BS ‘Bairati’ Suresh, Minister of Urban Development, has ordered a brief investigation into six smart cities projects in Karnataka, including Belagavi, which excludes Bengaluru.
The minister’s directive comes in response to the growing and arising concern regarding the quality, focus and direction of these project initiatives.
In a review meeting, Minister Suresh has closely examined and reviewed the progress of the Initiatives of the smart city initiatives in Belagavi, Davangere, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru, Shivamogga, and Tumkur.
Suresh also expressed disappointment over the unbalanced Allocation of Funds, towards citing that a significant portion was spent on temporary infrastructure projects such as roads, drainage and repairing, rather than investing in long lasting or permanent assets like smart schools, hospitals, and libraries.
Suresh highlighted these issues and directed the Urban Development Department Secretary to form a committee of independent experts.
To address these issues, Minister Suresh instructed the Urban Development Department Secretary to form a committee, including independent experts, to investigate the projects and submit a report within a period of 3 months.
This committee, which includes officials from various departments, technical experts, and representatives of universities and the Indian Institute of Science, has been tasked with conducting a thorough investigation of the projects and submitting a detailed and brief report within 3 months.
Suresh emphasized the need to prioritize the construction of smart schools with the advancement of technology, for the benefit of the children’s who are underprivileged children. He also warned against any further shortcomings or lapses in the projects, addressing dissatisfaction expressed by local representatives from Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad, and Shivamogga.
The Smart City Campaign, with its focus to promote sustainable development and technologically advanced urban infrastructure, as the project is set to conclude by the month of March,2025.
The investigation’s findings will provide critical insights in determining the project’s success and identify the areas for improvement, by ensuring that the future urban initiatives are more effective.
IN SHORT DETAILS:-
| ASPECTS | DETAILS |
| 1] DIRECTIVE | BS ‘Bairati’ Suresh, Minister of Urban Development ordered a brief investigation into six smart city projects in Karnataka excluding Bengaluru. |
| 2] CITIES REVIEWED AND INVESTIGATED | Belagavi, Davangere, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru, Shivamogga and Tumkur |
| 3] CONCERNS RAISED | i] Unbalanced allocation of funds ii] Spending on temporary infrastructures like roads, drainage instead of permanent assets like schools and libraries. |
| 4] ACTION PLAN | Directed the Urban Development Department Secretary to form a committee of independent experts |
| 5] TIMELINE | i] Submit a detailed investigation report within 3 months ii] Addressing dissatifaction expressed by Belagavi, Hubbali-Dharwad, Shivamogga residents. |
| 6] PROJECT CONCLUSION TIMELINE | March, 2025 |
| 7] OBJECTIVE OF INVESTIGATION | Identify shortcomings and evaluate the project success |