Crores spent, Smart Cities Mission leaves behind more bills, superficial infrastructure

The Smart Cities Mission, launched in June 2015 under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, promised to create citizen friendly and sustainable cities. Ten years later, crumbling infrastructure says otherwise.

The mission claimed it would deliver integrated planning, modern infrastructure and improved services, positioning itself as the flagship of India’s urban transformation. It was estimated to cost Rs 2 lakh crore.

Despite 10 years of funding and attention, much of the work has been limited to surface-level fixes on aging infrastructure. The mission has only delivered temporary solutions that lack a forward-thinking approach in strategies.

The design, funding and delays

One hundred cities were chosen for the mission through a competitive process completed by 2018. The programme envisaged that these cities would implement projects to enhance infrastructure related to water and sanitation, mobility and transport, energy efficiency, digital services and public spaces. It would be powered by the “Internet of Things” – a network of devices that share data.

Each city was projected to receive Rs 100 crore annually for five years from the Central government, amounting to an envisaged package of Rs 500 crore per city.

The Smart Cities Mission relied on a 50:50 cost-sharing model with states, with additional resources expected from municipal bonds, loans and public-private partnerships and “convergence” – financing...

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