Guwahati fails to win the Indian Smart City Award due to delays in project implementation

Digital Desk: Guwahati's dream to emerge as a smart city shattered as it failed to receive the prestigious Indian Smart City Award (ISCA) as part of the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

According to sources, Guwahati missed out on the award despite contending in the urban transportation category due to a lack of execution in other areas.

The Zonal Smart City Award (Northeast Zone) division was won by Kohima (Nagaland) and Namchi (Sikkim).

Built Environment, Culture, Economy, Governance, ICCC Business Model, Mobility, Sanitation, Social Aspects, Urban Environment, Water, Innovative Idea Award, COVID-19 Innovation Award, and Partner Award for industry contributors were among the categories honoured.

Guwahati was one of the first 20 cities chosen for smart city transformation, intending to improve key infrastructure, foster sustainability, and improve inhabitants' quality of life through intelligent solutions. However, the city's progress was hampered by project delays and non-completion.

"The only reason Guwahati lost out is the delay in implementation," said a retired officer from Guwahati Smart City Ltd (GSCL). GSCL has not finished a single project it has undertaken. The centre's funds of Rs 396 crores remained unutilized until 2021," he added.

Significantly Coimbatore won first place in the built environment category, followed by Ahmedabad in culture and the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) category, Jabalpur in the economy, Chandigarh in governance and mobility, Indore in sanitation, water, and urban environment, Vadodara in social aspects, Hubballi-Dharwad in the idea category, and Surat's COVID-19 innovation.

The national smart city award went to Indore, while the state and UT prizes went to Madhya Pradesh and Chandigarh, respectively. ISAC 2022 received 845 nominations from 80 eligible smart cities, with 66 final winners recognised across multiple categories.

President Droupadi Murmu will offer congratulations to the ISAC 2022 winners, highlighting the acknowledgement of exceptional efforts and ideas in the sphere of smart urban development.