Several projects taken up under the Smart City initiative in Jalandhar remain incomplete even though the scheme officially ended in June, as per reports a total of 13 deposit works were planned at a cost of around ₹535 crore.
Of these, six projects have been completed, five remain incomplete, one has been cancelled, while work on the Municipal Corporation’s Central Workshop has not started.
The projects were assigned to different departments and agencies for execution and their progress has varied, with some works being completed while others have faced delays because of pending approvals and other execution-related issues.
One of the biggest projects is the ₹400-crore Surface Water Project, being executed by the Sewerage Board, as reportedly the project is currently 92% complete. It was originally scheduled to be completed in September 2023, but the deadline was missed, now a new target has now been set for December.
Another project involves the purchase of machinery for sanitation, waste lifting, drain cleaning and waste sorting and the project has a total allocation of ₹42 crore and is being handled by the Municipal Corporation. Machinery worth around ₹15 crore has been procured, while equipment worth ₹27 crore is yet to be purchased.
The ₹34-crore Kala Sanghian Drain rejuvenation project has been completed, and the ₹6.53-crore Smart E-Classrooms project in government schools has also been completed.
Work on the ₹26.83-crore reconstruction of roads damaged during pipeline laying is around 50% complete. The project is being executed by the Sewerage Board.
The Bist Doab Canal fencing project, covering five kilometres and costing ₹3.26 crore, is around 60% complete and the work is reportedly being handled by the Municipal Corporation.
The ₹2.75-crore Central Workshop upgradation project at Lamma Pind Chowk has not started on the ground, the land belongs to the Mandi Board, and the required No Objection Certificate has reportedly remained pending for around 18 months.
The Green Corridor project, being executed by the Forest Department at a cost of ₹5.55 crore, is around 60% complete.
Another project facing a prolonged delay is the construction of a water storage tank at Surya Enclave. Work at the site has remained stopped for around one and a half years and water has accumulated in the excavation area. A high-tension power line tower needs to be shifted for the project to proceed.
The shifting requires approval from Powercom and a planned power shutdown.
Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said the projects are moving forward in phases and he said review meetings are being held in Chandigarh to monitor the progress of various projects and officials have been directed to expedite the pending works.
Rishi also spoke about the Burlton Park project, saying that around 70% of the work is expected to be completed by November and said the remaining work would gradually gain pace and is expected to reach around 90% completion by December.
On delays affecting the projects, Rishi said rainfall had impacted the execution of works, and according to him, projects remained stalled for around four months because of the rains, resulting in a slowdown in their progress.
The current project status shows that while several Smart City works have been completed, a number of projects continue to remain under execution and the Municipal Corporation and concerned departments are now working towards completing the pending projects in phases.