Lok Sabha Question No. 66 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-20
Subject: Participation of Public Representatives
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Asked by: Keshari Devi Patel

## MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 66

## TO BE ANSWERED ON JULY 20, 2023

## PARTICIPATION OF PUBLIC REPRESENTATIVES

## NO. 66.  SHRIMATI KESHARI DEVI PATEL:

Will  the  Minister  of  HOUSING  AND  URBAN  AFFAIRS  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether  any  steps  are  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  for increasing  the  participation  of  public  representatives  in  the  Smart Cities mission;
- (b) if so, whether the Government proposes to take concrete steps for this as the public representatives are ignored at local level in the projects and planning related to smart cities and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of the institute/agency assigned with the work of Prayagraj Smart City;
- (d) whether  any  complaint  has  been  received  related  to  the  quality  of work and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  details  of  the  timeline  fixed  for  the  completion  of  the  work  of Prayagraj Smart City?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI KAUSHAL KISHORE)

- (a) & (b) : Government of India launched Smart Cities Mission (SCM) on 25 June  2015.    100  Smart  Cities  have  been  selected  through  4  rounds  of competition from January 2016 to June 2018.

Implementation  of  SCM  at  the  city  level  is  done  by  a  Special  Purpose Vehicle (SPV) created for the purpose. The Mission Guidelines provide for establishment  of Smart  City   Advisory   Forums   (SCAF) in all Smart Cities.

These SCAFs, inter alia, consist of Member(s) of Parliament, Member(s) of Legislative Assembly,  Mayor,  District  Collector, local youth, technical experts,  and  other  stakeholders.  SCAFs  have  the  mandate  to  advise  and enable collaboration among various stakeholders in Smart City development.  Hon'ble Members of Parliament (MPs) and Hon'ble Members of  Legislative  Assembly  (MLA)  play  a  very  significant  role  in  advising  the respective Smart Cities on effective implementation of Smart City Projects. All  Smart  Cities  have  constituted  their  SCAFs  and  have  so  far  convened more than 765 SCAF meetings.

Ministry  of  Housing  &  Urban  Affairs  (MoHUA)  has,  from  time  to  time,  also issued  letters  to  all  CEOs  and  State  Principal  Secretaries  to  instill  upon them the necessity to hold regular meetings of SCAF. Further, conduct of SCAF  meetings  has  been  included  as  a  key  parameter  for  the  ranking  of Smart Cities.

- (c) : Prayagraj Smart City Limited (PSCL) has informed that it has assigned its  project  management  consultancy  to  M/s  Meinhardt  Singapore  Private Limited. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is  associated  as  third-party  Quality  Controller  for  its  different  projects.  A Memorandum  of  Understanding  (MoU)  has  also  been  signed  with  Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Prayagraj for seeking inputs/opinion  in  sector  related  projects.  The  works  under  Smart  Cities Mission  are  carried  out  by  various  Government  line-Departments  such  as Prayagraj Development Authority, Prayagraj Nagar Nigam, Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam, Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department, Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd. (UPPCL), Military Engineering Service apart from Prayagraj Smart  City  Limited  as  working  agencies.  The  projects  are  handled  by various contractors/ agencies selected through due procedures.
- (d)  :  As  implementation  of  SCM  at  the  city  level  is  done  by  SPVs,  the complaints/grievances, whenever received, are communicated to the respective State Governments for conduct of necessary inquiry and taking appropriate  action,  as  deemed  fit.  In  some  cases,  MoHUA  also  appoints third-party evaluation teams to examine issues.
- (e)  :  The  period  of  implementation  of  SCM  has  been  extended  upto  June 2024  and  all  Smart  Cities,  including  Prayagraj,  are  expected  to  complete their projects within the stipulated time.

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