Bareilly Smart City to revamp projects

Bareilly Smart City

RK Tiwari, Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh expressed disappointment with Bareilly’s performance under the Smart City Mission. On February 17, marking out ‘zero progress’ on the projects Tiwari rapped Bareilly Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials and asked them to reason out the delay.

Bareilly Smart City

The corporation officials got onto their toes and decided March end as a deadline to commence work on six schemes under the project.

Bareilly was shortlisted in the fourth phase of the Smart Cities Mission on January 18, 2018. But the initial enthusiasm for turning it into a smart city didn’t last long. It was observed that 47 schemes which were aimed at enhancing urban services and strengthening civic infrastructure and sustainable development were only implemented in six out of the total 80 wards in the city.

Ranvir Prasad, Divisional Commisoner, Bareilly said, “We are now trying to make up for the lost time and intend to take up six projects by March-end tenders for which have already been awarded.”

The projected cost of these projects was Rs 250 crore of which Rs 60 crore had been already allocated by the state government for these works for the current fiscal, Prasad added.

Talking about the issue, Abhishek Anand, Municipal Commissioner, BMC said that the six projects shortlisted include setting up of an Integrated Command and Control Centre, setting up of handicraft promotion centre, revamping of a community hall and swimming pool, making e-kiosk, waste transfer station, and building ‘She’ lounges. The ‘She’ lounges will be equipped with facilities such as food counters, waiting rooms, sanitary napkin vending machines and washrooms for women. Moreover, work on developing open gyms at public parks, installation of LED streetlights and musical fountains will also be done.

Further, on energy conservation, solar rooftops lights would be installed on 17 government buildings. Anand said, “The make-over of six wards would be undertaken by installing water ATMs, multi-level vehicle parking, underground vehicle parking, and renovation of prominent city junctions.” Also, 28 roads in the city have been shortlisted for improving rotaries, signage, street furniture, management of solid waste, and more.