The restoration of the Calve School faculty in Puducherry was accomplished on October 26, 2024.
| Picture Credit score: KUMAR SS

A number of new initiatives taken up underneath the Sensible Cities Mission in Puducherry are but to be commissioned months after inauguration whereas a number of others are dragging past their scheduled completion date.

The Ministry of Housing and City Affairs had accepted varied initiatives to the tune of ₹1,056 crore in Puducherry underneath the Sensible Metropolis Mission in 2017. Subsequently, as a consequence of varied administrative and monetary causes, the venture measurement was scaled right down to ₹612 crore.

A complete of 82 initiatives had been sanctioned underneath the mission, of which 57 have been accomplished up to now.

In line with official sources, although main initiatives, together with the advance of the Botanical Backyard, reconstruction of the Rajiv Gandhi bus terminus on Maraimalai Adigal Salai, restoration of Calve School Authorities College and housing initiatives for economically weaker sections at Chinnayapuram and Kumaragurupallam have been accomplished, the Authorities is but to place them to public use.

The restoration of the Calve School faculty was accomplished on October 26, 2024 whereas the reconstruction of the bus stand was accomplished on December 15, 2024. Nevertheless, they’re but to be commissioned, and the inordinate delay has invited widespread flak from residents in addition to representatives of assorted political events.

Whereas June 2024 was the preliminary deadline to fee the pending initiatives that had been taken up underneath the Mission, the deadline was once more revised to March 2025. After three extensions, the Mission ended on March 31, 2025 and the Ministry of Housing and City Affairs has made it clear that the respective State governments could be answerable for finishing them thereafter.

“Whereas Puducherry has obtained its share of funds underneath the Mission, there was no progress within the execution of initiatives. For example, about 95% of the work on development of stormwater drains at Petit Canal Road and Murungapakkam have been accomplished. However the remaining 5% work has been dragging on for over a yr,” sources stated.

An official of Puducherry Sensible Metropolis Improvement Restricted (PSCDL) on anonymity stated the finished initiatives had been deliberate for inauguration in January. “We don’t know why the inauguration is getting delayed. The development of mini stadium at Anna Thidal and improvement of City Forest Path at Swadeshi Mills has been dragging on regardless of a number of extensions of deadlines. The initiatives are more likely to be accomplished solely by Could. The Particular Objective Car (SPV) shaped for execution of good metropolis initiatives can even wind up shortly. This has raised considerations over the long run operation and upkeep of the initiatives,” he stated.