Accelerate Rourkela Smart City project: Pradhan

Bhubaneswar: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday sought the intervention the Centre and Odisha Government for accelerating Rourkela Smart City project.

He informed that only Rs 22.23 crore of the Rs 376 crore sanctioned for the development of the smart city project has so far been spent.

He wrote two separate letters to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri expressing disappointment at the tardy progress in Rourkela Smart City project work.

“I am disappointed to note that the total expenditure incurred by RSL thus far is only Rs 22.23 crore of which Rs 16.37 crore have been spent towards consultancy fees and salaries,” the minister said.

“Keeping in mind the welfare of the citizens of Rourkela, I request your personal intervention in expediting the resolution for speeding up the progress of the Rourkela Smart City Project,” said Pradhan.

It is unfortunate that four years after the sanction of grants from the Central and state government, RSL has not been able to show significant progress in the project,” Pradhan said.