All four parties in contention in Ludhiana MC polls have been taking credit for works carried out under the Centre-funded Smart City Mission, but these projects have been of little benefit to residents, even as basic issues remain unaddressed.
Inadequate parking space and traffic snarls continue to top the city’s problems. The most noticeable Smart City Mission projects which failed to gain traction include the installation of LED streetlights which has come under scrutiny, beautification of Malhar Road which met with opposition from locals and is under a vigilance probe over claims of cost being raised, and a carcass utilisation plant at a village which is also facing stiff opposition.
That is not all. MC’s plan to install plastic reverse vending machines too has come to a naught, as none of these machines is functional.
Shivpuri resident Anil Kumar said waterlogging and lack of parking were much bigger issues, but authorities did not consult locals. “Residents are an important part of Smart City Mission. Initially, public voting was also done, but officials took over the entire concept and changed projects at their level,” he said.
A Madhopuri resident, Shivam Mittal, said Ludhiana had narrow lanes, illegal structures, excess traffic and mismanaged markets, but these things should not exist in a smart city. “When we look at cities like Indore, Ahmedabad or any other smart city, it seems nothing has happened on the ground (in Ludhiana),” he said, adding that Ludhiana would become smart only when authorities would offer smart things.
Former SAD MLA Ranjit Singh Dhillon said it was during mayoral term of SAD leader Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria that Ludhiana was selected in the first list of 20 cities for the Smart City Mission. “At that time, planning was done under Gohalwaria’s guidance, but everything changed when Congress took over in the state in 2017 and then came to power in the MC House too,” he said, adding that things would have been different if the then SAD-BJP govt would have continued.
BJP district president Rajnish Dhiman said the central govt gave funds to the civic body, but the desired results could not be achieved due to misappropriation of funds and poor execution of projects. “If we are given a chance, we will bring more funds and ensure they are used properly,” he said.
Congress former MLA Sanjay Talwar blamed the premise of Smart City Mission itself. “There was restriction in spending money on projects conceived for areas which are already posh. These conditions were fixed by the central govt. If there would not have been such conditions, other areas would have been included and better development would have taken place,” he claimed. AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi blamed what he described as “wrong execution of projects by Congress leaders”. “I also got some rectifications done, especially on Malhar Road, as people were getting harassed. In coming days, changes will get better, especially if an AAP mayor is elected,” he said.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Nidhi Anand
Quelle/Source: The Times of India, 19.12.2024
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