GUWAHATI: Amidst the devastating floods that have wreaked havoc in Guwahati, the Congress has demanded the publication of a white paper regarding the expenditure of Rs. 802 crore under the name of smart city in Guwahati.
The president of the Asom Pradesh Mahila Congress, Mira Borthakur, said that Guwahati was declared a smart city in 2016. In the past 8 years, Rs 802 crore was spent on 14 projects.
Mainly for the beautification of the Brahmaputra riverside, Rs 327.30 crore was spent. Again, Rs 260.77 crore was spent on the purchase of 200 electric buses.
An amount of Rs 78.88 crore was spent in the name of the traffic management system. For the installation of LED lights, Rs 23 crore was spent.
In the Jyoti Project, Rs 14.57 crore was spent. For the development of the Dakshin Pat Xatra, Rs 14.32 crore was spent. Rs. 14.2 crore was spent for the development of Umananda Temple.
Rs 10.82 crore was spent on the development of Aswaklanta Devalaya while Rs. 8.28 crore was spent in the name of the light and sound show at Kalakshetra, and for the beautification of Kalakshetra, Rs 4.96 crore was spent.
For the development of Gandhi Mandap, Rs 11 crore was spent. A total of Rs 2 crore was spent for the purchase of 100 CNG buses. For the development of Judges Field, Rs 5.66 crore was spent. A total of Rs 802.33 crore was spent on all these 14 projects.
Borthakur has called for a white paper, detailing how the Rs 802.33 crore allocated for the 14 projects was spent and in which departments.
Borthakur further said that the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ashok Singhal, has no competence regarding the development of Guwahati.
She also said that due to the lack of coordination between PWD, GMC, and PHED, irregularities have been created in the laying and repairing of pipes.
Borthakur further added that during the GMC elections, the BJP had promised to make Guwahati flood-free and to provide drinking water to every household, but after the formation of the new GMC government, they have turned their backs on the common people. She urged the Chief Minister of Assam to drop Ashok Singhal from his Cabinet.
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