Chief Minister Harish Rawat has directed officials concerned to identify alternative site, apart from the land identified at Shimla bye-pass for execution of the Smart City project.
Rawat directed the Housing secretary and Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) vice chairman R Meenakshi Sundaram to keep land requirement for the project at up to 300 acres.
The decision on whether the project area is expanded should be left to the State Government formed after the 2017 Assembly elections, said the CM. The CM also directed the Housing secretary to resolve the doubts being expressed regarding the environmental and other factors related to constructing the smart city on the tea estate lands.
The green cover in the tea-gardens should be maintained and the financial and social security of labourers working here should also be ensured, he stressed.
In an informal interaction with media persons in Dehradun on Tuesday, the Chief Minister averred that the State Government accords full respect to public sentiments. Rawat said, “Priority will be accorded to resolving any doubts regarding the smart city project arising in the minds of the people. All the questions being raised in this regard have been taken into cognisance by us. Our friends in the BJP should say whether they want a smart city in Dehradun or not. The concept of smart city has been floated by the Central Government and we have accepted it in the interests of the State. However, it appears as if BJP leaders don’t like the smart city concept. If this is the case, they should clarify their position on the development of smart city in Dehradun,” he added. The CM also averred that the State Government is attempting to increase the green cover not just in Dehradun but also across the State.