Business
Devolve functions, funds for Smart Cities initiative, states told
New Delhi, Jan 31
Union Minister of State for
Urban Development Babul Supriyo Saturday urged the state governments to
devolve necessary functions, funds and functionaries to the urban local
bodies to enable them to take up the challenges under Smart Cities
initiative.
Supriyo was speaking at the conclusion of the two-day
Consultation Workshop of States and Stakeholders on Smart Cities, which
was held on the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the
states on board before proceeding with a the launch of the Smart Cities
initiative.
It was attended by the principal secretaries and
municipal commissioners from about 25 states, industry representatives
and urban experts.
The workshop suggested minimum educational
qualifications for corporators, fixed tenure for mayors and municipal
officials, increased floor area ratios, online services and digital
connectivity, land monetization, economic master planning of cities
before physical master plans as reforms for small and metropolitan
cities.
The suggested reforms also include improving revenues through 100 percent collection of taxes and user charges.
Outlining
the criteria for the selection of cities for development as smart
cities, it was workshop suggested the availability of a vision and city
development strategy, progress under the Swachh Bharat Mission, timely
payment of salaries to municipal staff, an information and grievance
redressal mechanism and e-News Letter as basic eligibility conditions
for participation in the "Smart City Challenge" competition.
The
workshop also suggested parameters and weightage points for final
selection of cities to be developed as smart cities which included
self-financing ability(25 percent weightage), institutional systems and
capacities (25 percent), existing service levels and committed plan of
action for three years (25 percent), past track record in implementing
reforms(15 percent) and quality of vision document(10 percent)