission. The total cost of the projects was Rs 561 crore. Of them, sixteen have been completed with a cost of around Rs 261 crore, while fifteen projects are still pending.

According to the local officials, the temple town was able to improve its ranking mainly owing to the completion of the Command Control Centre. This project was completed at a cost of Rs 150 crore.

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While some of the important roads were widened, the drainage system of the town was yet to be set right resulting in water-logging. Traffic jams are quite common even in non-peak hours.

Officials say that the work on three underground parking facilities is in progress. Once completed, over 2,000 two-wheeler vehicles and 500 four-wheeler vehicles can be parked there. An open-air theatre is also being constructed on the bank of the Ganga under the Mission.

Covid-19 and the ensuing lockdown has slowed down the works under the Mission. “We are trying to increase the pace of the works by increasing the number of workers,” an official says.