Andhra Pradesh and Telangana may have taken the Smart Cities Challenge prestigiously to have a maximum number of entries in the Prestigious Scheme but then both of the states are well behind in the implementation of the project.
Durga Shanker Mishra, secretary (housing and urban affairs), wrote to the Chief Secretaries of the two states in this regard and asked the two governments to ensure the works start by this November. These are the smart cities announced in Jan – September 2016.
Warangal and Karimnagar have been shortlisted for the smart cities project in Telangana, while Vizag and Kakinada have been selected in Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh government was asked to take up works pertaining to beach redevelopment and shore protection in Vizag at a cost of 365 crores.
Both the Telugu States have benefitted immensely in the Challenge when Venkaiah Naidu was at the helm of Union Urban Development Ministry as both the states got the maximum number of cities selected. But somehow the enthusiasm is lost in the all important implementation.
