Politics stretches list of Smart Cities from 100 to 109

Contrary to his long-standing dictum of ´jitna aata, utni roti´ (only as many chapatis as the quantity of flour or cutting the coat according to the cloth) – Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu is slowly yielding to political compulsions by allowing more cities to participate in the Smart City Mission competition. As per policy, only 100 cities are listed for development as Smart Cities in the next five years. The ministry, however, has now allowed nine more capitals to participate in the next round of the competition. It has also allowed J&K and UP to nominate two cities each in contravention of the rules. However, a spokesperson said there was nothing political in the move.