Work on seven smart cities in Karnataka will be completed by March 2023, ahead of the Centre’s deadline of July 2023, according to Urban Development Minister B. A. Basavaraj.
The Minister told mediapersons in Bengaluru on January 24, after reviewing the progress of work, that the projects were on track despite the Covid-19 pandemic. The project had not even reported cost escalation despite the Covid-19 pandemic induced labour shortage and other problems, the Minister said.
The smart city works are being taken up in Bengaluru, Shivamogga, Mangaluru, Tumakuru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Davangere and Belagavi. A total of ₹855 crore had been spent on smart city projects in Karnataka till February 2020. In this period, a sum of ₹2,646 crore had been spent, he explained.
The government had written to the Centre seeking inclusion of Kalaburagi, Mysuru, Ballari and Vijayapura in the list of smart cities. Mr. Basavaraj had personally held consultations with Union Urban Affairs Minister Hardip Singh Puri during his recent visit to Lucknow.
