Pune: Pimpri Chinchwad municipal commissioner Shravan Hardikar has directed civic officials to take over all ongoing and completed projects implemented under the Smart City Mission by March 31.A senior PCMC official told TOI that once the decision is implemented, the Smart City Mission office will cease to exist, and all projects will be formally handed over to the respective departments of the civic body for execution and maintenance.
“I instructed the concerned departments to take over these projects from whichever stage they may be in. The municipal corporation will take ownership and ensure that the projects are completed and operated effectively,” Shravan Hardikar, PCMC chief, told TOI.He added that a three-member committee has been constituted to review all projects implemented by the Smart City Mission’s office and oversee their smooth transfer to the civic body. “The Smart City Mission’s office will no longer have control over these projects. They will be handed over to their respective parent departments,” he said.A senior civic official said the decision was taken to ensure that the purpose of various works being carried out under the initiative is achieved.Pimpri Chinchwad was selected under the Smart City Mission in 2017, under which projects worth around Rs 980 crore were implemented. Of the total outlay, the Centre contributed Rs 490 crore, while state govt provided Rs 245 crore. The remaining amount was borne by the civic body.Five major projects were implemented under the initiative, spanning multiple departments and execution was carried out by the Smart City Mission’s team. However, the mission’s office came under criticism over several projects that remained non-functional, incomplete or faced operational issues even after completion. One such project was CCTV installation under the ‘City Surveillance Initiative’. The initiative drew flak as more than half of the cameras remained non-functional despite the project being completed.While funds from both the Centre and state were already received and utilised, the municipal corporation is currently incurring additional expenditure to maintain and operationalise several of these projects. A senior PCMC official said civic staff deputed to the Smart City Mission’s office will be repatriated to their parent departments. Contractual employees will continue until their contracts expire, after which they will be relieved if their services are no longer required.
