Civic issues plague city, new MC House only hope

It is 2025. The Tribune takes a look at what has changed for the city this New Year?

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Civic issues that were prevailing last year are still very much there. The moment one is out, piles of garbage, sewerage issues and non-working streetlights welcome him and this problem can be found in various areas of the city. However, it is expected that with the formation of new MC House, things will change for the good and the newly elected mayor will transform the city.

Also, 2025 is the deadline for most of the projects under the Smart City Mission, but it seems that these projects will not get completed as well. Controversies, delays and incomplete works, these are the ‘adjectives’ that define the situation of the Smart City Mission in Jalandhar. It was in September 2016 when Jalandhar found its name on the list released by the Central Government under the Smart City Mission. There was a lot of excitement among one and all about Jalandhar being developed as a ‘Smart City’ as the city had somehow managed to secure a spot under the big-ticket project. Nine years later, all praises and commendations are replaced by criticism and condemnation. This despite the expenditure of Rs 860 crore on the projects under the mission. There are major projects like surface water, biomining, sports hub, smart roads, etc under the project, but none of these has been completed yet.

A few projects like the sports hub worth Rs 77.77 crore didn’t even get off the ground, some started but stopped midway, while work on the rest are going on at a snail’s pace.

MLA Jalandhar West Mohinder Bhagat from AAP had blamed the Congress for ruining the project that could have changed Jalandhar's fate for good. "There has been reports of misappropriation of funds. Now, with limited amount left under the mission, we are trying to beautify the city," he had earlier told The Tribune.

Jalandhar MP Charanjit Channi had also stated that Smart city was now a gone case. "The BJP has dumped this project. I had recently met Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in this regard and talked about Jalandhar's Smart City, he told me that no funds would be given now," Channi told The Tribune.