When will city look smart? Sarma hints not instantly

Sarma assures House of commissioning water supply project covering West Guwahati and Jalukbari LACs on October 2

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, May 9: Metro rail is not going to be an immediate reality in Guwahati that is not likely to be smart either, instantly. This is exactly what is being emated from the Assam Legislative Assembly, now in session. 

State Guwahati Development Department (GDD) Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma himself is not convinced it Guwahatians will see anything tangible in the smart city project in this fiscal. What he said today seems to be quite in sync with what Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah idu said a few days back. idu was on record saying during his recent Assam visit that the progress of work of the smart city project in Guwahati is 'not up to mark'.

AGP MLA Ramendra rayan Kalita raised the issue of smart city project on the floor of the Assembly today.

In his reply, GDD Minister Sarma said: "The responsibility of preparing the DPR for the project has been entrusted with Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd. The consultancy firm has let us know that the DPR will be ready by November this year. The Centre has already released Rs 189 crore for the project, and the State Government has also released an equal and matching amount for it. I don't think anything noticeable in the project will be seen this fiscal. Only paper works and works for office setups are going on now. The Centre has given us five years for the project. We're contemplating on forming an advisory committee comprising all the four Guwahati MLAs, the Guwahati MP and others for the project. The members of the committee can advise the government on the project."

The AGP MLA brought an allegation that the Jawharlal Nehru tiol Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)-funded water supply project covering West Guwahati and Jalukbari LACs has long been in doldrums. The work of the project, the MLA said, began in 2008.

Replying to it, Sarma said: "The work of the water supply project was very slow in the past two years. However, now the work has picked up pace. I thought to commission the project in Bohag, but failed. Gamon India keeps us assuring that it'll complete the project by August 31 this year. However, I don't take their assurance at its face value. I cherish the wish to commission the water supply project on October 2 this year."