Thiruvananthapuram: Friday, the day after which the bidding process for ten smart city fast-track projects should have started, passed by, with the project management consultants not even submitting the feasibility reports of half those projects. Thiruvananthapuram corporation has pointed out the issue to the CEO of Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited. “We have asked the CEO to get back to us with a new time frame for the projects. The issue will be raised in front of the Board of Directors,” said Mayor V.K. Prasanth.
When asked if the recent floods in the state have affected the implementation of the project in some manner, the mayor replied in the negative. “Not every member of the consultants’ team is here. Earlier too we had pointed this out, and how this is affecting the pace of the work. The floods cannot have made a huge impact on their functioning,” he said.
However, since various government agencies and councillors have been very busy with flood relief activities, it could have had some impact on the projects. Some projects, like smart bus stops, needed councillors to help identify locations where it would come up.
Four projects for which the consultants have submitted feasibility reports are the enhancement of public toilets, setting up of drinking water fountains, setting up open gym and digital information kiosks. The bidding process for designing the Smart Thiruvananthapuram website has been completed.
In addition, the consultants had met with energy experts and key officials of 28 government institutions for which solar rooftop was proposed. A financial model for each institution will be developed.
The projects for which feasibility report is yet to be prepared are setting up of smart bus stops, cycle sharing, e-autorickshaws and multilevel car parking.
