Closer to Delhi, Gurgaon is a good example. It is home to several major businesses and IT sectors and is considered one of the best poised to emerge as a model city. Yet, it suffers from water shortages, water-logging during monsoons and sub-standard civic amenities in general. Many State capitals too are in bad shape, with only areas that are considered VIP zones developed to satisfactory levels. Take even Delhi for instance: Many parts of the designated capital, New Delhi, suffer from all kinds of civic problems, with cleanliness far from being a model that others should adopt. Barring the VIP zones again — Parliament, South Block and North Block and Rashtrapati Bhavan etc — the rest is as bad as any neglected small town would be. The Ministry of Urban Development has a tough task on its hand. But it alone cannot make the project a success; the contribution of State Governments is going to be critical. It can only be hoped that political friction will not come in the way of the implementation of the Smart City project. A good beginning was made when the Centre asked the State Governments to nominate the cities they wanted to be developed under the project, and which met the criteria laid down. Thus, no State regime can later crib that the Union Government had not asked for its opinion. The maximum number of smart cities that have been identified falls in States which are ruled by non-BJP, non-NDA parties. Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have received a lion's share (25 in all), and most State capitals have been included in the list. The capitals that did not make it to the list, such as Patna, Mumbai, Shimla, Gangtok and Kohima, remained out because the respective State regimes did not recommend them.
