Smart city list: Smaller cousins like Bihar Sharif, Moradabad, Saharanpur, others pip metros

NEW DELHI: Mumbai, Kolakata, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ranchi and Bhubaneswar are among the cities who have found place in the coveted Smart Cities project list with Uttar Pradesh bagging maximum 13 nominations.

However, poll-bound Bihar's capital Patna, Shimla, Thiruvananthapuram, Gangtok and Bengaluru did not make it to the list issued by the Urban Development Ministry, which includes 98 cities as of now.

Some smaller cities have outdone the state capitals to bag the place in the list. In Bihar, Bihar Sharif got the nomination but Patna could not make it. In Himachal Pradesh Dharamsala has beaten Shimla.

Shivamogga in Karnataka was also nominated.

All the 100 cities being nominated as smart city will now be required to prepare "Smart City Plans" for each of them. These Plans will be evaluated in the second stage of City Challenge competition by an Apex Body in the UD Ministry.

As per the criteria adopted, UP got the maximum of 13 smart city slots. To ensure geographical equity, every state/UT was assigned a minimum of one slot each. Vijayawada, Raipur and Guwahati have also made it to the smart cities list.

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

"We have received 98 nominations for Smart City mission in time after detailed evaluation of all urban local bodies in each state and UT is a remarkable achievement.

"This is against the past trend of lethargy and casual approach. This reflects the new sense of urgency on the part of states and UTs to make a difference to our urban landscape," Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told PTI.

Based on this second stage evaluation, the top scoring 20 cities among the 100 will be extended financial support Rs 200 cr each during this financial year. In the next two years, 40 cities each will be selected for receiving central funding. Others will be asked to work on the deficiencies identified.

The broad 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 benefitted and employment generation, environmental impact.

Naidu complimented the concerned officials in his Ministry for their regular coordination and follow up with states and UTs to ensure that the nominations are received by the indicated time.

Naidu further said,"We will complete scrutinisation of the proposals this month-end to select the first batch of Smart City."

He said that selection of smart cities and further sequencing of financing is being done based on an objective criteria so that only those who can really deliver are picked up given the technical, financial and policy challenges involved in making 100 cities smart.

In the first phase, Centre will pick 20 cities to be developed as Smart Cities and in the next two years 40 cities each will be selected for receiving central funding of Rs 500 crore in the next five years.

After the identification of 100 smart city aspirants, UD Ministry will release soon Rs 2 crore for each selected city for preparation of smart city plans. Union Cabinet has cleared a Central Assistance of Rs 48,000 crore for smart city mission for five years.