Friday, 27 SEPTEMBER 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Uttarakhand Congress vice president Surya Kant Dhasmana and other party leaders including Chakrata MLA Pritam Singh submitted a memorandum to the Dehradun district magistrate Savin Bansal seeking a thorough investigation into a large-scale scam allegedly orchestrated in the Dehradun Smart City project. During the Congress delegation’s visit to the DM office, Dhasmana expressed concern regarding the state of the “Smart City” where local residents are witnessing deteriorating roads, sanitation system failures, improper sewerage, electricity and water issues along with substandard healthcare facilities. Dhasmana informed that the memorandum to the DM highlighted the poor conditions of various key roads in the city including Rajpur Road, Sahastradhara Road, Canal Road, Doon University Road, Banjarawala and other areas. He further said that the city’s traffic system is disorderly with sixty per cent of the traffic lights not working, leading to traffic jams. He added that despite the installation of sewer and water lines under the JNNURM, ADB and AMRUT schemes, they have not been fully operational, resulting in frequent complaints of sewer blockages and water supply issues in the city. Apart from this, no drainage plan was developed for the city under the Smart City project, leading to waterlogging during the rainy season. He also highlighted mismanagement in the district hospital and the other government facilities. Citing the deteriorating sanitation system, he questioned the effectiveness of the city’s “smart” designation, emphasising that mere cosmetic changes do not make a city smart. Considering this, he demanded a public audit of the funds allocated for the Smart City project and called for a thorough investigation. The DM assured the Congress delegation of forwarding the memorandum to the government for an investigation into the Smart City project while adding that he would address the issues within his jurisdiction.
