Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The projects under the Smart City Mission must be completed by December, under any circumstances. No extension will be granted after that, warned the union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs (MHoUA), Manohar Lal Khattar, in an online meeting on Monday. The state government has expressed disagreement in taking responsibility for the Smart City projects. However, it underlines that if the Central Government assigns the responsibility, it will be accepted.
The Mission includes 100 cities across the country. On Monday, Khattar held an online meeting with the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of all Smart Cities and the Principal Secretaries of the state government's Urban Development Department (UDD). In the meeting, he reviewed the various projects under the Smart City initiative and instructed that incomplete projects be completed by December 2025. The union minister emphasized that there would be no extension after December.
Khattar also sought the opinion of the State Government regarding whether they would take responsibility for the Smart City Mission. The Maharashtra Government has expressed its inability to take on this responsibility. The Principal Secretary conveyed that the responsibility could be taken only if directed by the Central Government.