Bengaluru, Mysuru fail to make it to Smart City list

Bengaluru and Mysuru failed to make it to the list of 100 cities nominated from various states for the Smart City project and submitted to the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD).

Six cities from the State, including Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi, Shivamogga, Tumakuru, Davanagere and Mangaluru featured among the 100. In fact, they got the highest scores in the competition.

Bengaluru and Mysore scored less in the 13 qualifying parameters set by the MoUD that included existing service level, past track record reforms, implementation of the Jawarharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission scheme and self-financing capacity. Friday was the last date for submitting proposals for the project to the Centre.

Of the 100 cities nominated, 20 will be selected for development this year while 40 each will be selected in the next two years, a ministry official told Deccan Herald.

As part of the next process, the 100 nominated cities will have to prepare Smart City Plans. The plans will be evaluated in the second stage, the City Challenge competition, by an apex body in the MoUD. The body will select 20 cities for development in first stage which will be held in September, he said.

The criteria of evaluation in the second stage of competition include: credibility of smart city plans, action plan for resource mobilisation, economic impact including the number of people to be benefited and employment generation, environmental impact.

The selected cities will get Rs 2 crore immediately for preparation of detailed project report following which, each city will get Rs 500 crore central grant to take up developmental activities in the next five years.

As per the criteria adopted, Uttar Pradesh has got the maximum of 13 smart city slots. To ensure geographical equity, every state/UT has been assigned a minimum of one slot each. Kolkata New Town, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ranchi Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Vijayawada have made it to the 100-city list.

All Union Territories, including Delhi, have also found place in the list.