Debate during Assembly Question Time:

Vaidyanathan, Congress: There is a delay in tendering for smart city projects in Laspettai constituency. The files for that are going around.

CM: Smart city works are not fast. Everyone knows the reason for that. In fact, the committee headed by the Chief Secretary is carrying out the Smart City work. They can also make financial decisions. We have no stake in it. The government does not receive the file. Such is the situation.

Nehru, Sue.,: Smart City is happening in Namur. We tell the tasks that did not happen in it. What action has been taken against them? Why was the project brought about?

Kalyanasundaram, B.J.,; Kalapattu block was never taken up in smart city project. Completely ignored.

Sivashankar, Sue.,: Various works remain the same in my constituency as well. Roads are bad.

Ramesh, N. R. Cong.,; The Chief Minister should hold a review meeting once a month to speed up the Smart City project

Nehru, Self.,: Delays in smart city projects. Even the tendered works are lying still. Who is asking this? The Smart City deadline ends in July. What are we going to do? Smart city works should be made known to people’s representatives.

Chief Minister: Nothing was done in the previous regime. Everyone knows very well how smart city works were two years ago. Initially Rs. Only 60 crore works were done in Smart City project. Now we have converted it into a project worth Rs.250 crore. He does not show haste in the work, so he is late. This is our administrative situation. We call the authorities and talk. We ask to speed up the work. However, the works are getting delayed.

Jankumar, BJP: That is why we need statehood. We have to increase our income to 100 percent. If that happens, we can buy the status of a separate state.

Chief Minister: State revenue was low in the past. The central government gave up to 70 percent assistance.

That is not the case now. The state’s revenue has now risen to 61 percent. is to increase further. At the same time, the central government’s grant aid is decreasing.

The five-year deadline set by the central government for the Smart City project is about to be completed.

It is not known whether the central government will extend the deadline further. Now you know. Like all MLAs, I also want the smart city work to be done at a faster pace.

If that had happened, more than Rs.1,200 crore worth of work would have been done. It is painful that works worth Rs.250 crore have been done at present.

However, we will call the authorities and speed up the work.

Nehru, Sue.,: Smart city project is coming to an end. The chief secretary should make a report in the assembly about the work done in this project.

CM: This is the glaring fact of smart city project.

Thus the discussion took place.