Himachal eyes smart city crown for Shimla, urges Centre to support

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh government has urged the Centre to include Shimla in Smart City mission and Dharamsala under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). Minister Sudhir Sharma on Tuesday met Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu in Delhi and urged him to include Shimla in Smart City Mission as it was a famous international tourist destination, besides being the state capital. “Shimla’s pre-eminent position as largest city of the state and heritage status qualifies it for Smart City tag,” the Himachal Pradesh Urban Development Minister said. Shimla had already been included under AMRUT, Sharma said. [caption id=“attachment_663227” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Shimla covered in snow. AFP[/caption] Sharma also demanded inclusion of Dharamsala, which was already included under Smart City mission, under AMRUT Mission and said a proposal in this regard had been submitted under fast-track mode to the Centre. He also urged the Union Minister to adopt a cluster approach to include more towns by clubbing small towns like Kullu-Manali and Mandi-Sundernagar under AMRUT. Sharma also demanded funds for Dharamsala sewerage scheme and informed the Union Minister that Municipal Corporation, Dharamsala has prepared a detailed report with estimated expenditure of Rs 101.36 crore for providing sewerage facility in the left out areas of the town.