Karnal smart city only on paper

Residents of Karnal city were overwhelmed with joy when it was selected to be developed as a smart city on June 23 2017

Updated At : 06:27 AM Aug 18, 2018 IST

The Karan Taal in Karnal that will be beautified. Tribune photo: Sayeed Ahmed

Parveen Arora

Residents of Karnal city were overwhelmed with joy when it was selected to be developed as a smart city on June 23, 2017. But even after more than a year the project is only on paper. The inclusion of Karnal under the Smart City mission was an earnest desire of people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in the run up to the Haryana Assembly elections in 2014 had hinted at developing Karnal as a smart city. Later Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar reiterated it several times.

A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Karnal Smart City Limited and an inter-department coordination committee were formed around four months ago and it was expected that the project would gather pace but it took months to finalise a project management consultant. On August 8, the board of directors of Karnal Smart City Limited appointed KPMG, which has developed 13 smart cities across the country, as project management consultant. It will carry out required investigations, check design, prepare a feasibility report, preliminary and detailed design reports and will also look after the bidding process of the agencies.

However, the city is still waiting for the first installment of Rs 200 crore from the Union Government and an equal amount from the Haryana Government. Rajiv Mehta, Commissioner of Karnal Municipal Corporation, claims that Rs 1 crore has been received, while around Rs 36 crore (Rs 18 crore each from the Union and state governments) will be sanctioned soon.

The delay in the commencement of the smart city project is leading to resentment among residents and also giving an opportunity to opposition party leaders to take a jibe at the Central and state governments. Sumita Singh, two-time former Congress MLA, says the inclusion of Karnal under the Smart City mission was just a gimmick as nothing had been done in one year.

Manoj Wadhwa, former Deputy Mayor, also calls the project an eyewash. He says how a city can be developed without the allocation of required funds.

Around Rs 1,295 crore will be spent on the development of state-of-the-art smart amenities on 700 acres around Clock Tower Chowk, Kunjpura road, bus stand, Model Town, and the Mughal Canal market in the next five years. As part of area-based developments (ABD), about Rs 1,022.08 crore will be spent, while Rs 149.75 crore will be spent under the Pan City Proposal (PCP), says the MC Commissioner. But there is a problem — The land identified for development works is full of encroachments.

The ABD is further divided into various projects. Under the MELA project, landscaping of the Ramleela ground will be done, while a museum and a night market will be developed at the site of the existing city bus stand. At present the Ramleela ground is being used as parking while the bus stand is operational. Sources claim both projects will take two to three years to complete.

Similarly, under the PAHAL project, the Karnal agri-tech innovation and incubation centre and the Karnal agri-tech pavilion with parking facility at the ground floor will be developed at the old vegetable market. Vegetable vendors are still using this land while commuters park their vehicles there.

Commercial space and a multiplex will be developed in the building of the old KMC office under the PRAGATI project. But it is also in limbo as shopkeepers, who are running businesses in the KMC shops, are unhappy over the drawings of the project. Besides, there is a plan to develop a central business district (CBD) and a digital literacy centre on the Mughal Canal, for which a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Forest Department is still pending.

A city bus service has been proposed under the PRAVAAH project, while a city bus terminus in the CBD, a cycle track and docking stations for the Sanjhi cycle project have been planned.

Under the SAKSHAM project, vending zones, smart vending cards, street furniture and kiosks for the night market will be established. Under the KAUSHAL project, a skill development centre in the CBD and improvement of the education system will be undertaken. Both projects cannot be accomplished till the city bus stand is shifted to a new place.

Housing for the urban poor will be taken up under the ASHIANA project, while recreational zones in the CBD, green spaces in the Mughal Canal market and beautification of the Karan Taal will be undertaken under the UPHAAR project.

The UTTHAN project envisages setting up of a rainwater harvesting system, renewable energy system, smart sewage management system and others.

The MC Commissioner says KA-NI-SH-KA (Karnal Nigrani Kshetriye Karyalaya) is to be developed to manage utilities such as public health, electricity supply, gas and water supply and sewerage as part of the Pan-City proposal for integrated operations across various sectors, improved safety and surveillance and time-bound grievance redress. This 24x7 centre will be established as part of an integral partnership between the KMC, police, district administration and other government departments. The AROGYA project will ensure development of public healthcare.