The usual problems associated with India also came to light. The standing committee said it was “surprised to find that in spite of available mechanisms, the complaints about poor work under the mission are still pouring in before the committee”. It recommended that “all those cases questioning the claim of work done under Smart Cities emanating from local MPs be probed expeditiously and the guilty be brought to book”.
News reports from organs that were still interested in the issue pointed out some primary flaws with the Smart Cities mission. It emphasised the high-end infrastructure and technology-driven surveillance, but did not address the basic amenities — water, schools, public hospitals and housing. With its area-based development, it was focused on spending most of the money on small patches of city centres that were already developed.
The elitism showed elsewhere, for instance in the public bicycle sharing project implemented by many cities, including Pune, Delhi, Bhopal and Coimbatore. The instructions for hiring a bicycle on the company’s website were only in English and it only accepted online payment. Smart Cities were pushing India’s urban poor further to the margins. https://thewire.in/urban/why-smart-cities-project-never-took-off-in-india-and-was-quietly-shelved
by Aakar Patel
04/11/2025