KPMG roped in to assist Allahabad become smart city

Global professional service company KPMG has been roped in to help Allahabad Nagar Nigam (ANN) secure a place in the central government’s smart city mission, a media report said.

The consultant will help the civic body to prepare a detailed report on infrastructure, smart city deliverables and actionable plans for area-based development, the Hindustan Times said in a report.

A team from Delhi-based KPMG Pvt Ltd recently held a meeting with the Allahabad Municipal Commissioner Sheshmani Pandey in this regard. Development work in the ongoing projects was also discussed at the meeting, the report said. Following the meeting, the KPMG team inspected few sites like Sangam to prepare their first report on Allahabad.

“It is disappointing that despite making all possible efforts, the ANN failed to secure a place for Allahabad in the first and second lists of the smart cities. Now, with experienced consultants aiding us, we are confident that the city will find a place in the third list,” Pandey was quoted as saying.

“The team will stay here for two months and help ANN prepare a project report that will be submitted to the central government in March,” he added.

KPMG is the same firm, which has in the past helped the New Delhi Municipal Corporation and the Varanasi Municipal Corporation prepare their smart city project reports. Apart from Allahabad, this team will also help Aligarh and Ghaziabad to secure their position in the smart city mission.

Four cities from Uttar Pradesh namely, Lucknow, Agra, Kanpur and Varanasi have already been selected under the smart city initiative. The central government will provide an assistance of Rs 500 crore to the cities selected or will be selected under the smart city initiative.

The fund will be given in instalments. The state governments will also have to provide the same amount to the selected cities.