Haryana committed to develop Gurgaon as smartest city: Manohar Lal Khattar

GURGAON: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said that Gurgaon will be the 'smartest city' and the state government will spare no efforts in this direction.

While addressing the Nasscom Product Conclave in Gurgaon, Khattar said though Gurgaon lagged behind as two other cities - Karnal and Faridabad - have been ranked above in the smart city race, but "this is not final".

He said that as per the laid criteria of the Union Government, one of the main reasons for Gurgaon trailing behind in race for smart city was it's non inclusion in Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM), which alone carries 20 marks, so Gurgaon has to compete out of 80 marks.

However, the state government has requested the Central Government that if Rs 100 crore, the amount to be given by Union Government annually for developing smart city, is provided to Haryana government, then Gurgaon can be included in the list of smart cities, Khattar said.

"The Central Government is considering this proposal. If accepted, Haryana might have three smart cities instead of two. Even if it is not accepted, then also the state government is committed to develop Gurgaon as 'Smartest city' because it is already a 'smart city'," the Chief Minister said.