Gauhati High Court: A Division Bench of Ajai Lamba, CJ and Soumitra Saikia, J., asked Prashant Dhanda, IFS holding the post of Managing Director, Guwahati Smart City Limited, Kamrup to file a point wise response in the from of an affidavit on the following points:
- When grant for making Guwahati a Smart City was received, and how much?
- How much money is available as on date with Guwahati Smart City Limited?
- How much ground work has been done in Guwahati to set up Master System Integrated Project?
- Under the Financial Regulations, which is the quickest transparent mode of inviting service provider for making Guwahati a Smart City?
- We have also asked Mr Dhanda to give us inputs as to which cities in the country have been converted into Smart Cities and how are they graded in quality? Who are the service providers for these projects?
Court gave liberty to Mr Dhanda with regard to directly interacting with service providers for cities graded as as smartest in the country and enquire about the mode through which the task was given to them.
Bench was pained,
On observing that Rs 400 Crores was made available to Guwahati Smart City Limited, however, since 2017/2018, no effective work has been done.
Thus Court took judicial notice of the fact that while money is lying unused, city has not been provided with the facilities required under Smart City Projects.
“…value of money has been reduced and, therefore, the public exchequer has been put at a loss.”
Court directed Mr Dhanda to furnish the resolutions passed by Guwahati Smart City Limited.
Court has further been informed that an exercise/survey is being carried by Guwahati Municipal Corporation for de-congesting the crowded market areas.
On the above being completed, report be placed before the Court.
Guwahati Development Department is directed to apprise the Court as to whether all the roads that could possibly be widened have been widened. In case, on account of land constraints roads cannot be widened, whether a plan to provide flyovers has been conceived or not.
Fire Brigade Department and Assam Disaster Management Department are also required to be involved in this exercise, because at a number of places within the city of Guwahati, fire brigades cannot reach.
In case of a mishap, if fire brigade is unable to approach, there can be number of fatality. In such circumstances, such areas be identified by Fire Brigade Department and Assam Disaster Management Department and the Court be apprised.
Matter to be listed on 4th June, 2020. [Rita Das Mozumdar v. State of Assam, 2020 SCC OnLine Gau 2001 , decided on 29-05-2020]