TN begins probe into Smart City irregularities

Chennai: The one-man committee appointed to inquire into implementation of smart city projects across the State is all set to commence its probe.
According to a government order by Chief Secretary Irai Anbu, the committee headed by retired IAS officer PWC Davidar will look into if the projects were implemented as per guidelines and whether they were in public interest, the extent to which the projects impacted the Smart Cities, whether smart city special purpose vehicles were set up and whether the funds by Union government and State government were used as per guidelines.
The committee will also look into major flaws in implementation and extent of deviation. The inquiry report shall be submitted within a period of three months from the date of the committee taking charge.
‘Whether due procedure was followed in the award of contracts for the works under the Mission? Whether adequate measures were taken to ensure the quality of works implemented under the Mission?’ are among the terms of reference for the panel.
The Centre launched the Smart Cities Mission in 2015 with the aim of creating 100 smart cities throughout the country in five years through inter-State and intra-State competitions.
Eleven cities were selected under this Mission in Tamilnadu — Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Thanjavur, Salem, Vellore, Tiruppur, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tiruchi and Erode.
The Union and the State governments share the project cost equally. Out of the 644 projects sanctioned at a cost of Rs 10,651 crore, 257 projects at a cost of Rs 2,327.86 crore had been completed.