After slipping to fifth place in the most recent Swachh rankings, Mysuru has missed the ‘Smart City’ bus yet again.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru finally made it to the list of cities to be developed under the Smart Cities Mission. In the first round of 20 cities announced in 2015, only Davangere and Belagavi were chosen from the State.

Mysuru did not make it even when four more cities from the State — Mangaluru, Tumakuru, Shivamogga and Hubballi-Dharwad — were included.

One of the reasons cited by officials from the Union Ministry of Urban Development for Mysuru not being considered in the first round is that the city corporation had not audited its accounts since 2011. Another reason is non-utilisation of 80% of the funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Mysuru would have scored an additional 10 marks if the JNNURM funds had been spent in full.

Sources in the Mysuru City Corporation told The Hindu that no fresh efforts were made to get Mysuru a place in the list. “The State government should have exerted pressure on the Centre when the city missed the bus in the first round,” a source said.

Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) convener Bhamy V. Shenoy said the reason given for the city not making it to the list was that it did not score well on 13 parameters, including existing service level, reform track record, implementation of JNNURM works, and self-financing capacity. 

“Why did Mysuru score low on these parameters? Why did our elected representatives not press for Mysuru and its potential as a Smart City,” he asked. “We need to find fault not only with our elected leaders but also with civil society groups. To some extent, the citizens should take the blame.” 

In Mangaluru, when suggestions were requested from the public for both the Smart City rounds, more than 11,000 opinions were submitted. “When MGP organised protest campaigns to save Chamundi Hills and People’s Park, we got no more than 2,000 in a city with 10 lakh people. Citizens should also take interest and become more involved,” Dr. Shenoy said.

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