Smart city: Shimla’s exclusion angers residents

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 2

Union Urban Development Minister Chandrababu Naidu has drawn flak from over 2 lakh residents for choosing Dharamsala over Shimla under the 100 Smart City Mission.

They said the minister excluded the country’s oldest municipality.

The residents have asked Naidu to include at least three towns of the state under the Smart City Mission. “The race for the smart city tag has gained pace with the ministry asking states to nominate its cities by July 31,” said sources.

Alleging bias, the residents said the minister had selected 13 cities in his home state Tamil Nadu, placing it at the second position after Uttar Pradesh. “This exposes the political agenda of the Modi government. It aims at making the BJP’s entry into the southern state,” said a senior city resident, requesting anonymity.

The residents flayed Naidu for ignoring Shimla, which meet almost all parameters listed by the MUD for the Stage-I selection.

“Shimla has 150 years old heritage. It has the county’s oldest civic body,” said Manoj Kumar, a resident.

Deputy Mayor, Shimla Tikender Panwar today shot off a letter to the Union Urban Development Minister highlighting the disappointment of the residents.

“I am shocked to know how smart cities are being profiled for selection under the mission,” said Panwar. “The data on parameters fixed by the ministry are being fudged and we want an independent assessment of Shimla,” he charged. Those residing in Solan and Mandi resented State Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma for batting for his home town Dharamsala and sidelining Shimla where Mayor Sanjay Chauhan and Deputy Mayor Tikender Panwar happen to represent the CPM.

Shimla and Dharamsala are unmatchable as far their sources, history, revenue, civic amenities, online grievance redressal system, growth in terms of population, institutions, traffic, real estate, cosmopolitanism are concerned. “What to talk of Shimla, even Solan and Mandi meet more parameters than Dharamsala,” Panwar said.

“We request Naidu to lift the “veil on these smart cities” as the residents of Shimla want to know as to why his ministry rejected the city,” he said.

“The state government has provided a fake data on e-newsletter, solid waste management, electricity dues. Even if we look at the salary of the municipal staff, there is no comparison between Dharamsala and Shimla,” he asserted.

Panwar said: “It is unfair on the part of the minister. He did not follow a fair criterion,” Panwar said.

The residents’ ire is understandable as the Congress-ruled Himachal got a raw deal. The SAD-BJP ruled Punjab got three cities and Haryana got two cities.