Saini govt should issue white paper on Smart Cities: Selja

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 10

Lambasting the state BJP government over previous promises, former Union Minister and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja today said making false announcements would not benefit the public.

“If a promise is made, the work done on it should be visible on the ground. The decision was made earlier for developing 100 Smart Cities in the country, of which two cities were in Haryana, but their conditions have not improved to date. Now, talks are being held about making three to four more cities into Smart Cities,” she said.

She added, “Despite pouring crores of rupees into this, people are still dealing with heaps of garbage and bumpy roads. First and foremost, the government should issue a white paper on what has been done in the name of Smart Cities so that the public can know what the government is saying and what it is actually doing.”

She pointed out that when the Congress government comes to power, the public would see the work on the ground, not just on paper.

In a statement released to the media, Selja said that the Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said since 2015, Rs 46,000 crores was released for Smart Cities in the country, and now an additional Rs 2,400 crores was being released. “If we look at the budget, each city receives an amount of Rs 500 crores. First, Faridabad and Karnal were included, and a significant scam occurred in the name of making Smart Cities, which should be thoroughly investigated”.

She said the conditions in Faridabad were not hidden from anyone, with garbage heaps everywhere. “Crores of rupees were spent in the name of waste management, but no waste management is visible. The situation is such that people know Faridabad by the name of a slum. After Faridabad and Karnal, the government is now planning to make Gurugram, Hisar, and Panchkula into Smart Cities. It’s a good thing, but the announcement should not just remain an announcement; the work should also be visible,” she said.

She said the government announces the development of cities into Smart and resilient cities but forgets to work on it or leaves it to officials, which leads to the project falling prey to corruption.

“No action is taken against the corrupt and the investigation is just a formality. So far, in Haryana, only Karnal and Faridabad are considered Smart Cities. Cyber City Gurugram is also said to be provided with similar facilities, but everyone has seen the situation there during the rains. The project to generate electricity from solid waste management was mentioned, but the project also disappeared. Illegal colonies are proliferating in Karnal. Basic facilities in these colonies are far from being provided, and even the problems of garbage and waterlogging are not resolved,” she added.