CAG flags deviations in Smart City projects from FY 2016 to 2024
A performance audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has identified significant irregularities in Chennai's Smart City projects between 2016 and 2024. The report highlights dropped projects, unauthorized spending outside designated areas, and a lack of citizen consultation for new initiatives.
Why it matters
The findings expose systemic governance and financial management failures in a major urban development program, impacting the transparency and efficacy of public infrastructure spending in India.
Several projects under the Smart Cities Mission in Chennai were dropped, unplanned work was undertaken, and funds were spent outside the designated Smart City area, according to a performance audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
The report contains the results of the Performance Audit on Implementation of Smart City Mission in Tamil Nadu covering the period from April 2016 to March 2024, and was tabled in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on September 8.
Of the 48 projects worth ₹1,366.25 crore originally planned for Chennai, eight projects worth ₹279.03 crore were not implemented, according to the report.
These included the proposed Street Light Monitoring System worth ₹248.47 crore and the Intelligent Traffic Management System worth ₹100 crore under the Pan-city initiative. The audit noted that there was no specific justification on record for dropping the projects.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in