Why Omar Abdullah govt ordered an external audit of Srinagar Smart City project

SRINAGAR: The government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has ordered an external audit of the Srinagar Smart City project.The CM said the cabinet decided to conduct a third-party audit as the project has been declared completed and it was important to assess the work undertaken and its impact on the ground.National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said the audit is aimed at examining alleged shortcomings in the project. "On the failure of the Smart City project, the government has stepped in," Dar said. "The government has ordered a third-party audit to investigate what was actually delivered against the original proposals."Dar said the decision was taken at the cabinet meeting held on Tuesday. "There have been widespread complaints about the Smart City projects in Srinagar.

We had promised to conduct an audit of these projects and we are fulfilling that commitment," he said.“Several glaring issues have been raised regarding the award of contracts and implementation of projects. For instance, the whole city gets inundated during slight rainfall even the Poloview market gets inundated indicating that the drainage system has collapsed. The audit should determine how the funds were spent and where the shortcomings lie," Dar said.

The government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has ordered an external audit of the Srinagar Smart City project, citing widespread complaints over its implementation.On Tuesday the BJP blamed the NC for governance failure stating that slight rainfall brings the city to standstill. “One spell of rain and Srinagar comes to a standstill. Flooded roads, paralysed traffic, and helpless citizens expose the city's crumbling infrastructure.

The people deserve better. Unfortunately, the present JKNC government has failed them,” the BJP’s statement said.On Monday heavy rainfall lashed old Srinagar city leading to waterlogging of the various areas. An elderly woman who had stepped out of home died of electric shock from an electric pole during water logging in the city.Last year the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs told Lok Sabha that Jammu and Kashmir has completed 279 of the 288 projects sanctioned under the Smart Cities Mission.The ministry had said that the Union territory’s Smart Cities portfolio totals 288 projects amounting to Rs 6,604 crore. Jammu accounts for 127 projects worth Rs 2,969 crore, of which 123 projects (Rs 2,841 crore) are complete and four projects (Rs 128 crore) remain ongoing. Srinagar has 161 projects valued at Rs 3,634 crore, with 156 projects (Rs 3,524 crore) completed and five projects (Rs 111 crore) still under implementation.Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) officials said all works sanctioned under the Srinagar Smart City project which began in April 2017 have been completed. They cited the redevelopment of the Lal Chowk, the riverfront project, the Amira Kadal bridge, the Poloview market makeover, the upgradation of the old city and the Integrated Traffic Management System as key initiatives whose impact, they said, is visible on the ground.In January 2025 Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had launched an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of construction materials during the revamping and beautification work under the Srinagar Smart City project. The ACB statement at that time had said it was probing the alleged use of substandard materials in the development work on foreshore road in the Nishat area of Srinagar.