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Warangal misses smart bus
Telangana has been let down once again by the Centre. Warangal did not figure in the list of top 20 smart cities of India while Vizag and Kakinada of Andhra Pradesh have been included in the list to be taken up in the first phase of development as smart cities.
It’s yet another case of Centre’s discrimination against Telangana: CM
New Delhi: Telangana has been let down once again by the Centre. Warangal did not figure in the list of top 20 smart cities of India while Vizag and Kakinada of Andhra Pradesh have been included in the list to be taken up in the first phase of development as smart cities.
Dismissing questions on exclusion of Warangal, Union Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu said that there was no discrimination in the selection of the cities nor is there any Centre's intervention and that whichever city had qualified in meeting all the parametres stipulated with planned phase wise developmental schemes with at least a couple of pan-city applications have made it to the top.
Reacting to the smart cities list, Telangana State Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said that this was yet another case of the Centre’s discrimination against Telangana. “Telangana has been rated as ‘A’ category economic force by noted rating agency India Credit Rating Agency (ICRA). The TS-iPASS, incubation centre’s and other facilities were praised by Ratan Tata and Sunder Pichai. Still the Centre did not feel it proper to incorporate it in the list of smart cities, he said.
Explaining about the selection of cities, Venkaiah Naidu said, "it is more like a UPSC examination. Those who topped the merit list made it to the first list of selected cities. Those who lagged behind barely would have to rush with concrete plans and proposals to shore up their proposals for inclusion of their cities before April in the list as funds would be released from the current fiscal itself."
It means Warangal that could not make it to the first list would be given another chance - "a supplementary chance" - under an accelerated benefit programme. Warangal stood third in the wait list behind Ujjain and Gwalior.
It is up to the officials of the Warangal Municipal Corporation now to come up with its fresh proposals and its preparedness with a proper assessment of the existing infrastructure in place, Venkaiah Naidu clarified in his reference to such cities that could not make it to the merit list.
It was Bhopal that edged out Warangal with about 55 per cent points or so and Warangal lagging behind by about just one per cent or so less points, it was learnt. Among the top 20 cities that made to the merit list are: Bhubaneswar, Pune, Jaipur, Surat, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Jabalpur, Visakhapatnam, Solapur, Davanagere, Indore, NDMC (New Delhi), Coimbatore, Kakinada, Belagavi, Udaipur, Guwahati, Chennai, Ludhiana and Bhopal. Tirupati is the only other city that could perhaps make it to the list in near future. In all, 97 cities have vied with one another in making it to the first merit list.
