Lok Sabha Question No. 1108 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-05
Subject: Smart Cities Mission in North Eastern Region
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Joyanta Basumatary

## MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1108

TO BE ANSWERED ON FEBRUARY 05, 2026

## SMART CITIES MISSION IN NORTH EASTERN REGION

NO. 1108.  SHRI JOYANTA BASUMATARY:

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

- (a)  the details of all the cities proposed in North Eastern Region under the Smart Cities Mission since 2015, State-wise;
- (b)  the number and total value of Smart City projects that are still incomplete or delayed as of October 2025, along with the reasons for such delays, citywise;
- (c)  the  number  of  cities  now  considered  Smart  Cities  and  the  details  of  the parameters used for assessing whether identified cities meet the prescribed standards;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  comparative  assessment  to analyse how Smart Cities are performing on various indicators relative to non-Smart cities; and
- (e)  if so, the details of socio-economic outcome emerged from this transformation beyond infrastructure creation thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

## (SHRI TOKHAN SAHU)

- (a) &(b): Under Smart Cities Mission (SCM), 10 cities, viz. Itanagar, Pasighat, Guwahati, Imphal, Shillong, Aizawl, Kohima, Gangtok, Namchi and Agartala were selected in the North Eastern Region. As reported by the States in the North Eastern Region as on 15.01.2026, out of a total 706 projects amounting to  ₹ 12,967  crore,  636  projects  (99.60%  of  total  projects)  amounting  to ₹ 11,202 crore have been completed and 70 projects  amounting  to  ₹ 1764 crore are at implementation stage.

As reported by the States/UTs, the challenges encountered in implementing smart  city  projects  include, inter-alia,  legal  issues,  delay  in  obtaining clearances from different departments, land acquisition, construction in hilly areas,  challenges  in  vendor  and  resource  availability  in  small  &  medium cities,  centralization  of  decision  making  in  few  cities,  utilization  of  full capacity of Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs), etc.

- (c):The objective of SCM was not the development of entire city but followed an area-based  development  approach  through  retrofitting,  redevelopment, greenfield development and a Pan-city initiative in which smart solutions are applied covering larger parts of the city, so as to create a replicable model. The cities under SCM were developed based on Smart City Proposals (SCPs) received from States/UTs, across various sectors, viz., smart mobility, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH), smart governance, smart energy, environment etc., approved by High Powered Steering Committee (HPSC)chaired by the Chief Secretary.
- (d)  &  (e):  NITI  Ayog  in  its  report  titled  'Evaluation  of  Centrally  Sponsored Schemes in Urban Transformation Sector and Skill Development' published in September 2025, has concluded that the SCM Mission has demonstrated strong relevance to India's Urban needs, with its objectives aligning with national development agendas and SDGs.

Some of the outcomes under SCM inter-alia includes establishment of 100 SPVs to enable faster decision making, 100 ICCCs established for functions spanning  crime  monitoring,  citizen  safety,  transport,  waste,  water,  and disaster management, building capacity in cities to develop PPP Projects and replicable models for development of Cities.

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